Velvett Stratford-Wright is a global sports partnership leader with more than a decade of experience creating commercial value at the intersection of brands, rights holders, agencies and media.

At Unilever, Velvett leads the strategic management and global delivery of its FIFA partnership across Personal Care, working at the centre of the company’s largest and most complex sports marketing programme. Her career at Unilever has included managing global partnerships with FIFA, Chelsea FC, Manchester City, LaLiga, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and Williams Racing.

Her experience across JCDecaux, Miroma Group, Three and two tenures at Unilever gives Velvett a distinctive understanding of the wider commercial ecosystem and how successful partnerships create mutual value for brands and rights holders.

Most recently, following three years of preparation, Velvett led the on-site execution of Unilever’s commercial rights at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, spending 43 days managing delivery across the 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Over 35 brands activated simultaneously across 120 markets, making it Unilever’s first truly global, cross-category sports activation programme. Previously, she mobilised Unilever’s activation of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ in Australia and New Zealand just 100 days after partnership signature.

Known for combining strategic thinking with operational leadership, Velvett thrives in complex, high-profile environments where success depends on influencing extensive global stakeholder networks. Central to her approach is evolving sponsorship beyond transactional rights towards genuine partnership and mutual value creation. She has pioneered new approaches to commercial rights delivery, introducing technology, processes and industry-first activations that enable brands to unlock partnership IP with greater speed, creativity and scale.

Velvett is currently completing the UEFA Certificate in Football Management.