CHICAGO, USA // Jeff Kearney is a 12-year Gatorade veteran who has managed multiple functions across the brand’s Marketing business.  Since 2014 he has directed the Sports Marketing department, leading a team who manages the brand’s US portfolio, including all league, team and athlete partnerships and negotiations.  During his time at Gatorade he has overseen all programming targeting coaches, strength coaches, athletic trainers and other sports influencers, as well as helped build the brand’s youth programming platform, which today reaches almost five million teen athletes annually.

Kearney’s knowledge of the sporting landscape translated well to his shift in driving Gatorade’s innovation efforts from 2009-2012, when Gatorade launched the G Series, including carbohydrate energy products and protein beverages for athletes across all sports.  And from 2012-2014, Kearney was a leader of the brand’s Global Team, serving as Head of Global Sports Marketing.  In this role he helped ensure Gatorade not only established the right partnerships around the world – securing the likes of FC Barcelona, Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, and the Australian Football League – but that the execution, on the field & in the lab, was second to none.

Kearney has spent his entire work-life connected to sports.  Prior to Gatorade, he began his career as an Intern at the Big Ten Conference during its Centennial season of 1995-96.  From there he assumed the post of Assistant Director of Communications at another NCAA-affiliated league, Conference USA, from1997-98. He then joined Donnellon, LLC as an Account Supervisor for Gatorade in ‘98, where he developed grass-roots and educational programs targeting athletes.  After three years there he moved to New York City to work at Taylor Communications, a Sports & Lifestyle PR and Event Management Agency, before assuming the role of Director of Marketing for DonJoy Orthopedics NYC Distributorship working with athletic trainers and sports medicine professionals.  Kearney then re-joined the Gatorade family in 2004.  He resides with his family in Chicago, IL.