PMG enters sports celebrity management arena, signs Virender Sehwag

Madison World's sports marketing company, Professional Management Group, announced its foray into the sports celebrity management arena with the signing of cricketer Virender Sehwag for a period of five years.

PMG will look after the brand endorsements and other commercial commitments worldwide for the opening batsmen with a special focus on image building and reputation management. Sehwag currently endorses major brands such as Adidas, Hero Honda, Boost and Zandu Balm, among others.

PMG is chaired by cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and co-owned by Sam Balsara, chairperson, Madison World and Noomi Mehta, chairperson and managing director, Selvel One Group.

An established player in the sports marketing industry in India, it specialises in syndicated articles, awards, ratings, consulting and sponsorship of sporting events and properties.

With the entry into sports celebrity management, the company is looking at exploiting an industry that it sees as having high growth potential in the coming years.

Considering the upcoming 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the collaboration between these two giants in the field of sports will mark a new high in the strongly emerging sports marketing discipline in India and give brands new opportunities to maximise their impact on consumers and help connect with them.

''Our aim will be to enhance this appeal that among existing fans, create new fans across geographies and provide brands an effective medium to reach out to their prospective customers,'' said Melroy D'souza, chief operating officer, PMG.

The deal puts Virender Sehwag amongst the league of the richest cricketers, the company said in a statement.