Saint-Clair Milesi has been appointed the new Communications Director for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid committee, the organization announced Tuesday.
Milesi replaces Sophie Guillon-Morel in the role with the transition effective immediately
Milesi was born in Brazil and has dual Brazilian-Italian nationality. He has 11 years’ experience in campaigning communications in the fields of sport and government, and seven years’ experience as a journalist in Brazil and the USA.
He is fluent in Portuguese, French and English and has good command of Italian, Spanish and German and worked as part of the communications team for Rio 2016 and the newly formed Rio 2016 organizing committee. He left the committee to become Communications Director for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil local organizing committee – a position he held for four years.
Milesi’s role will be critical as the bid enters the final eleven months of the fierce 2024 Olympic bid campaign. The international phase of the campaign, set to begin in February, will allow bids to market themselves globally in an effort to reach key stakeholders and deliver fundamental messages underlining the values of the bid.
Paris is locked in a three-way race with Budapest and Los Angeles. Rome withdrew from the competition earlier this month.
Milesi said “I am thrilled to be starting in my new role at such an exciting time for the Paris bid and I will draw on all of my experience in campaigning communications in order to help us get the right result in Lima next September.”
“I can see Paris as a city and as a bid has a great offer to the Olympic Movement and I’m looking forward to working with all colleagues and stakeholders to help bring the Games to Paris in 2024.”
Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois said “we are delighted to appoint Saint-Clair as Communications Director for the vital remaining months of the campaign.”
“The appointment of an international citizen as our Communications Director reaffirms the global approach of the bid and he will work on domestic media and in close collaboration with our international communications agency, VERO.
“We are all looking forward to working with Saint-Clair to promote our vision for a spectacular celebration of sport and Olympism in 2024.”
Prior to his position with Rio 2016, Milesi served as a Media Officer for the US State Department following six years as a journalist and editor for major Brazilian news hub O Globo. Milesi last worked as a consultant to the Brazilian Volleyball Federation and several football clubs.
The International Olympic Committee will name the winning city next September 13 in Lima, Peru.
