Speakers
2020 Speakers
Phil Lynch
Chief Executive of Media
Manchester United
Bio coming soon…
Robert Webster
Managing Director
Sky Sports
Rob was appointed Managing Director of Sky Sports in May 2019.
A qualified solicitor, Rob joined Sky in 1997 and he worked as a lawyer in Sky’s Legal department for several years, before taking up a variety of commercial roles, most recently as Group Director, Partner Channels, responsible for the negotiation of distribution deals with local terrestrial and global pay tv broadcasters across Sky’s platforms.
As MD, Sky Sports, Rob is responsible for the output on all Sky’s live sports channels, as well as Sky Sports News. He also sets the strategic direction for Sky Sports, including leading on our rights acquisition strategy and negotiations.
James Rushton
Chief Revenue Officer
DAZN
James is the Chief Revenue Officer of DAZN Group, responsible for the leadership and commercial performance of its in-market teams. In this role he oversees marketing and customer acquisition and retention for DAZN, as well as the direction of the Group’s portfolio of consumer brands including Goal, Sporting News and Spox. He is also responsible for DAZN Media, the Group’s advertising division which operates DAZN Player, the sports video on demand platform. During his time at the Group he has held senior roles including Managing Director of APAC, Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand and Managing Director of DAZN Player. Prior to this, James was Commercial Director at Birmingham City Football Club.
Andrea Radrizzani
Chairman & Founder
Aser Ventures
Andrea is a leading entrepreneur who has has been at the forefront of the global sports media industry throughout his distinguished career.
Andrea is owner and Chairman of global investment company Aser Ventures; Leeds United Football Club and international sports content platform Eleven Sports.
Andrea has also led Aser Ventures’ investment in several growing digital businesses including Whistle Sports, Hellodi, Easyprod and Sports Data Labs, creating an ecosystem of innovative services and sports related content
Juliet Slot
Chief Commercial Officer
Ascot Racecourse
Jenny Smith
Marketing Director
The Hundred
Sébastien Audoux
Head of Sports Digital Content
CANAL+
| After 15+ years in (linear) broadcasting as a host, announcer and editor in chief I joined in 2015 the digital division as the head the Sports department. In this role I handle all digital content output on social medias and on our proprietary platform MyCanal. Since 2015 we’ve launched a number of digital originals such as a dedicated football show centered around data and tactics called 3-5-2 as well as multiple web documentaries such as “Haller Anglaise” following the footstep of Sébastien Haller’s first season with West Ham in the Premier League. 2 years ago we created an enhanced viewing experience called “the expert mode” for live sports on our myCANAL app featuring live data, additional feeds and near live highlights clips. |
Hattie Park
Head of Sustainability
Wimbledon
| Hattie is the Sustainability Manager for The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which stages The Wimbledon Championships. There she is responsible for developing and supporting the environmental sustainability agenda for the organisation across climate impacts, resource use and biodiversity. She joined the AELTC in February 2019 following nine years as Sustainability Manager for the BBC. Hattie holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London. Hattie will share the AELTC’s approach to protecting the environment for 50 weeks of the year as a club and how this is magnified during the Wimbledon Championships. |
Paul Rogers
Chief Strategy Officer
AS Roma
Craig Edmondson
Chief Executive
Zwift Esports
Craig is the CEO of Zwift Esports, and most recently, he has been responsible for agreeing terms with the UCI, the World Governing Body of Cycling, to host the inaugural Cycling Esports World Championships in 2020 on the Zwift platform.
The introduction of this new discipline of the sport will be a major milestone in the history of cycling.
Craig has nearly two decades of rights holder and agency experience in the sports, media and entertainment industry.
He has previously been responsible for leading commercial strategy and sales, digital transformation and global brand development at the Premier League, one of the world’s most successful sports properties with 1.3 billion weekly followers, £3bn annual revenue and a 17% CAGR over the last decade.
Prior to the Premier League he worked in a variety of roles at agencies and governing bodies. Craig is a Chartered Marketer and Loughborough University graduate, with a Master’s degree from The University of Texas.
An avid sports fan and participant, Craig has undertaken various endurance events for charity and is a former collegiate athlete who represented Great Britain at the World University Games.
Michael Cole
Chief Technology Officer
European Tour
Michael was appointed as the CTO for the PGA European Tour in November 2017, with the responsibilities extending across Digital Systems, Scoring Systems, Technology Infrastructure and Data Management including Official World Golf Rankings.
Formerly, Michael was CEO And Co-founder for TrueGold Communications, a sports marketing agency specialising in technology-based global sport sponsorship, supporting the number of Olympic Games and sponsors for Rio2016, Pyeongchang 2018 and Tokyo2020, as well as the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru.
Luca Adornato
Head of Marketing
Juventus
Andreas Heyden
Chief Executive
DFL Digital Sports
Since June 2015, Andreas Heyden is serving as CEO of the DFL digital sports GmbH being responsible for digital platforms & production and distribution of national and international media content. Before Andreas was the Managing Director of maxdome GmbH since July 1st, 2013. Previously, Andreas was COO as part the management of ProSiebenSat.1 Game GmbH from December 2011 on.
Evan Fanning
Head of Content
JOE Media
Evan Fanning has over 12 years’ experience in digital publishing, working across a multitude of areas from sport to movies.
He joined the Guardian Sport website in 2008 and spent four years there before moving to Telegraph Sport in 2012.
In 2015 he moved to Dublin to join JOE where he set up the successful sports website, SportsJOE.ie, building its strategy across written word, podcasts and video.
Three years ago he became head of content at JOE.co.uk and has since established editorial teams and strategy across news, politics, entertainment, football and rugby and has worked on developing JOE’s slate of shows, such as House of Rugby, Liquid Football and Unfiltered with James O’Brien.
JOE was named European Publisher of the Year in 2019 at the Digiday Europe Awards.
Anne-Cecile Turner
Sustainability Director
The Ocean Race
George Pyne
Founder & Chief Executive
Bruin Sports Capital
George Pyne is CEO of Bruin Sports Capital which he founded in January 2015. Bruin specializes in developing high-growth, high-yield global businesses in the technology, sports, media, live events, marketing, and entertainment sectors. Today, Bruin’s reach spans five continents, and its companies are in business with virtually every top sports league, rights holder, governing body, blue-chip brand, and sporting event.
Akhil Nambiar
GM, Content Strategy
The Athletic
Steve Sayer
VP & GM
The O2
| Steve Sayer is Vice President and General Manager of The O2, the world’s most popular music and entertainment venue. As VP & GM, Steve heads up the Senior Leadership team at The O2, and is fully accountable for all aspects of venue management across the busy campus, including overseeing all aspects of venue strategy, improving the experience for The O2’s many customers, venue development projects and driving continued commercial growth. |
Christof Haslauer
Co-Founder and CTO
NativeWaves
Christof Haslauer, Co-Founder and CTO of NativeWaves is one of the inventors of the Multiview sync solution technology that NativeWaves offers broadcasters. This solution solves a problem that the industry has been struggling with for years. With a Masters’ degree in Information Technology from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Christof has spent more than 7 years in software development and has a strong background in media technology, including audio/video encoding, streaming and processing as well as microservice development in the cloud. Christof and his partner set up NativeWaves in 2016, and the technology was brought to market in August 2019. Christof leads a team of international engineers building next-level viewing experiences.
Sanjay Patel
Managing Director
The Hundred
As Managing Director of The Hundred, Sanjay is responsible for developing ECB’s new eight-team domestic competition and for building a strong and effective delivery team.
Until January of this year, he combined the role with being ECB’s Chief Commercial Officer, however, with the competition set to launch in 2020, he now focuses solely on managing its development.
In his roles as Commercial Director and Chief Commercial Officer, Sanjay has helped ECB drive revenue and commercial relations. This includes delivering a media rights partnership with Sky and the BBC aimed at widening engagement with cricket and concluding several record-breaking deals with new partners. He has also overseen significant growth in ECB’s digital and marketing channels.
Formerly, Sanjay held various commercial, innovation, brand marketing and strategy positions at leading companies such as Diageo and Heineken.
Matthew Quinn
VP, Media Technology & Delivery
Liverpool FC
Bio coming soon…
Milos Ranic
Director, Corporate Ventures
Adidas
Matthieu Loreille
CMO
Wildmoka
Luis Vicente
Global Chief Executive
Eleven Sports
Yath Gangkumaran
Director of Strategy and Business Development
Formula 1
Michael Lloyd
Deputy Stadium Manager
Arsenal
I have worked for Arsenal for 15 years and have experienced the move from the old Highbury stadium into the new Emirates Stadium. Coming from a facilities-based background we have always been involved in operating and managing building. At Arsenal, we have started our sustainability journey by looking at energy usage and waste management and have had success in reducing both.
Susie Tomson
Sustainability Director
SailGP
Susie established Earth to Ocean in 2009 as a specialist sustainability consultancy specialising in the sports sector as well as other organisations who look to deliver more than business as usual. Her early career was in marine and coastal policy and management from a practical perspective as well as a consultant. Susie continues to lead the sustainability programmes for high profile projects currently working with SailGP, international sailing league, Goodwood Estate and Events, Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR team, the Ryder Cup 2014, the European Tour Green Drive Programme as well as London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics
Barney Francis
Former Chief Executive, Future Sport
Sky
Joe Pecchia
General Manager, Marketing & Content
World Rugby
Lynsey Hooper
Broadcaster
The Offside Rule