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Sara Tye, award-winning top 500 international PR and business and organisational development expert, has been appointed CEO of Etape Suisse, organiser and promoter of luxury cycling sportives in Switzerland.
The appointment comes as Etape Suisse reaches its first year in business. Tye is to lead the firm to the next stage of its development and beyond. Etape Suisse provides cycling tours and high level networking opportunities in Switzerland while raising funds for charities such as Laureus Sports for Good Foundation.
A business and communications expert with over 30 years’ experience, Tye has been voted Green PR of London by the Evening Standard and was a finalist in the first Cosmopolitan Women of the Year Awards in 1999. She helps develop businesses, individuals and organisations through networking, publicity, online strategies and proven business development techniques. She has six years of management training and qualifications.
Tye said: “I am thrilled to become the CEO of Etape Suisse. It’s a unique business with a proposition like no other. The cycling, the hospitality, the locations and the accommodation are all out of this world. I can’t wait to get started on this venture. What made it even easier to accept this role is that I’m a keen cyclist myself. I’ve competed in triathlons across the country and I’m currently training for my first Ironman 70.3, so I’m combining my passion for training with my passion for my work.”
Tye spent three years managing the personal PR for The Body Shop’s founder, the late Dame Anita Roddick, taking the retailer online. Tye is the founder and managing director of redheadPR as well as MD of Gingernut Creative, a Birmingham-based creative agency. Gingernut Creative helps organisations inspire diverse audiences through its expertise in research, strategy, design, branding, digital and video.
According to the blurb, Etape Suisse was founded as a response to "growing mediocrity in the UK sportive scene", organising challenging cycling events in inspiring surroundings. Attendees have the chance to cycle with riders such as Cadel Evans, Michael Vaughan OBE and Rochelle Gilmore, among others.
