Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast
A podcast from Leaders featuring conversations with major figures in the global sports business. It is hosted by Leaders Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan. Each episode explores the commercial, strategic, and leadership issues shaping international sport. Listeners hear insights from executives and decision-makers across the industry.
Episodes
The return of Olympic host city bidding races; Greek yoghurt's big tennis bet
The International Olympic Committee has revealed the process and timeline for selecting the host of the 2036 summer Olympic Games, and James Emmett and David Cushnan are on hand to discuss why a more open bidding contest is a good thing. They consider the publicly-announced contenders for 2036 - India, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa, Germany, Hungary and Türkiye - ahead of next week's expression
Who's watching women's sport? With Crux Football's Bex Smith
Bex Smith, CEO of multi-club women's football ownership group Crux Football, is the next guest in the series, from Leaders and research agency GWI, exploring demographics, attitudes and priorities amongst fans of women’s sport. GWI’s Director of Research Services Peter Kent joins David Cushnan, to frame up the conversations through GWI’s extensive data on the topic. In this episode, Smith explains
Rwanda's Grand Prix, Manchester City's punishment, and Netflix's next big football play
Netflix has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights in Spain to the 2030 men's Fifa World Cup, a move which underlines its live sports ambition and marks a first foray into football in Europe. James Emmett and David Cushnan are back in the studio after a frantic Leaders Week London to examine the streaming giant's latest move, and reflect on Netflix's VP of Non-fiction Series & Sports Brando R
Microsoft CTO Simon Crownshaw on AI, sport as a crucible for innovation, and how he picks sponsorship deals
Simon Crownshaw is Microsoft’s international factotum: Worldwide Director for Media & Entertainment, CTO, and AI evangelist, he is also the key to the sports and entertainment marketing arsenal at Microsoft.He joins James Emmett to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the sports industry, from content creation and production workflows to fan engagement and the future of media it
Leaders Week London in review: NBA Europe, Alexis Ohanian, Snoop Dogg and other tidbits from Stamford Bridge
The curtain has fallen on Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge, and James Emmett and David Cushnan are joined by an all-star lineup to reflect on the major themes of the Summit. Next League Founder and CEO Dave Nugent, Trippant Founder and CEO Tom Scott and Abe Madkour, Publisher and Executive Editor of Sports Business Journal share their highlights. They include the latest from on and off stage
Leaders Week London - day 1 as it happened: Scott O'Neil, Kevin Demoff, Francesca Bodie and a cast of thousands
As the dust settles on the first day of the Summit at Stamford Bridge, James Emmett and David Cushnan gather their thoughts - and those of guests Shivs Thevarr, VP of Global Partnerships at the Milwaukee Bucks; Francois Westcombe, MD of Ticketmaster Sport EMEA; and Steve Gera, Former President, Grand Slam Track. They reflect on some of the big themes to emerge across the stages and on the floor, i
Addressing critical needs: Inside the PIF sports strategy
Two of the PIF’s most senior sports insiders, Mohamed Alsayyad and Faisal Al Sabah, join the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast this week to unpack the latest iteration of the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s strategy for sports and entertainment.Mohamed Alsayyad is Head of Marketing, Corporate Brand & Strategic Advisory at the PIF. He’s been with the organisation for over 10 years and has seen sport
Who’s watching women’s sport? With Chelsea Women CEO Aki Mandhar
Aki Mandhar, CEO of Chelsea Women, is the first guest in a new series, from Leaders and research agency GWI, exploring demographics, attitudes and priorities amongst fans of women’s sport.GWI’s Director of Research Services Peter Kent joins David Cushnan, to frame up the conversations through GWI’s extensive data on the topic.In this episode, Mandhar explains how Chelsea think about, segment and t
On and on and on: what Mbappé's shoe swap means for the sportwear sector
Sportswear brand On last week confirmed the worst secret in the industry, when it announced Kylian Mbappé as the marquee signing for its new football division.In luring the France and Real Madrid superstar away from Nike, On has thrust itself into mainstream conversation for the first time in its relatively short history. James Emmett and David Cushnan are in the studio to chart the rise of On, an
Scroll Stoppers: what's real anymore? The AI revolution in sports content
How is AI changing the way sports organisations create content, engage fans and unlock new commercial opportunities? It's a question we get into in this episode of Scroll Stoppers, a mini series from Leaders and Ten Toes exploring how to make an impact with digital content. From AI-generated athletes and digital twins to personalised fan experiences and million-strong virtual fan communities, this
Crunch time looms as NBA Europe inches closer
Adam Silver met the press in New York on Tuesday, delivering a much-anticipated, but brief, status report on NBA Europe. James Emmett and David Cushnan, back in London, examine his comments, as the NBA's ambitious project - the talk of the industry on this side of the Atlantic at least - inches forward, and assess where it might leave Euroleague, which for the moment is moving forward with its own
Pull up a Chair: Richard Thompson on delivering memorable moments for prospects and clients
Richard Thompson wears several hats - Chair of M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment and the England & Wales Cricket Board among them - but it’s his role chairing hospitality giant Levy UK & Ireland, parent of Lyvera, that’s the focus of this conversation with David Cushnan.Thompson casts his eye over the trends influencing the sector right now, and those he’s anticipating, as he reflect
Why Charlie XCX's Brat Summer is the perfect sports marketing template
The annual Two Circles EMEA client summit took place in London this week; hundreds of the agency's partner organisations - drawn largely from across the world of sporting rights holders - convened to discuss aspects of the central theme of fandom. The concept of fandom in sports and entertainment - and different approaches to building it and monetizing it - is the thread that links a series of con
Power and influencers: Ranking the Grand Slams
Fresh off the back of a whirlwind fact-finder to New York, James Emmett returns to the studio alongside David Cushnan with his observations from the US Open.As the tournament grows - physically and as a New York social and cultural occasion - they consider the impact of the $800 transformation project at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which will conclude next year, on the fan experience and corporate offeri
Madrid's big F1 moment looms; What should we call DAZN these days
Just over a week out from the first Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit in Madrid, David Cushnan and James Emmett are back in the studio to discuss why it could become one of the most important - and commercially powerful - events on the F1 calendar. They also consider how to define DAZN in the wake of its acquisition of commercial distribution platform Everpass, and the closing of its d
Everton’s Aaron Duckmanton: Life as a Premier League club Chief Revenue Officer
Aaron Duckmanton, Chief Revenue Officer at Everton, sits down with David Cushnan as the Premier League club begins its second season at Hill Dickinson Stadium.In a wide-ranging conversation recorded just before the start of the new season, Duckmanton explains the vision for building out the sports and entertainment events roster at the new stadium, including major concerts, and what he’s learnt ab
British Cycling Ventures' Darren Henry: Proving a new model for how governing bodies can be structured
British Cycling Ventures is the new commercial offshoot of British Cycling, set up to give the national governing body more agility and ultimately increase revenues. Darren Henry, who has been with British Cycling since 2021, is heading up the entity as Managing Director, and he joins David Cushnan in the studio to explain the rationale and reality. Henry explains how British Cycling Ventures is l
Felicity Shankar: why every major event wants a hospitality house
What exactly is a hospitality house, and why has it become a fixture at the world's biggest sporting events?This week on Leaders Worth Knowing, James Emmett sits down with Felicity Shankar, CEO of The iLUKA Collective, one of the sports industry's leading experiential agencies. Fresh from delivering FIFA House in New York during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Felicity explores how hospitality houses hav
Applying US know-how; empty seats; and who’s up for a Fifa election campaign?
As the Leaders Week London agenda goes live, James Emmett and David Cushnan are in the studio to predict what might be the big talking points when global sport does business this October at Stamford Bridge. The prospect of a contested Fifa Presidential election makes the list, as Gianni Infantino battles on and three confederations - Uefa, CONCACAF and the AFC - seek a challenger.There’s time too
Carlos Ezpeleta and Guenther Steiner: How MotoGP is handling its new American investors
MotoGP's Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta and Guenther Steiner, the new CEO and Co-Owner of the Tech3 MotoGP team, join David Cushnan to discuss how the world's leading motorcycling series in entering its new era, following F1 owner Liberty Media's acquisition last year. Ezpeleta explains how the changes made so far, some more visible than others, are designed to supercharge the championship
What can and can’t be sold? And other questions Gianni Infantino might be asking himself
As Gianni Infantino fights for his future as Fifa President, following a remarkable week in world football politics, James Emmett and David Cushnan reconvene to consider what’s happened and what may happen next.They review the model - setting up a new entity to house a governing body’s commercial activity - Infantino proposed, where and why it’s worked in other sports, and the missteps he’s made t
Belinda Moore: The Growth Director at the Hundred on a new dawn for short form cricket
The Hundred, the ECB's short-form cricket series, is into its sixth season, but it's being billed as another 'season one'. Fresh from selling off majority stakes in the eight competing franchises, the ECB is ushering in a new era for its unique - and uniquely positioned - summer tournament. The sell-off process raised more than £500 million for English cricket's governing body, and brought about a
Andy Burnham and the big UK sports jobs; what next for the Commonwealth Games?
As Andy Burnham takes up the reins in the UK, James Emmett and David Cushnan consider the raft of big jobs available in British sport - including successors to Juliet Slot and Sally Bolton at Arsenal and Wimbledon, and potential roles running NBA Europe and the 2035 Fifa Women's World Cup. Elsewhere, there's the final word on the World Cup - hydration breaks, Gianni Infantino - and a first look ah
Charlie Buck: the Lyvera CEO on the value of 'roaming' and other sports hospitality trends
What are the most compelling hospitality experiences in sport? Who's buying what, when and why? And what can rights holders do to deliver more value to their premium clients. These were the key questions put to Charlie Buck on the latest Episode of Leaders Worth Knowing. Buck is the CEO of Lyvera, a collection of businesses focused on creating and marketing premium experiences to sports fans. It w
New York, Birkdale and everywhere in between: where sports industry bigwigs are spending the weekend
The world of football administration, business leaders, celebrities and assorted VIPs are poised to descend on New York this weekend, ahead of the Fifa World Cup final. James Emmett and David Cushnan convene to discuss the who and why, and dig into the success of Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Fest, the four-day celebrity-studded collectibles festival, which is pitching up this week in the city. They al
Bruin Capital's George Pyne - how to raise money, then spend it, build businesses up, then exit with grace
Investor George Pyne, Founder of Bruin Capital, joins the show to share his thesis for sport and his rationale for targeting what he calls 'second level enablers' - the companies a layer below the headline-grabbing team and league properties. In a wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on 12 years of Bruin, the investment firm he set up following a career that including a stint as COO of NASCAR be
The Cannes Debate: how did PSG crack the cultural crossover code?
PSG Chief Revenue Officer Richard Heaselgrave joins the show to lift the lid on how PSG have built value through an imaginative approach to brand identity and creative partnerships. Heaselgrave joined PSG in May 2025 after stints leading commercial teams at World Rugby, Tennis Australia, the EFL, the NBA, and Uefa. He joins co-hosts James Emmett and Alex Charkham, who runs strategy and consulting
Rights and wrongs: How Sky and ITV might shake-up sports media; Fifa's World Cup shenanigans
As Sky confirms its £1.6 billion deal to acquire ITV, James Emmett and David Cushnan assemble to consider the possible ripple effect on the UK sports rights market. Are we poised for a new era of creative collaboration and shared production? Elsewhere, there's reflections on this week's conversation with Tony Godsick, Roger Federer's agent, and how working with superstar talent - and the building
Tony Godsick: Tennis turbulence, finding a place for the Laver Cup and the business of Roger Federer
Few know the business of tennis as well as Tony Godsick, the long-time agent of Roger Federer and one of the founding fathers of the Laver Cup. As preparations continue for the ninth edition of the North America versus Europe men's team event, at London's O2 Arena in September, he explains the rationale for creating the event, alongside Federer, and how its commercial performance is maturing. Gods
NBA Europe - the reality behind the franchise sales; plus under-the-radar moves from FIFA and the EFC
Two Circles CEO and Founder Gareth Balch joins James Emmett and David Cushnan, on location at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, to cast an expert eye over the week in global sports business.Under discussion: the latest public uttering and industry chatter on NBA Europe - with work ongoing to sell the franchises, how realistic is the NBA’s suggested October 20207 start date?There’s reaction to t
Overlooked and underinvested - Matta's Marina Logacheva on the missed opportunity in disability sport
Marina Logacheva is the Disability Sports Lead at the Matta sports marketing agency. A keen amateur athlete, Marina was training for an Ironman in 2020 when she became a tetraplegic wheelchair user following a traumatic fall. Here in the UK, July is Disability Pride Month, in which Visbility, intersectionality and disabled leadership are all celebrated. Those topics were on the agenda during my ch
Royal Ascot and Wimbledon: Dressing up for Britain’s summer season of sport
Fresh from a trip to Cannes, to take in the brands, celebrities and agencies this week at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, James Emmett provides David Cushnan with a postcard of who was there and why.Elsewhere, what does Royal Ascot’s formal dresscode say about the event? And is Ascot’s grandstand facility one of the most underrated in all of sport? Plus as the area around the Leaders stud
The Cannes Debate: Why sport is becoming marketing’s most powerful platform
The Cannes Debate is a three-part series exploring sport’s growing role at the centre of media, marketing and culture.Hosted by Leaders Editorial Director James Emmett and Alex Charkham, who runs strategy and consulting for global sports and entertainment marketing agency, Fuse, the series digs into why sport has become one of the most powerful tools in modern brand-building.Recorded live from Can
The Cannes Debate: what is sport's place at the 'Festival of Creativity'?
What's the point of Cannes for the sports industry? As the marketing world prepares to descend on the French Riviera for the annual 'festival of creativity' that is Cannes Lions, sport has becoming increasingly central. Kenny Annan-Jonathan, the newly installed Cannes Lions Sports Director, joins co-hosts James Emmett and Alex Charkham, who runs strategy and consulting for global sports and entert
Normalising hydration breaks; how F1 finessed its hosting model
With the World Cup in full swing, James Emmett and David Cushnan pause and reflect on the hydration breaks, introduced for this year’s tournament, and the new commercial avenue they’ve opened up - and ponder where they might be seen next, as fans and broadcasters, like them or not, get used to the concept.They also reflect on this week’s conversation with Louise Young, F1’s Chief Race Promotion Of
Louise Young - F1's Chief Race Promotion Officer on the delicate dance of supply and demand on the series' global calendar
Louise Young is responsible for the F1 calendar. The Australian lawyer and her team manage the motorsport series' relationships with promotor organisations around the world. They are responsible for bringing in new races onto the calendar; for negotiating contracts with existing race promotors; and for ensuring that host venues meet all the requirements - safety, racing, logistical, commercial, fa
The World Cup lands at last: Opening week pointers, ongoing concerns and online dominance
As the Fifa World Cup finally kicks off in Mexico City, James Emmett and David Cushnan run the rule over the major business storylines, commercial implications and ever-present politics to keep eyes on in the opening phase of the tournament. Building on the first edition of Scroll Stoppers, our new series on digital content with Ten Toes, they consider who the breakout content stars in and around
Scroll Stoppers: World Cup Special
What does it actually take to win on social at the biggest tournament in sport? In this opening episode of Scroll Stoppers - a new series from the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast exploring how to make an impact with digital content - Henry Breckenridge, Senior Content Manager at Leaders is joined by Ten Toes Founder & CEO Ben Weisfeld to unpack how the industry is gearing up for a World Cup lik
In praise of Josh Kroenke; Rethinking the pre-game concert model
In the red afterglow of Arsenal’s Premier League title win and celebratory parade in North London, James Emmett and David Cushnan shine a light on Josh Kroenke’s role in the multi-club, cross-sport success story that is Kroenke Sports and Entertainment.They also reflect on the winners elsewhere across Europe as the club football season ends.Also on the show, reflections on James’ conversation with
Anurag Dahiya - the ICC CCO on growing reach and revenue in new and uncompetitive markets
Anurag Dahiya has been Chief Commercial Officer at the ICC since 2020. He is responsible for all revenue generating activities at cricket's global governing body and looks after a portfolio of events ranging from short format T20 world cups through to newly established World Test Championships.Formerly of Singtel and ESPN Star Sports, Dahiya joined us as a speaker for the latest edition of the Ind
Jennifer Mackesy and Julie Uhrman: the bold business case for 7-a-side women's football
This week, London is the stage for the third edition of World Sevens Football, the pioneering 7-a-side women's football competition, and Co-Founders Jennifer Mackesy and Julie Uhrman broke into preparations to join David Cushnan in the studio to discuss the concept and its creation. Eight WSL clubs will compete at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium for a prize pot of $1.5 million. Mackesy, who ha
Deciphering India’s major event plans; who will succeed Sally Bolton at Wimbledon?
India’s appetite and readiness to host major global events was one of the main topics at this week’s Indian Sports Summit in Bangalore, and James Emmett is on the ground with the mood and the colour from on and off stage.With the IPL in full swing, there’s the latest on the league’s media rights planning and what its strategy might be in a changing domestic market, and James has the inside line on
Ross Hutchins - a new CEO for a new era at the International Tennis Federation
Ross Hutchins is six months into the role as CEO of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).A former player, Hutchins retired in 2014 and went on to play numerous player-focused roles at the ATP. He replaced Kelly Fairweather in the role as the top executive at the global governing body of tennis in October last year.He joins the show this week on the back of news that Visa has renewed as a part
How many franchise-based series can sport handle? Should teams and athlete be writing newsletters?
The quest to influence and monetise audiences is the core mission for much of the sports industry, and this week James Emmett and David Cushnan reflect on James’ podcast conversation with Liz Wynn, Chief Supporter Officer, at the Guardian - and in particular how the organisation has used newsletters to build direct, meaningful relationships with readers. It sparks a discussion about whether teams
The power of direct connection in audience monetisation: a Guardian Media Group case study with Chief Supporter Officer Liz Wynn
This episode is a masterclass in driving digital revenue through structured and sophisticated commercialization methods, purpose-led campaigns, and behavioural-psychology informed techniques. Liz Wynn is the Chief Supporter Officer at the Guardian Media Group. Having had a varied career in telecoms and broadcast media - working at the likes of Orange, EE, and Sky, she joined the Guardian in 2023 t
Cycling’s precarious business model untangled; and who wore what to the Met Gala (and why)
On the eve of the Giro d’Italia, the first grand tour of the cycling year, James Emmett and David Cushnan unpack professional cycling’s business model and examine the tensions at the heart of it.Reflecting on James’ conversation with INEOS-Grenadiers CCO Tom Hill, they discuss the dominant role of Tour de France-organiser ASO in the sport, and the efforts the UCI WorldTour teams are making to try
Tom Hill: the INEOS Grenadiers CCO on how he signed a €100m AI sponsorship
As of the start of the 2026 Giro d’Italia this weekend, the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team will be known as Netcompany-INEOS.Last week, the team - one of the most successful in elite road cycling - announced a new sponsorship deal with Danish tech and AI firm Netcompany.INEOS, team owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s giant chemicals company, had yielded the main naming position for a deal reported as worth €
The sprint to make more of marathons; Turkey rejoins F1's crowded calendar
After a record-shattering London Marathon, James Emmett and David Cushnan take a look at the ways in which marathons are being packaged and commercialised - and why, after 1.1 million applications this year in London, there's such a thirst for participating. They examine plans for next year's London Marathon to become a two-day, two-marathon affair; London Marathon Events' recent acquisition of th
Back and forth with Table Tennis England CEO Sally Lockyer: World Championships, China dominance and the NGB commercial conundrum
Table tennis hits London and the podcast this week, as the city hosts the World Team Table Tennis Championships and Table Tennis England CEO Sally Lockyer joins the show. The Championships which include 64 men's and 64 women's teams are competing at two London venues, the Copper Box and Wembley's OVO Arena over the next fortnight. Lockyer has been front and centre of the preparations, heading up t
LIV Golf’s legacy and future; and the women who should be running Premier League clubs
After a week dominated by speculation about LIV Golf’s future, amid a swirl of rumour about PIF’s continued financial support, James Emmett and David Cushnan attempt to unpick what’s happening and why.Leaning on the conversation with R&A CEO Mark Darbon this week, they consider what the impact and legacy of LIV Golf is, as the PGA Tour, now stewarded by Brian Rolapp, proposes changes to its st
Mark Darbon: the R&A CEO navigating golf’s disrupted ecosystem
The R&A is one of golf's governing bodies, guardian of the rulebook, and the organiser of the world's oldest Major, The Open Championship. As CEO for the past 18 months, Mark Darbon has been busy reframing the organisation's vision to grow the game around the world, and diving into the disrupted, sometimes fractured, world of professional golf.In this extended conversation, David Cushnan chats
What do you get when you buy Mark Goldbridge?
Gary Neville’s The Overlap, now majority owned by Global, has acquired the watchalong YouTube channels run by Mark Goldbridge, a significant moment in the independent football content space.James Emmett and David Cushnan dissect this week’s news and consider what Global, the radio and outdoor advertising giant, is buying as it builds out its sport and podcast arms.There’s also reflections on the f
Meet the other World Cup hosts: James Johnson on why Canada will be the tournament's legacy story; Club América's COO on Mexico's lively sports market
With the US taking the lion's share of the headlines, you could be forgiven for forgetting that Mexico and Canada are also co-hosting the upcoming Fifa men’s World Cup.While the US will host 78 of the 104 games, Mexico and Canada will each stage 13 games, in Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Vancouver and Toronto.On the sidelines of March’s Business of Soccer event in Atlanta, David Cushnan sat
The contrarian outlook that makes the Masters so great
The first major of the golfing season takes place this weekend. It's a fixture on the global event calendar, the first real harbinger of a major sporting summer, and arguably the finest example of sports marketing strategy in action.In this episode of the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast, James Emmett is joined by MSQ Sports + Entertainment founding partner Steve Martin to pinpoint why and how the Ma
The new Knights of the Round Table - US sports ownership as honours system; and how to activate at the World Cup
Arthur Blank remains a compelling public speaker, even into his ninth decade.The Atlanta sports doyen was one of a clutch of US sports owners on stage and wandering the halls at the Business of Soccer event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last week.David Cushnan was also there, and on his return to the Leaders studio in London, he teams up again with James Emmett to talk about what makes the billionaire
Big brands at the big tournament: How Walmart, The Home Depot and Mondelēz are planning their World Cup summer
With the World Cup just a few weeks away, tournament and team sponsors are rolling out activation plans across the United States, Canada and Mexico. A trio of senior brand executives sat down with David Cushnan, on the sidelines of Sports Business Journal and Leaders’ Business of Soccer event in Atlanta last week, to run through their activation plans, hopes and targets for the upcoming tournament
The IPL at another turning point as RCB is sold; engineering atmosphere at sports events; and celebrating the crowds at LIV
On the eve of the IPL's 19th season comes confirmation that its defending champion franchise - in both the men's and women's competitions - has been sold by Diageo to a conglomerate led by Blackstone and its serial team-buying chairman David Blitzer. David Cushnan and James Emmett dig into the details of the sale, and reflect on the latest iteration of the IPL as it heads into the penultimate year
DJ Skee: Sport's least likely entrepreneur on discovering Kendrick Lamar, then selling snow to a Philadelphian
DJ Skee - also known as Scott Keeney - has carved out one of the most unconventional careers in modern entertainment. From discovering future stars like Kendrick Lamar to becoming the first DJ to perform live at NFL and NASCAR events, he has spent two decades operating at the crossroads of music, media and sport.Today, he leads The Realist, a fast‑growing memorabilia company partnering with major
Is the US a good host? Do democracies and major events make good bedfellows? And why and how the NBA is set on expansion
With the Fifa men’s World Cup looming ever closer on the horizon, James Emmett and David Cushnan consider the tensions between US host cities and Fifa’s central organising committee over who pays for what and the overall value exchange around staging games - and the particular challenges Fifa is facing by staging this year’s tournament in three democracies.They reflect on James’ conversation with
Bay Area Host Committee CEO Zaileen Janmohamed on knowing when to follow your gut to make a public speaking impact
Zaileen Janmohamed was only a few weeks in the job when she found herself in a windowless room, standing in front of 32 of the most powerful people in America. With just ten minutes on the clock, it was her first to task as CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee to pitch for the hosting rights for the 2026 Super Bowl. She decided to throw the templated stump speech in the trash and go with something b
The glass of whisky that shaped an industry and other big ticket items from Leaders Meet: Innovation 2026
The sharpest operators in sport met the smartest minds from other sectors at Leaders Meet: Innovation in London this week, and James Emmett and David Cushnan are on the ground at 180 Studios bending the Chatham House Rule as far as possible to share a little about what they saw and heard. They reflect on a few of the standout presentations and panels, including a leadership masterclass from PizzaE
Champions League changes explained; why Relevent replaced Team; and how Zuffa is giving boxing its latest shake-up
As the Dana White-fronted Zuffa Boxing, backed by TKO and Saudi's Sela, makes its move to dethrone promotional giants Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions, James Emmett and David Cushnan consider the latest disruption in the fight game and Turki Alalshikh's role as chief string-puller. They also reflect on their conversation with Uefa Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein and European Foot
Charlie Marshall and Guy-Laurent Epstein push UC3 into the limelight
UC3 Co-Managing Directors Charlie Marshall and Guy-Laurent Epstein join Leaders Worth Knowing this week to shine some light on an organization that has been quietly pulling the strings of European football in the shadows for a little while. It was set up in 2017 as a joint project between what was then the European Clubs Association (ECA) and Uefa to consult on the commercialization of European cl
How reliant is sport on its army of volunteers? And how to assess Gianni Infantino’s first 10 years at Fifa?
Over 40,000 people volunteer at Parkrun events worldwide each week, with around 20,000 in the UK alone, which prompts James Emmett and David Cushnan to discuss sport’s reliance on volunteers to help run - and effectively help market - big events.They reflect on this week’s podcast interview with Elizabeth Duggan, Parkrun’s CEO, and on the word of mouth-driven success story it’s become in the UK an
Parkrun CEO Elizabeth Duggan on the magic of the model underpinning the participation sensation
Elizabeth Duggan is approaching one year in the role of CEO at Parkrun, the volunteer-led running organisation that is held up as a blueprint for sports participation in the UK. Duggan and her team do a lot with a little. What started 21 years ago as one man - Paul Sinton-Hewitt - looking for company on a 5km run around Bushy Park in London has blossomed into a global community of 'fun-runners'. P
What would a tennis merger achieve? And what now for Wasserman?
The proposed merger between the ATP and WTA remains on the table, but as James Emmett and David Cushnan discuss, the time it's taking to finalise tells its own story. On this week's show, there's reflections on conversations with Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, the commercial arm of the WTA, and Eno Polo, the new CEO at the ATP - and the challenges tennis faces with calendar congestion, balanc
Addressing critical needs: WTA Ventures CEO Marina Storti
WTA Ventures CEO Marina Storti joins the podcast to review a transformative year for women's tennis. She takes us inside the process of landing Mercedes-Benz as a new headline partner, in what is being widely reported as the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of women's sport. She details the gains the tour has made across its digital output and in its internal structure. And she explains the
Addressing critical needs: ATP CEO Eno Polo
ATP CEO Eno Polo joins the podcast to reflect on his first 100 days in charge of the men's tennis tour. The Kenyan sets out his strategic priorities in what could end up being a transformative year for tennis, with a merger between the ATP and the WTA firmly on Polo's agenda. He also outlines the support that the PIF brings to the tour's work with its players, particularly through its sponsorship
Are we at peak F1? Is the Super Bowl a gig with a sporting support act? Is the IOC's TOP model fit for purpose?
James Emmett and David Cushnan look ahead to a new Formula 1 season and another potentially seismic shift in the sport. With significant gains in audience and commercial growth for the motorsport series in recent years, teams have felt the trickle down benefit, logging their own commercial gains. With the biggest set of rule changes for over a decade coming into force this season, the playing fiel
Aston Martin F1 MD Jeff Slack on the twists and turns required to reach the top
As F1 pre-season testing gets underway in Bahrain, Jeff Slack, Aston Martin F1's Managing Director of Commercial and Marketing, lifts the lid on how the team intends to reach the front of the grid. He reflects on the way the team has grown to over 1,100 people since it was rebranded as Aston Martin in 2021, its move into a new purpose-built facility at Silverstone and, after a 7th place finish in
The sports venues looking every which way to expand; will a dispersed Winter Olympics work?
James Emmett in Brisbane and David Cushnan in London reflect on conversations with Australian Open CEO Craig Tiley and his top team, and explain how the expansion - outwards and upwards - of Melbourne Park hints at a new trend across sport's major events - and opens up the opportunity to create new sponsorship, entertainment and fan-friendly spaces. There's also time to look ahead to the Winter Ol
Craig Tiley's dream team: the Australian Open according to the people that run it
As the dust settles on a tournament that attracted a record 1.3 million attendees, we explore the inner workings of the Australian Open in a special episode. James Emmett spent the weekend on the ground at Melbourne Park, as Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina claimed the big prizes, to find out how the AO operates, as a tennis and social event, and a best-in-class fan experience. James sits down wi
The curious case of wearables in tennis; A new era of British Olympic sports leadership
The world’s top tennis have been barred from wearing Whoop wearables at the Australian Open, reigniting a debate over who owns personal performance data.James Emmett is on the ground in Melbourne for this week’s show, with David Cushnan back in the UK, to examine the various cases for ‘owning’ that data.They also reflect on recent events in Saudi Arabia, as well as the Public Investment Fund’s glo
Addressing critical needs: PIF’s sponsorship leader Alanoud Althonayan on the rationale driving its major sports partnerships
Alanoud Althonayan, Director and Head of Events and Sponsorship at Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, joins the podcast to explain PIF’s sponsorship strategy and dig into its current key partnerships. In the first episode of a new series exploring PIF’s growing sponsorship portfolio, Alnothayan sits down with David Cushnan in Riyadh for an extended conversation, outlining what PIF looks for in
The investors looking at NBA Europe; what’s going on with NFL stadiums?
The NBA’s private event in London on Monday saw investors and other interested parties gather to learn more about the league’s plans for its European league; how is the project starting to come together and what happens now? James Emmett and David Cushnan unpack the latest on a potentially game-changing project, and reflect on James’ in-depth conversation with British & Irish Lions CEO Ben Cal
British & Irish Lions CEO Ben Calveley: the art and science of incentivizing stakeholders
British & Irish Lions CEO Ben Calveley reflects on a record-breaking tour of Australia in 2025, and looks ahead to the inaugural women's Lions tour of New Zealand in 2027. The Lions - one of the most idiosyncratic entities in world sport - is the organization set up to manage the occasional rugby union side of the same name. Players are drawn from England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland to compe
Where Fanatics finds its next billion; why the AO is sport’s fan-friendliest event
Fanatics chief Michael Rubin thinks a new credit card could generate his company’s next billion dollar revenue stream, but could content and his new Fanatics Studios venture also be a contender? James Emmett and David Cushnan delve into the new projects, and reflect on David’s conversation with Chris Bryant, MD of Euro 2028. They also examine the raft of innovative, fan-friendly ideas the organise
Euro 2028 MD Chris Bryant: Running major events in a new era of power politics
Euro 2028 Managing Director Chris Bryant joins the show to share how preparations for the tournament are going.He'll share how he and his growing team are working with multiple Football Associations, governments and Uefa to bring the tournament, which will be played in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, to life - and how his experience of running the Wembley part of Euro 2020 and the whole of W
How the NFL's MD of International sees the world
Gerrit Meier, the NFL's Managing Director and Head of International, is on the line from New York, to reflect on another season of games played around the world and the league's wider international ambitions. He reviews games played this season in London, Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and Sao Paulo, and explains how the NFL approaches operating in new markets, from commercial activity to fanbase developm
What life’s like as a football club CEO in Saudi Arabia
Esteve Calzada, CEO of Saudi Pro League giant Al Hilal, assesses the evolution of football in the Kingdom, as he welcomes Leaders’ Content Director David Cushnan to the club’s corporate office in Riyadh. Al-Hilal SC is Saudi Arabia’s most successful football team, and has clubs in over 20 sports. In a wide-ranging conversation, the former City Football Club executive offers his advice to sports in
