Leaders Sport Business Podcast

The world of football administration, business leaders, celebrities and assorted VIPs are poised to descend on New York this weekend, ahead of the Fifa World Cup final. James Emmett and David Cushnan convene to discuss the who and why, and dig into the success of Michael Rubin's Fanatics Fest, the four-day celebrity-studded collectibles festival, which is pitching up this week in the city. They also examine who was at the highly-exclusive Sun Valley media and tech gathering this year; who found their way into the Royal Box at Wimbledon; and who is heading to Royal Birkdale this week for what's expected to be a record-breaking Open Championship.Elsewhere, there are reflections on recent Worth Knowing conversations with Bruin Capital's George Pyne and PSG Chief Revenue Officer Richard Heaselgrave, and the latest intelligence from around Premier League commercial departments as several clubs finalise front of shirt partnerships in the new era of no betting sponsorship.---Join us for The Summit, part of Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. For more information and to secure your pass: https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-week-london/

Investor George Pyne, Founder of Bruin Capital, joins the show to share his thesis for sport and his rationale for targeting what he calls 'second level enablers' - the companies a layer below the headline-grabbing team and league properties. In a wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on 12 years of Bruin, the investment firm he set up following a career that including a stint as COO of NASCAR between 1995 and 2006, and then nine years as President of ING. Pyne discusses the particular challenges of raising money - he's done it four times with Bruin - and then deploying capital; his approach for working with the management teams of the organisations he's invested in; and the art of the elegant exit. He also reflects on some of Bruin's most memorable investments, including Deltatre, Two Circles and On Location, and a current portfolio that includes production company Box to Box and Matchroom Sport, where Bruin is now a minority investor working with Barry and Eddie Hearn. The conversation was recorded in early July, shortly before news broke of Bruin's sale of golf simulation company Full Swing to Versant for a reported $530 million. -------- Join us for The Summit, part of Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. For more information and to secure your pass: https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-week-london/

PSG Chief Revenue Officer Richard Heaselgrave joins the show to lift the lid on how PSG have built value through an imaginative approach to brand identity and creative partnerships. Heaselgrave joined PSG in May 2025 after stints leading commercial teams at World Rugby, Tennis Australia, the EFL, the NBA, and Uefa. He joins co-hosts James Emmett and Alex Charkham, who runs strategy and consulting for global sports and entertainment marketing agency Fuse, for this third and final episode of the Cannes Debate. On the agenda: how Paris Saint-Germain built out its brand identity around Paris and everything the city stands for; the rationale and objectives behind the creative approach to activation in music, entertainment, and fashion; and a review of some of the best work and the most compelling trends at the Cannes Festival of Creativity this year.

As Sky confirms its £1.6 billion deal to acquire ITV, James Emmett and David Cushnan assemble to consider the possible ripple effect on the UK sports rights market. Are we poised for a new era of creative collaboration and shared production? Elsewhere, there's reflections on this week's conversation with Tony Godsick, Roger Federer's agent, and how working with superstar talent - and the building of stories around them - is changing. And in a troubled week for Fifa and Gianni Infantino, amid suggestions of political interference in the tournament, why sport and politics have always mixed, and what impact, if any, it will have on Infantino's future as President of the governing body.

Few know the business of tennis as well as Tony Godsick, the long-time agent of Roger Federer and one of the founding fathers of the Laver Cup. As preparations continue for the ninth edition of the North America versus Europe men's team event, at London's O2 Arena in September, he explains the rationale for creating the event, alongside Federer, and how its commercial performance is maturing. Godsick also reveals how his professional relationship with Federer has changed, since the 20-time Grand Slam champion retired in 2022, and offers his take on the role of an agent, and working with world-class talent. And, during period of significant change in tennis, he analyses the health of the sport, the business that surrounds it, and shares his perspective on the players' quest for a greater share of Grand Slam revenues, following protests - in the form of cutting short media duties - at Roland Garros and then temporarily, before a truce was called, at Wimbledon. --- The Summit, part of Leaders Week London takes place at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more information head to: https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-week-london/

Two Circles CEO and Founder Gareth Balch joins James Emmett and David Cushnan, on location at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, to cast an expert eye over the week in global sports business.Under discussion: the latest public uttering and industry chatter on NBA Europe - with work ongoing to sell the franchises, how realistic is the NBA's suggested October 20207 start date?There's reaction to the news that FIFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) are coming together to help shape the future of the Club World Cup. And, as Exeter Chiefs are sold, becoming the first Prem Rugby team to come under US control, what do such deals signal for English domestic club rugby?—-The Summit, part of Leaders Week London takes place at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more information head to: https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-week-london/

Marina Logacheva is the Disability Sports Lead at the Matta sports marketing agency. A keen amateur athlete, Marina was training for an Ironman in 2020 when she became a tetraplegic wheelchair user following a traumatic fall. Here in the UK, July is Disability Pride Month, in which Visbility, intersectionality and disabled leadership are all celebrated. Those topics were on the agenda during my chat with Marina too, as well as the huge opportunity that sports participation spaces are missing through a lack of focus on and catering for a potential disabled customer base. Approximately 25% of the UK population reports having a disability. This equates to nearly 17 million people, yet the public discourse around disability, and the specific discourse around access to sport, remains minimal. 

Fresh from a trip to Cannes, to take in the brands, celebrities and agencies this week at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, James Emmett provides David Cushnan with a postcard of who was there and why.Elsewhere, what does Royal Ascot's formal dresscode say about the event? And is Ascot's grandstand facility one of the most underrated in all of sport? Plus as the area around the Leaders studio in Wimbledon gets decked out in its tennis finery, ahead of this year's Championships, there's the latest on the player protests around the Grand Slams, and snap reaction to the renewal of the BBC's contract to broadcast the tournament in the UK until at least 2033.

The Cannes Debate is a three-part series exploring sport's growing role at the centre of media, marketing and culture.Hosted by Leaders Editorial Director James Emmett and Alex Charkham, who runs strategy and consulting for global sports and entertainment marketing agency, Fuse, the series digs into why sport has become one of the most powerful tools in modern brand-building.Recorded live from Cannes Lions (soundtracked, at times, by the unmistakable hum of the Croisette), Episode 2 features Dan Clays, CEO of Omnicom Media Group EMEA, on why sport is now at the very centre of how modern marketing works.On the conversational agenda: why sport still cuts through in a fragmented, scroll-first world; how brands are turning sports partnerships into full-scale creative platforms; and what's really keeping CMOs up at night.All with a few Cannes moments along the way: World Cup matches squeezed in between meetings, celebrity sightings, and the subtle art of networking on the French Riviera.

What's the point of Cannes for the sports industry? As the marketing world prepares to descend on the French Riviera for the annual 'festival of creativity' that is Cannes Lions, sport has becoming increasingly central. Kenny Annan-Jonathan, the newly installed Cannes Lions Sports Director, joins co-hosts James Emmett and Alex Charkham, who runs strategy and consulting for global sports and entertainment marketing agency Fuse, for this first edition of the Cannes Debate. On the agenda: why and how sport has taken a central position in brand marketing and communications; the evolving trends that should see sport dominate the marketing agenda; and the best examples of sports entities navigating the marketing and media landscape to create true cultural impact. Also: what to wear, where to watch the World Cup, how to discern the gobbets of insight from the globules of BS, and why the role of 'Creative Director' is seeping into the mainstream across sport.

With the World Cup in full swing, James Emmett and David Cushnan pause and reflect on the hydration breaks, introduced for this year's tournament, and the new commercial avenue they've opened up - and ponder where they might be seen next, as fans and broadcasters, like them or not, get used to the concept.They also reflect on this week's conversation with Louise Young, F1's Chief Race Promotion Officer, and explain why the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix might have marked a turning point in F1's business story. There's also time for some conjecture about where the sport might go next, with Argentina, South Korea, South Africa and Rwanda all making a case for a race when a coveted spot on the calendar opens up in 2029.Plus, snap reactions as Donald Trump hosts the UFC at the White House and Knicks fans take to the streets of New York.—-Leaders Week London takes place at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. To secure your pass visit: https://bit.ly/3QJra1u

Louise Young is responsible for the F1 calendar. The Australian lawyer and her team manage the motorsport series' relationships with promotor organisations around the world. They are responsible for bringing in new races onto the calendar; for negotiating contracts with existing race promotors; and for ensuring that host venues meet all the requirements - safety, racing, logistical, commercial, fan experience - that a modern, elite, global racing series has. F1 is having a moment. Propelled by the takeover of Liberty Media in 2017, and spurred by the success of media initiatives like Drive to Survive and the F1 movie, the series is riding the wave of success; growing its fanbase around the world as well as its portfolio of partners. The calendar, too, is in a good place. There are 24 races in the 2026 F1 season. Young and her team have 26 promotors under contract and a schedule that's locked in through 2028. As she explains on this episode of Leaders Worth Knowing, her challenge is a sophisticated one: making good on F1's mission to have a truly global spread of 'Super Bowls' on the calendar, and maintaining serious interest in race hosting around the world with little short-term hope of awarding rights. But new deals have been done of late. Creative negotiating has led to annually alternating race hosting in Belgium and Barcelona, allowing Portugal and Türkiye to come on to the calendar. Madrid is preparing to host its first F1 race later this summer. And rumours swirl around future races in Argentina and Africa. But what does it take to become an F1 race host today? Any way in to Louise Young is the first requirement.

As the Fifa World Cup finally kicks off in Mexico City, James Emmett and David Cushnan run the rule over the major business storylines, commercial implications and ever-present politics to keep eyes on in the opening phase of the tournament. Building on the first edition of Scroll Stoppers, our new series on digital content with Ten Toes, they consider who the breakout content stars in and around the tournament could be, from established football pundits to as-yet undiscovered creators. Plus, what role will Donald Trump have on the tournament now the action has started? And why Iran's unlikely and restricted presence in the US will be one of the major stories of the opening round of games --- Leaders Week London takes place on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October, at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. For more on who's speaking, who's attending and what to expect visit: leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

What does it actually take to win on social at the biggest tournament in sport?  In this opening episode of Scroll Stoppers - a new series from the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast exploring how to make an impact with digital content - Henry Breckenridge, Senior Content Manager at Leaders is joined by Ten Toes Founder & CEO Ben Weisfeld to unpack how the industry is gearing up for a World Cup like no other - driven by American culture and relentless competition for attention.  From campaigns planned months in advance to the moments you simply can't predict, this episode dives into what it really takes to create content that cuts through - and why speed, creativity and instinct matter more than ever.Ten Toes Social Media Director Ella Jerman also joins to take you inside the content operation at the tournament - from building teams and workflows, to storytelling and why the content that flies is often the least polished… and the least expected.

In the red afterglow of Arsenal's Premier League title win and celebratory parade in North London, James Emmett and David Cushnan shine a light on Josh Kroenke's role in the multi-club, cross-sport success story that is Kroenke Sports and Entertainment.They also reflect on the winners elsewhere across Europe as the club football season ends.Also on the show, reflections on James' conversation with International Cricket Council Chief Commercial Officer Anurag Dahiya and the development engine the organisation is revving up in new markets. And, after the Killers at the Uefa Champions League final in Budapest, there's a discussion about a possible new way forward for pre-match and half-time music shows at football's showpiece occasions.

Anurag Dahiya has been Chief Commercial Officer at the ICC since 2020. He is responsible for all revenue generating activities at cricket's global governing body and looks after a portfolio of events ranging from short format T20 world cups through to newly established World Test Championships.Formerly of Singtel and ESPN Star Sports, Dahiya joined us as a speaker for the latest edition of the Indian Sports Summit, hosted by the Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL team. Joining us backstage after his session, Dahiya covered the biggest commercial issues facing cricket today: from a plethora of product, to a reliance on Indian money; from unbundling women's rights, through to influencer strategy and developing audiences through OTT offerings, and the ongoing work to develop the USA as the next major market in cricket.

This week, London is the stage for the third edition of World Sevens Football, the pioneering 7-a-side women's football competition, and Co-Founders Jennifer Mackesy and Julie Uhrman broke into preparations to join David Cushnan in the studio to discuss the concept and its creation. Eight WSL clubs will compete at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium for a prize pot of $1.5 million. Mackesy, who has led the investment in World Sevens, which launched with two events last year, is also a minority owner of Chelsea Women and NWSL club Gotham FC. Uhrman, Co-Founder and President of Angel City FC over the past few years, and now a special advisor at the NWSL club, is this week making her public debut as Co-Founder. On the show, they assess the current health of women's football and deliver a message to sceptics who doubt its business sustainability. They also explain the entertainment-infused mission behind World Sevens; its unique format; how clubs have been convinced to participate; the player buy-in that is critical to its success; and the way the tournaments can work as part of the existing and increasingly crowded club football calendar.   ----- Nominate the rising star in your organisation for this year's Leaders Under 40 class - entries close on Monday 8th June. Visit www.leadersinsport.com/lsa for more information. 

India's appetite and readiness to host major global events was one of the main topics at this week's Indian Sports Summit in Bangalore, and James Emmett is on the ground with the mood and the colour from on and off stage.With the IPL in full swing, there's the latest on the league's media rights planning and what its strategy might be in a changing domestic market, and James has the inside line on Royal Challengers Bangalore's new ownership.Alongside David Cushnan, dialling in this week from New York for SBJ's Sports Business Awards and Leaders' Attention Seekers series, there's also time to discuss the news that Sally Bolton is standing down as CEO at Wimbledon and the expertise her successor might need as the All England Lawn Tennis Club expands in line with the other tennis Grand Slams.------Put your best work and best people in the mix for this year's Leaders Sports Awards, taking place in London on Tuesday 6th October. To nominate, visit https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-sport-awards/

Ross Hutchins is six months into the role as CEO of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).A former player, Hutchins retired in 2014 and went on to play numerous player-focused roles at the ATP. He replaced Kelly Fairweather in the role as the top executive at the global governing body of tennis in October last year.He joins the show this week on the back of news that Visa has renewed as a partner of the Davis Cup, the men's team tennis competition organised by the ITF and ahead of a major rebrand that will see the ITF become 'World Tennis' in June/On the agenda: what's the point of the ITF? As well as player Grand Slam boycotts, Saudi funding, player development and more.

The quest to influence and monetise audiences is the core mission for much of the sports industry, and this week James Emmett and David Cushnan reflect on James' podcast conversation with Liz Wynn, Chief Supporter Officer, at the Guardian - and in particular how the organisation has used newsletters to build direct, meaningful relationships with readers. It sparks a discussion about whether teams and athletes might be missing a trick.Elsewhere, James reports back from this week's launch of Ultimate Sevens in London, and has the inside line on the latest disruptor on the rugby union scene and yet another example of a franchise-based sports start-up. What's really driving these new launches across sport? And there's just time to chat through Fifa's big decision to swap Panini - and its sticker albums - for Fanatics.

This episode is a masterclass in driving digital revenue through structured and sophisticated commercialization methods, purpose-led campaigns, and behavioural-psychology informed techniques. Liz Wynn is the Chief Supporter Officer at the Guardian Media Group. Having had a varied career in telecoms and broadcast media - working at the likes of Orange, EE, and Sky, she joined the Guardian in 2023 to take full responsibility for digital reader revenue - ie anything that comes from subscriptions or donation. Since that point, the Guardian's efforts to drive revenue through its digital consumers have achieved huge success. As of the last financial year, 44% of the media group's total revenue came from digital readers. Of that figure of £125 million, 60% has been driven from outside its home territory of the UK. Liz was a speaker at the private Leaders Meet Innovation event in March, where her presentation on 'the power of direct connection in audience monetisation' won rave reviews with assembled c-suite audience from across sport. There are many transferable lessons for the sports industry.

On the eve of the Giro d'Italia, the first grand tour of the cycling year, James Emmett and David Cushnan unpack professional cycling's business model and examine the tensions at the heart of it.Reflecting on James' conversation with INEOS-Grenadiers CCO Tom Hill, they discuss the dominant role of Tour de France-organiser ASO in the sport, and the efforts the UCI WorldTour teams are making to try and grow their own revenues in a sport where sponsorship is particularly critical. They also consider the challenges of building brand equity in teams when team names change so regularly, as sponsors come and go.Elsewhere, there's reaction as UC3, the joint venture between Uefa and European Football Clubs set up to commercialise Europe's club competitions, confirms a raft of fresh media rights agreements for the next cycle. Plus, why the Met Gala is now firmly part of the annual sports calendar.

As of the start of the 2026 Giro d'Italia this weekend, the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team will be known as Netcompany-INEOS.Last week, the team - one of the most successful in elite road cycling - announced a new sponsorship deal with Danish tech and AI firm Netcompany.INEOS, team owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's giant chemicals company, had yielded the main naming position for a deal reported as worth €100m over five years.At the centre of deal - one of the biggest in the pro peloton - is Tom Hill. He joined the team as CCO in 2024 having previously held commercial leadership positions at World Rugby and Manchester United amongst others.Hill joins us on the podcast this week to detail the work that went into signing Netcompany; to articulate the valuable USPs - and unique challenges - that cycling has as a sponsorship proposition; and to evaluate the cycling ecosystem as a whole and ask ‘is there a better way?'

After a record-shattering London Marathon, James Emmett and David Cushnan take a look at the ways in which marathons are being packaged and commercialised - and why, after 1.1 million applications this year in London, there's such a thirst for participating. They examine plans for next year's London Marathon to become a two-day, two-marathon affair; London Marathon Events' recent acquisition of the Frankfurt Marathon; and World Athletics' recent decision to create a standalone marathon world championships. Elsewhere, as Turkey rejoins the F1 grid, after signing a five-year agreement for a Grand Prix, there's a look at the changing shape of the F1 calendar, and the creative ways the sport is handling demand to host races whilst keeping to a 24-race per season calendar.

Table tennis hits London and the podcast this week, as the city hosts the World Team Table Tennis Championships and Table Tennis England CEO Sally Lockyer joins the show. The Championships which include 64 men's and 64 women's teams are competing at two London venues, the Copper Box and Wembley's OVO Arena over the next fortnight. Lockyer has been front and centre of the preparations, heading up the joint venture that is responsible for organising and staging the tournament.She discusses what's been keeping her up at night as the championships - the centenary edition - get underway and assesses what the legacy might be, as Table Tennis England looks to a digital transformation that aims to further engage its membership and more casual ping pong participants. Lockyer also assesses the wider challenges smaller national governing bodies are faced with, and assesses China's role as a table tennis superpower. She also takes us behind the scenes on the trade mission to China and Japan, led by Keir Starmer and the UK government, she joined earlier this year, to showcase table tennis and its status as a soft power tool.

After a week dominated by speculation about LIV Golf's future, amid a swirl of rumour about PIF's continued financial support, James Emmett and David Cushnan attempt to unpick what's happening and why.Leaning on the conversation with R&A CEO Mark Darbon this week, they consider what the impact and legacy of LIV Golf is, as the PGA Tour, now stewarded by Brian Rolapp, proposes changes to its structure.Outside golf, news of layoffs at Snap and Meta prompts a reflection on the relationship between sport and big tech. And there's a call - and some suggestions - for more female leadership in the Premier League, as trailblazer Karren Brady steps down from her position as Vice Chair of West Ham United.----------The first speakers have been announced for Leaders Week London, taking place on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October at Stamford Bridge - for more information and to secure your place, visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek.

The R&A is one of golf's governing bodies, guardian of the rulebook, and the organiser of the world's oldest Major, The Open Championship. As CEO for the past 18 months, Mark Darbon has been busy reframing the organisation's vision to grow the game around the world, and diving into the disrupted, sometimes fractured, world of professional golf.In this extended conversation, David Cushnan chats to Darbon about preparations for this year's Open Championship and AIG Women's Open; the relationship between professional golf and the amateur, participation side of the sport; and the changing face of the professional game, amid a swirl of speculation about LIV Golf's future and with changes coming at the PGA Tour under Brian Rolapp's new leadership.Darbon also reflects on disruption in another sport, rugby union, following his stint as CEO of Northampton Saints; explains what the R&A looks for in brand and agency partners; and shares the leadership advice he received from former London 2012 CEO Paul Deighton.------- The first speakers have been announced for Leaders Week London, taking place on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October - for more information and to secure your place, visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

Gary Neville's The Overlap, now majority owned by Global, has acquired the watchalong YouTube channels run by Mark Goldbridge, a significant moment in the independent football content space.James Emmett and David Cushnan dissect this week's news and consider what Global, the radio and outdoor advertising giant, is buying as it builds out its sport and podcast arms.There's also reflections on the future programming that might start to populate in-house streaming services operated by rights-holders - other sports, other leagues and perhaps even other genres - as James Johnson builds out a soccer media hub in Canada, by acquiring rights including the Bundesliga and Uefa Women's Champions League.And there's a word for SailGP, which has now transferred 12 of its 13 teams from central to independent ownership - most recently with the sale the championship-winning Spanish team - adding business prowess and a sprinkle of Hollywood stardom to the sailing world.

With the US taking the lion's share of the headlines, you could be forgiven for forgetting that Mexico and Canada are also co-hosting the upcoming Fifa men's World Cup.While the US will host 78 of the 104 games, Mexico and Canada will each stage 13 games, in Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Vancouver and Toronto.On the sidelines of March's Business of Soccer event in Atlanta, David Cushnan sat down with Héctor Gonzalez Iñarritu, COO and President of Business at Club América, and James Johnson, newly installed at Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment, to hear more about both markets as they make final preparations for the tournament.Iñarritu runs LigaMX's most successful club, which plays home games at the newly-refurbished Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, venue for the first game of the World Cup. He shares what international visitors and businesses should expect when they enter the Mexican sports market. And Johnson, new to his post after a stint as CEO of Football Australia, explains the changes he's making to the way Canadian soccer is packaged and sold, and why he believes Canada will be the legacy story of this summer's tournament.

The first major of the golfing season takes place this weekend. It's a fixture on the global event calendar, the first real harbinger of a major sporting summer, and arguably the finest example of sports marketing strategy in action.In this episode of the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast, James Emmett is joined by MSQ Sports + Entertainment founding partner Steve Martin to pinpoint why and how the Masters has become the north star for so many sports marketers.From the look and feel to the sport itself, the TV product and packaging, the secrecy that permeates the membership and the comms policy, the phone ban and the pimento cheese sandwiches, the less-is-more approach and the surety to stick steadfastly to a singular strategic approach, the Augusta National is home to a Masters-class on how to run an iconic global event.

Arthur Blank remains a compelling public speaker, even into his ninth decade.The Atlanta sports doyen was one of a clutch of US sports owners on stage and wandering the halls at the Business of Soccer event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last week.David Cushnan was also there, and on his return to the Leaders studio in London, he teams up again with James Emmett to talk about what makes the billionaire class of individuals who own US sports franchises different from their counterparts around the world. Storytelling and status are baked into the proposition.The pair also discuss plans being made from the myriad brands looking to capitalize on what will no doubt be the most commercial World Cup in history this summer.

With the World Cup just a few weeks away, tournament and team sponsors are rolling out activation plans across the United States, Canada and Mexico. A trio of senior brand executives sat down with David Cushnan, on the sidelines of Sports Business Journal and Leaders' Business of Soccer event in Atlanta last week, to run through their activation plans, hopes and targets for the upcoming tournament, and consider what happens afterwards.Allison Kolber is VP Integrated Marketing at The Home Depot, which is an official tournament supporter amongst several soccer sponsorships, and is engaging David Beckham to help promote its World Cup sweepstakes.Lauren Flanigan, Head of Global Brands, Refreshment Categories at Mondelēz International, looking after brands like Halls and Trident, discusses how she's planning to engage Gen Z consumers during the World Cup.And Kim Tunick, Head of Brand Experiences and Partnerships at Walmart - a more recent entrant to soccer sponsorship, with deals signed last year to partner Major League Soccer and LaLiga - explains how the retail giant will celebrate the tournament in its stores throughout the country. 

On the eve of the IPL's 19th season comes confirmation that its defending champion franchise - in both the men's and women's competitions - has been sold by Diageo to a conglomerate led by Blackstone and its serial team-buying chairman David Blitzer. David Cushnan and James Emmett dig into the details of the sale, and reflect on the latest iteration of the IPL as it heads into the penultimate year of its latest media rights cycle. Change is afoot. Elsewhere in the episode, the art and science of engineering atmosphere at sports events, prompted by this week's podcast interview with music pioneer DJ Skee; and LIV Golf finds a formula that works as record crowds form an evocative backdrop at the latest tournament in South Africa.

DJ Skee - also known as Scott Keeney - has carved out one of the most unconventional careers in modern entertainment. From discovering future stars like Kendrick Lamar to becoming the first DJ to perform live at NFL and NASCAR events, he has spent two decades operating at the crossroads of music, media and sport.Today, he leads The Realist, a fast‑growing memorabilia company partnering with major leagues, teams and entertainment brands to build authenticated, story‑driven collectible lines.What began with mixtapes and trend‑spotting in the early 2000s has evolved into a new form of storytelling - preserving iconic sporting moments in physical form, whether it's match‑worn jerseys or even snow from an NFL playoff game.In this conversation with James Emmett, Skee discusses how he identifies emerging talent, how DJs became part of the stadium experience, what defines great in‑venue music, and why the memorabilia market is primed for global growth. He also explains how The Realist helps rights holders protect authenticity, engage fans and unlock new revenue through items that capture the emotion behind sport.

With the Fifa men's World Cup looming ever closer on the horizon, James Emmett and David Cushnan consider the tensions between US host cities and Fifa's central organising committee over who pays for what and the overall value exchange around staging games - and the particular challenges Fifa is facing by staging this year's tournament in three democracies.They reflect on James' conversation with Bay Area Host Committee CEOZaileen Janmohamed, and her thoughtful perspective on evolving the model and ultimately giving host cities more flexibility.Elsewhere, they discuss the NBA's plans to hold an initial vote next week on whether expansion teams should be created in Las Vegas and Seattle, and the thinking and vision behind the league's bold growth plan.—-Leaders Week London has a new venue for 2026 - Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. To find out more: leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

Zaileen Janmohamed was only a few weeks in the job when she found herself in a windowless room, standing in front of 32 of the most powerful people in America. With just ten minutes on the clock, it was her first to task as CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee to pitch for the hosting rights for the 2026 Super Bowl. She decided to throw the templated stump speech in the trash and go with something bold. In this episode of Leaders Worth Knowing, Janmohamed unpacks the high pressure, high impact presentation she gave to the NFL Owners meeting that resulted in Levi's Stadium winning the right to host the most recent Super Bowl Janmohamed became CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee in 2023. It's essentially the sports commission for the Bay Area, and bids for and then operates major, top-tier sports events. Janmohamed runs a team responsible for raising revenues for those events, telling coherent stories about the impact they'll have across the region, then making sure that comes true, while ensuring a legacy too. She looks ahead to the upcoming Fifa World Cup, which will play six games in the Bay Area; and attempts to unpick and explain a lattice-work stakeholder environment that is creating tension in various host regions just a few weeks out from the biggest World Cup in history. Janmohamed is a member of the Leaders Under 40 class of 2017, and she also reflects on a career that has seen her play leadership roles at rights holder, brand, and agency organisations; the sport industry full house!

The sharpest operators in sport met the smartest minds from other sectors at Leaders Meet: Innovation in London this week, and James Emmett and David Cushnan are on the ground at 180 Studios bending the Chatham House Rule as far as possible to share a little about what they saw and heard. They reflect on a few of the standout presentations and panels, including a leadership masterclass from PizzaExpress CEO Paula MacKenzie; the story of The Guardian's reader monetisation model; and how Unilever's AI-powered content studio might be a new model for sport. And James also caught up with Viagogo's VP of Open Distribution Shaun Stewart, hot off the stage at the event for a potted history of ticket sales and why, even with the help of transformative technology, sport is still taking cues from the airline industry of the 1950s and 60s.

As the Dana White-fronted Zuffa Boxing, backed by TKO and Saudi's Sela, makes its move to dethrone promotional giants Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions, James Emmett and David Cushnan consider the latest disruption in the fight game and Turki Alalshikh's role as chief string-puller. They also reflect on their conversation with Uefa Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein and European Football Clubs CEO Charlie Marshall, to unpack the new commercial programme being developed by the UC3 entity, a joint venture between Uefa and EFC - and the flexibility that is being built into the media rights and sponsorship sales packages being taken to market by agency partners Relevent and Two Circles. And there's reaction to the Premier League confirmation it will launch a direct-to-consumer service in Singapore.

UC3 Co-Managing Directors Charlie Marshall and Guy-Laurent Epstein join Leaders Worth Knowing this week to shine some light on an organization that has been quietly pulling the strings of European football in the shadows for a little while. It was set up in 2017 as a joint project between what was then the European Clubs Association (ECA) and Uefa to consult on the commercialization of European club competitions - principally the Champions League. Last year, the project became an incorporated joint venture and has moved from a consulting role to a management capacity. In the wake of the failed attempt at a European Super League breakaway, Uefa and the continent's most powerful clubs are now bound tightly together. UC3 exists to manage the commercialization of both the men's and women's club competitions; it has contracted Relevent Football Partners and Two Circles as agencies to enact that work in the market. But how does it work? What's being done differently? And what does it mean for the future of European and world football. Marshall - who is also the CEO of the EFC - and Epstein - the Marketing Director of Uefa - are thrusting UC3 into the limelight.

Over 40,000 people volunteer at Parkrun events worldwide each week, with around 20,000 in the UK alone, which prompts James Emmett and David Cushnan to discuss sport's reliance on volunteers to help run - and effectively help market - big events.They reflect on this week's podcast interview with Elizabeth Duggan, Parkrun's CEO, and on the word of mouth-driven success story it's become in the UK and further afield.Elsewhere, as Gianni Infantino celebrates his 10th anniversary as Fifa President in Instagram style, it's a timely moment to assess his front-foot approach to communications, in a week when IOC President Kirsty Coventry miscued during a press conference and a leading voice in women's football, Victoire Cogevina Reynal, stepped away from her Mercury13 multi-club investment firm.

Elizabeth Duggan is approaching one year in the role of CEO at Parkrun, the volunteer-led running organisation that is held up as a blueprint for sports participation in the UK. Duggan and her team do a lot with a little. What started 21 years ago as one man - Paul Sinton-Hewitt - looking for company on a 5km run around Bushy Park in London has blossomed into a global community of 'fun-runners'. Parkrun welcomed its 12 millionth registrant recently and now operates weekend events - 5km runs and walks, as well as 2km runs for children - in 23 countries around the world. In the next few years, Duggan anticipates reaching 800,000 weekly runners taking part. In this conversation, she explains the principles that have driven the charity's success. For more detail and analysis, subscribe for free to the weekly Leaders Worth Knowing newsletter at leadersinsport.com/newsletters/ ------ Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

The proposed merger between the ATP and WTA remains on the table, but as James Emmett and David Cushnan discuss, the time it's taking to finalise tells its own story. On this week's show, there's reflections on conversations with Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, the commercial arm of the WTA, and Eno Polo, the new CEO at the ATP - and the challenges tennis faces with calendar congestion, balancing the demands of tournaments of various sizes, and player influence. There's also time to discuss Casey Wasserman's decision to sell his stake in his agency, and the possible forms the sale could take, and as the NFL hires TMRW Sports to operate its planned new flag football league, how and where rights holders can create new IP, to make a greater footprint, expand geographically or fuel player development. ---- Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek.

WTA Ventures CEO Marina Storti joins the podcast to review a transformative year for women's tennis. She takes us inside the process of landing Mercedes-Benz as a new headline partner, in what is being widely reported as the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of women's sport. She details the gains the tour has made across its digital output and in its internal structure. And she explains the rationale behind the new PIF WTA Maternity Fund programme, an industry-leading scheme that provides WTA players up to 12 months of paid leave. This episode is part of a series exploring PIF's growing sports sponsorship portfolio, detailing how it is striving to help solve societal and sporting challenges across its portfolio. Listen to episode 1, with PIF Director and Head of Events and Sponsorship Alanoud Althonayan, here.----- Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek.

ATP CEO Eno Polo joins the podcast to reflect on his first 100 days in charge of the men's tennis tour. The Kenyan sets out his strategic priorities in what could end up being a transformative year for tennis, with a merger between the ATP and the WTA firmly on Polo's agenda. He also outlines the support that the PIF brings to the tour's work with its players, particularly through its sponsorship of the ATP Rankings and through its investment in the Tennis IQ analytics platform. This episode is part of a series exploring PIF's growing sports sponsorship portfolio, detailing how it is striving to help solve societal and sporting challenges across its portfolio. Listen to episode 1, with PIF Director and Head of Events and Sponsorship Alanoud Althonayan, here. ------ Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

James Emmett and David Cushnan look ahead to a new Formula 1 season and another potentially seismic shift in the sport. With significant gains in audience and commercial growth for the motorsport series in recent years, teams have felt the trickle down benefit, logging their own commercial gains. With the biggest set of rule changes for over a decade coming into force this season, the playing field - theoretically - has been levelled. At this stage, championship contention is a realistic goal for almost all the teams. One that stands a particularly realistic chance of improvement is Aston Martin, whose commercial MD Jeff Slack is the featured guest on the interview show this week. James and David reflect on Slack's comments, and take some time to look back on the Super Bowl as well as ahead to the future of the IOC's TOP sponsorship model. - -- -- -- --   Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

As F1 pre-season testing gets underway in Bahrain, Jeff Slack, Aston Martin F1's Managing Director of Commercial and Marketing, lifts the lid on how the team intends to reach the front of the grid. He reflects on the way the team has grown to over 1,100 people since it was rebranded as Aston Martin in 2021, its move into a new purpose-built facility at Silverstone and, after a 7th place finish in 2025, how owner Lawrence Stroll has set the course towards competing for world championships in the next few years, with the help of Honda and Aramco. Slack also draws on his wider sports industry experience, including stints in leadership roles at Inter Milan and IMG, to assess the overall health of F1 and the way it's evolving for brand partners as the 2026 season dawns - and reveals what the sport must be wary of as it enjoys its current fan and corporate boom.--- Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek 

James Emmett in Brisbane and David Cushnan in London reflect on conversations with Australian Open CEO Craig Tiley and his top team, and explain how the expansion - outwards and upwards - of Melbourne Park hints at a new trend across sport's major events - and opens up the opportunity to create new sponsorship, entertainment and fan-friendly spaces. There's also time to look ahead to the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, which begins on Friday, and will be spread across Northern Italy - bringing with it the potential for operational and sustainability challenges, that will help determine the future of the winter Games ahead of regional editions in the French Alps (2030), Utah (2034) and, most likely, Switzerland (2038). Plus, there's a run-through of the broadcast innovations Olympic Broadcast Services are rolling out for the Games. - -- -- -- -- -- -- - Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

As the dust settles on a tournament that attracted a record 1.3 million attendees, we explore the inner workings of the Australian Open in a special episode. James Emmett spent the weekend on the ground at Melbourne Park, as Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina claimed the big prizes, to find out how the AO operates, as a tennis and social event, and a best-in-class fan experience. James sits down with Tennis Australia CEO and Tournament Director Craig Tiley, and then a trio of Tiley's key executives: Chief Content Officer, Darren Pearce; Director of Product and Customer Experience, Amanda del Prate; and Director of Partnerships, International, Roddy Campbell. They explain all aspects of how the AO does what it does: designing, developing and delivering sponsor activations, creating hospitality offerings to suit all tastes and price ranges; retail and merchandising experiences; innovative content and broadcast products; and wide-ranging entertainment programmes. - - Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

The world's top tennis have been barred from wearing Whoop wearables at the Australian Open, reigniting a debate over who owns personal performance data.James Emmett is on the ground in Melbourne for this week's show, with David Cushnan back in the UK, to examine the various cases for ‘owning' that data.They also reflect on recent events in Saudi Arabia, as well as the Public Investment Fund's global sponsorship strategy, laid out in David's conversation with PIF's Director and Head of Sponsorship and Events, Alanoud Althonayan.And as British Cycling's Jon Dutton is appointed as the next CEO of the British Olympic Association, what will the next period of leadership look like for British Olympic sport and its many governing bodies.- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

Alanoud Althonayan, Director and Head of Events and Sponsorship at Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, joins the podcast to explain PIF's sponsorship strategy and dig into its current key partnerships. In the first episode of a new series exploring PIF's growing sponsorship portfolio, Alnothayan sits down with David Cushnan in Riyadh for an extended conversation, outlining what PIF looks for in partners, and the ways it is striving to help solve societal and sporting challenges across its portfolio. She explains the rationale behind the new PIF WTA Maternity Fund programme, which provides WTA players up to 12 month of paid leave; how the AI powered PIF TennisIQ platform is revolutionising and democratising data for players and coaches on the ATP Tour; how the Electric 360 initiative co-developed with Formula E, Extreme E and E1 is supporting the growth of electric transportation; how the appeal of golf is being unlocked for locals through work with Golf Saudi; and how partnerships in football, notably with CONCACAF, are giving PIF a platform in the world's most popular sport. Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We'll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

The NBA's private event in London on Monday saw investors and other interested parties gather to learn more about the league's plans for its European league; how is the project starting to come together and what happens now? James Emmett and David Cushnan unpack the latest on a potentially game-changing project, and reflect on James' in-depth conversation with British & Irish Lions CEO Ben Calveley, touching on the upside and downside of scarcity, clarity of business models and innovation in rugby union. There's also a look at the trend for NFL stadiums to have roofs, changing the look and feel of the league, and what that might mean for stadium refurbishments and new builds in the Premier League.