Following the sale of Maximuscle to GlaxoSmithKline in 2010, Zef discovered a passion for ultra-high-speed motorsports. In 2016, while competing in the Straightliners' Top Speed event, Zef lost control of his MADMAX helicopter turbine-powered motorcycle at 230mph and crashed at the end of the runway.
He was treated at the scene by the event's medical support team before being airlifted to hospital for what turned out to be months of treatment for a broken pelvis and multiple other injuries, followed by many more months' recovery at home in Guernsey.
Zef first retained Bridgehead in 2017, one year after his first major crash. Zef was reentering the world of record-breaking motorsports but was also looking to reenter the business world. With his non-compete agreements following the sale of Maximuscle now expired, Zef wanted to reenter the business world. He was eager to pursue Non-Executive Directorships that would enable him to apply his business expertise. He was also interested in pursuing motivational speaking opportunities to talk about the challenges he faced in his business career and his sporting one. He wanted to share the challenges he faced in his recovery, how he overcame them, and how they made him a better businessman.
Following several discovery meetings with Zef, we crafted a series of key messages that emphasised how Zef's motor racing, injury and subsequent recovery had made him a better businessman. We also emphasised his impressive credentials as an entrepreneur.
We then worked with Zef to identify critical upcoming dates in his race calendar that we could use to leverage media coverage.
We also researched appropriate columns and interview slots to reach the appropriate business audience.
Throughout 2017-18, we secured 32 pieces of coverage for Zef in print or broadcast media. These are estimated to have been viewed or read by an audience of some 3,000,000 while also being shared on social media circa 6,000 times.
We secured broadcast media coverage surrounding Zef's record attempts at key raceways with a team member travelling to Pendine Sands with Zef to coordinate broadcast coverage. BBC News, ITV News, and Sky News all covered his record attempts. We provided Zef with media training in advance to ensure key messaging was used in the media.
We also secured a string of high-profile business interviews for Zef, including with the then Enterprise Editor of The Sunday Times, Peter Evans. We also arranged an interview for Zef with the Financial Times's 'My First Million' slot, which offered him the opportunity of a long-form interview to discuss his founding of Maximuscle, its subsequent sale, his racing career, his crash and subsequent recovery and his future racing ambitions.
