PETER DRAPER(57) has been involved in the marketing of sport and with brands involved in sport for over 30 years.

He has an intimate knowledge of the marketing of football globally and a keen personal interest in the effectiveness of sport as a modern communications medium.

Peter started his marketing career as an amateur promoter of basketball matches before taking his personal interest into a full time job with the English Basketball Association in 1977. He promoted major domestic basketball events at both Wembley Arena and The Royal Albert Hall and gained his first working knowledge of "delivering what sponsors want" during that time building relationships with the likes of Guinness, the Prudential, Asda, Carlsberg and Kellogg.

In 1986 Peter joined football sportswear company Umbro and helped build that business both in the UK and internationally, as European Marketing Director, until the sale of the business in 1999. During that time Umbro held major agreements with many Rights holders including the England and Brasil national teams, Euro 96, Manchester United, Celtic, Inter Milan and Ajax, as well as personal agreements with Pele and Alan Shearer. Peter had primary responsibility for brand communications during that period.

In 1999 Peter joined Manchester United as the club's first Group Marketing Director and oversaw the development and implementation of their international sponsor-partner programme as well as communications across the business until June 2006 (Membership, Licensing and Hospitality). Major partnership relationships included those with Nike, Vodafone, Budweiser, Audi, Pepsi, Ladbrokes, Western Union, Barclays, Air Asia and Sun Microsystems.

Since 2006 Peter has been a non-Executive Director of international creative communications agency "IRIS Nation" and Founder Partner of his own "passion brands" strategic consulting business "Time & Tide". During this time Peter has worked with such diverse organisations as The National Trust, Cancer Research UK, The Football Association, The FA Premier League, Haymarket Publishing, Chelsea Football Club and brands such as Smirnoff, Sony Ericsson, Typhoo, Starwood Hotels and Duchy Originals.

Peter is a well respected business speaker whose conversational and light-hearted style makes him particular popular with "single brand" audiences who want to capture the inherent interest there is in football/sport around the world.He has presented at major conferences and conventions in Brasil, China, South Africa, the USA, Spain, Germany, Italy, Dubai, Ireland, France, and Australia.

Peter Draper uses his experience and personal interest to present on such topics as "Putting Customers First", "What's so special about Football", "How best to use Sport", "The Lessons to be learned from Sport", and "Harnessing the Passion". He is equally adept at presenting to a client?s specific topic/theme, being a member of an interactive panel or hosting a senior executive "think tank" for a company.