Matt Afinec

President and COO – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Matt Afinec serves as the President and COO of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Prior to this role, he was the Executive Vice President, Business Operations, for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, as role he had since 2012. This role includes oversight of the Club’s business affairs including sales, partnerships, marketing, communications, fan experience, guest relations, retail operations, digital & broadcast media, community and municipal relations.

He joined the Tiger-Cats organization in 2010 as Vice President, Stadium Development. He was a member of the executive team that represented the Club in the site verification and stadium design phase for the development of Tim Hortons Field.

Afinec led the Club’s efforts to secure a landmark 10-year naming rights partnership with Tim Hortons in 2013. He also led the efforts that secured eight other stadium founding partnerships with tier-one brands like Scotiabank, Nissan, Molson-Coors and Coca-Cola.

Afinec entered the professional sports industry in 2005 with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. He held various positions including Director of Corporate Partnerships for Toronto’s 2007 Grey Cup Organizing Committee and Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for the Argonauts.

In 2014, Matt was recognized by George Brown College, the Globe & Mail and TSN as one of the ‘5 to Watch’ in Canadian Sports Business. The ‘5 To Watch’ program annually recognizes the most influential and accomplished Canadians under the age of 40 in the sports business industry.

Afinec graduated from McGill University in Montreal Quebec with a degree in Industrial Relations Management. He lives in Burlington, Ontario with his wife Michelle and son’s Brady and Myles.