Extreme E welcomes former Red Bull hotshots
Extreme E, the radical new electric off road SUV racing series starting in 2021, has injected proven energy into its team by way of a couple of Red Bull recruits who bring impressive motor and extreme sports experience.
Kester Wilkinson joins the Extreme E team from D3 events, one of Red Bull UK’s sports event agencies, with 49-year-old Wilkinson having amassed a huge amount of experience co-ordinating the production of events for Red Bull, Hyundai, Shell and Land Rover. Most of his event experiences have included challenging and technical events such as Red Bull cliff diving and Red Bull Hardline.
Kester will head up the events team at Extreme E as Events Manager, ahead of the championship’s inaugural race in Senegal, Africa, next January, working with the logistics and sporting teams. His main responsibilities will be ensuring that the key event infrastructure and resources are in place for the delivery of a safe and competitive event, which also aims to perform to the highest possible standards in sustainability.
“Kester has hit the ground running, having already completed invaluable research trips to Saudi Arabia and Senegal. I’ve been super impressed, and he is already proving himself as an integral member of the Extreme E team,” said Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer. “Kester’s past experience with running large-scale global events will hold him in good stead when it comes to being tasked with managing our Extreme E races in some of the most remote corners of the globe.”
Nina Dreier, former Sports Marketing Specialist at Red Bull UK, has joined the team as the championship’s Marketing Manager. Having been responsible for building local and regional brand affinity by running national and international Red Bull Sports Marketing event properties such as Red Bull Soapbox Race, Nina’s past experience of how to market events will be crucial when it comes to building the Extreme E brand on a global scale.
“Since joining the team, Nina has been busy working on our global marketing campaign and managing various activities within the marketing department,” explained Russell. “With just under a year to go until Extreme E gets underway, Nina will ensure that our marketing strategy is in line with the championship’s objectives while simultaneously creating a strong championship identity. Nina’s sunny disposition makes her a fantastic addition to our team.”
Extreme E will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles to help preserve the environment and protect the planet.