While the city’s men’s soccer team Atlético Ottawa emerged victorious in a snowy battle to win the North Star Cup yesterday, there are two women executives working behind the scenes to carefully craft the team’s 2026 season.
For Nik Lemieux, the team’s chief financial officer, working as an executive in a male-dominated industry is nothing new, especially given her experience in the consulting and financial sectors.
“It’s not something that I had ever thought too much about prior to this,” she told OBJ Friday. “I have a very masculine-sounding name and so does (Morgan Young, the team’s chief marketing officer). People think we’re male before they actually meet us, so it’s interesting seeing people’s reactions.”
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For Young, who said she has always worked in female-dominated workplaces, stepping into the role with Atlético Ottawa provided a change of pace.
“This was an interesting opportunity that I was cautiously optimistic about,” she said, adding that she focuses more on being a CMO with a unique perspective, rather than being a woman in male-dominated industry.
“When I think about sports, I think about passion, teamwork and collaboration. And those are all qualities that transcend gender. It’s really important for visibility to see other women within the organization to see that it’s possible. I hope that, by being in this role, other women see that there’s a place for them in professional sports, too,” Young explained.
Lemieux also said she’s happy to be stepping into a mentorship role for female co-workers. As CFO, she said she brings expertise gleaned from two businesses that she owns: Mirabel Consulting and Mirabel Management, a financial services firm.
Young, who is also chief creative officer at LRO Solutions, said she brings a background “rooted in brand, creative direction and design” to her role with the team.
Both women have a passion for soccer. But beyond that, Young said it was the team’s ethos and values that attracted her to the role.
“It was an incredible opportunity to be a part of a growing movement of women in leadership in sports, not just because of representation, but because (they) truly saw an opportunity for diverse leadership to make the organization stronger.”
And so, with a victory in the Canadian Premier League final in the books, what’s next for the team? Lemieux said Atlético’s executives are looking to continue the momentum that’s been generated.
“We get to sit down after this Sunday and look at what we’re going to build for next year. That’s something we didn’t have in the 2025 season, because we had to work with what existed. (Now) we will get the opportunity to design it, build it and action it and see it come to fruition,” she said.
Young and Lemieux were asked to join the executive team by the team’s CEO, Manolo Vega, who joined the team last November.
“We have a great team on the field, but I think a big part of that was building a great team off the field as well,” Lemieux said.
With a growing sports market, Ottawa has a number of entertainment opportunities for sports fans. Young said that while there is a spirit of competition between the various teams, all “want to be woven into the fabric of Ottawa.”
“It caught me by surprise, if I’m honest, the support we’ve seen from other local professional sports teams … There is that healthy level of competition (between us and other teams) in terms of how Ottawa families are using their entertainment dollars. I do really like to see the direction that we’re going in, where clubs have competition but there’s support to uplift as well,” Young said.
Ensuring that Atlético Ottawa is ingrained in the city’s sports landscape is one of Young’s goals, especially as the team feeds off the momentum of winning the CPL final.
“Soccer is really special. It’s so accessible … There are people from all walks of life that are sharing in one owned energy. I want to ensure that the marketing we’re producing reflects and contributes to that inclusivity. I want to build on that storytelling,” she said.
Going into the off-season, Lemieux said that she’ll be working on expanding the team’s network of partners and local businesses, a task that is sure to be facilitated by the team’s win this weekend.
“There’s excitement in the air right now (for Atlético Ottawa). People want to know more about Atlético and we’re going to make sure that we’re giving them something to be excited about. There are a lot of individuals reaching out to us right now that want to find out how they can participate … It’s just about getting that visibility and getting people to understand what Atlético Ottawa is and what our vision and plan is,” Lemieux said.
Young added that the team will be looking to tap into different industries, including Ottawa’s tech sector.
“We have some really great things planned for 2026,” Lemieux said.
