Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast

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

Digital expert and newly appointed CEO of Stadion gives his views on the innovations happening in the space. The Leaders Broadcast Disruptors Audio Bulletin is a regular podcast for discussion, debate, and analysis around the latest developments in sports content production, distribution and monetisation. On this episode, James Emmett and David Cushnan are joined by Russell Stopford, a giant in world of sports digital, who is newly-installed as CEO of digital agency Stadion, following over a decade of leading digital activity at three of football’s biggest clubs, Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.  In an insightful and informative conversation, the trio dive into the latest happenings in the space, such as the NFL’s plans for a new subscription streaming service, Spotify’s giant sponsorship deal with FC Barcelona and of course, 2022’s biggest buzzword, the metaverse. In the process, Stopford offers his expert perspective on the complexity of developing a huge new project like the NFL’s, the untapped potential in the crossover between sports and music, and the big tech question in the development of the metaverse that demands to be solved.  

Atlanta Hawks CMO Melissa Proctor in conversation with Leaders Head of Content David Cushnan. Melissa Proctor is an accomplished leader with 20 years of experience across sports and entertainment. She began her professional life with Turner Broadcasting as an intern, before going on to assume multiple roles during a nine-year stint, such as Director of Insights & Inspiration for the Turner Media Group, Senior Director of Strategy Development at Cartoon Network & Adult Swim, and eventually VP of Brand Marketing & Content at upwave.  Proctor joined the Atlanta Hawks in 2014 as the Vice President of Brand Strategy and quickly rose up the ranks, first assuming the role of Senior Vice President of Strategy in 2015, and then to Executive VP and CMO in 2016. Her interest in the NBA first began as a teenager when she was the first ball girl for the Miami Heat, an experience that went on to inspire the title of her bestselling book ‘From Ball Girl to CMO’. In an insightful conversation conducted live as part of our Leaders Sport Business Summit Abu Dhabi in mid-March, Proctor reveals how the leading NBA franchise is cornering international markets, delving into the details behind the international strategy, the process of working with key stakeholders in new regions and the balance between global expansion and serving the home fanbase.  She also offers her valuable perspective on how the role of CMO has changed in an increasingly digital world, the importance of being a civic asset and how the unique nature of Atlanta as a city informs her marketing approach. 

The big issues facing football around the world, as seen by three international leaders in developing the game. Leaders in Conversation is a series that puts you in the room, fly-on-the-wall style, for discussions between the most influential leaders in sports and media. Our latest episode features James Johnson, CEO of Football Australia, Laura Georges, Secretary General at the French Football Federation and Robbie Fowler, the former England and Liverpool player, in an on-stage session led by Dubai Eye 103.8 host Chris McHardy. This discussion, titled ‘Football Development around the World’, was recorded in mid-March, as part of the Leaders Sport Business Summit Abu Dhabi.James Johnson is the CEO of Football Australia, the country due to co-host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Prior to joining Football Australia in January 2020, Johnson held senior roles across the world of football, such as Director of International Relationships and Development at the Asian Football Confederation, and Head of Professional Football at FIFA. An esteemed former player for the French national team, Laura Georges is now Secretary-General of the French Football Federation, the current men’s World Champions, and one of the national federations at the forefront of progressing the women’s game. Committed to the promotion of women’s football, Georges served as ambassador of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France and has overseen the development of the women’s refereeing plan. Robbie Fowler is a former player and current manager, best known for his time with Liverpool between 1993 and 2001. To date, he remains Liverpool’s top scorer in the Premier League and is the eighth top scorer in Premier League history. Following his time in the UK, Fowler played in Australia and Thailand and has since transitioned into management, where he most recently managed East Bengal of the Indian Super League.In this fascinating and wide-ranging discussion, the panel discuss, among many other topics, the possibility of biennial World Cup; what works and what doesn’t in different markets across the world when it comes to coaching and talent pathways; and how the development of technology is changing football, for better and for worse.