Aarti DABAS
Chief Media Officer
Aarti has 24 years of experience across agency, broadcaster, a traditional governing body (with major events responsibility) and a fast-paced investor led rights holder. Currently Formula E’s Chief Media Officer, she is known for her engaging and empathetic leadership within the sports and media industry.
Having spent more than 12 years at the International Cricket Council (ICC) in increasing levels of responsibility up to Head of Media Rights & Digital, she has extensive experience and a deep understanding of growing audience and revenue through media rights, content development and packaging, insights/data driven approach to brand and content partnerships, digital and fan engagement, building and sustaining stakeholder relationships and leading diverse high performing teams.
Aarti grew up in India, and made her entry into sports broadcasting in 1999, at IMG TWI’s India office in Delhi. She now spends her time between London, Dubai and Formula E’s exciting race locations around the world.
Alan BRUNO
Head of Business Development
With over 20 years’ experience in media and having started his career in sport at Formula 1, Alan then spent a number of years in entertainment on the platform side with Discovery and them Viacom - before moving back into sport with ATP Media. Alan’s commercial role oversees broadcast rights deals across all ATP Tour events, in addition to business development outside of broadcast including the distribution and monitisation of ATP Media’s direct to consumer OTT service Tennis TV.
Alejandro SCANNAPIECO
CEO
Alejandro Scannapieco is CEO of Sportian, the company formed by the joint venture between Globant and LaLiga to reinvent sports and entertainment. Prior to this, he held roles including Chief Financial Officer of Globant and Co-Partner of Globant’s Business Hacking Studio. As CFO, he successfully led the Company to its IPO in July 2014, making Globant the first IT services company from Latin America to be listed on the NYSE.
Alejandro has a post-graduate degree in capital markets, a degree in public accounting and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. He has also completed a post-graduate degree in finance from Torcuato Di Tella University.
Alejandro Scannapieco is an avid sports fan and practitioner. He completed sports journalism studies at ESED school and enjoys playing football, rugby, tennis, snowboarding and scuba diving. He is also a great fan of reading in wide and diverse subjects.
Alex KAPLAN
CEO
Alex Kaplan is the CEO of EverPass Media with 20+ years of experience fueling growth and innovation for companies at the intersection of sports, media & technology. Alex has worked at leading industry companies, including Discovery (President & GM of golf division), NBA (SVP, Global Media Distribution) and 10 years with DIRECTV/AT&T overseeing revenue and entertainment. As a respected leader and visionary, Alex received SBJ’s and Multichannel News’ "Forty Under 40" awards.
Alfredo BERMEJO
Director of Digital Strategy
Born in February 1979. Director of Digital Strategy since April 2017.
He holds a degree in Law from the Autónoma University of Madrid and a Master‘s in Marketing and Commercial Management from ESIC, with over 10 years of experience in the sports industry.
Before joining LALIGA, he worked for Facebook from 2014 to 2017 as the head of strategic agreements for Spain and Portugal, serving as the main liaison with the media, sports, and entertainment industries in both countries.
Between 2007 and 2014, he worked as the Head of International Clients within the Sponsorship and Advertising Department of Real Madrid C.F., with his primary areas of focus being the management of international sponsors, player image rights, and international tours. From 2004 to 2007, he worked at the multinational agency Ogilvy Action as an Account Supervisor.
Ali RUSSELL
Managing Director
Ali Russell has been working in the sports industry for over 25 years, with a career spanning multiple disciplines, including senior roles in rugby, football, swimming and motorsport. With a grounding in marketing via Coca Cola, he has garnered a breadth of experience having worked in several high-profile positions including Chief Marketing Officer at FIA Formula E, Chief Operating Officer at Rangers, and Managing Director at Queens Park Rangers.
A founding member of Extreme E in 2019, in his role of Managing Director Ali’s responsibility is to further steer the pioneering motor racing series, direct the strategic vision and drive the growth of the championship as it looks to the future.
Under his leadership, Extreme E aims to leverage its unique brand positioning, grow its multi-channel platform to engage new audiences and expand its reach.
As Managing Director, Ali will look to further drive the series’ commitments towards equality, with its gender-equal racing format a world-first in motorsport, and diversity through its Racing for All initiative, informed by the findings of the Hamilton Commission.
An DANG DUY
Chief Information Officer
An Dang Duy is World Athletics Chief Information Officer. World Athletics is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, covering track and field, cross country running, road running, racewalking, mountain running and ultrarunning. World Athletics is among the world’s largest sporting organisations, and with more members than the United Nations.
An’s vast international experience includes the management of large teams in the media research, advertising and Sport industries. An now leads in World Athletics a technology team responsible for the management of the competition results technology workflow, data management and software that provide access to the sport for millions of people around the world.
Andrea MARINI
CEO
Andrea has been Deltatre’s CEO and executive committee member since 2021.
Andrea has been part of Deltatre for more than 10 years and has held several other positions across the business, including Deputy CEO, Chief Commercial Officer, President (Americas) and Commercial Director.
Andrea featured in Sports Business Journal’s 2020 Forty under 40 Awards and Leaders in Sport’s 2021 Leaders Under 40 list.
In 2019, Andrea was a member of the Sport Advisory Board for Sports Tech Tokyo.
Anil JAYARAJ
CEO
As the Chief Executive Officer of Viacom18 Sports, Anil Jayaraj oversees the growth and expansion of
the sports business at Viacom18 across digital ( Jio Cinema) and TV ( Sports18).
Anil and his team made JioCinema the go-to destination for all leading sports events in just 2 years -
including FIFA, Indian Premier League (IPL), NBA, BCCI cricket, BWF, Women’s Premier League (WPL),
Olympics 2024 among others achieving record scale of viewership and business metrics and
established digital as the dominant medium for sport viewing in India.
A passionate follower of sports since childhood, Anil also mentors various start-ups. He also
conducts sessions/guest lectures on business and marketing at multiple B-schools.
Anna LOCKWOOD
Head of EMEA/Americas
Anna Lockwood is an experienced media industry executive and is currently VP International for Telstra Broadcast Services, based in New York. She leads a team that works at the convergence of the traditional broadcast industry with leading-edge telecommunication and digital platforms, with a focus on bringing innovative solutions and services to the media and sports business. In addition to her role at Telstra, Anna represents Telstra on the Board of Directors of IABM, is an advisory board member and mentor at RISE - a group for women in broadcast, and is active in industry initiatives around sports, innovation and women in technology.
Anna GUARNERIO
International Media Rights Director
Anna Guarnerio has over 25 years in sports business, first with Media Partners and then with Infront Sports & Media heading the media sales and operations department.
In December 2022 Anna joined Lega Serie A as Head of the International Media Rights department, to manage the sales process in-house from the 2023/2024 season onwards.
Anna‘s core expertise in commercial and strategic analysis, rights packaging, market assessment, international negotiations and contract management.
Ashwin LIMAYE
CPO
Ashwin Limaye is the Chief Product Officer at VideoVerse, where he is responsible for driving the development and adoption of the entire suite of intelligent, intuitive video products - Magnifi, the broadcaster-facing solution, which is fast establishing itself as a leader in the space, and a new consumer-facing product in the editing and streaming space. He is also responsible for productizing the company’s innovation agenda, with multiple video transformation and consumption experiments underway.
Prior to joining VideoVerse, Ashwin, an alumnus of McKinsey spent over a decade working with Alphabet, Waymo and Google, bringing cutting-edge technology to everyday user experience and working on advancing safe autonomous driving technology and applying the latest in AI/ML technology to solve hard, real-world problems. He has deep experience in business performance transformation, strategy development, building monetization platforms and has led very large-scale products such as Google News, and Brand Advertising at Youtube, AMP and Google Earth.
Aviv ARNON
Chief Business Development Officer
Aviv Arnon, Co-Founder and CBDO at WSC Sports, has been instrumental in driving the company’s business strategy and overseeing all aspects of business development, partnerships, account management, and growth over the past decade.
Under his leadership, WSC Sports has established deep relationships with over 300+ of the leading global sports rights holders. Aviv’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, combined with his love for sports and technology, have been key factors in WSC Sports’ rise as the world’s leading AI sports video technology company.
Benjamin WOODS
Strategy & Digital
An experienced sports marketing consultant, Ben Woods has a background working with major international federations and sports media properties. With foundations in data-science and analytics, Ben has developed an aptitude for combining commercial strategy and technology to help organisations grow and maintain valuable and sustained relationships with audiences.
Brian PHILLPOTTS
VP of Business Development
Brian Phillpotts is Pixellot’s VP of Business Development and is responsible for growing new business models and opportunities with media companies, sport‘s governing bodies, and brands worldwide. Since 2005, Brian has consulted rights holders, media companies, sports tech businesses, brands, and sports clubs globally. He previously served as the Premier League‘s Commercial Director, responsible for sponsorship, licensing, broadcasting, digital media, marketing, and international development. Formerly, he was the Commercial Director at The Football League and before that at Newcastle United as the Director of Branded Products.
Callum MCCARTHY
Editor in Chief
Callum McCarthy is the Editor in Chief of SportBusiness, the world’s most trusted source of global sports media rights intelligence. Callum leads a team of journalists and analysts dedicated to providing market-leading insight on deals, developments and trends from around the world of sports broadcasting. Over the past 25 years, SportBusiness Media has collected commercially sensitive information on over 21,000 media rights deals - a total that continues to grow.
Carlo DE MARCHIS
Strategic Advisor
A futurist and advisor with over 35 years in sports and media tech, known as "a guy with a scarf." A C-suite leader skilled in strategy, product innovation, OTT, digital, D2C marketing, AI/ML, and Web3/Metaverse. An evangelist, public speaker, and #IamRemarkable facilitator passionate about challenging the status quo. He‘s led multi-million dollar contracts and impressive company growth as a natural innovator. Known for creating digital experiences for global audiences while attending top worldwide sports events. His vision and ideas drive the future of sports media technology.
Chris GREGORY
Strategic Content Partner Lead - Samsung TV Plus
Chris joined Samsung in October 2019 and has since been working across new business and partnerships within the Samsung TV Plus service. Key responsibilities include working with partners to bring the very best content to the service, focusing on channels that resonate with a local and global audience with the objective of increasing viewership, monetization and discoverability. Before joining Samsung, Chris worked in commercial sports content and ad solutions roles across Reuters and DAZN Media.
Claudiu PARASCHIV
CEO
After almost 20 years spent in the television industry in various operational and executive roles, Claudiu established in 2014 his own production company, Blitz Technology, that today is an international reference for the remote production of Tier 2 and Tier 3 international sports events. Strong in-house television expertise, combined with the love for sports and a desire for continuous business and technological development, empowered the Blitz team led by Claudiu to deliver more than 5000 hours of live content per year, from all continents and on multiple distribution platforms.
Craig HEITING
Head of Corporate Strategy
Craig Heiting is Head of Corporate Strategy at Wurl - the leader in data-driven solutions for CTV. Craig is responsible for leading Wurl’s global efforts in creating and driving growth for the world’s top content publishers. With over 30 years of experience in the entertainment space, Craig brings enormous expertise to Wurl, including managing marketing, programming, sales, operations, M&A, and customer care segments for major media companies
Dave GILLETT
Head of Media Rights
David Gillett - 20 years working on the commercial side of motorsports, including 11 years for FOM on TV insight and Media Rights sales, Commercial Director for FIA World Rallycross Championship, Commercial & Marketing Director at Spa-Francorchamps and now Head of Media Rights for Extreme E.
David CANDLER
Senior Director, Customer Solutions
A senior-level member of Veritone’s global commercial team responsible for EMEA channel business development plus the coordination, design, development and hand-off of media technology service solutions. David has an impressive 26+ year track record of successfully implementing and developing both commercial and operational relationships with major blue-chip customers across the media and entertainment sector.
David DELLEA
Director Sports Practice
David serves as the Director of Altman Solon‘s Sports Practice. With two decades in the sports industry under his belt, David is a trusted advisor providing strategic insights to a diverse clientele including rights owners, private equity investors, media companies, event organizers and agencies.
Before his tenure at Altman Solon, David held both consultancy and industry roles. Notably, he played a pivotal role for a decade at PwC, where he established their sports practice and pioneered the annual PwC Sports Survey. Earlier in his journey, he spearheaded a boutique sports marketing agency and co-founded a sports tech wearable start-up.
David holds a Law degree from the University of Lausanne and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. Apart from his core responsibilities, he offers guidance as a board advisor to up-and-coming tech firms. He also shares his knowledge as a guest lecturer on sports business at institutions like the University of Zurich Graduate School of Business, AISTS, and the Stockholm School of Economics, among others. David spends most of his time between Zurich, Lausanne and London.
Fabio GALLO
General Manager Europe & Asia
Fabio is a seasoned professional who brings over two decades of streaming and OTT technology industry expertise and has led significant digital transformation projects for FC Barcelona and Dorna Sports (MotoGP). Recently, at LaLiga Tech, Gallo led the global development and implementation of new initiatives, solutions, partnerships and innovations.
Fabio CANNAVARO
Lega Serie A Ambassador
Captain of the Italian national team, World Champion and 2006 Golden Ball winner, in his career Fabio Cannavaro wore the prestigious jerseys of Napoli, Parma, Inter, Juventus and Real Madrid. Physical strength, speed and timing, combined with innate leadership, have made him an absolute icon, among the greatest interpreters of the great tradition of Italian defenders.
Finn TAYLOR
CEO
Finn Taylor, the visionary CEO of Volleyball World, boasts over 20 years at Cirque du Soleil, shaping him into an industry leader. His mission: elevate global volleyball. Leveraging expertise in strategic planning, he boosts commercial value via partnerships and sponsorships. Finn drives expansion into new markets, ensuring widespread popularity.
He envisions volleyball as a captivating experience, utilizing technology and engaging content. Finn‘s relentless pursuit of excellence propels international volleyball, making it a global sports and entertainment powerhouse.
Frank LEENDERS
Director General - FIBA Media & Marketing Services SA
Frank Leenders (born in The Netherlands, 1968) has more than 25 years of experience in international sports marketing at the highest level.
He started his professional career with ISL Marketing during the FIFA World Cup 1990 and subsequently joined start-up company TEAM Marketing in 1992, where he was part of the launch and development of the UEFA Champions League - an international benchmark project - since its very first season (1992-93).
He moved to Rome to join pay Television Sky Italia in 2001, where he was Director of Sports Rights Acquisitions, responsible for the acquisition of all sports related Television rights.
In 2002 he returned to TEAM, where he became Managing Director and was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2005. Following his departure at the end of 2010, he co-founded the independent sports marketing firm Value-Experience.
In 2012, he supported the design and development of a dedicated media and marketing unit for FIBA, the international Basketball Federation in Geneva, Switzerland and is the Director General of this entity: FIBA Media and Marketing Services SA.
As a non-executive board member, Frank also supports and invests in several companies (start-up and scale-up), which operate at the intersection of sports, media and marketing.
Gary WARECH
Head of Sports & Entertainment
Gary Warech is Head of Sports & Entertainment at Veritone, a leader in enterprise AI software and services. During his career, Warech has carved a unique niche at the intersection of sales, sports, media, market research, data/analytics and marketing, holding a number of key leadership roles. Prior to joining Veritone in April, he was EVP at Comscore and previously held senior positions at Experian Marketing Services, Simmons, Harris Interactive, Host Communications and Foot Locker
Gaurav MEHTA
Co-Founder
Educated as a mechanical engineer, and ex-race car driver with Volkswagen Motorsport, Gaurav co-founded Quidich in 2015. He deeply believes in the power that sport as a medium possesses to unite people across boundaries. Today, Quidich empowers various federations, leagues, rights holders and broadcasters across sports, with advanced technology solutions that visually enhance fans‘ viewing experiences, thereby elevating live broadcasts globally.
George BEVIR
Editorial Director
George Bevir is editorial director at SVG Europe, where he is responsible for leading the SVG Europe editorial team across the organisation’s physical and digital events, website and newsletters. Bevir joined SVG Europe from Broadcast magazine where he was facilities and technology editor and launched Broadcast Tech magazine. Prior to this, he wrote about the media and telecoms sectors in the Middle East. Before moving into journalism, Bevir worked for the BBC and Red Bee Media.
Giovanni AQUILANTI
Sales Agent
With more than 15 years of international experience in Marketing, Sales and Procurement at Procter & Gamble and Philip Morris International, across Consumer Goods, Sports and Technology, Giovanni Aquilanti is now fully dedicated to the sports industry, with multiple engagements which started in Motorsport and brought him to SPORTEL Sales and Business Development. A fast learner, Giovanni is eager to engage in innovative action plans as well as connecting people and organisations with a view to promoting meaningful and high value added commercial interactions.
Greg BURNS
Head Of Media Products
At Arqiva Greg is responsible for the media and broadcast product portfolio. Greg has driven the adoption of cloud technology and been a key strategic influence in the development of online and non-linear product offerings during his time at Arqiva. Through several roles in the company including Technical Service Management and Solutions Architecture, Greg has provided sports broadcast services for ESPN, Turner Sports, Eurosport and BT Sport, among others.
Guillermo RODRÍGUEZ
Director of Anti-Piracy Operations
Guillermo Rodriguez is the Director of Anti-Piracy Operations at Sportian Content Protection, playing a pivotal role in overseeing the operations of the content protection division for the entity. Prior to his current role, Guillermo served as the Global Accounts Manager at Sportian, where he managed key accounts and played a crucial role in enhancing the organization‘s technology-related initiatives.
Before his tenure, Guillermo was the Business Development Manager at Smart Protection, a company invested by Telefonica Group. During this time at Smart Protection, he was instrumental in protecting intellectual and industrial property rights online, using innovative technology to detect and eliminate illegal copies and improper usage of brands.
Guillermo Rodriguez is a seasoned professional with a background in content protection and business development. His career has been marked by significant contributions to the protection of intellectual property and fostering valuable business relationships.
Hannah BROWN
Women’s Football, Co-CEO
Hannah brings 20 years of experience in finance, sports media, pay TV, corporate ventures and business transformation. This includes 10 years at Sky and Sky Sports in finance, sports rights and sports ventures investing; three years in the US; and, most recently, at Formula E. In 2020, Hannah and Esmeralda Negron co-founded ata football, a streaming platform and community for women’s football fans. Hannah served as an advisor to the business. ata football was acquired by DAZN in 2023 with Hannah and Esmeralda joining DAZN to lead a newly formed women’s sports business unit. DAZN is the biggest investor in women’s football rights globally. Hannah and Esmeralda are charged with developing DAZN’s investment into a significant business opportunity. Hannah is a chartered accountant, qualifying at KPMG.
Ian WRAY
Senior Partnerships Sales Director
Ian has spent the past couple of decades helping global sports organizations and their rights holders to benefit from leveraging leading-edge technologies to enhance their content and better engage with fans. In his role within Spiideo, he is working with the latest advances in AI-powered video production automation and data collection capabilities to enable all tiers of sport to deliver top-quality live or on-demand content in a highly cost-effective manner, creating commercial models never before possible.
Imran YUSUF
Editor, SportBusiness Media
Imran Yusuf is Editor for SportBusiness Media, the world‘s most trusted source of media rights deal data, analysis and intelligence.
Jan UMANSKY
Head of Tech Infront Lab
Jan Umansky is currently Head of Tech at Infront Lab. He founded Twizted Design, a platform that revolutionises viewing experiences for broadcasters. With over a decade in the industry, Jan has led key projects in graphics and data for live events, including the 2008 Olympics and Super Bowl LI. His wide-ranging expertise covers everything from on-site production to data solutions, making him a pivotal contributor to international events like eSports and EU Championships.
Javier TEBAS
President
Javier Tebas Medrano (San Jose, Costa Rica, 1962), of Spanish nationality, holds a degree in Law from the University of Zaragoza. He has been a practising lawyer since 1987 and founded his own legal firm, specialising in Company Law and, subsequently, in sports and bankruptcy law.
Tebas‘s direct involvement in football began in 1993, when he was named president of Sociedad Deportiva Huesca, a position he held until 1998 (a period during which the club competed in Spain’s Tercera Division and Segunda Division B). He later served as a board member at C.D. Badajoz S.A.D. and C.D. Toledo S.A.D. before being elected vice-president of LaLiga in 2001. In 2003 he headed up the G-30, a group representing 30 small LaLiga clubs that was set up to collectively negotiate their audiovisual rights. He has been LaLiga president since 2013 and was re-elected in 2016 and again for a further four-year term in 2019.
Tebas‘s tenure as LaLiga president has revolved around three core areas; the introduction of a financial controls system which has enabled the clubs to restructure their finances; the collective sale of audiovisual rights which boosts the clubs‘ revenue in a balanced way, and the league‘s internationalisation strategy, which has seen LaLiga and its member clubs establish themselves as a benchmark reference on the global stage, not just on the field but in the entertainment industry as a whole
Jorge STRIKA
CEO, J &S Entertainment Group
Leadership expert with a wide record in the business industry. Jorge Strika has hold General Managing positions in companies like Pepsi-Cola International, Molinos del Río de la Plata S.A., Artear Argentina S.A. (Arte Radiotelevisivo Argentino, owned by Grupo Clarín), and SanCor diary, among others.
Josh FRANKENHUIS
COO & VP Sales
Josh Holds a master‘s degree in Business Administration and Management. Brings rich experience in business development, developing globally dispersed teams and international business management. He founded the insurance services company Clueger LTD in Britain and was a franchisee of Mica Beauty Cosmetics, a cosmetics company with a chain of shops in northern Australia.
Keith BEDFORD
General Manager, EMEA
Keith Bedford is General Manager, EMEA at Wurl - the leader in data-driven solutions for CTV. In his role, Keith oversees Wurl’s operations and key partnerships in EMEA, working closely with his team to drive growth for the region’s top content publishers and streamers. Keith brings more than 20 years of broadcast experience and a strong technology background to Wurl, having led teams to design, create, and deliver technology to numerous broadcast clients in his previous roles.
Ken KERSCHBAUMER
Editorial Director
Ken Kerschbaumer is co-executive director of editorial services for the Sports Video Group and SVG Europe. He has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991. In 2000, he joined Broadcasting & Cable magazine as senior editor of technology where he covered technology for the broadcast industry. He helped launch SVG and SVG Europe in 2006 and today the company holds events for sports production professionals around the world.
Laurent PUONS
CEO
Laurent Puons has been at the head of Monaco Mediax,, as CEO since 2012, where he has overseen and developed a number of international world leading events such as SPORTEL Monaco, SPORTEL Awards and the SPORTEL Rendez-vous series including Miami and Monaco Mediax partner events, Bali (22 - 23 Feb 2024) and newly added Buenos Aires (14 -15 May 2024) among other ongoing projects.
In parallel Laurent leads the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, created in 1961 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, which rewards the best of worldwide television programming through the Golden Nymph Awards and welcomes hundreds of global television executives and talent to its annual festival in the Principality of Monaco.
Earlier events he produced during his tenure at Monaco Mediax, include IMAGINA 3D (entertainment, architecture, urbanism and healthcare) and IMAGINA Dental. Additionally, WIMA Monaco and WIMA USA became the frontrunner global events exclusively dedicated to NFC (Near Field Communications) technology applications, and services.
Prior to Monaco Mediax, Laurent was with the Monaco government where over a five-year period he held managerial positions in several government departments.
Monaco Mediax and the affiliated events are under the Honorary Presidency of Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Lee ZOHLMAN
US Sales Agent
Lee Zohlman is Founder and Managing Director of Universal Multisport and a dedicated US sales agent for SPORTEL Monaco who is based in Miami, Florida. He has over twenty years experience in the business of sports ranging from marketing, business development, sponsorship and formerly was the Commercial Director for SportBusiness Group Americas. Lee has advised, guided and represented cutting edge sports technology companies, Formula 1 and INDYCAR teams as well as Olympians and world champion athletes. He also has been an international television broadcaster featured on beIN, ESPN International and Comcast Sports.
Meghna KRISHNA
Chief Revenue Officer
Meghna Krishna is the Chief Revenue Officer at Videoverse. As part of her job she is responsible for revenue maximization along with facilitating strategic partnerships and innovative marketing solutions for the overall growth of the company. Her unique leadership shines through her ability to build passionate teams focused on delivering the best quality services to their clients.
Meghna has a proven track record of over two decades of running successful businesses while building and developing teams from scratch.
Prior to joining hands with the passionate team at Videoverse, Meghna has worked across 3 continents in industries including retail, e-commerce, travel, and SaaS, giving her an extensive understanding of global and national market trends. Given the vast experience, she is able to effectively manage investor and stakeholder relations to supercharge business growth.
Meghna is an MBA holder from INSEAD and currently lives in Delhi with her family. She enjoys traveling and learning about other cultures.
Melissa LAWTON
Chief Content Officer
Melissa Lawton is the Chief Content Officer at SailGP, responsible for all moving image content from the Live Broadcast to Social Channel strategy. Melissa arrived at SailGP via Meta in New York where she was the Head of Live Sports Production, before that Head of Live at Red Bull Media House in Salzburg. She has been a senior host broadcast employee at two Olympics, one World Cup and a Commonwealth Games. She got her real start as Producer at Network Ten Australia which was then the Home of Motorsport.
Nick CAW
CEO
Nick’s 25 years of commercial experience in tech means he’s seen it all, from start-ups to Microsoft, and has held leadership positions across hosting, professional services and software companies. Nick has been Capture’s Chief Executive Officer since 2019 and is intent on Capture continuing to provide world-class solutions to world-class clients.
Niklas BERGDAHL
Product Marketing Director
Passion for sports, technology, and engaging people. Storytelling and creating value through technological innovation is my calling. Vast experience in the sports technology industry from leading companies; driving innovative product development, customer education, marketing strategies, and content creation.
Olivier PERROTEY
CEO
Passionate about exploring and implementing innovative and out-of-the-box initiatives that create value and impact for the Sport Industry, Olivier has been leading Sword Teams dedicated such transformations. Special focus on how to use Digital Twins capabilities as well as AI to delivery great experience to the Fans and value to the Sponsors and Right-Owners. Glad to connect to share experiences and prospectives!
Ophir ZARDOK
Head of Sport
A graduate of the prestigious FIFA Master Course, Ophir has been involved in sports at different levels for over 20 years. Since 2009, he has served as UEFA Venue Director and previously launched a sports tech accelerator to bring innovation to the sports space with Microsoft ScaleUp, Deloitte Sports and HYPE Sports Innovation. At LiveU, Ophir’s role is to lead the sports strategy and business development in EMEA/APAC, working with sports organizations, production companies, broadcasters and media companies.
Paul DEPRE
Managing Director
Seasoned manager with an international profile, Paul Depré is leading Globant business development and expansion in France and Switzerland. Throughout his professional journey, he acquired a very deep understanding of the Media & Entertainment ecosystem (including Sports and Gaming) not only to support the reinvention of this industry but to also infuse M&E innovations in other organizations!
Paul VAN DEN HAAK
Founder & Director
Paul van den Haak is founder and director at Studio Automated, where he is responsible for the tech, the people, and the operation. He has a strong technical background in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence from Delft University of Technology and worked on scaling R&D as a visiting scientist at Google. After managing computer vision group at The Netherlands Organization for Applied sciences, he founded Studio Automated in 2020 and has been growing the company since then.
Peter BELLAMY
Chief Commercial Officer
Peter Bellamy is Chief Commercial Officer at Endeavor Streaming. In his role, Peter oversees the global commercial business, working with prospects and partners to drive OTT initiatives. He is also responsible for managing the company’s portfolio of clients, helping to define and deliver their go-to-market and post-launch strategies. Peter joined Endeavor Streaming as part of the acquisition of NeuLion in 2018. Prior to NeuLion, Peter was Commercial Director at Saffron Digital, an OTT start-up he helped develop into a market leader in movie and TV-focused OTT. This led to the successful sale of Saffron Digital into NeuLion. Previously, Peter also held commercial positions at BSkyB working on sports and entertainment media rights deals. He is a graduate of Sheffield Hallam University in South Yorkshire, England.
Peter MURRAY
CEO
Peter Murray is the Chief Executive Officer and a Board Member of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Murray oversees all business strategy and operations, fighter roster, event management, production, content, and marketing for the mixed martial arts league.
Previously, Murray served as VP Global Brand and Sports Marketing at Under Armour. where he was responsible for category management of football, baseball, basketball, soccer, combat, and Olympic Sports. Prior to Under Armour, he was Co-Founder and CEO of Insignia Sports Agency and EVP Marketing & New Business at William Morris Endeavor. Peter was also a senior executive at the National Football League, including roles as SVP of Business & Content Development, SVP of Global Brand Partnerships.
Peter SHACKLETON
Commercial Director
Peter joined Capture in 2022 having spent the last two decades working in commercial roles within the media and tech space, from startups, VC backed scale ups, to HTC and Vodafone. Now, as Capture’s Commercial Director, Peter leads Capture’s Sales and Marketing team, ensuring Capture continues to grow as industry leaders in visual media management.
Raj MANNICK
Head of Digital
Raj is Head of Digital at Sunset+Vine, overseeing all social content and digital operations at the production agency, with clients including Amazon Prime Video, World Rugby, Henley Royal Regatta, and the Commonwealth Games.
Prior to joining Sunset+Vine, Raj was Content Director across social channels for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and previously was Head of Sport at Yahoo UK, and Head of Sport & Digital at ITN Productions.
Richard GILLIS
Owner
Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport, with listeners from across the upper reaches of the global industry.
Richard’s career mixes award winning journalism with a career as a strategic adviser to sports governing bodies, sponsors and agencies.
He was listed number 5 in the sport category of PR Week’s Powerbook list of industry influencers. As Cake’s Managing Partner he ran a specialist sport and entertainment consulting group within Havas, the sixth largest marketing group in the world. Before joining Cake, Richard was a strategic advisor to Lloyds Bank on its London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Partnership.
He was editor of SportBusiness International and is a regular contributor to sports industry debate across national and international media, including the FT, WSJ, The Observer and The Irish Times. His book on leadership, The Captain Myth was The Guardian’s sports book of the year.
Simon BRYDON
Head of Sport, Video Network
Simon Brydon has worked in the sports industry for over 20 years. He joined Synamedia in 2020, initially leading its security and anti-piracy business development. He is now the Head of Sport with responsibility for supporting the global Video Network team across the company’s market-leading streaming solutions as well as security matters.
From 2008 to 2014, Simon ran the media and digital business of Racing UK where he was responsible for managing and distributing the media rights for the UK’s top 34 racecourses across all media; betting, D2C, internationally and set up the first mobile live streaming betting service for bookmakers.
In 2003 he created Cycling Television, (Cycling.tv) the live OTT sports TV channel broadcasting the best professional cycling globally. With over 220 days of racing, Cycling TV was a pioneering business and became a world leader in this emerging sector. In 2007 Simon sold the business to a Jump TV, a Canadian TSX listed company.
Sunil MANOHARAN
Vice President - Media Rights
Sunil Manoharan looks after media rights for the International Cricket Council(ICC) and is based out of the governing body’s Dubai headquarters. Sunil’s focus at the ICC has been to formulate and implement the direct to licensee media rights strategy for the rights cycle beginning from 2024 and onwards. This also includes curating ICC’s digital media rights strategy while striving to strike a balance between revenue and engagement. Leading the media rights department, Sunil also oversees all ongoing relationships and operations of the governing body’s various media rights agreements.
Prior to this, Sunil spent two decades with leading global sports broadcaster Star Sports and ESPN Star Sports where he looked after the global media rights sales for ICC, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian Premier League (IPL), Kabaddi, Asia Cup and the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Also on his portfolio were Asian media rights sales for Cricket Australia (CA), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), sub-continental media rights sales for the Premier League, Wimbledon and more. Sunil hails from a production background and spent his first few years at ESPN Star Sports producing live cricket and leading the editorial content for all it’s India channels.
Thibaut FRESSE
Marketing & Sales Director
Passionate about content, Thibaut knew when CD, books, TV or VHS were the only possible sourcing. The times when Internet was… not Internet yet.
Devoted to media and entertainment since his professional early days, he observed technology’s tremendous expansion, alongside the rise of illegal content offering.
Then, he decided to help rights-holders and broadcasters, adding value to their digital strategy - by engaging with the good guys.
Thierry BOUDARD
Co-Founder & Executive President
Thierry Boudard has over 25 years of experience in the telecom industry, half of which has been in the media and entertainment sector, where he has held roles as Product Director, R&D Director and Business Manager.
He has developed an expertise in media solutions for many service providers, always with a customer focus. His expertise covers the entire field of video, from television production to end-user services and devices and more generally to E2E integration.
He also has senior experience in managing product lines, business and R&D teams in complex environments. He has participated in the growth or restructuring of several business units and companies, using his entrepreneurial skills.
Thomas DECIEUX
Head of Sport, EMEA & APAC
As Head of Sport, EMEA & APAC, Thomas focuses on accelerating Harmonic’s success in Sports. Throughout his career, Thomas has established a strong record of leading ambitious strategies, initiatives and teams. Thomas lives in Lausanne, Switzerland, and holds a MSc in telecom from CentraleSupélec.
Tiago MARANHÃO
Country Manager
Tiago Maranhão holds the position of Country Manager at Stages, orchestrating B2B and B2C communication with a global team.
With over two decades of experience in journalism and new media, Tiago has hosted Brazil‘s most-watched football TV show on Sportv,
having participated in 4 World Cups, 4 Olympic Games editions, and numerous world championships across diverse categories.
Tiago also pioneered the launch of Amazon Alexa in Brazil, led Amazon Music‘s podcast division, and authored 8 books. His Harvard
certification in organizational leadership underscores his role in driving Stages‘ innovation and expansion enhancing customer and partner
experiences.
TK GORE
Head Of Sports Business Development
With over 25 years of experience in sports, media, and technology, T.K. specializes in developing audience engagement solutions in cloud production and live streaming at Kiswe. His previous roles include CRO at Phenix Real Time Solutions and leadership positions at Comcast, NBC Sports Group, Comscore, Universal Sports, AOL and HTS. T.K. also served as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. In 2021, he earned recognition as one of John Wall Street‘s Top-50 Sports Business Follows.
Tom READ
Chief Commercial Officer
Tom has over 15 years experience at the intersection of sports, media and technology with a background in content partnerships, rights acquisition/distribution, programming and content creation for broadcast and digital media organizations including Disney, Fox Sports Australia, Foxtel and DAZN Group. He is currently the Chief Commercial Officer at Spalk, a sports production technology company that localizes content through providing remote commentary production and distribution solutions for sports broadcasters and rights holders all over the world.
Wim SWELDENS
Co-founder & CMO
Wim Sweldens is the Co-Founder and CMO of Kiswe, an interactive streaming technology pioneer. Kiswe works with top brands in sports (NBA, ESPN), music (BTS, Rolling Stones), and creators (Mythical, Try Guys). Previously he was President of the Alcatel-Lucent Mobile Division and led their Ventures Group. Wim has a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, contributed to the JPEG2000 and MPEG4 standards, is an IEEE fellow, and a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Sciences.