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Jesús Ortigosa Marquez

COO & Equity Owner | Operations Director

Scaling €50M+ operations across Norway, Portugal & Scandinavia • 10+ years turning operational chaos into structured growth

Available for Sessions
Portugal / Remote
The Operator Mindset

COO & Equity Partner with a track record of driving profitability through operational discipline.

10+ years building and scaling international operations across sports tourism, property management, and event logistics. Proven ability to increase margins by 35%+, manage €50M+ budgets, and lead cross-functional teams of 150+ staff.

€50M+
Annual Budget
35%
Margin Growth
150+
Team Size Led
7+
Years Founder/COO

Experience

Active Tours AS

COO & Equity Owner

May 2022 – Present (3 yrs 9 mos)
Norway (Remote)
EQUITY PARTNER€50M+ BUDGETBOARD MEMBER
  • Promoted from Operations Manager to COO & Equity Owner within 2 years, driving full operational and financial strategy
  • Increased operational margins by 35% through financial restructuring, supplier relationship management, and cost optimization
  • Oversee annual budgets of €50M+ with 98% adherence and real-time reporting to board of directors
  • Led Salesforce implementation: automated booking workflows, integrated supplier portals, and built custom KPI dashboards
  • Optimized receivables/payables, reducing DSO by 22 days and stabilizing cashflow during 40% revenue growth phase
  • Managed travel logistics and financial operations for 100+ international football programs annually across Europe

MONTE Boutique Rentals

Co-Founder

Oct 2022 – Present (3 yrs 4 mos)
Algarve, Portugal (Hybrid)
€100K → €750K7.5X GROWTH20+ PROPERTIES
  • Co-founded and scaled a property management company from €100K to €750K+ revenue in 3 years (7.5x growth)
  • Built end-to-end back-office systems using Notion, Salesforce, and PMS integrations—enabling operations without founder dependency
  • Managed supplier contracts, guest operations, and financial controls with a strict focus on margin preservation (avg. 42% gross margin)
  • Recruited and trained operational team, creating SOPs and delegation frameworks that support 20+ active properties

NextPlay

Co-Founder

Aug 2018 – Present (7 yrs 6 mos)
Portugal (Hybrid)
CO-FOUNDERINTERNATIONAL OPSPARTNERSHIPS
  • FUTSolutions as original name. Acquired by Ve2 Venture Capital in 2025.
  • Lead operations and partnerships for international football programs and events across Europe
  • Manage logistics, finances, and supplier relations, ensuring smooth coordination between clubs, coaches, and partners
  • Oversee P&L, contracts, and operational execution for multi-country programs with 500+ annual participants

Challenge Cup Tournaments

Event Operations Manager

Jan 2019 – Aug 2024 (5 yrs 8 mos)
Portugal (Hybrid)
INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTSMULTI-STAKEHOLDERON-SITE LEADERSHIP
  • Oversaw all operational aspects of international football tournaments, from planning to on-site delivery
  • Coordinated logistics with teams, sponsors, and local authorities to ensure smooth execution and high-quality participant experience
  • Managed scheduling, venues, and resources while leading a small operations team focused on precision and efficiency

MULTILEARNING Group

Project Manager

Jan 2021 – May 2022 (1 yr 5 mos)
Montreal, Canada (Remote)
70+ LIVE SESSIONSGLOBAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONSLMS IMPLEMENTATION
  • Managed international e-learning and virtual event projects for medical associations worldwide, executing over 70 live sessions
  • Oversaw LMS implementation and course setup to improve user experience and engagement by 40%
  • Introduced smarter workflows using Smartsheet, Zapier, and Asana, reducing project delivery time by 25% and improving team efficiency

NF Academy

Operations Manager

Aug 2019 – Sep 2021 (2 yrs 2 mos)
Ericeira, Lisbon, Portugal (Hybrid)
2,000+ PARTICIPANTSCOVID PIVOTSALESFORCE IMPLEMENTATION
  • Led operations for international football programs across Scandinavia and Southern Europe, coordinating 2,000+ participants annually
  • Implemented Asana and Salesforce to streamline logistics, automate financial control, and improve visibility for management
  • Successfully adapted operations during COVID-19 by shifting toward online products and local initiatives, maintaining 80% revenue retention

IberCup - World Youth Football Tournaments

Event Operations Manager

May 2015 – Aug 2018 (3 yrs 4 mos)
Alverca do Ribatejo, Portugal (On-site)
150+ STAFFGLOBAL EXPANSIONOPERATIONS MANUALS
  • Led global football tournaments, overseeing logistics, staffing, and on-site operations across multiple countries
  • Managed and coordinated 150+ staff and volunteers across key operational areas (accreditation, venues, transportation, accommodation)
  • Standardized event workflows by creating detailed operations manuals and implementing Asana to improve coordination and efficiency
  • Supported international expansion, helping IberCup grow its event portfolio and deliver professional tournament experiences worldwide

Previous experiences working as lifeguard, swimming instructor, and personal trainer, among others. Working since I was 16 years old.

Expertise

Operations & Strategy

P&L ManagementProcess DesignKPI DevelopmentDelegation FrameworksBoard Reporting

Financial Leadership

Budget Management (€50M+)Margin OptimizationCashflow AnalysisFinancial ModelingCost Control

Tech & Automation

Salesforce CRMNotionZapierAsanaHubSpotCursorSupabaseRailwayAI Adopter

Leadership & Team Building

Cross-Functional TeamsStaff TrainingSOP CreationChange ManagementStakeholder Alignment

Languages

SpanishNative
PortugueseFluent
EnglishFluent
PolishConversational

Education

MBA – Leadership & Strategic Networking

ESIE

2025 – Present

PhD, Sport Science

University of Málaga

2013 – 2017

Master’s & BSc in Sport Science

University of Málaga & Granada

2007 – 2013

Curious Facts

🏃

Endurance Athlete

Completed an Ironman in 2010. Marathon PB: 3h23m. Half Marathon PB: 1h21m.

📚

History & Philosophy Reader

Always exploring the roots of human thought and historical patterns.

🎮

Former Pro Gamer

Spent three years competing professionally in Call of Duty 2.

⚔️

Warhammer Fantasy

I enjoy the strategy and lore of the Warhammer universe.

Interested in discussing opportunities?

Get in touchView full LinkedIn profile

The Dispatch

Occasional notes on operational discipline.