Focusing on the connection between sport and wellness, the Aspire Speakes Series is a platform that opens up inspiring, engaging discussions with experts and thought leaders in the sphere of sport from throughout the world – with the aim of opening up new insights, and encouraging people to live healthy, active lives.
Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) was established with a mission: to develop sporting champions and promote the adoption of healthy lifestyles. This mission has evolved throughout the years, expanding and adapting in line with Qatar’s vision for the future.
From athletes to politicians, coaches to start-up entrepreneurs, sporting managers to academics – the Aspire Speakers Series brings together an array of expertise, and perspectives, from the world of sport and wellbeing.
Through the insights and experiences it shares, and chance it offers you to join conversations with some of the sport industry’s leading voices, the Aspire Speakers Series aims to inspire you to live a healthier life through sport.
Episode 4 is about LaLiga: Growing a Global Brand.
The episode will uncover LaLiga’s journey of building a global brand. It will go into detail of LaLiga and it’s agreement with global investment fund CVC’s called Boost LaLiga, and how the project’s strategies will boost the global growth of LaLiga and its clubs.
LaLiga Delegate in Qatar since January 2022.
With a degree in International Business from the University of Valencia, and an MBA in Sports Management & Law from Centro de Estudios Garrigues, Alvaro began his professional career at LaLiga since July 2019 based in Tanzania with the aim of expanding LaLiga across East Africa.
Alvaro is part of LaLiga’s Global Network which was launched in 2017 and is now present in 41 countries. The mission of this international project is to bring the entertainment and emotion of LaLiga to more fans around the world and to help grow football as a sport everywhere. Alvaro’s focus will be to develop the LaLiga brand in areas such as: commercial, international strategy, sports tech, franchises & licensing, marketing, comms & digital. To promote and attract the next generation of sports fans to the competition in collaboration with the broadcaster, partners, and institutions will be key for LaLiga’ s growth in Middle East.
Alvaro has lived in 5 countries: Spain, United States, Norway, Tanzania, and Qatar, what has been key to deploy his multicultural skills for the International Development at LaLiga.
Director of Strategic Operations since November 2021. Guerra has been the Director of Corporate Operations, responsible for the departments of Financial Planning and Management Control, Club Economic Control, Travel, Purchasing, Corporate Operations Projects and People Management since 2016.
With a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the ETEA University of Cordoba, he began his professional career at Arthur Andersen (Deloitte) where, for 10 years, he carried out consulting and auditing projects for some of the most relevant Spanish construction and real estate companies in the country at that time.
In 2002 he continued his professional career in various groups of companies that developed their activity in the real estate and sports sectors in which he held positions of Financial Director, Corporate Director and CEO participating in the Board of Directors of some of them.
In 2011 he fully disembarked in the professional soccer sector as CFO of Real Zaragoza, S.A.D., also being part of its Board of Directors.
Mohammed Al Thani is a Doha-based entrepreneur and motivational public speaker with the mission to bring people together through health, fitness and empowerment. He is one of the prominent leaders in the region with a focus on fitness, hospitality, and tourism. Al Thani became the first Qatari to reach the summit of the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest at an altitude of 8,848 m on 22 May 2013 as well as is the first Qatari man to reach the Seven Summits of the seven continents by successfully scaling Denali, North America, at an altitude of 6,190 m on 2 June 2016; reach “the bottom of the world” and “ski the last degree” to the South Pole in commemoration of Qatar’s National Day on 18 December 2012; and summit Ama Dablam, at an altitude of 6812 meters, on 11 November 2020.
Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari, is one of the most prominent Qatari and media influencers in the MEA and Africa. He was Born from a %100 sports family and initially started his career with 17 years of professional Tennis.
Today, he exemplifies one of the key 2022 FIFA World Cup ambassadors promoting Qatar's image internationally. Mohammed is also a top International Padel player ranked among the top 130 and represents Qatar in the International WPT tour.
Mohammed started his professional career after graduating with a Bachelor in Sports Science from Qatar University.
In 2010, he reinforced his media experience by successfully completing a Master in Television Journalism from Goldsmiths, London.
Setting new challenges, he also obtained an Executive MBA from the prestigious HEC Paris Business
Schools in 2017.
Mohammed Saadon commands 17 years of media sports exposure. Today, he is a Senior Presenter for
BeIn Sports; and has covered the most important International Football events: World Cups, Euro Cups, Champions Leagues. Mohammed Saadon has been awarded best TV presenter and symbolizes a strong image in the GCC.
In addition to his media exposure, Mohammed Saadon is a successful Entrepreneur. He owns and
partners in a variety of successful businesses in the areas of Sports, Food & Beverage, Architecture and Construction.
On the 29th of August 2021, Lolwa Almarri crossed the Ironman Hamburg finish line. This accomplishment made her the first-ever Qatari woman to complete a full distance triathlon. Lolwa was never an endurance athlete, rather always a weightlifter or sprinter. Her new journey started when COVID-19 hit and all the gyms were closed. It was then when she decided she wanted to earn the title of being the first Qatari female to complete the ironman race. Training for her first ever triathlon in the middle of a pandemic didn’t come easy. This meant pools were closed, and access to parks for training was extremely limited, but she didn’t let that stop her.
Lolwa’s motivation wasn’t the challenge of completion, but to define what it means to be a Qatari woman. The very strength of Ironman’s brand and appeal made it her chosen route to make her case. “I’m doing this for my daughter,” she states, “I want her to see me as something more than a wife and a mother”. She aspires to be a woman that dreams big and works smart. Ultimately to be an example that anything is possible with passion and consistent effort.
Timothy Cahill is an Australian box-to-box midfielder football legend, known for having an aggressive and powerful approach and his ability to head the ball in the penalty area. Cahill played for the Australia National Team, Millwall, Everton, the New York Red Bulls, Shanghai Shenhua, Hangzhou Greentown, Melbourne City and last played for Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League.
Cahill is the all-time leading goalscorer for Australia, having scored 50 goals in 108 caps between 2004 and 2018. He was the first Australian to score at a FIFA World Cup. Cahill has scored in three World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014) and has scored the most goals by any Australian in the World Cup with five goals. In 2007, he became the first Australian player to score at an AFC Asian Cup.
Following his amazing footballing career, Cahill has created a diverse business career across a range of industries. Currently Cahill has become the Chief Sprots Officer for Aspire Academy, is an official ambassador for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and is also on the Board of Directors of Kas Eupen FC a club owned by Aspire Academy.
Watch Ep 02
Dr. John J. Ratey is an associate clinical professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an internationally recognized expert in Neuropsychiatry. He has published over 60 peer reviewed articles and 11 books, including the international bestseller ‘Spark’. It explains the connection between exercise and the brain’s performance, demonstrating how taking even moderate exercise can amplify the performance of our mental circuits so that they can beat stress, sharpen our thinking, enhance the capacity of our memory - and much more.
Watch Ep 01
