Ellie Norman — Chief Marketing Officer at Formula E and former Chief Communications Officer at Manchester United — joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to talk about her time at Honda and Virgin Media through to Formula One and now Formula E.
Ellie explains how she walks into every room convinced she doesn't have all the answers, is always asking questions, and always learning.
The conversation explores how constraint forces creativity, why brand defensibility matters more than impression counts, and how the creator economy is rewriting the rules of sports marketing.
This episode unpacks what it really means to build fame, be easy to find, and be hard to leave — why she likes to hire people who are comfortable with uncertainty — and why common sense remains the rarest skill in any marketing department.
Follow Rory
Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
TikTok: @Rorysutherlandclips
X: @rorysutherland
LinkedIn: in/rorysutherland/
Follow Elfried
Instagram: @elfriedsamba
LinkedIn: in/elfriedsamba/
https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/
Follow Ellie Noman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellietory/
X: https://x.com/EllieMNorman
https://www.fiaformulae.com/en
A Sassy+ original podcast series
