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".