72andSunny and The Female Quotient (The FQ), the media, experience and advisory company that’s home to the most influential global community of women in business, are proud to partner with Flavor Flav on SHE Weekend: a first-of-its-kind celebration honoring more than 100 elite women athletes, Olympians and Paralympians from across sports who are coming together in Las Vegas to be recognized for their achievements and impact.
Together, 72andSunny and The FQ are taking this commitment one step further, launching an Executive Apprenticeship Program offering paid opportunities for SHE Weekend athletes. 72andSunny will offer two positions, with The FQ matching it with an additional two opportunities.
The Executive Apprenticeship Program will provide executive mentorship, practical training and hands-on experience across creativity, brand building, media, and business — giving athletes exposure to new industries, leaders, and opportunities for their next chapter.
The initiative reflects a shared belief that supporting women athletes means more than celebrating their achievements in the moment — it means creating pathways, opening doors and investing in what comes next.
The confidence, resilience and leadership skills developed through sports create ripple effects throughout careers and communities. A 2020 EY report found 94% of women in the C-suite played sport — 52% at a university level — and an independent Gartner study found 85% of women who played sports saying those skills were important to their professional success.
The Olympic and Paralympic athletes SHE Weekend is celebrating have reached the highest echelons of their sport, giving them extensive experience in developing the competitive edge, resilience, and teamwork skills that translate into the business and executive ranks.
Women athletes have long had to forge their own pathways to attain exposure for themselves and their sport, making them experts in the craft of storytelling. The Executive Apprenticeship Program also serves to connect women athletes with brands and companies that see the value in championing women’s sports and are interested in building authentic partnerships with the athletes paving the way.
“At 72andSunny, our ethos is Play to Win. Our culture is built around high performers who love to compete — including many former athletes who bring that same drive, teamwork and resilience into their work every day. We know the skills these elite Olympic athletes develop extend far beyond competition, and we’d be honored to welcome them onto our team and into our industry to help create impactful (winning!) work for our clients and communities.” – Evin Shutt, Global CEO, 72andSunny
“Visibility gets you noticed. Access gets you hired,” said Shelley Zalis, Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient. “The skills that make a champion, like resilience, grit, and leadership under pressure, are exactly what make a great executive. Together with 72andSunny, we’re proud to offer athletes a runway to translate everything they’ve already built into what’s next in their careers. We hope this is the first of many doors that open for these athletes, and for the women coming up behind them, doors that The FQ’s community of leaders is ready to help them walk through.”
