Iris Alameddine is a strategic advisor and a growth investor at Raine, focusing on sports, gaming and entertainment. Iris is leading Raine’s coverage in European sports, working with top sports leagues and football clubs, most recently with the sale of Chelsea Football Club and Olympique Lyonnais. Iris has recently helped Raine launch an office in Paris and is leading Raine’s expansion strategy across EMEA, working closely with top sports and entertainment leaders, entrepreneurs and investors.
Rick Allen is a co-founder and CEO of ViewLift. With over 30 years of experience in the sports, entertainment and digital industries, Allen has overseen a number of the largest media companies, including Sporting News and National Geographic, including the launch of the National Geographic channels. In addition to his work in the streaming space, he has authored two bestselling books and produced three award-winning films.
Shaka Arnon is the VP of business development at WSC Sports. In addition to being a true sports enthusiast, he also works with some of the leading sports organizations and media rights owners in the world, like the NBA, NFL and ESPN, and helps them maximize the use of their content and create new revenue streams.
Business Development Manager, Xpression - EMEA
ROSS VIDEO
Scott BARBER
Business Development Manager, Xpression - EMEA
Scott Barber has had an extensive background in Business Development and Sales Direction in the rapidly evolving media and live events industry.
From a broadcast production background spanning over 20 years, this includes Graphics Producer at BBC Sport, Sales Director for Vizrt India, Project Management and Business Analyst at BBC Wales.
Scott has now been at Ross Video for the past 5 years, driving the business for all their Graphics solutions, which includes Piero, XPression and Voyager.
Peter Bellamy is SVP, Global Head of Sport and International Media & Entertainment at Endeavor Streaming. In his role, Peter works closely with prospects and partners to drive new OTT initiatives. He is also responsible for managing the company’s existing portfolio of clients to define and deliver their go-to-market and in-life strategy. 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 which he helped develop into a market leader in Movie and TV focused OTT. This lead to the successful sale of Saffron Digital into NeuLion. 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.
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.
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.
Senior Director, Sports Rights Anti-Piracy
SYNAMEDIA
Simon BRYDON
Senior Director, Sports Rights Anti-Piracy
Simon Brydon has worked as a senior executive in the sports industry for 20 years. He joined Synamedia in 2020 from Pitch International, a leading global sports marketing agency.
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. Simon led the way with several ground-breaking digital media innovations including the first launch of a live subscription service on iPhone.
In 2003 he created Cycling Television, 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 Canadian media company.
Senior Director, Customer Solutions
VERITONE, INC.
David CANDLER
Senior Director, Customer Solutions
A senior-level member of Veritone’s global commercial team responsible for UK and International channel business development plus the coordination, design, development and hand-off of media technology service solutions. David has an impressive 27+ year track record of successfully implementing and developing both commercial and operational relationships with major blue-chip customers across the sports and media & entertainment sectors.
Joe Caporoso is the President at Team Whistle, a global sports and entertainment media company that creates, curates and distributes positive, brand safe and relatable content experiences wherever and however our audiences want to consume content. Caporoso has been with the company for eight years, rising through the ranks as he previously served as the company’s SVP of Content & Brand Platforms and VP of Content and Social Media. He started with the company in 2013 as a Cross Platform Editor. He is in charge of the company's Consumer/Media business, setting and managing their content strategy on their owned and operated platforms and building different monetization paths for each of them. He originally joined in 2013 as a Cross-Platform Editor after working at AOL and launching a NFL centric website/podcast, Turn On The Jets. He currently resides in Hoboken with his wife and kids.
Senior executive of finance, telecom, aviation and tech business, former Chairman of the football club, investor and entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience in Asia and Balkans region.
Head of Sports Market Development, EMEA & APAC
HARMONIC INC
Thomas DECIEUX
Head of Sports Market Development, EMEA & APAC
As head of Sports Market Development, 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.
Richard is CEO, RDA, and has worked in media rights for 22 years, exclusively in agency distribution, first attending Sportel in 2000. He has an impressive track record in identifying emerging trends and opportunities for rights owners, including UFC and Bellator, global media and betting potential for CONMEBOL and CONCAF soccer rights, the rapid expansion of the India media landscape, and significant growth potential in rugby union and rugby league a decade ago
Richard’s client experience includes Rugby League World Cup ’21, British & Irish Lions, SANZAAR, United Rugby Championship, World Rugby, Super League, Premiership Rugby, UFC, Impact Wrestling, multiple cricket rights owners, Real Madrid and West Ham United.
Working with Nielsen Sports and Frontier Sports, RDA recently completed a substantial media and betting rights valuation and commercial strategy assignment for Horse Racing Ireland and the Association of Irish Racecourses.
Richard also regularly consults to CEOs in the media and betting industry.
Secretary General
FEDERATION FRANCAISE DE FOOTBALL
Laura GEORGES
Secretary General
Laura Georges is an ex-international football player (188 caps with French National Team) who is actually Secretary General of the French Football Federation (FFF). As a player, Laura Georges has one of the greatest record in French Football. She has won 2 Champions Leagues, 6 national titles and 3 national cups and she was semi-finalist of the 2011 Women’s World Cup.
During her career she played for the following clubs Paris SG, Olympique Lyonnais and FC Bayern Munich. She also studied at the prestigious university of Boston College where she used to play during her 3 years, for the Boston College Eagles in NCAA. Since 2017 she is supporting Noël Le Graët, President of the FFF, as Secretary General, particularly in charge of the development of women’s refereeing plan.
Today, she is currently collaborating with the international relations department. Convinced that thanks to football we all win by sharing our best practices and empower those who need it the most. Fully engaged in the development and the promotion of women’s football, she has been ambassador of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 in France. She is currently a UEFA ambassador and FIFA Legends: participating to ethics programs and solidarity projects to share my experience with the youth. Laura is also a commentator for the women national team and a pundit for international broadcaster like DAZN and BBC.
Luis Goicouria joined the PGA TOUR in 2011 and is presently Senior Vice President, Media. In this capacity, he runs PGA TOUR Entertainment, International Media, and Digital product and operations. He was instrumental in the launch of PGA TOUR LIVE, the international Discovery partnership, and the most recent U.S. Media deals. Luis is a member of the TOUR’s Inclusion Leadership Council, the PGA TOUR’s executive team responsible for the development and execution of its inclusion strategy.
Prior to joining the PGA TOUR, Goicouria spent 15 years at MTV Networks, the last ten of which he served as Vice President, Digital Media for Latin America, Canada & U.S. Hispanic for MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, & MTV Tres.
Luis is a graduate of Boston University with a BS degree in Broadcasting and Film and received a MS degree in International Relations from Troy University.
President Director
PT.INDONUSA TELEMEDIA (TRANSVISION)
Christof HASLAUER
CEO
NATIVEWAVES GMBH
Christof HASLAUER
CEO
Christof Haslauer, Founder and CEO of NativeWaves, invented NativeWaves’ multiview solution which is used by broadcasters and streaming services to deliver the perfect event watching experience from Live events to their viewers. Christof has a master’s degree in Information Technology from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and has spent more than 7 years in software development. He also has a strong background in media technology, including audio/video encoding, streaming, and processing as well as microservice development in the cloud.
Phelan joined Nielsen Sports in 2018, providing strategic advice across the company’s rights holders and brand clients. Prior to joining Nielsen he worked for a leading strategy consultancy firm in sport. Phelan now advises major international federations, rights holders, brands and broadcasters such as FIFA, IOC, World Athletics, EPL, DAZN, Heineken, and Hisesne on maximising their value, connecting with their fans and addressing their most pressing issues.
Phelan has previously worked for HM Treasury, advising Ministers on Government strategy and as a lawyer for a major City law firm.
Outside of his career he has represented Team GB at the Olympic Games in London 2012 and Rio 2016 where he won Olympic Gold and Bronze in the sport of rowing.
Kanaan Jemili is Founder and CEO of Visaic Inc, focused on innovative and engaging sports and media solutions. He served as CEO and President of NeuLion, Inc (now Endeavor Streaming), a video technology and distribution platform serving clients like NBA, NFL, UFC, EFL and Univision. Dr. Jemili also served as CEO and President at DivX, LLC, until the merger with NeuLion, Inc. He also served in a number of senior positions at Rovi (now Xperi) and Verance, as well as on the board of directors of DivX and technology incubator EvoNexus.
Marc Jury is the Chief Executive of SuperSport, a role he has held since December 2020.
He was previously Head of Acquisitions and Marketing, a dual role that also encompassed overseeing all of the SuperSport digital platforms.
He has held senior positions at Cricket SA (Head of Commercial and Marketing) and SA Investments Limited (SAIL). Prior to that, Marc was Managing Directorship of IFM Sports Marketing Surveys, Africa and Middle East (now Nielsen Sports); Manager of New Business Development at United Media Entertainment Group in London; and Account Manager at Frontiers Group Africa.
In his position as CEO, Marc, who has a passion for motivating others and creating an environment for people to thrive, is geared up to forge the growth of the continent’s largest sport broadcaster by innovating, collaborating and embracing new technology and trends.
Armed with a Bachelor of Business Science Degree (with Honours in Marketing) from the University of Cape Town, he is an influential figure in the South African sporting landscape.
Adam Kelly is President of IMG Media. Kelly oversees the division’s global strategic growth across three key business areas; Rights, including the recently acquired digital sports agency Seven League, Production and IMG ARENA. Kelly was previously responsible for the key commercial business and prior to this, he led EMEA sales and worldwide business development. He has played a key role in IMG's long-term joint venture with Euroleague and continues to be involved in the project as well as several other significant relationships. These include IMG's consultancy with the IOC and strategic partnership to transform Rugby League, the international business of UFC, the global expansion of the rights portfolio including: Conmebol, the Gulf Cup, World Snooker and SNTV.
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.
Glen Killane took over the role of Executive Director of Eurovision Sport in June 2020, stepping up from the position of Deputy Director of Eurovision Sport, a role he held since August 2018.
Before joining the EBU, Glen was Managing Director of Eir Sport and Eir TV, owned by Irish Telco Eir, where he led the launch of their OTT pay sports business and ran the company’s IPTV platform.
He was Managing Director of RTE Television from 2010 until 2016, during which time he was elected Chair of the EBU Television Committee.
Glen began his career as a sports journalist working in editorial positions for RTE and for ITV in London where he was editor of live football. He was Group Head of Sport for RTE from 2004 until 2010 and was elected as Vice Chair of the EBU Sport Committee.
Born in Dublin in Ireland, Glen (aged 49), was educated at Trinity College Dublin where he gained a degree in English Literature and he holds a Masters degree in Journalism from Dublin City University.
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.
Director General, FIBA Media & Marketing Services SA
FIBA
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.
Serial IT entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience in Software Engineering and Software Consulting and strong background in blockchain and software development. Co-founder of Blocksport, Co-Founder of Intellica, Board Member of BrainBasket Foundation.
Anna Lockwood is an experienced media industry executive, and is currently the Head of Global Sales for Telstra Broadcast Services, based in London. 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 is a board member of the EGAA (Esports Games Association of Australia), 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.
Global Head of Sports Partnerships
SNAP INC. (SNAPCHAT)
Anmol MALHOTRA
Global Head of Sports Partnerships
Anmol Malhotra oversees sports partnerships globally at Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, leading relationships with leagues, broadcasters, and rights holders including the NFL, NBA, MLB, UFC, FIFA, Fox, Turner Sports, and NBC. In this role, he also focuses on strategy for several content partnerships and sales initiatives with leagues, teams, and athletes to help them engage new audiences, experiment with innovative forms of distribution and achieve their business objectives. In addition, Anmol helps manage international growth initiatives with sports partners across Asia, Europe, MENA, and Latin America.
Louis Matignon, Chief Revenue Officer at Perfect Memory
Louis Matignon has over 9 years of international experience in the broadcasting industry, where he has managed global software and service portfolios as well as teams of engineers and pre-sales architects.Today Chief Revenue Officer at Perfect Memory, he applies himself to generate the maximum value for its clients.
Born in Segovia in 1989, he holds a Degree in Sports Science majoring in Sports Management, plus a Diploma in Physical Education from the European University of Madrid, as well as an Executive MBA from IEDE Business School.
He has worked as a marketing and business consultant in the sports industry for companies such as SEG Sports, Gympass, BeOne and the European University of Madrid.
He began his career at LaLiga in April 2017 as Executive Agent to the Office of the President. In December 2017, he was promoted to Director of International Development, also adding the role of Director of Marketing and Business in June 2020. From May 2021 has been the Executive Director of LaLiga.
Under his management and leadership, revenues from international television rights have tripled and historic milestones have been reached, such as Boost LaLiga, the strategic project between LaLiga and CVC Capital Partners; the two major joint-ventures in North America and China; the television deal in the United States with Disney/ESPN; the creation of the technology subsidiary LaLiga Tech; the extension of the partnership with Microsoft.
Callum McCarthy is the editor of SportBusiness Media, 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.
Executive Vice President Audiovisual Rights
DFL DEUTSCHE FUßBALL LIGA GMBH
Steffen MERKEL
Executive Vice President Audiovisual Rights
Dr Steffen Merkel is a member of the DFL GmbH’s Management Board. As Executive Vice President of the Audiovisual Rights Division, he is responsible for domestic and international product management, in particular guaranteeing high-value coverage of German professional football globally, national media tenders, as well as the protection of audiovisual rights from copyright infringement.
Dr Merkel has been working for DFL GmbH since August 2014, initially as a management consultant and, from January 2018, as Head of Corporate Strategy of the DFL and Head of Global Operations of the DFL’s subsidiary Bundesliga International. In these roles, he was involved in the preparation and implementation of the 2016 and 2020 media rights calls for tender. He was also responsible for the development of the "DFL for Equity" investment strategy and the introduction of virtual advertising in the Bundesliga. Prior to this, Merkel, who holds a doctorate from EBS Business School, worked for the consulting firm The Boston Consulting Group.
Anouk is CEO of NEO Studios, an Emmy award-winning global studio telling compelling stories across sport, media and entertainment, and lifestyle, comprising scripted, unscripted, and animated content. NEO Studios is part of the Aser Ventures family, a pioneering investment platform which also includes Leeds United. Anouk was Group COO of ELEVEN between 2018 and 2021 and headed ELEVEN Belgium’s operations as MD when the platform launched in 2015.
She previously held senior roles with cable platform Telenet and media company Sanoma in Belgium.
Business Development - Sport Governing Bodies
PIXELLOT
Brian PHILLPOTTS
Business Development - Sport Governing Bodies
Brian has been with Pixellot for four years developing global partnerships and in June assumed the additional responsibility of global lead to sports continental confederations and world governing bodies.
Since 2005, Brian has consulted widely to rights holders, media companies, sports tech businesses, brands, and sports clubs throughout the world.
He previously served as the Commercial Director at the Premier League where he was responsible for sponsorship, licensing, broadcasting, digital media, marketing and international development whilst also leading the global sales strategy for the new data products as a Director of Football DataCo Limited. Formerly, he served as the Commercial Director at The Football League and prior to that at Newcastle United as the Director of Branded Products.
Brian started his career in the graduate management programme at Scottish and Newcastle Breweries PLC where he operated and developed hotels and licensed retail venues.
Business Development Manager - Sports & Live Event
ROSS VIDEO
James RANSOME
Business Development Manager - Sports & Live Event
James Ransome has been working in Broadcast Technology for more than 12 years and has held roles ranging from Warehouse Technician to Regional Sales Manager.
As a well-rounded and versatile professional, James most recently drove business for Ross Video across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Specifically, he supported our customers and business with major installations
within stadiums and arenas, including the Principality Stadium in Wales and The Confetti X Arena in Nottingham.
Before joining Ross, James was a Key Accounts Manager for Canon and supported the growth of their Cinema, Broadcast, and Professional Video business lines.
Kornelia Semmelink is a Senior Director at the NBA, leading Content Distribution and licensing in Africa. She is one of the original founders of the NBA’s business on the continent, and led TV Production and licensing for the NBA’s 5th league, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in its inaugural two seasons. Kornelia holds a BCom (Economics) from the University of Cape Town, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Communications, Media and PR from University of Leicester.
Julien Signes leads Synamedia’s Video Network business. One of the industry’s foremost experts on video processing, Julien advised emerging video technology businesses on financing and helped them scale globally before joining Synamedia in early 2019. He also provided advice to Atlantic Bridge, a global venture capital firm. Julien founded Envivio in 2000 and as CEO he led the company through private equity financing and a NASDAQ IPO to create the global leader in software-based video encoding. Ericsson acquired the business in 2015.
A veteran Sport and media and digital executive, Silva has built and sold companies in the TV, digital and media convergence space over the last 25 years. He has also raised more than $250M for the startups that he has operated.
Carlos Silva is currently the CEO of C360 an innovative 360 immersive video software company that delivers best in class broadcast level 360 degree video for TV and digital consumption. The software also has many government related surveillance applications.
Prior to C360, he was President of MDE Sports and Entertainment which owns and operates the Citi Open Tennis Tournament, The Washington Justice esports team, the City Paper, and the Washington Kastles in WTT.
Prior to MDE, Carlos was CEO of World TeamTennis (WTT). He led the effort to bring Pro Tennis back during the COVID pandemic and executed the 2020 season by creating a safe bubble at the Greenbrier in WV. He created expansion teams in Chicago, Las Vegas and Orlando. He also partnered with CBS Sports, ESPN, and Tennis Channel to broadcast WTT to the largest audience in 45 years.
Prior to WTT, Silva served as CEO for the World Series of Fighting for three years. He led the sale of the WSOF to new investors, staying on as President of the newly named Professional Fighters League (PFL) until Jan. 2019.
Silva was also Senior Advisor to leagues and media startups while serving as an Executive in Residence at Park Lane Investment Bank and remains a board advisor to Park Lane.
Chatri Sityodtong is the Founder, Chairman, & CEO of ONE, Asia’s largest global sports media platform with a broadcast to 150+ countries around the world. According to Nielsen, ONE ranks amongst the world’s top 10 biggest sports media properties in terms of viewership and engagement. Sityodtong is a self-made entrepreneur and lifelong martial artist from Thailand. His rags-to-riches life story has inspired millions around the world on BBC, CNN, Bloomberg TV, CNBC, and other major media. Most recently, he was named Asia’s King of Martial Arts by the Financial Times, and Asia’s 2nd Most Powerful Person in Sports by FOX Sports. Sityodtong holds a BA from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Born in Barcelona in 1991, Leonard is a graduate of ESADE Business School with a BBA degree.
He joined LaLiga in April 2017, working in several Media Rights and International Business Development roles. On April 2022 he was promoted to Head of International Media Rights, overseeing the current and future agreements with leading broadcasters around 180+ countries, giving exposure and boosting revenues of Spain’s First and Second division clubs.
Prior to joining LaLiga, Leonard spent 5 years in marketing roles at leading FMCG companies (Unilever and PepsiCo).
Head of Sports, AWS Professional Services
AMAZON WEB SERVICES
Julie SOUZA
Head of Sports, AWS Professional Services
Julie Souza leads the Global Sports Specialty Practice for AWS Professional Services. Prior to joining AWS, Julie led Strategy and Business Development for Second Spectrum, the official tracking and data analytics partner of the NBA, EPL, MLS, and others. She held similar roles leading business development and driving strategy for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and CBS Sports Network. Julie holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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
Pierdamiano Tomagra leads digital actitivies for Lega Serie A in Italy, overseeing digital strategy, distribution and content production for the digital channels of the main italian football league. Prior to that he was Digital Marketing Officer at Juventus from 2017 to 2021, responsible for the strategy and amplification of Juventus' contents towards the digital global audience. From 2013 to 2017 Pierdamiano worked in Milan in three different Digital Consultancy agencies on several projects, aiming to enhance the positioning and strategy of clients in the sport, financial and FMCG industries.
Founder & Director
STUDIO AUTOMATED SPORT & MEDIA B.V.
Paul VALK
Founder & Director
Paul has more than 20 years Experience in complex sales & business development processes within several verticals (Retail, IT, Sports & Media and Telecom). He coaches Innovators, Consultants and Account Managers in complex sales & business development processes to reach a higher profitability. Paul is experienced in engaging and building partnerships within the international Sports & Media Industry, eCommerce and Telecommunications. Paul is specialized in Strategy, Marketing, Sales, AI, Computer Vision and (Mobile) Video Applications.
Samuel is the CCO and Co-founder at LiveLike. LiveLike helps sports organizations understand their fans more extensively and create better, engaging experiences for them.
With almost 15 years of experience in the sports industry working with clubs, leagues, broadcasters... Samuel loves the sports industry and bridging the gap between big organizations and sports tech.
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 in EMEA/APAC, working with sports organizations, production companies, broadcasters and media companies.
Vice President Finance & Chief Financial Officer
INFRONT SPORTS & MEDIA AG
Soenke ZIEBELL
Vice President Finance & Chief Financial Officer
Soenke Ziebell overseas all finance functions, including controlling, accounting, treasury, corporate finance, structuring & tax, IT and procurement as well as coordination with Wanda Sports Group (WSG). A key member of Infront since 2003, Soenke has held several positions within the company, including Group Treasurer (which he still retains) and Head of Corporate Finance and Controlling. Prior to Infront, Soenke worked as an investment banker for Barclays Capital in London. He is a chartered banker and holds a Diplom-Kaufmann from WHU and an MBA from Lancaster University.
