Extreme E shortlisted for Sports Industry award
Extreme E, the radical new electric off road SUV racing series starting in 2021, is injecting new energy into its team by way of a couple of former Red Bull recruits who bring impressive extreme sports experience.
Kester Wilkinson joins the Extreme E team from D3 events, one of Red Bull UK’s sports event agencies, with 49-year-old Wilkinson having amassed a huge amount of experience co-ordinating the production of events for Red Bull, Hyundai, Shell and Land Rover. Most of his event experiences have included challenging and technical events such as Red Bull cliff diving and Red Bull Hardline.
Kester will head up the events team at Extreme E ahead of the championship’s inaugural race in Senegal, Africa, next January, working with the logistics and sporting teams. His main responsibilities will be ensuring that the key event infrastructure and resources are in place for the delivery of a safe and competitive event, which also aims to perform to the highest possible standards in sustainability.
“As soon as I heard about Extreme E, I knew I had to work on this project. I thrive on the challenge that comes with organising sporting events in remote environments, but I also have a deep-rooted passion for the planet and anything that makes a difference to its future, so Extreme E ticks all the boxes for me.
“It’s a highly ambitious project and there is plenty to do to prepare for our first race with under a year to go, so the hard work is already underway, but there is a great team to work with here and we are all more than prepared for the challenge.”
Extreme E will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles to help preserve the environment and protect the planet.
Nina Dreier, former Sports Marketing Specialist at Red Bull UK, who also gained experience in the early days of Formula E, has also joined the team as the championship’s Marketing Manager.
Having been responsible for building local and regional brand affinity by running national and international Red Bull Sports Marketing event properties such as Red Bull Soapbox Race, Nina’s past experience of how to market events will be crucial when it comes to building the Extreme E brand on a global scale.
Nina explains: “Extreme E is not like anything else that exists in motorsport. It’s a very exciting concept; bold, breaking the mould, and aiming to attract an audience that far extends the usual boundaries of the sport.
“I feel very proud to be part of the team that gets to help shape its success and bring it to life as we build this new series from scratch.”
Commenting on the new team additions, Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are incredibly pleased to welcome Nina and Kester to the Extreme E team. Both bring truly impressive experiences and insights from their experiences with Red Bull and beyond.
“With just under a year to go until Extreme E gets underway, there is plenty of hard work ahead but we are building a talented team of people who are fully capable of meeting the challenge.”
