Simon Gwynn
Dec 20, 2020

Olympics appoints former Lego digital chief Silberbauer to marketing role

Lars Silberbauer has spent past two years as senior vice-president at Viacom’s MTV.

Olympics appoints former Lego digital chief Silberbauer to marketing role

The International Olympic Committee has appointed former Lego executive Lara Silberbauer as global head of brand, marketing and digital.

Silberbauer spent almost eight years at the toy company from 2011 to 2018, becoming senior global director of digital in his last two years there. In late 2018 he was poached by Viacom for the newly created role of senior vice-president of MTV Digital Studios, which saw him relocate from London to New York.

Before joining Lego he had worked at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation as head of social media and digital innovation.

Last October, the IOC appointed Christopher Carroll as director, marketing and digital engagement. Carroll is a former EMEA senior marketing director at Under Armour.

The Tokyo summer Olympics were due to take place this summer but in March, as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic became clear, they were postponed to next year – though will still be called Tokyo 2020. 

The Olympic Games will now take place from 23 July to 8 August 2021, and the Paralympic Games from 24 August to 5 September 2021.

Silberbauer shared his new role on LinkedIn. Campaign has contacted the IOC, but it is yet to comment.

Speaking on a panel at Cannes Lions in 2018, Silberbauer, who was at Lego at the time, described Pepsi's infamous Kendall Jenner ad as "an example of how you fuck things up".

Source:
Campaign UK

Related Articles

Just Published

1 hour ago

Delicia Tan adds Singapore to remit in Edelman ...

Tan takes on an expanded role as CEO of Edelman Singapore, while retaining her leadership of Hong Kong and Taiwan, following Julia Wei's upcoming departure. In other Edelman news, Vorasit Turongsomboon has been appointed MD for Thailand.

2 hours ago

Selfie-obsessed humans can now match with shelter dogs

Cheil Worldwide's latest campaign uses AI to match humans with shelter dogs based on looks and personality. Ad Nut is baffled and judging you.

2 hours ago

'The holding company model has been broken for a ...

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off two major acquisitions in 2024, Jamie Posnanski unpacks why the traditional agency-supplier model needs an overhaul, combating transformation fatigue, and why so few clients believe their agency models are fit for purpose.

2 hours ago

Advertisers of the month in Malaysia: Watsons, ...

The three brands led advertising awareness gains in Malaysia during the month of January, with Watsons’ Chinese New Year campaign achieving the highest visibility.