Johann Farhat (MBA 2025) holds a Civil Engineering degree from the American University of Beirut. After graduating, he spent three years in management consulting at Strategy& in Dubai before moving to Madrid to work at Amazon for another three years. At Harvard Business School, he serves as the co-president of the Soccer Club and captain of the HBS Soccer Team.
Tell us more about how you’re spending the summer between your first and second years?
This summer I have the privilege of working as the Marketing Strategy and Innovation Director for Chelsea Football Club, reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer. Moving from being solely a Chelsea fan to a Chelsea employee over these three months has been truly exceptional!
What motivated you to pursue an internship at Chelsea FC, and how did you secure this opportunity?
Soccer has been a central part of my life from the moment I started walking—my family recalls me always having a ball at my feet. In high school I played on the varsity team and, at 17, I joined a first-division team in Lebanon. I combined my academic and soccer pursuits by studying civil engineering at the American University of Beirut while playing for a second-division team.
After graduating, I worked in management consulting in Dubai, where I led my firm's soccer team, playing against other consulting firms in the region. Later, I moved to Madrid, started working at Amazon, and joined a fifth-division club. It was at this time that I recognized my desire to combine my passion for soccer with my career. This led me to apply to HBS MBA program, with the goal of transitioning into the soccer industry.
At HBS, I immediately began networking—reaching out on LinkedIn, attending sports conferences, and connecting with professionals in the soccer industry. I ultimately accepted an offer from Chelsea Football Club, my boyhood team since I was five years old.
Can you describe a typical day in your internship?
A typical day in my internship involves attending several meetings with teams from the strategy, marketing, and commercial departments. I work on a variety of projects for both the current season and future seasons. Depending on the project, I also have the opportunity to collaborate with first-team players from both the men's and women's teams. Occasionally, I get to work with retired club legends like Gianfranco Zola and John Terry.
This summer, my biggest project was co-leading the marketing efforts for a friendly match against Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge in London. Although the game finished with a 1-1 draw, it was a tremendous success off the pitch: It was a sell-out game, and we achieved our commercial targets. The fans loved meeting the new players and manager for the first time at home and Chelsea's ex-captain and legend John Terry was among the key attendees.
Do you have any advice for prospective students thinking about their future internships?
One key piece of advice: Always believe in your dreams and never give up.
I received my internship offers in May, well after most of my classmates had already secured theirs. This added extra pressure to my internship search, but I remained calm and focused on my end goal.
I faced numerous rejections from several European soccer clubs along the way. Despite these setbacks, I stayed motivated, continued reaching out to people, and kept building my network. While traveling in Asia for HBS FIELD Global Capstone at the end of my first year, I conducted several virtual interviews with soccer clubs. I received final confirmation of my internship at Chelsea Football Club on May 23rd, while I was on the HBS Japan trek, just a week before my start date.
Set a goal for yourself, develop a detailed plan to achieve it, execute it diligently, and always believe in your potential and dreams. Anything worthwhile takes time!