News

David Fowler (42), who hails from Scotland, is an experienced marketer with a notable career in the sports industry. An alumnus of the fifth edition of the FIFA Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, he recently became the Marketing Director of the fast-growing streaming platform, mycujoo, after spending more than 12 years at FIFA. “Right after the FIFA Master I secured my dream role in the marketing team at FIFA and was fortunate to contribute to, and in some cases lead, various departments including the sponsorship, marketing communication, brand and sales & strategy teams”, he recalls.

 In mid-2018, David left football’s world governing body to join the Amsterdam-based mycujoo, a young and dynamic digital company, co-founded by Pedro Presa, another FIFA Master alumnus. “We have a very empowering culture at mycujoo where new ideas are encouraged. I see my role as generally trying to help the organisation to grow our brand and our revenues sustainably. As the first marketing hire at mycujoo, much of my focus in the first year has been helping to build our marketing capabilities and our marketing team”, David explains.

For many, a move from a senior position at a major global sports organisation to a relatively unknown start-up may be hard to understand, but David is certain that was the right decision for him. He says: “In my latter years at FIFA, I started a sports business blog and found myself increasingly writing about and studying the new data and tech-driven business models that were disrupting the business of sport. Around a similar time, I was fortunate to get to know the company’s co-founders, Pedro and Joao Presa. I was very quickly convinced about the vision for the future of football that they were building. Only three years after launching the platform, mycujoo has grown to a company of 70+ employees with staff based in the USA, Brazil, Switzerland, Singapore, Portugal and The Netherlands, our operational HQ”. 

Here is more of the interview with David Fowler:

FMA Quarterly: What is the thing that you love about your job?

David Fowler: In a nutshell, mycujoo is a live streaming platform dedicated to football and, broadly speaking, we give football content owners free access to tools that enable them to produce, distribute and monetise their content. This in itself is exciting but what is most refreshing for me in my current role is that we are driven and bound by a strong sense of purpose. This purpose is to empower football rights owners at all levels of the game, including players, to build and connect with their fan communities. It is this opportunity to contribute to changing the face of football that gets me up in the morning.

FMAQ: How important was the FIFA Master for your career?

DF: The FIFA Master shaped my career in the sports business and I consider myself very fortunate to be part of the alumni. The alumni network is the most important asset of the programme. There are so many people that I can count on for advice and support.

FMAQ: Are you still in touch with classmates or other alumni? How important is that network for you?

DF: On a personal level, I have formed so many close friendships with people from all over the world and with whom I stay in touch with regularly. I know that more or less wherever in the world I travel, I will be able to drop in on someone from the network for a beer or a coffee. On a professional level, I have always tried to be as open and supportive to new graduates as those who welcomed me into the network were. Much of the credit for the strength of our network must go to the trailblazers of the first few editions who fostered an open, collaborative and supportive culture.

FMAQ: What are your fondest memories of the FIFA Master?

DF: Generally, I enjoyed the camaraderie. You spend a year in the pockets of another 30 or so people from all over the world. It is a very unique situation. I enjoyed sharing stories and experiences (and the occasional night out) with people from countries I had never set foot in before.  

SHORT PROFILE

David Garven Fowler, British

Marketing Director at mycujoo

FIFA Master Class: 2005 

Favourite sport: Football

Favourite team: Kilmarnock FC

Favourite sport’s personality: Andy Murray

Favourite sport’s moment: Any victory for Scotland against England in any sport (which are increasingly rare).