​New Balance establishes an “athlete advisory board”

Stating that it “favors a partnership model relationship over a sponsorship,” New Balance has established what it calls the Athlete Advisory Board, described as a “collective” of professional athletes, executives and “brand associates” to “aid in the important work coming from the internal teams grounded on the principles of co-authorship.” The board will have two co-chairmen – the activist and former baseball player Curtis Granderson and the middle-distance runner Emma Coburn – and the following members: the baseball player Francisco Lindor, the runner Brenda Martinez, the tennis player Milos Raonic and the basketball player Darius Bazley. The first meeting was held in September, and the board will henceforth meet quarterly. The brand’s vice president of performance footwear, Yuron White, and its global director of communications & entertainment, Romina Bongiovanni, will be leading the executive governance board.