Ineos Grenadiers have lost two of their key management staff to Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe as Remco Evenepoel's arrival at the latter team nears.
Zak Dempster and Oli Cookson join Red Bull as chief of sports and head of racing, respectively, and will oversee a team of 11 sports directors across the WorldTour and development squads.
Dempster joins after three years at Ineos Grenadiers, during which time he was a lead DS at Grand Tours, including the Tour de France. He spent a few seasons at what is now Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe when it was a Pro Conti team between 2013-16.
"Zak knows our team like very few others. He played an important role in shaping our history, and despite his young age, he already brings extensive international leadership experience," Ralph Denk, the team's CEO, said.
"I am convinced that his fresh ideas, clear leadership style, and fearlessness will help us write the next chapter in our sporting evolution."
"For me, this feels like coming home. I share so many formative moments of my career with this team, and I am excited to now contribute to its future in a new role," Dempster said.
"I know Ralph as an ambitious team manager, and with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe he has created the most exciting project in our sport. Now it’s about realising this enormous potential together."
Dempster and Cookson effectively replace Rolf Aldag, who left Red Bull at the end of July. From 2026, Remco Evenepoel will join the team after breaking his contract with Soudal Quick-Step early, which represents a new frontier for the team.
Cookson has been a DS at Ineos Grenadiers since 2018. The other confirmed WorldTour DSes at Red Bull for 2026 are: Shane Archbold, Tony Gallopin, Roger Hammond, Klaas Lodewyck, Enrico Poitschke, Christian Pömer, Sven Vanthourenhout and Patxi Villa.
This season, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe finished third at the Tour de France through Florian Lipowitz, won the Volta a Catalunya through Primož Roglič, and finished in the top 10 of the Giro d'Italia with Giulio Pellizzari. Pellizzari and Jai Hindley also finished in the top 10 of the Vuelta a España, and Roglič finished eighth at the Tour.
Meanwhile, Ineos Grenadiers won six Grand Tour stages, including two at the Tour through Thymen Arensman, but haven't won a WorldTour stage race.
Cookson and Dempster's arrival will likely usher in a reshuffle in the management team at Ineos for the third season in a row, with Geraint Thomas expected to take a role post-retirement.
