Vancouver Whitecaps FC are pleased to announce that chief operating officer Rachel Lewis is a recipient of the Business in Vancouver 'Forty under 40' award for 2008.
Lewis, 34-years-old, was named as one of Vancouver's 40 outstanding young business professionals for her continued work in helping the Whitecaps fulfill their mission of being one of the best small market sports franchises in the world, helping the game of soccer grow in British Columbia and Canada, and making the club a significant community asset.
Since April 2007, the Vancouver, BC, native has overseen the day-to-day business operations of the club alongside Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi. Her duties include new strategic initiatives, human resources, planning, and fiscal management. Most recently, Lewis has been heavily involved in the Whitecaps bid application to land a Major League Soccer expansion franchise for the 2011 season, including the plans for a renovated BC Place. She is also heavily involved in the club's plans to build the proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium. Prior to her current appointment as chief operating officer, Lewis served as Whitecaps director of event management from 2003 to 2007.
Her career in sports management began in 1999 when she was appointed sponsorship coordinator for the PGA Tour's Air Canada Championship (ACC). A year later, she became the ACC's tournament manager before becoming the tournament director in 2002. In 2003, she took on a new role as sponsorship manager for the BMO Financial Group LPGA Women's Open. Lewis has also volunteered her time to several organizations in the past few years. Currently, she serves on the board of the Gastown Business Improvement Society, sits on the executive committee board of KidSport Canada and is committee chair of Sport BC.
Before embarking on her professional career, Lewis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Victoria in 1996 and a Master's of Business Administration degree in Strategic Management from the University of British Columbia in 1999. Married to husband Jeff Lewis, she gave birth to her first child - baby son Noah - this past November.
Since 1990, Business in Vancouver has recognized the city's outstanding young business professionals through the 'Forty under 40' award.
