Who We AreCorporate Athletes International was founded in 2013 by René Vidal, an elite high-performance coach with 25+ years of experience, to bring the standards of a championship program to leadership teams and organizations.
Built on seven conference titles at four programs, CAI helps owners and executives build teams that meet the moment.
Our TeamCAI is led by René Vidal and a boutique team built on one principle: help others succeed.
FOUNDER AND HEAD PERFORMANCE COACH
René Vidal
René Vidal leads CAI and is an NCAA Division I head coach who has won seven conference championships at four programs.
He formed Corporate Athletes International in 2013 to bring the standards of a championship program to leadership teams, and serves as head coach of NIU men's tennis, a top 100 ITA program.
Committed to helping others succeed, René has twice been named Coach of the Year, in the GLVC and the Patriot League. He is a USA High-Performance Coach and a Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Executive Coach.
René works with owners and executives to build high-performance cultures.
He hosts the Down 40 Love Podcast, where guests have included Doug Conant, Dr. Jim Loehr, Lisa Nichols, and Derek Sivers. René is the author of four books, including Execute to Win: How Leaders Get Results, and Down 40 Love: Private Lessons on Turning Adversity into Competitive Advantage.
He lives in the Chicago area with his fiancée Sara Kalkenova.
Viola Cipriani
VP OF CLIENT RELATIONS
Sara Kalkenova
DIRECTOR OF LEADERSHIP WELL-BEING
Our MissionWe develop leaders in sports, business, and life.
Our Values01 Go Big
02 Make Character the W
03 Lead to Win
04 Build Relational Capital
05 Stack Evidence
06 Eliminate the Clutter
07 Play to Outlast