Experience matters. So does what you do with it.
Sport is where I learned it. Any business can use it.
I’m Simon Long. I’ve spent more than 25 years helping organisations turn commercial potential into income.
I’ve led the commercial function at the LTA, run the global promoter of the World Rally Championship and built new business at Nielsen Sports. I’ve also built businesses of my own, faced setbacks and learned what works.
Breakpace is deliberately personal. It’s a senior commercial leader without the overhead or the handovers. When you work with Breakpace, you work with me.
The name
Break: get clear of the pack. Pace: stay there.
How I work
I turn up
You deal with me, start to finish. No pitch-and-switch.
I tell you the truth
If the numbers don’t stack up, you’ll hear it from me first, and kindly.
I stay until it works
A plan is only a plan once someone owns it. I’ll help you get there.
The career, briefly
Selected roles.
- 1996 to 2000 Diageo: Sales Director, Portugal, then Sales Development Director, Europe
- 2001 to 2004 World Rally Championship: TV Operations and Sales Director
- 2004 to 2012 Managing Director of the global promoter of the World Rally Championship
- 2012 to 2014 LTA: Chief Commercial Officer
- 2015 to 2017 Nielsen Sports: Head of Sales and Business Development
- Later 55/Redefined: growth and employer partnerships
I started selling at 22 and I am 60 now. After Oxford I went into sales at Diageo, then into sport, where I was lucky to lead great teams. The teams did the work. I made sure someone was selling it.
There is a wobble on my CV too. I stepped away from sport for a few years to champion multigenerational workplaces, and I closed a business of my own during Covid. I would rather you heard that from me.
At 55/Redefined I led growth and employer partnerships with brands including Diageo, the John Lewis Partnership, Amazon and Hastings Direct. Under the growth strategy I led, company revenue grew 52%. I am also a Brand Ambassador for ProAge, which helps employers build age-inclusive workplaces.
Home is the South Cotswolds. Ask me about the time I made the front page of Peru’s national newspaper.
What I believe
Your customers are your best asset. Look after them and they stay longer and spend more.
Reach isn’t revenue. Nobody banks a view.
Old hands and new talent beat either alone.
A plan with no owner is a wish.
What I won’t do
- No 80-page decks nobody reads.
- No me in the pitch and a junior on the job.
- No advice I wouldn’t take in your seat.
- No plan without an owner and a date.
- No pretending growth is only about revenue.
Rooted in sport
Sport is my heartland. From the stands to the boardroom, growth starts with the people who show up.
“He possesses a rare blend of strategic vision and genuine passion for creating true social impact. Simon’s drive and ability to forge impactful partnerships make him a real asset.”
“His ability to grasp the finer details effortlessly whilst never losing sight of the bigger picture and his extraordinary coolness under pressure, be that at a board meeting or in front of the World Rally Media mark Simon out as an exceptional talent.”
Quick answers
Who runs Breakpace?
I do. Breakpace is deliberately one senior person, with a trusted network of specialists when a job needs more hands. You deal with me from start to finish.
Where is Simon Long based?
I’m based in the South Cotswolds.
Why is it called Breakpace?
Break: get clear of the pack. Pace: stay there.