Strategy. Culture. Impact.

FernandoFreire

Born in the culture. Built for the brand.

View selected work Let's talk
Fernando Freire

YALE certified strategist. Award winning marketer. Culture first thinker. Two decades at the meeting point of sport, lifestyle, fashion and brand building.

Selected work

01.

Regional marketing leadership

VANS

Mandate. Lead the regional marketing operation across campaigns, retail, events, ambassadors, PR, social media and product placement through one office and a single integrated budget. Strategy. Build locally relevant programs rooted in action sports, music, fashion and street culture, turning cultural credibility into brand growth and commercial momentum.

Unit sales grew from
400K to 1.1M
Pairs per year
Social audience
6x
Growth

Marketing Manager · 2012 to 2014
Best Marketing Team 2013 · Best Campaign Execution 2012

Custom Culture
SPFW
Visual Merchandising
Events
02.

International growth & integrated marketing

ZUMIEZ

Mandate. Develop and execute multi-year growth plans for the world's largest streetwear and action sports retailer. Strategy. Lead integrated work across advertising, events, sponsorships, brand collaborations, content and community, including the international expansion of Best Foot Forward, the world's largest amateur skate contest series.

$180K
Record sponsorship
2 to 7
Countries

Marketing Manager · 2016 to 2017
Best Project Team of the Year

Best Foot Forward
Print Ads
Exposure
Marketing
03.

Athlete strategy & brand partnerships

Superheroes Management
+ Whydah Group

Mandate. Manage action sports careers at the intersection of performance, culture and business. Strategy. Build long-term athlete plans, negotiate sponsorships and connect talent with partners that authentically align with their identity, helping brands earn relevance while creating sustainable professional outcomes.

$400K+
Olympic sponsorship contracts
2
Olympic games

Sports Agent · 2017 to present
Toyota · Red Bull · ZEGNA · VANS

Ivan Federico
Dora Varella
Alex Sorgente
Ian Gentil
04.

Entrepreneurship & strategic consulting

DATA.image

Mandate. Create an independent platform for brand strategy, campaign production and strategic partnerships. Execution. Since 2001, the work has spanned a successful Mizuno Running campaign developed with Almap/BBDO, television production, institutional content and culturally relevant brand activations.

20+
Years
3
Continents

Founder · 2001 to present
SPORTV · Mizuno · Rip Curl · Multishow · Trip Magazine

Mizuno
Rip Curl
TV
Monster Valley
05.

Sponsored athlete, coach & instructor, authorized dealer

PROFESSIONAL SKYDIVER

Profile. Professional skydiver, sponsored athlete, AFF Instructor, wind tunnel coach, load organizer and authorized dealer with more than 3,000 jumps and 200 hours in the wind tunnel. Earned the USPA Category D license, USPA Coach and AFF Instructor ratings, and IBA Coach Level IV. Leadership. For two consecutive months, was the busiest wind tunnel coach in Florida and served as a Load Organizer at Skydive Miami, Skydive Sebastian and Skydive DeLand. Represented the industry's leading equipment brands, advised students and customers worldwide, and appeared in advertising, magazine stories, interviews and other media.

3,000+
Jumps
200+
Wind tunnel hours

Sponsored Athlete · USPA Coach & AFF Instructor · 2011 to 2016
IBA Coach Level IV · Load Organizer · Authorized Dealer

Career & Credentials
Wind Tunnel
Coaching, AFFI & L.O.
Sponsors & Media
06.

Hospitality entrepreneurship & brand building

KONE temaki · sake · lounge

Mandate. Co-found and build a restaurant in a prime location in South Beach, Miami, taking the business from concept and construction through launch and daily operations. Execution. Created the complete brand identity and every customer-facing touchpoint, including menus, advertising and graphic materials, while participating directly in spatial design, construction, material selection and equipment purchasing. Managed bookkeeping, POS systems, inventory receiving and general operations, maintaining an almost daily presence welcoming guests and building a connection with the local community.

Co-Founder & Operating Partner · 2009 to 2011
South Beach · Miami

Concept & Brand
Space & Operations
Menu & Product
Founder & Brand

About

Marketing Director · Consultant · Sports Agent

YALE School of Management, Strategic and Analytical Digital Marketing. Business Administration, University Mackenzie. English, Spanish, Portuguese.

Magazine cover Surfing Skydiving Fernando Freire holding the Prêmio Jovem Brasileiro trophy Vans award, with Steve Van Doren and Tony Alva Zumiez Project Team of the Year award On stage at MIS With Ivan Federico, Milan Fashion Week With Ian Gentil, WSL Awards

I appeared on the cover of a skateboarding magazine at nine, competed as an amateur surfer through my teens and later became a professional skydiver, coach and instructor. What may look like a collection of hobbies was actually the foundation of my career. These communities taught me how trust is earned and how people decide what is authentic, long before I learned what a marketing plan was.

When I moved into marketing, those worlds came together. I learned how brands can participate in culture with credibility while creating measurable business value. The work I am proudest of proves that authenticity and commercial performance do not need to compromise each other; together, they can turn consumers into loyal followers, advocates and genuine fans.

Sports Agent
Superheroes Management + Whydah Group
2017 – now
Marketing Manager
Zumiez
2016 – 2017
Marketing Manager
Vans
2012 – 2014
Founder
DATA.image
2001 – now

Contact

Let's build
something
together.

Available for executive marketing leadership, brand strategy and select consulting opportunities.

English · Español · Português

Email
fernando@whydahgroup.com
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WhatsApp
+1 305 420 8583
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LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/fernfreire
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