Ahead of its inaugural season in 2020, MLS’s Inter Miami CF has hired seven executive-level professionals to lead key Front Office departments.
Reporting directly to Chief Business Officer Jurgen Mainka, Inter Miami CF welcomes Chris Allan as its vice president of community engagement; Jean Manuel Jimenez as its vice president of digital, content & broadcast; Jacklyne Ramos as its vice president of communications; Erik Rask as its vice president of commercial partnerships; Rob Zuer as its vice president of ticket sales and services; Roy A. Tewell, III as its senior director of ticket sales, and Gabriela Otto as its director of brand and marketing.
“As we thought about how we wanted to build the Front Office, we decided that everything we did needed to fall back on the core elements of the brand we are building,” Mainka said. “We want to be the most inclusive club in the world that embodies the South Florida community, and that starts with hiring professionals of diverse backgrounds who can come together to challenge the status quo and lead key departments in our Front Office.”
Allan will lead Inter Miami CF’s community engagement efforts, one of the most important pillars for the club. The avid soccer fan previously served as the senior director of development at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, and was also the director of national development for the Miami Challenge for Best Buddies International. Allan is a graduate of the University of East London and holds a certificate in sports business from Columbia University.
Jimenez will oversee all aspects of digital business development, broadcast and content production for Inter Miami CF. Prior to joining the club, he led the commercial department for Oz Sports, a broadcast and production company that leverages robotics and artificial intelligence. The Dominican Republic native previously led content strategy at Concacaf, engaging with fans across the region while working numerous global tournaments including Copa America, Concacaf Champions League and Gold Cup. He also has solid sales and business development experience with the Hispanic market in the U.S. and across Latin America through work with the Mobile Messaging Solutions (MMS), a mobile marketing agency. Jimenez holds a degree from State University of New York College at Plattsburgh.
Ramos, an experienced media relations professional, will lead internal and external communications for Inter Miami CF. The Colombian American joins Inter Miami CF after serving as senior director of communications for Orlando City SC, a 2015 Major League Soccer expansion franchise, as well as its National Women’s Soccer League team, Orlando Pride. She was heavily involved in launching the Club’s soccer-specific venue in 2017, and has also previously served as a media officer for a Copa America tournament. Prior to joining Orlando, the South Florida native supported communications efforts for NASCAR’s brand marketing and multicultural departments before working on the agency side at Edelman Worldwide. Ramos is a University of Florida graduate.
Rask leads commercial partnerships for Inter Miami CF. He is tasked with developing Inter Miami CF’s commercial platform, including the selection of the Club’s jersey, stadium naming rights and Founding Level partnerships. The Southern California native comes to Inter Miami CF from Endeavor, where he spent the previous three years in the global naming rights practice supporting the execution of numerous high-level sponsorship engagements on behalf of top tier facilities, sports and entertainment destinations and pro sports team clients. Rask graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also captain of the football team.
Zuer, an experienced sales executive in the sports industry, will lead sales ticketing operations for the Club’s Fort Lauderdale and Miami stadiums. The Southern California native joins Inter Miami CF after serving as vice president of ticket sales and services for the Denver Nuggets and the director of ticket sales for the Houston Rockets in the NBA. Zuer is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University.
Tewell, who joins the Club with over 10 years of executive sales experience in the sports industry, will lead the ticket sales and service efforts for Inter Miami CF. Originally from New Hampshire, Tewell has traveled all over the U.S. working with top sports teams. As vice president of ticket sales and service for D.C. United in MLS, he maintained 85% full-season retention rate for five consecutive seasons and built an entire ticket sales business plan and pricing structure for the new Audi Field. Tewell is a graduate of Charleston Southern University, a Division 1 soccer school where he played as an outside midfielder and received a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Otto, an experienced marketer, will lead all aspects of brand and marketing operations for Inter Miami CF. The Venezuelan brings a comprehensive marketing background, having worked with numerous sports properties while serving as the marketing manager and brand manager for Anheuser-Busch. She also served as the founder and CEO of Seagull, a full-service integrated marketing agency in Miami, where she drew on her diverse experience in integrated marketing communications to create programs that impact brand awareness. Prior to her entrepreneurial venture, Otto worked at the global advertising agency Y&R where she led the AT&T account, among others. Otto received her degree from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona.
Inter Miami CF also welcomes Vincent Wiskowski, senior manager of digital; Ted Brooks, senior manager of content; Ben Silver, manager of commercial partnerships; Alexandra Gonzalez, staff accountant, and Paloma Esteban, marketing coordinator.
The Front Office, which is currently headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, continues to grow. The club aims to expand rapidly by March 2020, with a current staff headcount of 25.
“I’m looking for individuals that are not afraid of being committed, that have chemistry and a positive attitude toward spending long hours, because, after all, this is a startup,” Mainka added. “My goal is to create an environment where people can bring the best of their specialties and skills and grow from there to bring the club to that next frontier.”