Business Discipline and ROI Key to Supercars’ Next Commercial Era, Says DJR Chief Executive Megan Foster

Shell V-Power Racing Team (Dick Johnson Racing) CEO, Megan Foster, has outlined a clear commercial directive for motorsport, declaring that sporting partnerships must be built on measurable return on investment (ROI) rather than historical relationships alone.

Speaking ahead of her appearance at the Women in Sport Summit, Foster—the first female Chief Executive Officer in Supercars history—emphasised that sustainability requires running a race team with absolute corporate discipline.

Driving ROI and Dynamic Sponsorship Strategy

Drawing on her extensive background as a former Chief Marketing Officer and naming-rights sponsor lead with Viva Energy (Shell Australia licensee), Foster noted that modern sports management demands hard commercial outcomes.

“I think, I mean I’m an ex-CMO, so I oversee managed marketing budgets and you’re really about value.”

“So a lot of sponsorships in motorsport are built on relationships.

“So if you think about a lot of the sponsors that are in supercars, it’s based on long-term relationships.

“And that’s great, but the reality is it has to be around return on investment,” Foster said.

Foster highlighted that commercial models must serve two distinct channels: business-to-consumer (B2C) properties focused on audience penetration and revenue, and business-to-business (B2B) alignments leveraging exclusive hospitality.

“If it’s a B2C, so business to consumer, it’s got to be about eyeballs and penetration and appealing to the customer and then actually then getting an outcome so that might be increased revenue or whatever that may look like,.”

“If it’s B2B, so business to business, which you see a lot in our sport, it’s got to be about those money can’t buy experiences that you can bring your clients to the track and experience that and add value to them in terms of building your relationships with your businesses from your business,” Foster explained.

Balancing Accessibility with Commercial Value

Addressing the category’s economic strategy, Foster questioned whether Supercars’ open-paddock nature risks devaluing its commercial yield compared to international benchmarks like Formula 1.

“I think there would be an argument that we’re too accessible as a sport. So if you are too accessible, then you can’t charge what you want.”

“So you get an example of Formula One and you go to the Australian Grand Prix.

“You cannot get anywhere near the drivers, the cars. It’s very inaccessible. Us as a sport, it’s very accessible.

“When something is in demand and you can’t get it, you pay more for it,” Foster further shared.

Elevating Female Leadership Across Motorsport

While acknowledging the nature of her appointment, Megan Foster remains focused on commercial capability over gender representation, urging organisations to view leadership appointments through a business lens.

“I really believe that having a female come into supercars as a CEO, it’s the first female CEO in supercars, is fantastic.”

“And it really shows other females what can be done.

“Look, I think within supercars themselves, it’s a business, right?

“So this is how I look at this.

“This is a business what I do.

“So I’ve got to be able to generate with my team enough income and sponsorship dollars and different various things to be able to support being the best in the category,” Foster stated.

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