Simon Hernandez Oramas completed his Master’s Degree in International Sports Management at the European Sport Business School in 2019. He has since worked at Club de Tenis Valencia, Goiko Games and took up a position as commercial analyst at Kosmos Tennis in May 2022.
Why did you choose to take up a postgraduate qualification in sports management? Well, I took this decision because sports always has been a fundamental pillar for my journey. Since day one, my parents wanted sports to play an important role in my life, and that happened. In 2012 I had the opportunity to move to the US because of a soccer scholarship and earn my undergrad degree. After I finished my last university soccer season, I didn’t really know what to do with my life. I was asking myself, should I focus my career in marketing? Finance? What industry should I focus on? Should I stay in NYC? Should I go back to Venezuela? Many questions came to my mind, and the reality was that I didn’t really know what to do with my professional career.
One day, a college friend invited me to watch Real Madrid’s training at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The first moment I got the chance to see the stadium, I knew I wanted to work there. A few months later, I graduated and started looking for jobs in sports or anything related to marketing – I sent hundreds of emails with no replies. One day, I checked on teamworkonline.com, an opening for the New York Red Bulls position; I applied and got my first real job in the sports industry and since day one at the job I knew I wanted to do a postgraduate in sports management.
What was decisive in selecting the ESBS programme as the best option for you?
I considered many things, for example, professors, programme, city/country, job opportunities, alumni, ranking, etc. ESBS was the perfect fit for what I was looking for, and I believe this decision depends a lot on each individual situation. However, in my personal experience, I also thought that ESBS partnering with Fundación Valencia CF was going to give me an important insight into how a top LaLiga club was operating.
Are there any experiences from your time on the course that were particularly influential in your development?
My internship with Club de Tenis Valencia was an experience from my time at ESBS that stood out. This internship specifically introduced me to the world of tennis. In this case, I was able to organise a professional women’s ITF tournament, which is now a WTA. Having the experience on my CV is key to working for Kosmos Tennis now.
How often do you utilise what you learnt on the course within your work at Kosmos tennis? Can you provide some examples?
Every day, we are constantly looking for new partners for the Davis Cup and new innovative ideas/assets we could offer them, and this is just a small part of many KPIs (key performance indicators) we have.
What would be your advice to new students starting on the same course this year?
Many people have a passion for this industry, and sometimes we forget to be humble and open-minded because we are so focused on finding a specific job in an organisation, and that mistake closes our possibilities in our personal and professional life. Be ready to learn from everyone, especially your professors and future classmates, and don’t miss any opportunity you get.
This article is part of the 2022 SportBusiness Postgraduate Rankings. To browse the entire report and view the overall tables, click here.