LONDON.- Bonhams, the international auction house, announces the appointment of Marc Sands as Chief Marketing Officer. Sands will be based in Bonhams London headquarters in New Bond Street, and will be responsible for marketing, communications, events and customer services.

Marc has more than 20 years’ experience in the marketing industry at some of the best-known brands in the world, including the Tate and the Guardian Media Group, where he was responsible for a digital transformation. Most recently, he held the position as Chief Marketing Officer at Christie’s, where he created and implemented the marketing strategy and revolutionised Christie’s digital presence. One of Marc’s most remarkable campaigns for the auction house was the marketing of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, Salvator Mundi, which was acquired for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and became the world’s most valuable painting ever to be sold at auction.

Bruno Vinciguerra, Bonhams Executive Chairman said, “It is a privilege to welcome Marc to Bonhams. His track record in transforming brands is extraordinary – and his experience in the auction business, in particular, will be of enormous importance. We are very excited to work with Marc in this new phase of Bonhams’ history.”

Marc Sands said, “I’m extremely excited to be joining Bonhams. I’ve long admired the auction house and its reputation for being approachable as well as steeped in specialist knowledge. I feel with the new owners, Epiris, there is enormous potential for growth in its digital offering and I look forward to working with my colleagues to project Bonhams’ bespoke approach to a broader client base throughout the world.”

Prior to being at Christie’s, Sands was the Director of Media and Audiences at the Tate, where he was responsible for developing the brand across multiple media platforms and drawing a wider, more diverse audience through creating and developing the Tate’s digital transformation programme.

Marc was also the award-winning Marketing Director at the Guardian Media Group where he was credited for enhancing and developing the brand. He has also held positions at London Weekend Television/Granada Television, where, in his role as Brand Marketing Director, he built the brand for ONdigital.

Marc graduated from Cambridge University with a BA Hons degree, and later gained an MBA from the University of Bradford.