During the first session of a series of lunch lectured organized by the SSE Sport Initiative, which explores the nexus of sports and business, Tomas Antonelius, General Manager of the Nordic Region for Nike, addressed an audience comprising students and former professional athlets enrolled in the Management Diploma for Athletes Program offered by the Center for Sports & Business.  

Tomas Antonelius, a former professional footballer who played for the Swedish club AIK and represented Sweden at UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, has combined his sports background with a robust academic foundation, having earned both a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from SSE. Since 2012, he has been with the American footwear and apparel company Nike, where he plays an important role in the Nordic region with regards to brand development, financial focus, as well as leadership cultivation.

At the lecture, Antonelius shared insights from his dual career trajectory - his time in professional sports and his tenure at Nike. He emphasized that Nike's success is built on two fundamental pillars: innovation and storytelling. Among others, he highlighted the impact of Nike's campaign in collaboration with Colin Kaepernick, illustrating how taking a stand on social issues can resonate with younger audiences and boost sales.