Christopher McNamara Named to Breeders' Cup Post

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 25, 2019) - The Breeders' Cup announced today that Christopher McNamara has been named to the position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Partnerships. McNamara will oversee the business development and sponsorship sales for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, one of Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious international events, which will be held November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

McNamara comes to the Breeders' Cup from Cornett marketing agency in Lexington, where he held the positions of Director of Account Service and Vice President over the past nine years.

At Cornett, McNamara developed creative marketing solutions for clients by repositioning and elevating brands under his purview. He was instrumental in transforming the status of a small bourbon distiller in Buffalo Trace into one of the most internationally recognized brands in the category, and led the agency in strategically implementing communications programs for Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Kentucky (TMMK). In 2015, McNamara took the lead role in securing Valvoline, the worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, as a core digital partner and created the Team Valvoline Digital Content Marketing/Rewards Platform. Overall success with these accounts brought McNamara, and the team at Cornett, Gold Addy awards in each of his years at the agency.

Prior to Cornett, McNamara worked in New York for the agency Havas Life, representing health and wellness clients, where he was Vice President and Account Supervisor, and was the lead marketing contact for Lantus and Apidra Professional promotion accounts.

"We are proud to have selected Chris McNamara for the Corporate Partnerships position and look forward to his leadership and expertise in developing and securing brand sponsorships for the Breeders' Cup World Championships," said Craig Fravel, Breeders' Cup President and CEO. "Chris's creative and strategic abilities in forging effective brand partnerships will be terrific assets to our overall sponsorship efforts."

"I couldn't be more excited to join the Breeders' Cup team," said McNamara.  "The Breeders' Cup is a world class event which provides current and new partner brands an opportunity to integrate into a celebration unlike any other in the world."