Episode 10: Scoring a Sports Career: Tips from the President and CEO of the Global Institute of Sport

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Episode 10 features Sharona Friedman, CEO and President, Global Institute of Sport (GIS)

Join Dean Kyle Murray and Sharona Friedman (BBA ‘00) for a discussion exploring the collision of business education and sports management. Though working in sports was never part of her game plan, Sharona’s BBA and early career work in university recruitment led her toward exciting leadership opportunities in Sports Management and Sports Education.

After gaining over a decade of leadership experience, Sharona is now President and CEO of the Global Institute of Sport (GIS), a global leader in Sports Management Education.

In a full-circle moment, 26 years after graduating from Laurier, Sharona and GIS are now partners with the Lazaridis School bringing a new MBA of Sports Management to program offerings at Laurier. This specialized MBA allows students the opportunity to learn from leading business and sports management pros at BMO Field in Toronto and jump start close-knit connections in the sports industry.

Kyle and Sharona discuss her journey from BBA grad to global sports leader and how lessons from Laurier are still shaping Sharona’s career path and influencing the creation of this game-changing MBA. They discuss what to expect from a career in Sports Management and how the first cohort of students can expect to take their sports career to a new level this Fall.

Hear Sharona’s fascinating career story and get a deeper look into the upcoming Lazaridis and GIS MBA in Sports Management.

About Sharona

Sharona (Shari) Friedman is President and CEO of the Global Institute of Sport (GIS), the leading global sports education institution delivering specialist degrees and executive programs from iconic stadium campuses around the world.

She has a BBA from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University as well as an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto. Her career includes globally focused roles at the University of Chicago and Imperial College London. After more than a decade in leadership and board positions, she was appointed to lead GIS and shape its global strategy across education, innovation, and industry impact.

In addition to her executive role, Sharona founded and chairs the Global Sports Education Group, a global platform and one of the most diverse sports investment groups in the sector. She serves as a Non-Executive Director at Independent Higher Education UK, the national representative body for the UK’s independent higher education providers and is Chair of the Board for the PowerHouse Project, a flagship initiative focused on advancing women and underrepresented talent in sport and leadership.

A multilingual communicator, fluent in Hebrew, Spanish, and French, and a serial entrepreneur across technology, education, and sport, Sharona regularly lectures on values-based leadership, entrepreneurship, and international business, equipping the next generation of global sports leaders to operate at the highest level.