Italian football club Inter Milan has appointed Claire Lewis, international marketing director at Apple iTunes, as its new marketing director.

Lewis joined Apple in 2007 – prior to the iPhone and App Store launch – and has been part of a team responsible for growing the lucrative iTunes business across the UK, Ireland and the Nordic countries.

A passionate sportswoman, Lewis was appointed an ambassador by the English Football Association in 2008 for Women’s and Girls’ football and is also a trustee of the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation.

According to a club statement, at Inter, Lewis will be charged with “increasing the already large number of Inter fans across the globe, and will lead the club’s efforts to expand its presence in markets around the world”.

Lewis is the latest high-profile appointment to the Inter leadership.

Earlier this year, the club announced that it had head-hunted Michael Bolingbroke, chief operations officer at Manchester United, as its new CEO.

The ambitious recruitment policy is part of Inter’s new billionaire Indonesian owner Erick Thohir’s plans to develop the club into a globally recognised brand – alongside its European rivals Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Commenting on Lewis’ appointment, Bolingbroke said: “Claire will play a key role in a vital sector of our core business and develop the Inter brand on a global level.

“I'm sure that Claire will be able to transpose her experience from a global, elite business like Apple to the footballing elite."