AUCKLAND, Today: Bastion is bolstering its experience offer with the appointment of Peter Filopoulos as Managing Director, Experience, with the senior industry figure set to start in early April.
The hire signals Bastion’s intent to push harder into sports, entertainment and experiential, while bringing more weight to its partnership and sponsorship capabilities as brands look for broader, connected solutions.
Filopoulos will lead those areas nationally, with a remit spanning growth, operational performance and the delivery of stronger integrated work across Bastion’s client portfolio. He will report directly to Group CEO Cheuk Chiang.
He joins with more than two decades of executive leadership across sport, entertainment, venues, media and major events, building a career around commercial growth, partnership development and audience-led brand platforms.
Most recently, Filopoulos has been consulting with Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment, helping shape brand, marketing and commercial growth strategy across Canada Soccer’s professional football, national teams and media platforms ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026.
“Peter is one of the most respected leaders in the industry with deep expertise across sport, entertainment and major events.” – Cheuk Chiang, Group CEO
Before that, he was Chief Customer, Brand and Marketing Officer at Football Australia, where he led customer, brand, marketing and communications strategy from 2020 to 2025.
That period included the continued rise of the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos, along with the success and wider cultural impact of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.
Across his career, Filopoulos has also delivered more than $100 million in sponsorship and partnership value, while leading major commercial and brand initiatives across some of the region’s biggest sporting and entertainment organisations.
Chiang says the appointment is about more than adding another senior name, with Bastion focused on building a sharper experience-led growth model for marketers wanting greater integration across disciplines.
“Peter is one of the most respected leaders in the industry with deep expertise across sport, entertainment and major events. His experience building high performing teams and commercially powerful partnerships makes him uniquely placed to lead Bastion Experience into its next chapter.
“Experience has the power to act as the integration engine across brand partnerships, content and audience building scalable growth platforms that drive both cultural impact and business results.” – Peter Filopoulos
“We have built Bastion to deliver end-to-end capability for the modern marketer and Peter will play a critical role in bringing our experiential, partnership and sponsorship offering together to create truly integrated solutions for our clients.
“His leadership will help drive the next phase of growth for Bastion’s experience team and further strengthen our position in market.”
Filopoulos says the opportunity reflects how much the experiential space has shifted, with clients now expecting longer-term platforms that can connect brand, content, partnerships and audience growth.
“Experiential has fundamentally evolved. Clients are no longer looking for one off campaigns but for connected platforms that create enduring brand relevance and deliver measurable commercial impact.
“Experience has the power to act as the integration engine across brand partnerships, content and audience building scalable growth platforms that drive both cultural impact and business results.
“The Bastion Experience team has already laid strong foundations and built real momentum in market. I am excited to continue that momentum working closely with Cheuk and the leadership team to unlock the next phase of growth for our clients.”
Filopoulos arrives at a strong point for Bastion, as the group continues to position itself as a one-roof model spanning advertising, experience, media, insights, digital and communications.
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