Team of Experts
Emilio Sánchez Vicario is considered one of the great driving forces behind Spanish success in world tennis, firstly as a player, subsequently Davis Cup Captain and for the last two decades CEO of the Emilio Sánchez Academy.
He was an outstanding player on the ATP Tour, not only becoming number 7 in the ATP Singles and number 1 in doubles, in partnership with Sergio Casal, but also achieving a silver medal in the Seoul Olympics.
Players such as Murray, Dimitrov, Hantuchova, Kuznetzova, Ivanovic and Monaco have developed their skills in his academy, and he achieved an outstanding victory in the Davis Cup, winning the trophy as captain of the Spanish team (as he relates in his book ‘Dream to Win’). His sporting experience has been augmented with postgraduate degrees in Sports Management (UB) and Sports Direction (IESE).
He knows how to motivate, manage, lead and, above all, share his knowledge of High Level Performance within any organization, as well as how each person can overcome their limits and reach their own goals. All of this is delivered with his own personal style that comes across in articles in the media, television commentary and especially at the Emilio Sánchez Academy.
He is President of the Emilio Sánchez Foundation, initiating projects that help different marginalised groups, via sport and education.
Gabriele Burgio graduated in International Law from the University of Florence and has an MBA from INSEAD. In 1997 he became President and CEO of NH Hotels, holding these positions until March 2011.
After he took control of NH Hotels, the Company became one of the fastest growing hotel chains in Europe, with an increase in sales of 1.532 million euros in 2008. In this period, NH also developed innovative concepts in food and drink such as ‘nhube’ and ‘Fast Food’ and in 2007 the company was given the Prince Felipe Prize for ‘Excellence in Tourism’.
Gabriele is also an independent member of the Advisory Board of Banque SYZ and CO SA, and the University of St Louis (Madrid). After the merger of NH Italia and Jolly Hotels in 2006, he was named CEO of Jolly Hotels SpA.
In 2003 the global consulting firm AC Kearney and the weekly magazine Actualidad Economica presented him with the Manager of the Year award, while the newspaper Expansión recognised him as the CEO who had contributed the most to Human Resources in Spain in 2007.
In April 2012 Gabriele Burgio was named CEO and President of Alpitour, the biggest group in the Italian tourism industry.
John Vigdal was Norwegian champion of competitive aerobics and holds many titles at world level. He has dedicated all his life to sport and physical activity, and has specialised both in the management and direction of sports centres and in the study, analysis and development of training systems within the field of fitness.
In 1992 he started to give group classes and carry out individual coaching, as well as managing the administration of different sports centres. Subsequently, in 1995, he founded various sports centres in Norway, becoming provincial director of one of the most important gym chains in Scandinavia (SATS). In 2000 he went on to become the national director of the same franchise. In 2003 he came to Spain where he made his home and started ‘Base Fitness Systems’ with a wide range of products related to health and well-being.
In 2006 he joined the Registry of Fitness Professionals (RPF) as Director, developing coaching systems, international certification and comprehensive professional services for Fitness trainers and Spa centres. Through the RPF he has started up programmes such as RPF Base Training, RPF Academy and RPF Develop, as well as the ADJUSTIV system, which allows people to train and get fit in the safest, easiest and most appropriate way, via four different levels.
John Vigdal is the founder of Logi Health & Lifestyle Company from with he has developed AC Tracking, the follow up program for the different Corporate Athlete courses, which includes AC 4TIUS and AC 4Challenge.
In 1989 Luis Mediero founded the International Coaches Institute which has become the first global organisation dedicated to offering educational programmes, professional certification and related services to sports professionals in their respective professional areas: tennis (RPT) padel (RPP) golf (RPG) and Fitness (RPF). The ICI has more than 50,000 certified coaches in 130 countries and, since its foundation, has trained more than 100,000 coaches.
Mediero boasts a distinguished academic record with 8 masters’ degrees and more than 150 diplomas in different sectors. This has made him a genuine entrepreneur in the sports industry, developing 20 patents encouraging personal learning and training.
In a 40 years professional career he has presented courses, clinics and conferences in more than 80 countries and published 9 books, 22 teaching manuals, 24 videos, 20 cds, 30 dvds as well as hundreds of articles and opinion pieces in national and international media.
Luis Mediero is the President of the International Coaches Institute.
Josep Guiu is a lawyer and has been in practice since 1993. At the beginning of 1994 he founded Brun & Guiu Avocats where he still works after 23 years, specializing in business and tax law.
From 2006 to 2012 he was President of Fiscal & Financial Law Section at the "Colegio de Abogados de Barcelona". He was part of the board of Directors from June 2015 until the end of his mandate in June 2017.
Since 2015 he has worked as a consultant in Emilio Sánchez Academy and the International Coaches Institute.
Derek Touchette is the founder and Director of Total Athletic Performance, situated in the Emilio Sánchez Academy in Naples (Florida) where he works with all types of players and sports, specialising in tennis from competition to professional level.
Derek has a degree in exercise physiology, with a specialisation in nutrition, from Central Michigan University (USA), along with qualifications from PES, USAW, USAW-SP and SPEED. For four years he worked as a Performance Specialist in IMG Academies. During this period he had the opportunity to coach professional players from the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS and the WUSA national teams, including the Under 17 Men’s National Soccer Team.
Derek is Staff Professor of courses at the International Coaches Institute and in the Registry of Fitness Professionals in the United States.
Siw Viktoria Johansen has a Degree in Business Administration and Management, specialising in the management and promotions of health and fitness related activities in sport centres. She has Master´s in sport nutrition with specialization on high performance.
In 2006 she joined the RPF - Registry of Fitness Professionals as part of the technical team, developing training programmes, international certification and integrated professional services to fitness trainers and SPAs. Through the RPF she has started up programmes such as RPF Base Training, RPF Academy and RPF Develop, as well as the ADJUSTIV System which allows people to train and get fit in the safest, easiest and most appropriate way, via 4 different levels. She is currently the creative director of the ADJUSTIV product.
She specializes in the editing of multimedia programs and writing for fitness and health magazines. She is responsible for participant coordination in MTB (Cat. UCI): Andalucia Bike, La Rioja Bike and Cataluña Bike races.
Viktoria is a consultant at Logi Health & Lifestyle Company from with she has developed AC Tracking, the follow up program for the different Corporate Athlete courses, which includes AC 4TIUS and AC 4Challenge.
Sergio Bonillo was initially trained as a Chef at the National School of Food & Beverage Management, in Barcelona. He has worked for more than 15 years in restaurant management at various well known companies.
Currently he runs the Nutrition Department at the Emilio Sánchez Academy and provides training courses for Coaches at the International Coaches Institute.
He's continuous training and the demands of working with top juniors and professional tennis players and coaches at the high performance center ES Academy, a leader in the sports sector, led him to do a Master's in Sports Nutrition.
In 2013 he created an now manages the department of diet and nutrition, and also provides external consulting in this area.
Raquel Jativa has a Psicology Degree, specializing in stress intervention and the area of psicosocial environment. She has a wide experience in the fields of health, education and training programs.
She hold a Master in Clinical Cognitive Behavior and another in Psicological Intervention in Social Care. She has completed different specialized courses, such as Psycological Management Intervention in Emergencies and Terrorist attacks.
Raquel is a member of the National Network of Psychologists for the treatment of terrorist victims.
Raquel has a private clinic where she evaluates, follows and intervenes in a variety of psychological problems. She is also an associate professor at University of Zaragoza, where she lectures in a various subjects.
Since 2014 she has collaborated with the International Coaches Institute in the development of the mental pillar in the different courses for Tennis, Padel, Golf and Fitness Coaching.
