BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
South African cycle clothing brand Ciovita has announced that its UK Brand Champion programme has signed up 14 people from a wide variety of backgrounds, both on and off the bike.
To ensure good geographic coverage, the 14 Brand Champions are located across the length and breadth of the UK, from the very north of Scotland, and as far west as Pembrokeshire, South Wales, with two in Bristol, five in London, one in Cambridgeshire, and four in North Wales.
Dave Marshall, UK sales director for Ciovita comments: “We have interviewed everyone (of our Brand Champions) in person, ensuring we work with people we believe are right for the role.
“The great news is many have already been exposed to the brand in the past, either by being South African or having competed in (or won) one of our many UK-sponsored events.”
Looking at the 14 Brand Champions there is a real blend of people from a Police Officer, to business owners, to the CEO of an FTSE-listed company.
The group also includes professionals from the Insurance industries, accountancy, facilities management, Film festival broadcasting, environmental education and medical industries. One Brand Champion is a former employee of Ciovita in South Africa, and the brand has also connected with a famous refugee cyclist, now living and racing in the UK.
Marshall comments: “Hopefully, you can sense we are onto something a bit different here. All the champs are excited, many of them suggesting events, and the community banter on WhatsApp is starting to build. For me and Dean (Norman – Ciovita business development), it’s starting to feel very special.”
To explore the Ciovita UK market entrance further, the October print edition of BikeBiz will feature an interview with Dave Marshall, exploring his professional background, the brand’s ethos, and its charitable connections, whilst looking at how these shape the UK Brand Champion programme.
About Ciovita
Founded in 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa, the name, Ciovita, is a combination of Italian and Latin words meaning “Life in Motion”.
Led by CEO, Andrew Gold – who previously spent 15 years as MD of South African outdoor clothing brand First Ascent – today Ciovita has offices in Amsterdam, Cape Town, Edinburgh, Minneapolis, London and Sydney.
