‘Brand reputation and integrity vital for making sponsorship decisions’

In the first panel discussion on the second day of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) Inter-Regional Sports Integrity Summit in Doha, heavyweight sports sponsors Qatar Airways and Mastercard said property reputation and good governance are of paramount importance to them.
“Every single property has its own risks when we decide which sports to sponsor. What are the values of the clubs and sports that we associate? In this day and age, sponsorship comes down to brand reputation and integrity,” said vice-president marketing and sponsorships Qatar Airways Babar Rahman.
Qatar Airways, a major sponsor of sports clubs and events around the world, was a partner of the summit.
Rahman said brand reputation is of utmost importance when Qatar Airways invests in a new sponsorship venture. “It is important for us to establish the values of the brand before we invest our money and our reputation. And integrity is sacrosanct,” Rahman said.
Senior vice-president global sponsorships Mastercard, Michael Robichaud, also talked about the importance of due diligence, good governance and integrity.
“The consumer impacts Mastercard’s decision on what property we sponsor, whether it is sport or music. Since working with SIGA we are even more conscious of integrity. We look to see whether they meet SIGA’s Good Governance Universal Standards,” said Robichaud.
“We do not want people to talk about governance. We want people to do something about it. That is why we are excited to be part of SIGA. They have tools in place to ensure changes are made.”