Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast

To mark the UEFA Women’s Euros 2022, we sat down with two leaders making a difference in the women’s sport space. Leaders in EDI is a monthly series covering news, views, comments and debates happening across the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion space. It also shines a spotlight on the progress being made and the challenges being faced in EDI across sport. For our ‘ Women’s Euros’ special, Leaders' Jade Amies spoke via video call to Women in Football CEO Yyvonne Harrison and PepsiCo UK & Ireland’s CMO, Fiona Tomlin. The two organisations have paired up for Women in Footballs #GetOnSide Campaign and, on the day of the championship’s opening game, launched an initiative to boost opportunities for women to pursue careers in coaching. While there is talk of the partnerships and of the Euros, Harrison and Tomlin offer their perspectives on the women’s sport space as a whole, with discussion around the new opportunities from the increased level of coverage, the emphasis on values for women’s sports sponsors and the business argument for investing in this space. The Leaders in EDI podcast is part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Meta, which provides a platform for executives within sport to come together to drive diversity across the industry, accelerate the pace of change and inspire the next generation of executives, through thought-leadership events and digital forums. Please click here to find out more about the Leaders Meet: Diversity series, please visit https://info.leadersinsport.com/l/856843/2021-04-21/hfhrj.

Management Futures’ Diversity Specialist Toby Sawyer leads a panel of experts at our Pride Pop-up event.Leaders in EDI is a monthly series covering news, views, comments and debates happening across the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion space. It also shines a spotlight on the progress being made and the challenges being faced in EDI across sport. This month’s episode, recorded live at our Pride pop-up event, features a panel of three unique perspectives merging for a holistic and insightful view on how we can make meaningful movements towards LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sports industry.First on our panel is Erin Williams, Sports Progammes Manager at trailblazing LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall. Joining Williams is Jamie Dapaah who co-ordinates Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Fulham Football Club. Rounding off the panel is Susannah Townsend MBE who, after recently retiring from her Olympic gold-medal winning career as a field hockey player, has joined Evolve as their Head of Growth.The trio spoke to Management Futures’ Diversity Specialist Toby Sawyer, who artfully led an open and illuminating discussion about individual vs. collective responsibility, the importance of ‘big little things’, freedom to make mistakes in learning, and what men’s sport can learn from women’s sport when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation. The Leaders in EDI podcast is part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Meta, which provides a platform for executives within sport to come together to drive diversity across the industry, accelerate the pace of change and inspire the next generation of executives, through thought-leadership events and digital forums. To find out more about the Leaders Meet: Diversity series, please visit https://info.leadersinsport.com/l/856843/2021-04-21/hfhrj

The Leaders Broadcast Disruptors Audio Bulletin is our regular podcast to discuss, debate, and explore the latest developments in sports content production, distribution and monetisation.This time, Leaders Editor-at-Large, James Emmett, and Head of Content, David Cushnan reflect on this week’s monumental Indian Premier League rights deal, Major League Soccer’s new partnership with Apple+ and consider what LIV Golf got wrong (and right) about their first broadcast.Helping James and David unpack these stories is Finn Bradshaw, Head of Digital at the International Cricket Council. Bradshaw previously headed up digital departments at Tennis Australia and Cricket Australia and, stopping by as part of a much-delayed trip to London, adds insight into the buoyancy of the Indian media market, discusses the likely internal recalibration at MLS, and draws comparisons between LIV Golf and cricket’s T20 format. He also discusses his role at the ICC, its partnership with FanCraze, and NFTs as a unique and appealing fan engagement proposition.Listen to the podcast below, and subscribe today on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or your chosen podcast platform.

In today’s episode, we bring you a conversation with the CEO of the all-female racing championships, and two diversity heads from leading sports companies.Leaders in EDI is a monthly series covering news, views, comments and debates happening across the equality, diversity and inclusion space. It also shines a spotlight on the progress being made and the challenges being faced in EDI across sport. Our first conversation, beginning at 17:32, is a Q&A with Catherine Bond-Muir, CEO of the W Series. We caught up with Catherine last month over Zoom, after we covered the W Series’ deal with Sky in last month’s ‘What’s Happening in the Timeline?’ segment. Bond-Muir educates us on the W Series and their mission, the need to platform women in sport and why partnerships like those with Sky and ESPN are so important.At 31:18, we then move to our next interview, which was a live podcast recording, recorded in May as part of our inaugural 4SE event. Our regular host Javan Odegah and Leaders Managing Director Laura McQueen are joined by Lindsay Labennett, the Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Wasserman and Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at Nascar. In a practical, engaging and insightful session, the group discuss the need for measuring inclusion, what data points to look for, and the need to look internally before trying to make progress externally, all the while giving their views on inclusion riders, running your own race and why you should avoid the ‘copy and paste’ method.The Leaders in EDI podcast is part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Meta, which provides a platform for executives within sport to come together to drive diversity across the industry, accelerate the pace of change and inspire the next generation of executives, through thought-leadership events and digital forums. To find out more about the Leaders Meet: Diversity series, please visit https://info.leadersinsport.com/l/856843/2021-04-21/hfhrj

The Leaders team bring you their thoughts on the current sports broadcast space, along with a Q&A with the NBA’s Head of Fan Engagement & DTC.The Leaders Broadcast Disruptors Audio Bulletin is a regular podcast for discussion, debate, and exploration around the latest developments in sports content production, distribution and monetisation. Leaders Editor-at-Large and Head of Content James Emmett and David Cushnan unpack a Q&A with the NBA’s Head of Fan Engagement & DTC for EMEA, George Aivazoglou, which was recorded back in March at our Leaders Sport Business Summit Abu Dhabi event. Aivazoglou doffs his cap to Fortnite, Nike and Roblox in a fascinating conversation on micropayments, the metaverse, and the process of innovation.But first, James and David offer their views on the latest happenings in the sports content space, with talk around the issue with subscription models in the midst of a cost of living crisis, Spotify’s big plans in the global sports content space, and what FIFA’s new gaming strategy reveals about the purpose of FIFA+.

Behind the Scenes of the inaugural edition of our 4SE event experience in NYC with two key leaders from Elevate Sports Ventures.Leaders on the Ground takes you behind-the-scenes at our in-person events – and this one’s a bit different. The Leaders team has been in New York this week, working with our sister companies Sports Business Journal and SportTechie to launch 4SE, a brand-new event experience providing a much-needed opportunity for senior executives to explore and navigate the collision of sport, entertainment, lifestyle and culture.Leaders Editor-at-Large James Emmett is joined by colleagues Matthew Stone and Javan Odegah in a Manhattan backroom to explain more.James is also joined by Al Guido, President of the San Francisco 49ers and Chairman and CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures, and Shawn Doss, newly promoted to run Elevate’s international business.Formed in 2018 in partnership between the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Elevate is a leading consulting firm that has quickly become something of juggernaut in the sports and entertainment sector, and the trio sat down for a conversation about where and how sport meets entertainment in 2022, how an organisation like Elevate fits into that, and the company’s global aspirations.4SE, at the intersection of sport, entertainment, lifestyle and culture, is due to become an annual fixture in the calendar each year in May. Do join in on all the action by visiting https://4-se.com/#contact to register your interest for 2023.

Leaders Editor-at-large and Head of Content James Emmett and David Cushnan bring you their thoughts on the latest trends and developments in the sports broadcast space.The Leaders Broadcast Disruptors Audio Bulletin is a regular podcast for discussion, debate, and exploration around the latest developments in sports content production, distribution and monetisation. On this episode’s conversational agenda: The long anticipated announcement of DAZN Bet, and how DAZN are differentiating themselves in a saturated market; What is (and perhaps what is not) working with FIFA’s new streaming service; Our critique of the broadcast coverage for the Formula One Miami Grand Prix; Intriguing developments in the Olympic World, and the ramifications for broadcast and production; OneFootball’s huge new investment round and the next chapter of its success story; a quick mention of how, despite UK government pressure, Channel 4 are building up an impressive sport portfolio; and a shout out the impressive growth of Swedish entertainment group NENT.Next week we will be hosting our inaugural 4SE event in New York, which will be around the intersection between sports, entertainment, lifestyle and culture. We will be opening the week with a Broadcast Disruptors Think Tank, unpacking the D2C conundrum over three facilitated hours. If you in the area and wish to attend, please contact James or David at james.emmett@leadersinsport.com or david.cushnan@leadersinsport.com. 

In this episode, three inspiring advocates for diversity discuss what they have learned about standing firm and speaking out. Leaders in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) is a monthly series covering news, views, comments and debates happening across the equality, diversity and inclusion space.This episode features an unmissable conversation led by Shona Crooks, who works as Management Futures Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She is joined by Sarah Cartwright, coach, trainer, speaker and Associate of Management Futures, and by Darnelle Morgan-Johnson, a sports and events professional currently working as the Events Services Operations Manager at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.Within the discussion, the trio offered their valuable insight and practical advice that they have taken away from C-Suite and Future Leader programmes that were delivered by Management Futures as part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series. Among the topics of exploration were setting boundaries and how this may be affected be race and gender stereotypes, psychological safety and how to offer feedback, and the uncomfortableness but cruciality of establishing non-negiotables with leaders.The Leaders in EDI podcast is part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Meta, which provides a platform for executives within sport to come together to drive diversity across the industry, accelerate the pace of change and inspire the next generation of executives, through thought-leadership events and digital forums. To find out more about the Leaders Meet: Diversity series, please visit https://info.leadersinsport.com/l/856843/2021-04-21/hfhrj.

DFL Digital CEO Andreas Heyden joins the team to reveal how technology is enriching the fan experience.Leaders Live is our studio talk show on hot button issues facing the industry, featuring interviews with leaders from across and beyond sport. On this episode, we are examining the ultimate matchday experience – what is it, how has it changed, and how can we deliver it? To provide answers to our burning questions this month: Andreas Heyden. Heyden is the Executive Vice President of Digital Innovation at DFL, and the CEO of DFL Digital, and thus speaks with deep knowledge on smart solutions for enhancing the matchday experience for fans both at home and in-venue. He explains how DFL’s ‘glass to glass’ strategy is revolutionising how the Bundesliga interact with fans, why aiming under the age average will maximise your appeal across all age groups, and the potential of the Metaverse and other developing technology to elevate the fan experience holistically as the present and future converge.To watch the broadcast in video, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_9sxxs0y08

In this episode, we bring you a conversation on Inclusive Leadership with the CEO of English Football’s leading equality and inclusion organisation. Leaders in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) is a monthly series covering news, views, comments and debates happening across the equality, diversity and inclusion space. It also shines a spotlight on the progress being made and the challenges being faced in EDI across sport.  This episode includes a guest interview with Anthony Burnett, the CEO of Kick It Out. Kick It Out have been working throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change in the game for almost 30 years.  Having previously had experience in senior roles within organisations such as Ford, Lloyds Banking Group, and the West Midlands Police, and having worked across the world within the EDI Space, Burnett brings a strong, fresh, and global perspective on the topic of inclusive leadership. Within the discussion, Burnett offers fascinating insight on the distinction between re-examining and re-inventing, lists some examples of leaders setting a shining example, and laments the significant negative impact of when imposter syndrome meets longstanding systemic messaging.  The Leaders in EDI podcast is part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Meta, which provides a platform for executives within sport to come together to drive diversity across the industry, accelerate the pace of change and inspire the next generation of executives, through thought-leadership events and digital forums. To find out more about the Leaders Meet: Diversity series, please visit https://info.leadersinsport.com/l/856843/2021-04-21/hfhrj