Donal McElwee
Managing Partner
Donal is the Managing Partner at Portas, accountable for 160 staff across 5 regional offices. He previously led the Middle East and Africa region where he continues to maintain a key account focus. Donal works closely with senior leaders in the sports sector, including Ministries of Sport, Olympic Committees, federations, investors, and the private sector.
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Donal is the Managing Partner at Portas, responsible for overseeing 160 staff across 5 regional offices, and has played a pivotal role in the company’s growth over the past 10 years, particularly in the Middle East. In his global role, he continues to maintain a key account focus in the Middle East, working closely with senior leaders in the sports sector. His clients include Ministries of Sport, Olympic Committees, federations, investors, and the private sector.
Before his global role, Donal led the Middle East and Africa region at Portas, where he developed strong relationships and delivered impactful projects, on topics such as national policy, major events, growth plans for leagues and federations, and investment strategies. His extensive experience in the sports sector, across 200+ sports projects, has enabled him to provide strategic support to a wide range of clients on their most complex and urgent issues.
Donal holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an LLM from Harvard Law School, and an LLB from the University of Glasgow. He has previous experience as a lawyer and management consultant at Freshfields, Goldman Sachs, Roland Berger, and Yale University.