Amber Santos, MBA ’18, came to the University of Oregon after graduating from California State University, Long Beach with a major in business administration and a minor in fashion merchandising. She had already worked several account executive positions within advertising firms before joining the MBA program. Once she graduated from the UO, Santos was able to secure a position with adidas.

What is your current role within your company?

I currently work as a brand communications manager for adidas, focusing on the women’s brand in North America. My primary responsibilities are to help build and implement our women’s brand strategy, and to execute and launch brand-level campaigns. I work in a horizontal role, so I work with each of our various sport categories and business functions to help bring our women’s products and brand to life in the best way possible.

How did the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center experience help shape your career?

The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center experience truly catapulted me into my dream role. I am able to inspire and enable women and girls to continue to stay active and take up space in the world of sport. The classroom provided me with the sports business knowledge I needed to pivot from the advertising industry into the sports industry, and our incredible alumni network offered me so much of their time, energy, and guidance throughout my two years in the program and beyond. It has been a few years since I graduated, and I am also so inspired by each incoming class of Warsaw students. The program really brings in the best of the best, and I am grateful to be an alumna.

What key sports business trends are you following right now?

Virtual fitness classes, Peloton bikes, yoga pants and sweatpants—I am staying close to how fitness trends and sportswear shopping behaviors are evolving throughout the pandemic. Digital-first companies are seeing a lot of success right now, and the retailers who have been slow to adapt to meet consumer needs are hurting. I am curious to see how this industry continues to shift and what new digital trends emerge.

Any self-care tips, reading recommendations, binge-worthy shows, etc.?

If you haven’t seen all of “Schitt’s Creek” on Netflix, stop what you’re doing and go watch it right now. Aside from binging TV shows, I run, do yoga, and take long walks around my neighborhood. I live in Portland and I’m on a mission to try to find the house with the most interesting and outlandish lawn décor. Trust me, there are a lot of candidates!