Global water company Bluewater today announced it will expand its international events and venues hydration team with the appointment of a Managing Director, Philip Russell, to its UK-headquartered operation. The appointment signals Bluewater’s ambition to further build its unique hydration business for premium events and venues in the UK, Europe, the USA and globally.
Phillip Russell, currently Head of Corporate Sustainability at The R&A in St Andrews, Scotland, will join Bluewater in early May.
Philip has played a key role in helping The R&A completely eradicate single-use plastic water bottles at The Open and AIG Women’s Open championships in 2019 and 2021 by harnessing a unique hydration eco business model developed by Bluewater.
Bluewater founder and CEO Bengt Rittri (photographed) said, “Philip’s impressive experience makes him a key addition to our market-leading team and brings further strategic advantage to our event and venue clients.”
Mr. Rittri noted that 2021 was a big year of activity for the Bluewater event team, which collaborated with a number of world-leading premium major events such as The Open, AIG Women’s Open, the Seniors Open, and the TJV Sailing Competition in France, among others.
“We worked closely with the event organisers and their sponsor partners in helping them to end the need to use single-use plastic bottles. And we expect 2022 will continue to build momentum as the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic and public demand for truly sustainable events accelerates,” Mr Rittri said.
He continued, “Philip adds another dimension to the growth of the Bluewater business with exceptional sports industry and sustainability knowledge, reputation, and future insights into emerging trends and opportunities. We are pleased to further enhance our capabilities for our clients with Philip as part of our team.”
Philip Russell said: “I am delighted to be joining Bluewater at this pivotal time of growth and progress as the company continues to advance its mission to improve the ability of events and venues to deliver sustainable solutions. I look forward to working closely with a team and company that has shown it offers the ultimate solution for any event or venue wanting to stop selling single-use plastic bottles.”
Philip added, “The Bluewater solution tackles plastic pollution, one of the biggest problems facing the world, enhances an event’s credibility, and – importantly – offers opportunities to build innovative new business models which can successfully cater to the fast-growing demand for sustainable goods and services.”
Holding a BSc (Hons) in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews, Philip brings over a decade of experience from working within the international sports sector. His most recent role as Head of Corporate Sustainability at The R&A was focused on the design and delivery of the sustainability and legacy strategy for The Open, golf’s oldest and most international Major championship.
David Noble (pictured) currently head of the Bluewater events operation, will move up to become President of Bluewater UK & Ireland Limited and Bluewater Media Limited to continue Bluewater’s expansion in new arena’s that can harness the company’s innovative, marketing-leading hydration solutions for homes, businesses, and public distribution. David will also continue his role as global PR and Communications Director at Bluewater.
David Noble commented, “Philip’s strategic appointment signals Bluewater’s intent to double down on our mission to deliver world-class hydration solutions and services that can help premium events transform their environmental business ecosphere and shift from a plastic bottle model to a financial and sustainable model that benefits their profitability and the health of the planet.”