The FINANCIAL — Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) today announced the appointment of Chris Schultz to general manager, Olympic-Paralympic marketing and Dedra DeLilli to the role of group manager, Olympic-Paralympic marketing.
DeLilli will report to Schultz, tasked with leading the day-to-day North American marketing operations on the automotive brand’s “The Olympic Partner” (TOP) partnership.
They join a team which already includes: Olympic and Partnership Manager Russ Koble and Global Strategy Manager Colin Morisako, according to Toyota.
The Toyota Olympic marketing team has already negotiated partnerships with four U.S.-based NGBs (U.S.A. Figure Skating, U.S.A Speed Skating, U.S.A. Ski & Snowboard and U.S.A Hockey) in advance of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
“Toyota is excited to have both Chris and Dedra come to Plano and lead our strong Olympic/Paralympics sponsorship team in North America,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president, marketing Toyota Motor North America. “Dedra brings a wealth of experience leading major sports sponsorships, while Chris brings two decades of Toyota know-how gained through several prominent regional and marketing roles.”
Schultz has been with Toyota since 1991, starting as a Management Trainee in the SF Region, and most recently rising to general manager of the New York and Denver Regions, where he was involved in major sports sponsorships including: a partnership with the NFL’s New York Giants/Jets, New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies. He is a former University of Oregon baseball player.
Most recently, DeLilli served as director, social media marketing & corporate sponsorships at TD Ameritrade, where she built their first-ever sports sponsorship team from the ground up and was instrumental in bringing two of the largest U.S. sports properties to the organization: the U.S. Olympic Committee and National Football League. She is a former University of Maine field hockey player.
DeLilli and Schultz are based at Toyota’s new North American headquarters in Plano, Texas.
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