Las Vegas, USA – A new initiative aims to bridge the gap between elite athletic performance and professional careers for women athletes. Creative agency 72andSunny and The Female Quotient (FQ) have partnered to launch an executive apprenticeship program for women athletes attending SHE (Sports, Hospitality and Entertainment) Weekend, a celebration hosted by rapper and TV star Flavor Flav. The program, which debuts during the July 16-19 event in Las Vegas, will provide hands-on training and a direct path to paid positions for participating athletes.
The executive mentorship program will offer two women athletes hands-on experience at each company, spanning creative, brand-building, media, and back-office functions like finance and HR. Evin Shutt, global CEO of 72andSunny, told ADWEEK, “These are women who are incredibly accomplished in what they do, and they understand competition and winning at a level unlike most humans on Earth. How do we give them exposure to professional careers through what our companies do?” The initiative is grounded in research showing the strong correlation between athletic experience and executive success, with a 2020 EY report finding that 94% of women in the C-suite played sports.
The apprenticeship program is currently in its early stages, with both companies using SHE Weekend as a testing ground to gather information and ensure the program is built effectively. The two-month program will be tailored to the athletes’ specific needs, interests, and training schedules, with flexibility being a key component. “These athletes are the most primed future executives,” said Talia Bender Small, president of the FQ. “They are the most collaborative. They have leadership skills. They have perseverance. They have determination. They are competitive with themselves.” The program will include a formal application process and has the potential for extension.
Flavor Flav launched SHE Weekend after his tweet about celebrating the U.S. women’s hockey team following their Gold medal win went viral. The event, which has attracted over 100 U.S. women athletes, has since grown to include all U.S. women’s Olympic and Paralympic medalists from the 2026 Winter Games, with brands like Delta Airlines and MGM Resorts providing free airfare and lodging. Flav expressed his hope that SHE Weekend becomes an annual gathering. Shutt emphasized the collaborative spirit of the initiative, stating, “We’re not going to keep this a secret. The more companies and organizations that get involved and sign up to take on apprenticeships, the better.”
