François Westcombe has joined Ticketmaster Sport as Managing Director for EMEA, bringing more than a decade of experience working across digital, commercial and audience strategy in global sport.
Westcombe takes up the role today, 7 October, following more than 11 years with businesses that ultimately became part of IMG, beginning when he joined sports digital agency Seven League in 2015.
During that time, he has worked with rights holders and sporting organisations including FIFA, UEFA, the Bundesliga, The R&A, Six Nations, the NFL and the IOC. Most recently, he was part of IMG’s global digital operation.
Before joining Seven League, Westcombe worked with Bloomberg Sports and STATS. In a reflection on his career at the end of 2015, he described moving from those businesses into Seven League and working with organisations including British Athletics, the ECB, Juventus, the Premier League and UEFA.
His move to Ticketmaster brings him closer to the live event side of an industry he has spent much of his career working in.
Westcombe said: “Ticketing is evolving rapidly. It is no longer just about selling tickets or providing a platform. It increasingly sits at the heart of the relationship between sports organisations and their fans – where interest becomes commitment.”
Sport has also been a personal interest from an early age. Ticketmaster’s introduction to its new MD includes a childhood photograph of Westcombe playing football “on the wing / in attack”, while his standout sporting memories include Kieran Trippier’s free kick against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final.
He still has some major venues on his own sporting wish list, naming the Bernabéu and San Siro as stadiums he has yet to visit.
That perspective as a fan is something Westcombe says has influenced how he approaches the business of sport.
He said: “Never underestimate how much people care. For a fan, a match or event might be something they’ve been looking forward to for months, or even years. Everyone working in sport has a responsibility to remember what that experience means to the person on the other side of the ticket.”
Westcombe joins Ticketmaster Sport as its EMEA operation works with more than 100 clients across 15 sports, ranging from grassroots organisations to the NFL, Premier League and RFL Championship.
His first months in the role will focus on getting to know the Ticketmaster Sport team and its clients and understanding where the business can make the greatest difference to clubs, leagues and venues.
Westcombe said: “The one thing I most want to hear from clients is, ‘You understand what matters to us,’” he says. “That tells me we’ve listened, asked the right questions, understood their business and earned their trust.”
