Carlos Carrión joins ACG board to shape African sports hubs

Carlos Carrión has joined the advisory board of African Collaborations Group (ACG), strengthening the platform’s plans for integrated sports and entertainment hubs across Africa. His role will support projects designed to combine sporting venues with wider commercial and community uses.

Carrión was a central adviser on the €600 million renovation of Santiago Bernabéu. The redevelopment turned the stadium into a mixed-use, digitally connected venue intended to generate income on matchdays and throughout the year. Its planning incorporated mobility, transport, payment and socioeconomic data to guide the design, operations and long-term commercial model.

He is a partner and head of sport and entertainment at Senn Ferrero, and has worked as an external adviser to a leading European football club since 2018. Carrión has more than 30 years of experience across four continents, covering venue design, economic modelling, financing, operations and commercialisation. His work has involved more than 300 venues worldwide, with operational assignments at more than a dozen of them across three continents.

His wider experience includes marketing and sponsorship leadership for major telecommunications and banking brands, as well as advisory work in football, Formula 1, MotoGP, Formula E and basketball. ACG is seeking to apply that expertise to district-scale projects that can combine sport, entertainment, hospitality, retail and community activity.