AGIF Appoints Murdoch as General Manager

Singapore: Elliot Murdoch, a familiar figure on the Asian sporting scene for more than two decades, has been appointed to the position of General Manager at the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF).

A 25-year veteran of the sports industry in Asia, Murdoch will be responsible for growing the AGIF’s membership base and portfolio of educational events and conferences across the region.

Based in Singapore, Murdoch has spent the past 18 years with SportFive, formerly Lagardere Sports & Entertainment.

In his role as Senior Director (Sponsorship), Corporate Partnerships, Asia, Murdoch sold commercial rights for high-profile golf, football and tennis events.

On the golf side, he worked closely on the Barclays Singapore Open, Hero Honda Indian Open, Singha Thailand Open and secured a three-year deal with Mercedes-Benz as title sponsor of the ASEAN PGA Tour.

Chris Gray, President of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Elliot on board.

“These are exciting times for the AGIF. With continued support from The R&A, our Certificate in Greenkeeping programme is flourishing, while our club management education has resumed and we recently completed the second successful staging of our three-day annual conference in Danang.

“Elliot is already familiar with many of the AGIF member companies. In his role as General Manager, we’re looking to him to significantly expand the Federation’s membership base and further establish the AGIF’s credentials as the umbrella organisation for golf in our region.”

Scottish-born Murdoch, an accomplished low single-figure handicapper, said: “In its latest Golf Around the World report, The R&A estimated that Asia, including the Middle East, has 17% of the world’s 38,000 golf facilities and 28% of the 540 new golf projects under development.

“Those figures offer a clear indication of Asia’s ever-increasing presence in the global golf industry. I’m excited at the opportunities that lie ahead with the AGIF. The potential to expand the Federation’s reach is huge.”

Prior to working at SportFive, Murdoch spent more than two years with the Ark Group in London as Business Development Manager, Europe/Asia. He also had a spell with ESPN STAR Sports in Singapore.

The AGIF was formed in 2010 as a not-for-profit industry Federation with members and partners involved in all facets of the industry throughout Asia.

“The Federation seeks to assist the golf industry in Asia to take the next step in development toward a sustainable industry. That will be the over-arching objective for Elliot,” said Gray.