Since his foray into Mexican soccer in 2006 with Santos Laguna, Alejandro Irarragorri has emerged as a key figure in the sports industry, as well as in Mexico’s business world. An entrepreneur who stands out for his innovation and leadership.
Alejandro Irarragorri’s vision is embodied in Orlegi Sports’ purpose: “We re-evolve the soccer industry by growing sustainably and growing our environment, together and intensely we believe in what we do and we are trustworthy to inspire others to transform their dreams into extraordinary realities”.
IRARRAGORRI AND HIS MANAGEMENT MODEL
Alejandro Irarragorri’s contribution, through his Orlegi Sports project, has been elevated in the world of soccer and the Mexican industry. His continuous innovation and dedication through a management model that pivots around three pillars: process development, investment in infrastructure, and the attraction and development of talent and leadership. These pillars are essential for the sustained and profitable growth of the company, as well as to achieve the competitiveness necessary to make possible a continuous history of sporting success and, consequently, to turn soccer into a vehicle for social transformation and profitability.
Mexican Alejandro Irarragorri Gutiérrez has an extensive professional career in various industries as an executive and entrepreneur. With a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Anáhuac in Mexico City, Irarragorri has left an indelible mark in the sports and business world, both nationally and internationally.
Alejandro Irarragorri chairs the Board of Directors of Orlegi Sports, a group that hosts several companies and sports teams in Mexico and Spain. “Our goal is to transform and empower the organizations in which we participate, creating value and being a tool for positive transformation in communities.” Under his leadership, Orlegi Sports has flourished in four key sectors: Sports and Entertainment, Real Estate Development, Agribusiness and Insurance Brokerage.
ALEJANDRO IRARRAGORRI: FORAY INTO THE SPORTS INDUSTRY AND RESTRUCTURING OF SANTOS LAGUNA
Alejandro Irarragorri is leaving a good part of that footprint in the soccer industry, which he entered in 2006. That year, he and his team took over as Vice President of Sports at Grupo Modelo, an autonomous organization of that large corporation. His first objective was to restructure Club Santos Laguna, a team in the First Division of Mexican Soccer, in addition to managing and operating other sports assets, such as the Yaquis de Obregón and Venados de Mazatlán baseball clubs in the Mexican Pacific League, and athletics events such as the Corona Querétaro and Pacífico Mazatlán Marathons and the Pacífico Mazatlán Triathlon.
The teams that come together under this presidency and the leadership of Alejandro Irarragorri begin to reap sporting achievements. Yaquis de Obregón won four Mexican Pacific League titles (2007, 2011, 2012 and 2013) and two Caribbean Series in 2011 and 2013 representing Mexico, while Venados de Mazatlán won a new championship in 2008 after a drought of nearly three years.
On the other hand, the athletic events promoted at that time by the Sports Vice-Presidency were consolidated as the most relevant and attractive in Mexico. The Triatlón Pacífico Mazatlán was recognized by the athletic community as the best in Mexico and one of the best in Latin America. In the case of the Maratón Corona Querétaro and the Gran Maratón Pacífico Mazatlán, there has been a constant growth for four years, positioning them within the top 5 athletic events in our country for their organization and number of competitors, with more than 12 thousand participants in each of the marathons. “Our mission has always been to raise the standard of sports entertainment in Mexico,” emphasizes Irarragorri.
Irarragorri was in 2014 the first president of a Mexican soccer team to be invited to participate as a speaker at the prestigious “Sports Business Summit” in London, the most important international congress of sports business leaders, with the theme of the globalization of sports at the owner level, its reasons, plans and growth. “Being part of this event was a unique opportunity to share our vision and learn from sport leaders worldwide”.
SPORTING SUCCESS IN SANTOS LAGUNA, ATLAS FC AND THE ARRIVAL TO THE OLD CONTINENT.
Under the direction of Alejandro Irarragorri, Orlegi Sports’ Mexican soccer teams have reaped multiple sporting successes. Santos Laguna won the 2008, 2012, 2012, 2015 and 2018 Liga MX championships, a Copa championship in 2014 and a Campeón de Campeones. Atlas FC, which was acquired in 2019, managed to break a title drought of more than 70 years by becoming Liga MX champion twice, in 2021 and 2022, and thus becoming Bicampeón.
Alejandro Irarragorri’s most recent commitment took place in June 2022 on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean with the acquisition by Orlegi Sports of Real Sporting de Gijón, a Spanish Second Division team recognized for its strong roots in Asturias and in Spanish football, as it is a hotbed of great players. “Our challenge and commitment to Real Sporting de Gijón is the union of wills to lead it towards a future as brilliant as its own history,” said Irarragorri in June 2022.
INFRASTRUCTURE: PILLAR FOR THE GROWTH OF SANTOS LAGUNA, ATLAS FC AND SPORTING DE GIJÓN
As one of the pillars of Orlegi Sports’ business model, the development of infrastructure has positioned its clubs as national and international references thanks to its sports complexes. Territorio Santos Modelo, in Torreón, marked a turning point in facilities of this type in Mexico.
The AGA Academy, in Guadalajara, inaugurated in 2023, is one of the most important high-performance centers in Latin America. Likewise, the Mareo Soccer School in Gijón (Spain). Alejandro Irarragorri highlights the investments made in sports infrastructure, since his goal is to “promote the optimal development of players, empower them and consolidate them to compete at the highest level”.
Aware that the future is full of challenges and opportunities, Alejandro Irarragorri emphasizes that each achievement of Orlegi Sports “is the door to a new challenge”, so he reaffirms his commitment “to reach new goals and exceed our own expectations to continue positioning ourselves as a builder of value projects with practices that generate a positive impact that benefit fans and our communities.