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Austrian Martin Kaswurm, 30, is a sports-addict and a successful entrepreneur. Since he was a teenager, he’s been not only doing sport, but also working with it.

At 20 years’ old, Martin joined the Sports & Culture Department at Red Bull Headquarters, in Austria. He recalls: “It gave me a great look into the marketing and event-related side of sports from a unique angle, since Red Bull is an extreme sport brand that hosts their own events and pushes their athletes to the limit.  After four years with Red Bull, I decided to use my network and start my own agency, Chaka2, at the age of 23”.

Martin attended the 14th edition of the ‘FIFA Master’, and graduated in July 2014. During that time, he combined the very intense schedule of the course with running his agency, in partnership with his co-founder, Veit Manninger. Interestingly, towards the end of the course, he got an offer that most of his classmates were dreaming of: an internship at FIFA’s Marketing department… but he turned it down. “To me, the FIFA Master was a perfect way to broaden my knowledge of the world of sport as well as to extend my international network… but when the job offers came through, I had to take a moment to analyse my options and determine the best path for me and the goals I had set for myself. It became evident that continuing down the entrepreneurial path was the best choice for me”, Martin explains.

Alongside his role as Managing Director at his agency, Martin finds time to volunteer as a member of the FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA) Committee. “The alumni association to me is the most important thing about the FIFA Master. The global network throughout the world of sport is priceless and I consider the FMA as my second family”. Chaka2 is rapidly establishing itself and counts with brands such as Audi, adidas, SAP, Red Bull, and TomTom as clients.  Notably, Martin and his company have created a new sports-discipline, Snow Volleyball, which has been endorsed by the European and International Volleyball Federations, and might, in the near future, become even an Olympic sport.

Here’s more of the interview with Martin Kaswurm:

FMA Quarterly: How was Snow Volleyball created and where is it going?

Martin Kaswurm: Back in 2010 me and some friends started with the first volleyball events on snow in the Austrian Alps in my hometown, Wagrain-Kleinarl. Having the marketing background, sales strategies, and the know-how to sell the product, it was logical for me to push the sport forward in order to achieve something bigger. Soon we decided to develop an international event series in Europe and throughout the years we started the Snow Volleyball European Tour in different European countries, with the attendance of athletes from more than 20 countries. This caught the attention of the CEV and FIVB (European and International Volleyball Federations) and put us in the spotlight. Executives in both organizations compare the current development of Snow Volleyball with Beach Volleyball in the 1990’s and the FIVB even considers its inclusion in the Winter Olympics programme. This way, volleyball could be the first sport that is present in Summer and Winter Olympics, with athletes having the chance to fight for medals every two years. 

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

MK: So many great memories are connected to the FIFA Master. In our edition, I very much appreciated the team spirit we had as a big family.

FMAQ: You are a member of the FMA Committee… What does the committee do, after all?

MK: Since 2014 I am part of this hard-working group of people that tries to make the FMA a better place for all of us. The FMA Committee meets on a monthly basis and tries to organize events, gatherings, and keeps the members informed about news in the world of sport. With the growing number of alumni it is more and more important that the spirit of the FMA is kept alive. We are all professionals in the world of sport that are united by a unique program that brought us to very special places all around the world. I am still fascinated on a daily basis how much the FIFA Master has influenced my life in a positive way.

FMAQ: When you hire someone to work at Chaka2, what are the main traits you look for in a candidate?

MK: Since Chaka2 is still based in Austria, German language is still a must-have for us to hire somebody. Fifty percent of our business is done in the German speaking markets (Switzerland, Austria & Germany) and therefore somebody with those qualifications has definitely better chances to get a position. For us it’s important that the person identifies with our clients. If you know the mindset and brand culture of Audi, adidas or Red Bull, for example, you are more than welcome to send us your application and we’ll see from there. 

SHORT PROFILE

Martin Kaswurm, Austrian

Managing Director at Chaka2 GmbH and FMA Committee member  

Favourite sport: Skiing, football, tennis

Favourite team: FC Bayern München

Favourite sport’s personality: Roger Federer

Favourite sport’s moment: The 2013 UEFA Champions League Final (FC Bayern v Borussia