Marko Heijl (1969) is Sports Marketing Manager at Soudal, a company active in chemical construction specialties and a sponsor in, among others, cycling (Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance Soudal), golf (Soudal Open), football (KVC Westerlo), and cyclocross. In 2024, Soudal won gold at the Belgian Sponsorship Awards in the category Sponsorship Activation.
Since 2001, Heijl has been a lecturer in Sports Marketing Communication within the postgraduate PG Sport programme at VUB, focusing on what sports sponsorship is — and more importantly, how to activate it. He previously taught Sports Marketing at KdG and regularly delivers guest lectures and keynote talks on sports marketing and sponsorship activation at universities, clubs, and companies.
In 2011, Marko Heijl authored the book “In Goede en Kwade Koersdagen”, about cycling marketing and its activation. He has also contributed to dozens of books on sports marketing and sponsorship and served as Editor-in-Chief of the professional sports management magazine Sport & Strategie Vlaanderen from 2012 to 2025. He frequently publishes expert insights across a wide range of media.
Earlier in his career, Heijl worked as Sponsorship Manager at cycling and football sponsor Belisol, as a Creative Director in advertising, and as a journalist. He holds academic degrees in Law, Business Economics, Communication Sciences, and Sports Management.