TaylorMade Golf Company Appoints Key Marketing and Direct to Consumer Leadership Posts

Both Posts Will Oversee the Quad-Brands of TaylorMade, Adams, adidas Golf and Ashworth

(Carlsbad, Calif.) – TaylorMade Golf Company CEO Ben Sharpe announced the appointment of Christa McNamara as Senior Vice President Global Brand Marketing and Communications and John Gonsalves as Vice President Direct to Consumer as part of the ongoing rollout of the company’s “Playbook 3.0.”  With the recent integration of the Adams business into the Carlsbad, CA headquarters both will lead quad-branded teams.

“We have talked about four critical pillars in our “Playbook 3.0”, ‘Put Golfers First,’ ‘Change the Game,’ ‘Find a Better Way,’ and ‘Win Together,’” said Sharpe.  “Christa and John will be playing critical roles in communicating directly with golfers, telling rich stories that demonstrate the clear benefit our products will have on the golfers’ game, and developing innovative new delivery mechanisms to connect golfers to our products.”

McNamara, a long-standing TaylorMade veteran, has worked with retailers, in brand marketing, corporate communications and most recently human resources.  She played a significant role in the development of the company’s “Playbook 3.0,” which in many ways was born from a corporate-wide initiative called “TaylorMade 3.0.”  Two years ago when she took on the position of SVP, Human Resources, McNamara saw a need for the internal audience at TaylorMade to have a voice in the future of the company and created “TaylorMade 3.0,” an internal action that brought the voice of the employees to the executive boardroom.  Today, elements of that exist in the company “Playbook 3.0”.  In her role as SVP of Global Brand Marketing, McNamara will ensure the DNA of all four brands remains distinctly different and each brand is working to fulfill its specific mission.

Gonsalves is charged with refining how the four brands engage consumers to better understand their equipment and apparel/footwear needs.  His teams will oversee commerce, digital engagement and social media efforts designed to create a more direct, and two-way, dialogue with golfers.  These efforts represent a fundamental component of the “Playbook 3.0” effort to better understand the golfer and their needs.  Gonsalves' team will be relaying consumer feedback to the product teams for future technology developments that are consistent with the consumers’ wants and needs.  They will also work with marketing to ensure the brand storytelling is in line with consumer interests.

TaylorMade Golf Company is a global-leading manufacturer of golf equipment, apparel and footwear.  TaylorMade Golf features four leading brands: TaylorMade, the #1 Driver and Irons in Golf,* Adams, the #1 hybrid on Tour, adidas Golf, a leading provider of athletic apparel and footwear for golf, and Ashworth, a brand synonymous with the game.

*#1 Driver in Golf claim based on combined 2014 wins and usage on the PGA, European, Japan Golf, Web.com, Champions and LPGA Tours, as reported by the Darrell Survey Co. and Sports Marketing Surveys, Inc. # 1 Irons in Golf claim based on 2013 Golf Datatech On & Off Course Retail Market Report. #1 Hybrid on Tour claim based on 2014 Adams hybrid usage on the PGA, Champions, LPGA, European, and Web.com Tours, as reported by the Darrell Survey Co. and Sports Marketing Surveys, Inc.