Formula E has hired the services of Ellie Norman who will join as the all-electric championship’s new chief marketing officer, having previously worked for Formula 1 and Manchester United.
Norman will join Formula E from the 30 September, replacing Henry Chilcott who has been in the role for the last four years but will leave the company after the London season finale later this month.
Having spent five years previously working in F1 as the championship’s chief marketing and communications officer, Norman has spent the last two years with Manchester United as the Premier League football club’s chief communications officer.
She said: “I’ve been closely watching the development of Formula E from the sidelines since its inception 10 years ago and always been impressed with its single-minded objective to grow an entirely new fanbase centred around dramatic electric-powered racing, taking place in exciting locations with technological innovation and sustainability at its core.”
Norman joins the company after it was recently announced that Liberty Global would be acquiring a controlling 65% stake in Formula E from Warner Bros Discovery, with the remaining 35% made up of minority shareholders.
The deal is independent from Liberty Media’s ownership of F1 and planned future control of Dorna Sports which runs MotoGP and the World Superbike championship, and is set to be completed before the end of 2024, subject to regulatory approval.
Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds previously worked with Norman at both Honda and Virgin Media and states her hire is the next stage in growing the championship globally following the work undertaken by Chilcott.
“I’ve not worked with her for a long time, but I’ve observed her development over the time I’ve not worked with her,” Dodds told Autosport.
“The combination for me of someone who loves motorsport, gets the product, gets the fan view, has very strong sports management experience and relevant sport marketing experience coming out of F1 and a known quantity to me, just felt like a brilliant fit.
“It’s a perfect transition from the right team for the job that had to be done [under Chilcott] to a different style of leadership for the job that needs to be done.”
