The former head of sponsorship at Sevilla FC, Michael Higham, has agreed to a new position as a partnership development director at Premier League club, Liverpool.
Higham resigned from Sevilla in January 2021 to become senior director of commercial partnerships at Roc Nation, a sports and entertainment agency. Higham left Roc Nation in December and has now joined the Reds.
Higham is coming back to England after previously working as a partner services manager at Arsenal and as a relationship manager at Manchester United. Higham was responsible for the clubs’ commercial partnerships, which includes maintaining, developing, and managing various deals.
During his tenure at Sevilla, the club renewed its kit supply deal with sportswear company Nike. The club also added the US motor oil company Valvoline as a sleeve sponsor and signed betting operator Marathonbet as a shirt sponsor. Contracts were also proposed to (former sleeve sponsor) Betfair, Uber, and the foreign exchange trading company EverFX.
During Higham’s tenure at Roc Nation, the agency signed a strategic consulting deal with the United Rugby Championship, formerly known as the Pro14. Through purpose-driven initiatives and creative activation, the partnership targets to aid the tournament reach new and wider audiences.
Higham has joined Liverpool after the club reported a £46 million pre-tax loss for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2020. The club attributed the results to the Covid-19 pandemic, which occurred after the Premier League season was suspended in March 2020 before matches resumed without spectators. Following the resumption of the season, Liverpool went on to win the Premier League title.