Francisco Baptista l Director - MENA Region

We are happy to announce the appointment of Francisco Baptista as Rise Global Director for the MENA Region. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a fast developing region with a renewed interest and commitment to sport, as we have seen with the development of the ASPIRE Academy and Qatar being awarded with the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Francisco will be based in Qatar where he has resided with his family since 2009. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise and will head up Rise Global operations in the region. Formally the National Futsal Coach for Qatar, Francisco also has a Phd in Didactics and Organisation of Educational Institutions, Masters in Sports Management and Administration, is a renowned international coach, mentor, lecturer, leader and manager. He has an intimate knowledge of cross-cultural contexts, conversing fluently in 4 languages including Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

His passion for Sport, Education and Development has seen him contribute to several high profile development initiatives world wide and he has also been a member of the Portuguese Olympic Committee. He holds several medals, awards for excellence, coaching accreditations, certificates and degrees in relevant fields.

Francisco remains a valuable asset to the Rise Global team as we look at continuing to contribute to the development of sports in the region.

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