Top Story Replay: Olympic Channel Loses Comms Leader

(ATR) The person responsible for the Olympic Channel’s communications strategy and PR activity since it came online in August 2016 is out of a job.

Catherine Philbin’s position has been eliminated as part of a planned reorganization by the IOC, which launched the Digital Engagement & Marketing department in March that will handle the overall strategy for all platforms.

"Instead of returning from Tokyo this month following what would have been the pinnacle of the 2020 sports calendar, we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic and a virus which has plans unknown to all of us. But in this moment, all that I leave behind is everything that I have gained," Philbin said in an email to colleagues on Tuesday.

Philbin was the only full-time communications/PR person at the Olympic Channel. She leaves her post at the end of the week.

She came to the Olympic Channel from NBC's Universal Sports Network. She held previous roles with FremantleMedia, Major League Soccer, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Taylor Communications.

The IOC’s Digital Engagement & Marketing department is headquartered in Lausanne and led by Christopher Carroll, who came on board in September of last year.

Carroll, during the IOC Session in January, summarized the communication strategy moving forward as one of consolidation and "being people-centric", with the effort centered on growing the number of people accessing data "with clear benefits across to stakeholders and to do that in a manner that is self-funded from our commercial partnerships".

Written by Gerard Farek

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