Lotto Soudal has announced the appointment of Yana Seel as Chief Business Officer, adding a new talent to their team. Seel, who previously served as the first female Managing Director in the WorldTour at Team Astana Premier Tech, will now take on the role of Chief Business Officer at Lotto Soudal. In this position, Seel will be responsible for Business Development, Marketing, Communication, and Finance for the WorldTour, women’s, and U23 teams.
John Lelangue, CEO at Lotto Soudal, expressed his enthusiasm for the addition of Seel to the team, stating, “I am delighted that we can welcome Yana Seel at the team. Yana has three years of experience as Managing Director within a WorldTour team and her expertise will undoubtedly be of added value to us. We were looking for a reinforcement on a position which had not been filled in yet. So we created the management function of Chief Business Officer with the aim of strengthening the team around the team.“
Lelangue further explained the three pillars of Seel’s role, stating, “The most important pillar is Business Development and Marketing: Yana will take the lead on everything related to attracting and retaining sponsors. Furthermore, there’s also an important financial pillar: together with me, Yana will be responsible for the financial reporting towards our Board of Directors. The third pillar is communication, in which Yana will define the strategy and direct the communication team. Creating this position will undoubtedly allow us to work more efficiently. As a CEO, I will be able to focus more on the general management of the project and our ‘core-business’: sports and performance. I am convinced that Yana will be an important asset to the team and that way, we keep building the long-term future.”
Seel herself shared her excitement about joining Lotto Soudal, saying, “First of all, it is a big honour for me to be part of a team like Lotto Soudal. I have been following the team for quite a while and I always feel an enormous passion and warm feeling when I think of Lotto Soudal. Moreover, it is one of the oldest cycling teams of the peloton with a big tradition and continuity. Even though I was born in Kazakhstan, I primarily feel Belgian. So Lotto Soudal kind of feels like coming home. But at the same time, I realise that being part of a team with such a tradition entails a big responsibility. I want to give the best of myself working for the team.”
Seel also spoke about her new role, stating, “Within the function of Chief Business Officer, I will mainly be responsible for Business Development & Marketing. In this position I will – always in consultation – lighten the work of CEO John Lelangue in the marketing and communications area. This will allow him to focus more on the general and sports management aspect of the team in order to work more efficiently. As a professional, I obviously want to add certain things and I am convinced that I will be contributing my share to one of the most respected teams within the cycling peloton. But of course, I can also still learn a lot from the team. I cannot wait to get this new adventure with Lotto Soudal started!”
