Testimonials
“I’m not kidding when I tell you that SAIS has legitimately opened up five separate doors for me…all within just a few months.” – Sunny Mehta, International Marketing Strategy, NFL
“I want to be a supportive member of this community in hopes of helping someone, anyone who may be interested in sports as a vertical or the various industries within sports that I may be able to lend some insight or expertise. We are blessed to have people from different walks of life, backgrounds, and experiences in the group and I enjoy getting to learn from other member and learn their perspectives.” – Dev Sethi, Head of Sports, Instagram
“South Asians in Sports provides unique access to individuals who have worked in some respectable positions in the sports & entertainment industry. It also allows you to grow your contacts and network with new faces in an informal setting.” – Aditya Jakatdar, Commercial Executive, EMEA – IRONMAN
“South Asians in Sports has introduced me to people I would not meet otherwise.” – Neil Thakur, USTA Eastern Net Generation Schools Coordinator
“There is strength in numbers. It has been great to see more and more Indians enter the industry and do so well. So much of this business and every business really is networking. If we can leverage our South Asian connections, that will lead to a host of benefits.” -Sarbjit Singh, Sports Management Professor, Farmingdale State College
“We actually connected because I posted about South Asians in Sports on LinkedIn, she saw it, and she reached out. We didn’t even know we worked in the same building all this time! Another great outcome of this group” – Parul Khosla, Manager D&I at NHL
“Frankly, I’d liked this page only because as a far far away cousin I wanted to contribute in whatever way I could and at that time little did I know that I was going to be pursuing a career in the field of sports. Now, after so many years of being a part of this group and constantly being abreast by latest articles,news about sports, I couldn’t have been happier about associating with the group. Off late, I also participated in your Mentorship Monday’s program as I would be moving to Canada by early next year. Although, my mentor Avish couldn’t proceed after the 1st session. This association and interaction left me feeling more confident, I felt like I have a family to fall back on in Canada. So really is actually an appreciation post, thank you for giving all of us this sense of community and belongingness, look forward to growing with fellow SAIS” – Chenar Kanagat – Digital Marketing Specialist Achilles Sports, Bengaluru India
“Watching the Diwali event was really special for me and truly inspiring. After attending so many zoom events and webinars like this recently it was so refreshing to see one with people who look like me and are from a similar background. I loved hearing your story and what the panelists had to say and I look forward to more events like this.” – Zayhaan Batlivala, Michigan Sports Business Conference.
Our Network
The South Asians in Sports community boasts some of the industry’s best and brightest talent. Click the picture or name of one of our featured members to read their interviews, and join the SAIS community here.

Vijay Setlur: Marketing Instructor and Sport Marketing Lead, Schulich School of Business-York University and Instructor – Professional Football Development, Concacaf

Ajay Sharma: Head Coach Women’s Basketball, Humber College (CCAA)

Sheil Kapadia: ESPN Seahawks Beat Reporter

Ami Parekh: Former Figure Skating Athlete (Professional Skaters Association, International Skating Union, Ice Skating Association of India, US Figure Skating)

Neeta Sreekanth: ESPN Monday Night Football and NFL Social Media

Rajeev Ram: Global Sponsorship & Strategy Manager at Leverage Agency

Pavitra (Belli) Chandra: Founder and CEO of B7 Sports

Neil Thakur: Regional Representative/US Tennis Association

Harsh Mankad: Founder of Tenicity, a player development and performance management platform

Shikha Tandon: Science Program Lead at United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)

Payal Doshi: NBA Canada Social Media Manager

Rashi Kakkar: Brand consultant, Freelance sports writer and Co-Founder, The Sports Business Networking Group
Payal Patel: Public Relations – Chicago Chapter of the Navy Pier and NFL Players Association

Hemal Jhaveri: Editor, USA TODAY’s For The Win

Akshay Khanna: Vice President of Strategy, Philadelphia 76ers & New Jersey Devils/Prudential Center

Harpreet Pandher: Analyst/Colour Commentator on Hockey Night in Canada and Punjabi edition on Omni TV

Shaun Jayachandran: Founder and President of Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy (www.crossover-india.org)

Iciri Rai: Global Sponsorship & Strategy Manager at Leverage Agency

Sanjay Kirplani: National Recruiting Analyst at The Bleacher Report
Other featured SAIS members:

Aditi Kinkhabwala: ESPN Sports Reporter

Megha Parikh: Senior VP and Chief Legal Officer, Jacksonville Jaguars

Aneesh Ahuja: Adidas head of NBA partnerships

Priya Narasimhan: YinzCam CEO

Dev Sethi: Instagram Head of Sports

Paraag Marathe: President of 49ers Enterprises and EVP of Football Operations

Sean Desai: Chicago Bears Football Coach

Devi Mahadevia: Facebook Sports Director

Atul Khosla: Chief Corporate Development and Brand Officer of the Buccaneers

Deepen Parikh: Courtside Ventures Partner, NYVC Sports Co-Founder