Alex Thomson Racing and HUGO BOSS shortlisted for BT award

The partnership between Alex Thomson Racing and HUGO BOSS has been shortlisted in the 2017 BT Sport Industry Awards

Alex Thomson and Hugo Boss do the Skywalk stunt

The Skywalk stunt. Credit: Alex Thomson Racing / Lloyd images

Alex Thomson Racing and HUGO BOSS are through to the shortlist for the Team or Individual Sponsorship of the Year title in the 2017 BT Sport Industry Awards (BTSIA).

The awards, which take place annually, recognise the ‘best of the best’ sporting activations, agencies, campaigns, events, sponsorships and more.

In a media release, Alex Thomson Racing noted that 2016 was a standout year for their partnership with HUGO BOSS.

The year included the release of The Skywalk – the third instalment in a trilogy of stunts executed by Alex Thomson, which was viewed by millions of people worldwide.

It was also the start of the skipper’s quest in the non-stop, solo, round the world Vendée Globe race.

According to Alex Thomson Racing, the partnership, which was forged more than 12 years ago, is one of the most coveted in the world of sailing.

Video: Behind the scenes of Alex Thomson’s death-defying ‘skywalk’ stunt

“In recent years, together, HUGO BOSS and Alex Thomson have developed a reputation for pushing boundaries, inspiring consumers, and making the seemingly impossible, possible,” said the media release.

Commenting on the shortlist, the CEO of Alex Thomson Racing, Stewart Hosford said: “It’s an honour to be nominated once again for another BTSIA.”

“We are up against some of the toughest competition in sport and I hope our efforts to promote our title sponsor HUGO BOSS last year will lead to us being as successful as we were in 2015 with our mastwalk campaign,” he noted.

The 2015 Mastwalk campaign won them a previous award. Credit: Alex Thomson Racing

The global sports sponsorship manager at HUGO BOSS, Marco Aukofer, said the company’s “sponsorship activation within sailing” had been exceptional in 2016 and “our most successful sponsorship year to date”.

“We have reached new audiences through striking campaigns and have communicated our brand in the best possible light to the potential new BOSS customer. We are therefore delighted that the work we have delivered has been recognised in this way”, he said.

The 2017 BT Sport Industry Awards will take place on 27 April 2017.

It will see more than 1,750 major players from the world of sport, business and entertainment come together to celebrate the standout work from across the sporting world.

In 2015, HUGO BOSS and Alex Thomson Racing were awarded ‘Best Use of PR’ at the BT Sport Industry Awards for ‘The Mastwalk’ campaign.