Pam Kosanke is the founder and owner of 24K Brands, a marketing and executive-level consulting agency geared towards entrepreneurs and private equity groups, and a Professional EOS Implementer. She was formerly chief marketing officer of USA Rugby and a vice president at the award-winning Leo Burnett Worldwide advertising agency in Chicago, where she oversaw multiple blue-chip and Fortune 500 brands.
Pam earned 28 international caps as a US Women's Eagle, participated in the 2006 and 2009 Women’s Rugby World Cups, coached and captained numerous teams, and was voted Rugby Magazine’s Female Player of the Year in 2011. Pam served on both Congress and Board as an International Athlete Representative for USA Rugby for almost a decade. And as Chairman and CEO of Rugby International Marketing, she led a total company restructuring—including an overhaul of financial operations, business strategy, management team, events and sponsorships in just 6 months. She also negotiated and managed the strategic sale of The Rugby Channel to FloSports as part of a massive, 7-year over-the-top broadcast and marketing partnership deal for all USA Rugby properties through 2024.
Pam stays active in international women's rugby as part of World Rugby’s Women’s Communications, Marketing and Commercial (CMC) Advisory Group, charged with developing a new brand and sponsorship strategy for international women’s rugby. She attended the inaugural Women’s Global Rugby Leadership Conference in 2017 on behalf of USA Rugby, where she presented on the history of marketing and commercialization of rugby in the US, and future opportunities for women. Pam's presentation, Turning We Got Game Into We Got Value: Welcome to the unapologetic era of marketing, purchase power and value creation in women's sports, was received with a standing ovation at the 2018 Women in Rugby Conference. She's a USWRF Pioneer and has been involved with the WRCRA since the 2017 Forum.
Post-conference what are you up to....?
I have been full steam ahead with my marketing and leadership consulting company, 24K Brands, and my work as a Professional Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) Implementer. In the spring, my brother and I also started GizMow, St. Louis, Missouri's first dedicated robotic lawn mowing company to help people get "mow out of life!" We are thrilled to be working together and couldn't be more excited about the product, lifestyle, and potential for expansion.
In my "free" time, I've been working on the development of a new women's sports-related product. I can't reveal too much right now, but let's say there's nothing like in the market and I am loving working on something that allows me to combine my favorite things – women in sport and brand development! Stay tuned... In May, I represented Team USA at the 2019 ITU World Triathlon Multisport Championships in Pontevedra, Spain where I scored the silver medal in my age group and 17th in the world! It was an incredible experience and I've been fortunate to discover a challenging “retirement sport” that I’ve truly enjoyed learning about these last few years. Why you support WRCRA? I support WRCRA because it is a critical and cornerstone movement for the advancement of the women's game in America and I greatly respect and enjoy its leaders and supporters. Having a resource-rich organization that is dedicated to focusing on professional development, networking and access for coaches, referees and players is integral to creating the change we must see in the sport. WE have the power to influence the outcomes we want but only if we're creating and amplifying our message through an informed, focused and collective voice. I see great things ahead for this organization, especially when we all contribute to the mission.