Cadillac F1 Announces Two Critical Marketing And Sponsorship Exec Hires

Cadillac Formula 1 has announced two key executive hires finalizing the C-Suite for the commercial side and with it, a vision for marketing and sponsorship comes into focus.

Cadillac Formula 1

As the 2025 F1 season nears its end, Cadillac Formula 1 prepares to enter the 2026 grid as the field’s 11th team. Now the team has announced key executive hirings, and with it, the critical work on sponsorship and marketing is in place. In this exclusive interview with Forbes, Tyler Epp, Global Head of Commercial Strategy for Cadillac F1, details the holistic approach the team is taking as they prepare for their inaugural season.

As important as it is for team principal Graeme Lowdon to shake out the team on the track, as they did this past week with Sergio Perez behind the wheel of a two-year-old Ferrari SF-23 before the Cadillac Formula 1 team’s car unveiling in February, so too is pulling together the top leadership around what Epp called a media company to fuel the critical marketing and sponsorship side that fuels the revenue for the fledgling team. That starts with the vision that TWG Motorsports co-chair Mark Walter and CEO Dan Towriss “laid out for the business since day one, which is not necessarily do things differently, but to do them better,” Epp said.

“We want to try to make sure that we’re hiring the best and the brightest who are committed to this organization and building this team – this U.S.-based team – in a way that’s different, better, and representative of the kind of mission that we’re all out to do,” said Epp. “So it’s very top line. We’ve been really intentional about the people that we brought on board to really lead this business.”

To that end, the team announced today that Willem Dinger has been added as Chief Partnerships Officer (CPO), with Lauren Teixeira joining as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). They join recently announced Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Ahmed Iqbal to execute Cadillac Formula 1’s commercial vision and establish the team as a premium platform for partners, fans, and stakeholders worldwide. According to Epp, these additions will finalize the C-Suite for the company.

All three will report to Epp and add a wealth of experience to the Cadillac Formula 1 effort.

Dinger brings more than 22 years of experience and is uniquely positioned, given his work spans both brand and rights-holder roles. Over his career, he has developed strategic initiatives for properties including FIFA, UEFA, ICC Cricket, World Rugby, Formula 1, Red Bull Racing, Netflix, EAFC, CR7, Coachella, and Lollapalooza. In his new role, he will lead the Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s global partnership strategy across sales, management, creative integration, and measurement.

“The chance to help build a new Formula 1 team, particularly one with the heritage and ambition of Cadillac, is rare,” said Dinger. “Today’s fans and brands expect deeper, more meaningful connections, and the Cadillac F1 platform gives us the ability to create partnership experiences unlike anything in the sport.”

With a diverse background across Formula 1, major sports organizations, and global event operations, Teixeira is seen as bringing a broad skill set to the team. She most recently led a specialized business strategy and events company supporting top-tier sports and entertainment clients and previously served as Head of Business Operations for F1 Academy, held leadership roles as Director of Paddock Club & Industry Relations for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and Director of Marketing for the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. In her new position with Cadillac F1, she will be charged with driving operational alignment across partnerships, marketing, commercial operations, events, and shareholder communications.

“I’m excited to help shape a commercial organization built to operate at the pace and standards of Formula 1. There is an incredible foundation already in place, and I’m looking forward to partnering across the organization to bring our vision to life for fans, partners, and the wider motorsport community,” said Teixeira.

Seeking a Title Sponsor, But Car Will Remain “Cadillac”

While Cadillac F1 has already announced their first sponsorship deal with Jim Beam, one of the core elements on the sponsorship side is inking a deal for a title sponsor. Epp made it clear that Cadillac F1 would be focused on that, as well as other key sponsors, but don’t expect the name to change on the car.

“We’re going after primary relationships,” Epps said of approaching sponsors. “The name of the team for the foreseeable future will be the Cadillac Formula 1 team, not necessarily a brand in front of that. That’s been a decision we made last summer, and we were really committed to it. However, as we entered the partnership market, Willem and his team have really found a lot of interest in what we’re doing. The brands are interested in what we’re doing, but they’re also careful to say, ‘What does this mean for us?’ So, I think in some ways, Cadillac really gives us a really great opportunity to kind of put our team forward with a trusted American luxury brand, but also allows us the opportunity to dream a little bit on what could be.”

The Holistic Approach For The Cadillac F1 Executive Team’s Effort

With the executive team fully in place, the question to ask is what the overall strategy will be. Epp outlined it holistically.

“It’s really a three-prong approach for us. We have two primary goals commercially. And that’s first and foremost, to build a fan base, right? We have a unique scenario at this moment in time for us, being a team based in America, and doing this for the very first time, we have a chance to build a base here,” Epp said.

And while the team is unencumbered by having to deal with the 2025 car and season, allowing Graeme Lowdon and the team to work toward 2026, commercially, Cadillac F1 is starting from scratch. Epp is seeing that as a bit of an opportunity.

“There are fantastically successful teams out there, but no other team on the grid is going to have the set of firsts that we will have over the next six months, said Epp. “Some of those firsts are going to be fantastic. Some of those first are going to be regrettable. We know that going in, but what we do know is that they will be firsts. So, it’s been interesting for us, as we’ve really tried to line up our commercial strategy to take advantage of those moments, both from an emotional standpoint, but also from a commercial standpoint.”

According to Epp, that is tapping into the Cadillac brand as American and building out fans and partners through that lens.

That’s where former Twitter and TikTok exec Ahmed Iqbal comes into play. Epp sees him building out the content strategy and expertise to build out the media company behind Cadillac Formula 1.

“We look at this very differently, and we look at the opportunity to create value for our partners from that lens very clearly,” added Epp.

According to Epp, Cadillac F1 has to create engaging content. He sees letting fans see inside to some of the moments that are generally held private.

“We have to carry them with us on the journey,” said Epp.. Number one, the most important thing is strategically, is building this content plan – this media company – that is strategically built to try to drive and feed a fan base. Number two, we’re bringing the best and brightest program builders who are actually going to help us drive sponsorship revenue, not by selling them assets, but by building programs that further those corporate objectives our partners have. And then lastly, we bring in this incredibly diverse of leaders, like Lauren, who can work across all of these different pieces. And all of a sudden, we’ve got this leadership team that I would put up against anybody in the sport, and gives us a real opportunity to be differentiated.”