Exclusive: Apex Group replaces Sandals as West Indies sponsor in six-figure deal
T20 World Cup holders West Indies will today announce a new shirt sponsorship with global financial services provider Apex Group.
Apex is replacing holiday company Sandals on the sleeves of the West Indies men’s cricket team, who play England in their first match of this year’s T20 World Cup on Saturday.
The three-year partnership, which is worth a six-figure sum in US dollars, will also see Apex become the official sustainability partner of governing body Cricket West Indies (CWI).
Under this part of the deal Apex will provide sustainability and environmental advisory services to CWI, with a view to helping it become carbon neutral.
“We are proud to announce this exciting and innovative partnership with Apex Group, welcoming a new international partner to support West Indies cricket,” said CWI president Ricky Skerritt.
“As the first international cricket organisation to really commit to evaluating and reducing our carbon output, this will help us devise an action plan to become more sustainable on and off the pitch.
“For the many island and tropical West Indian countries that we represent, climate change is a real and present challenge. For CWI, this will impact cricket participation because of how facilities will need to change and adapt. We will also need plans to understand and offset the international and regional air travel that we have to undertake.
“In partnership with Apex, we intend to use our combined global platforms to act and drive change for this and future generations of cricketers and fans.”
West Indies are the most successful team in the short history of the T20 World Cup, having won two of the previous six tournaments, and currently sit ninth in the international T20 rankings.
They beat England in a dramatic final of the last tournament, in India in 2016, which saw Carlos Brathwaite clinch victory by hitting four consecutive sixes in the final over.
Cricket is expected to be hard hit by climate change, with a 2020 report by the Rapid Transition Alliance naming it as the most affected sport. It is also, however, part of a sports industry responsible for an estimated 0.6 per cent of global emissions.
“Amid the climate crisis, sport, like all industries, needs to act now to reduce its impact on the environment,” said Apex Group founder and chief executive Peter Hughes.
“We are excited to announce our partnership with the West Indies cricket team to provide our market leading carbon footprint consultancy services, to help cricket do its part to combat the growing, global climate crisis.
“The West Indies represents some of the world’s most beautiful natural environment that we are looking to protect, so for us it makes perfect sense to partner with Cricket West Indies to kick-start our campaign to drive sustainability in sport.
“We wish the team every success as they defend their title as the current holders of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.”
Apex, which was founded in Bermuda, is a financial services provider to more than $2tr of assets. Under its partnership with CWI it has agreed to provide the organisation with an annual carbon footprint assessment.