Should sports arbitrations and tribunals continue to be held in private?

In this episode of The Business Behind Sport we speak with one of the most high-profile sports barristers in England, Nick De Marco to discuss:
⚽ The arguments for and against private arbitrations in sports 
🏆 How do sports differentiate compared to other industries in terms of handling the privacy aspects of arbitrations or tribunals
🏓 How do you balance the perceived “right to know” of fans, the public, and concerned stakeholders with the privacy of the involved parties?
🏀 And much more…

At the Paris Olympics last week, Saudi Arabia submitted plans to build 11 stadiums - including one set 350 meters above ground level - as part of the country's bid to host the 2034 World Cup.

Listen to this episode of #TheBusinessBehindSport recorded live from London International Disputes Week where Jonny Gray speaks with Helen Waddell, Partner at Pinsent Masons, Richard Liddell KC at 4 New Square Chambers, and Jason Baston from Miller Insurance Services LLP to discuss the interactions between ambition, scale, governance, ESG, media, and commercial pressure in delivering ever-expanding global events like the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games. 

Following the previous The Business Behind Sport episode, we continue our conversation on the club acquisition process, but this month we explore the investment and legal considerations.

Jonny Gray is joined by Tom Sheldon, Director at Ovation Corporate Finance, and Ben Hanglin, Partner at Onside Law to look at the deal structure, the legal contemplations throughout the process, and how to deal with any issues that may occur post-acquisition.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

Thinking of buying a Football Club? In this special edition of #TheBusinessBehindSport podcast we are joined by Analytics FC to discuss the steps investors should consider when buying a football club.

With institutional investors and individuals showing more interest in purchasing football clubs, Ankura regulatory and financial risk expert Jonathan Brown and Jeremy Steele, Managing Director of Analytics FC , share their insights into the club acquisition process with Jonny Gray, Senior Managing Director and co-host of The Business Behind Sport and Alex Stewart, Head of Content and host of the Analytics FC podcast.  Collectively they discuss the commercial considerations, financial and sporting due diligence planning, as well as the governance and regulatory issues that prospective investors should consider before, during and after acquiring a football club in Europe.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

Can sports really regulate itself? With talk of independent regulators high on the sports agenda, Jonny Gray is joined by Karena Vleck, General Counsel at World Athletics, and Lorynn Demetriades, compliance specialist and Senior Managing Director at Ankura to discuss compliance programs in sport for The Business Behind Sport.  

In this frank discussion, they also touch on how organizations hit by scandal, like World Athletics, can emerge with better governance and, perhaps most interestingly, how to get ahead of the scandal in the first place.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode of The Business Behind Sport podcast, Jonathan Brown, Senior Managing Director in Ankura's Sport Advisory team speaks with Richard Bush, Partner in Bird & Bird’s Media, Entertainment & Sports Group, and Charli Curran, Senior Director in Ankura’s Risk, Forensics and Compliance team to discuss investigating abuse in sport and the practical and legal considerations that need to be taken into account.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

The need to digitalize the infrastructure sector has been understood for some time, but progress has been slow and the gap is widening quickly. The sheer pace and accessibility of developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recent months – and the alarm that it has caused some tech executives and academics – illustrates its potential power. In this episode, we speak to Jingchao Yang, a software engineering Director in Ankura’s New York office, about: 

• How AI can help close the digital gap within the sector. 
• What the appetite is for the use of new digital technologies in infrastructure and construction. 
• How the industry could benefit from technology such as AI.

Following his keynote speech at MENA Information Security Conference 2023, Senior Managing Director and former FBI Special Agent Ted Theisen, speaks with Kajen Subramoney in the latest edition of The Cyber Series. In this episode, they discuss the development of the cybersecurity sector and the evolution of the cyber threat landscape throughout their careers. Ted shares his insights on his top three points on what people should have front of mind when considering their approach to cybersecurity: 

• Be flexible.
• Plan as if you are being attacked.
• Look outside of your organization.

In this episode, Jonny Gray is joined by Mike Laflin, CEO and Founder of Global Sustainable Sport. Together they discuss:

• Mike’s journey working within the sports industry and what led him to set up Global Sustainable Sport in 2022
• What exactly is "sustainable sport?" 
• The seven pillars of sustainable sport that Mike and his team have established and how these can be measured 

Global Sustainable Sport provides a range of products and services to help sports organizations and individuals develop their sustainability strategies and promote their outcomes and activities. Their latest Sustainability Survey is out now!

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode we turn our heads East to put a spotlight on the emerging opportunities for investment in sports in Asia. Senior Managing Director, Jonny Gray speaks to Jean-Baptiste Roy, Co-Founder of Asia Sports Tech, where they discuss:
 
• Where are the growth areas for participation, broadcast rights, sponsorship, and more in the region 
• What risks should sports and investors think about when considering the market
• How can existing western sports teams and clubs maximize their brands in Asia
• And more… 

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

As we hit the halfway point in the international cricket season for 2023 and as the Ashes series is currently underway, Jonathan Brown speaks to Simon Taufel, Former International Cricket Umpire and 5-time International Cricket Council Umpire of the year, in the latest episode of #TheBusinessBehindSport. Listen to the full episode to hear more Simon reflect on his journey in cricket and his expert insights on: 

•How to achieve excellence 
•Maintaining focus as an umpire and in general
•Dealing with the pressures from players, crowds, TV audiences, officials, and yourself 
•How sport can fix issues around ethics and integrity

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode, Jonny Gray talks to Simon Hallett, majority owner and Chairman of Plymouth Argyle Football Club who was recently promoted into The Championship League. Simon openly discusses everything around owning an English Football League Club and how he and his team managed to take Plymouth Argyle from being a loss-making League 2 (4th Tier) team to one of the most well-run clubs by challenging the "football way" of ownership at every turn. He also speaks about lessons he’s learned along the way, and what follows is a masterclass for existing and future investors in English Football and how they can create a beneficial club for the fans, sponsors, and community stakeholders. 

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

This month on The Business Behind Sport, Jonny Gray speaks to James Stebbing, a Senior Sports Executive who has held General Counsel and Legal roles at Six Nations Rugby, British & Irish Lions, and England Rugby. 

Throughout his career, he has been at the heart of some of the most pivotal moments in Rugby’s recent history, including the impact and response to the Covid crisis and planning for the Nations Cup, a new cross-hemisphere competition launching in 2026, involving 12 of the world’s top international teams.

They discuss:
• The current state of the game
• The financial sustainability of the sport
• Opportunities for commercial growth
• The rise of Women’s Rugby

In this episode, Jonathan Roe speaks with Dom O'Donnell, Managing Director at Infrastructure Matters on one of the key themes in our latest report, From Pandemic to Permacrisis: Infrastructure Perspectives 2023, that was produced in collaboration with Infrastructure Matters. Together they discuss how it is taking longer for major infrastructure projects to get off the drawing board and into the ground, and more about the infrastructure sector in the UK and globally.

Brazil is a country renowned for its love of sport, in particular a love of football. In the latest episode Felix Vetter and Reecha Patel speak with Tiago Gomes, Partner at Ambiel, Belfiore, Gomes, Hanna Advogados, to discuss the impact of investment from new developments in football within the country, such as the new breakaway league, as well as initiatives to improve sports betting regulation and wider governance in sport. 

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode of the Ankura Cyber Series, Adam Horsman speaks with Danny Howett, a Director in the Ankura Cyber Threat Intelligence Team based in London. Danny explains what he does day to day in his role and how gathering and analyzing information for threat intelligence can benefit companies and mitigate any cyber risks. Following the Breach Forums & Genesis Market being taken down by the FBI last month, Adam and Danny share their view on how Threat Actors are adapting to stay a step ahead when leaking data. 

Our guest on this episode of The Business Behind Sport podcast is Lloyd Thomas, General Counsel at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. In this conversation, Lloyd shares his career journey working in-house at football clubs, as well as some of the hot topics and challenges in football including; increases in sponsorships and the reputational risks associated with them, the upcoming initiative to bring in an independent regulator for football, and the idea of introducing a European super-league.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter 

Ankura Data & Technology expert Chris Marks joins Adam Horsman on the Cyber series to discuss Chris' career highlights from his different roles globally, current cybercrime trends that are currently being seen within the Hong Kong region where he is based, and what measures can be made to make sure you or your organization don’t fall victim to any cyber threats.

Contact Chris to find out more about our capabilities and experience in the region > chris.marks@ankura.com

In this special episode of The Ankura Podcast, Jonny Gray speaks to Mhairi Maclennan, GB International Athlete and co-founder of the Kyniska Advocacy, which champions for new and better policies that protect, respect, and celebrate women and girls in sport.

Mhairi shares her story and personal experience of abuse of power within sports and how there needs to be a bigger focus on the need for safeguarding and governance within the sporting industry.

Find out more about the work that the Kyniska Advocacy are doing and how you can help. 

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode of The Business Behind Sport, Jonathan Brown speaks to Ivan Miljković, former Olympic Gold Winning Serbian volleyball captain, about his professional sporting career and what he's up to now. They also discuss current sports business trends such as the use of NFTs, Web3, blockchain and private equity investment into sports just like we have recently seen in volleyball.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode of the Ankura Cyber Series, our host Adam Horsman spoke with Bex Nitert, a Senior Director in our Cybersecurity team in Australia. Together they discuss how Bex began her journey into the cyber industry, some of her biggest accomplishments in her career, and trends within the sector. 

In this episode of The Business Behind Sport, Jonny Gray talks to Duncan Fraser, Global Practice Lead for Sports & Entertainment at Howden Insurance Brokers Ltd about the international sports insurance market which is expected to continue to grow and reach $600 billion in revenues by 2025. They discuss some areas of risk to look out for in 2023 and beyond, such as events and the challenges insuring them, cyber and data and analytics around athlete injuries. 

Duncan also speaks about how he began his journey in the sports industry and his role at Howden Insurance Brokers Ltd. 

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode, Jonny Gray talks to Khalid Ali, Chief Executive Officer of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) about developments in the sports betting industry including its sheer size and revenues. Khalid explains how the IBIA is combatting competition manipulation and match-fixing. We learn more about Khalid and Jonny's views on calls by some for a global anti-corruption agency for sports, similar to the World Anti-Doping Agency. They also discuss international governments' need for standardized legislation to combat match-fixing.  They also speak about the changes in the sports betting landscape in the USA and what challenges may exist with the liberalization of gambling across the country in recent years. 

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

This month on The Business Behind Sport we take another look at safeguarding in the sports industry, this time focusing on investigations. 

Jonny Gray speaks with Megan Griffiths, Barrister at 12 King’s Bench Walk, and Charli Curran, safeguarding and investigations specialist at Ankura, to discuss: 

• What risks should be discussed when cases of harassment and abuse are raised? 
• What does a “good” response look like after receiving reports of harassment and abuse?
• What might be the consequences for organizations, and individuals, if the wrong approach is taken?

In this episode, we discuss sports law with Bobby Hacker, past president and current board member of the Sports Lawyers Association (SLA), a non-profit, international membership organization working to promote the ethical practice of sports law. Bobby provides insight into the rapidly changing U.S. sports landscape including the deregulation of sports betting in the U.S., the seismic shifts in the NCAA following the 2021 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the “Alston Case,” and the data revolution in sports and its implications for athletes’ name, image, and likeness rights and privacy laws. He also discusses the huge U.S. investments into European football and the growth of U.S. rugby ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup to be hosted in the USA.  

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode of – ‘A day in the life of....’ Lewis Pedley interviews Ankura experts Helena Bowyer and Adam Horsman to delve into the intriguing world of cryptocurrency forensics and asset tracing. Key insights:

·       Asset tracing as litigation support through the disputes cycle 

·       Crypto relating to property, companies, and digital assets

·       Incident response, law enforcement and cryptocurrency fraud 

·       Digital forensics on a range of devices 

·       Forensic accountancy and big data analysis 

·       The challenges and opportunities of digital funds and assets 

·       Market-leading tools and technology for tracing and analysis

·       Data refinement and asset value assessment 

·       The importance of firm expert collaboration 

In this episode, we hear from Janette Potgieter, a Managing Director in Ankura’s Data & Technology team in London.  Janette speaks about her inspiring adventure as part of a four-person all-female crew rowing 3,000 miles unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge. Janette discusses how she balanced preparation for the trip around daily life, the highs and lows of 40 days on the water, and some direct lessons in teaming in the workplace that Janette’s experience has provided.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode, we hear from Jonny Gray, who has recently joined Ankura as a Senior Managing Director and key member of the Sports Advisory business. 

Prior to joining, Jonny served as the founding CEO of The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).  Jonny discusses his involvement and reflections on the ITIA's three year project transforming integrity in tennis worldwide, and the importance and value of investing in sports integrity. 

He also offers insight into lessons for other sports when approaching integrity and governance and the role that technology plays in supporting this area. Finally, we hear from Jonny as to what exactly has attracted him back into the world of consulting and the areas he’ll be focusing on in his new role at Ankura. 

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode, we hear from James Kitching, FIFA’s former Director of Football Regulatory and now an independent consultant advising the global sports industry on regulation, governance, integrity, and strategy matters. 

James reflects on how he established a career in the sports industry and the challenges and successes of his time with FIFA, including shaping the regulatory response to the Covid Pandemic when football ground to a halt. As the launch of the much-heralded FIFA Clearing House draws nearer, James also discusses his current role on its Supervisory Board and how it will revolutionise the mechanism for football transfers in the years to come.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode, we hear from Jack Withinshaw, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Air Speeder, the premium electric VTOL flying car racing series. He explains how AirSpeeder has brought an exciting and innovative concept to reality as well as the expectations and challenges experienced when creating a new sport in the 21st century. Jack reflects on whether space exists in the market for a new sport and how AirSpeeder is using technology and augmented reality to attract investment, sponsorships and talent, and revolutionise the way people engage with sport. 

Are you thinking about a career in cybersecurity?

In this cybersecurity and data privacy podcast – ‘A day in the life of....’, Lewis Pedley interviews Ankura cyber–graduate, Franklin Tait. Franklin offers insight into life as an associate on the cybersecurity team and discusses the opportunities he’s had to date to develop his skills and experiences in this fast paced industry. 

Key themes:

• Ankura summer intern and graduate programs – the process and benefits
• Being part of the fast-paced ever-changing cybersecurity landscape
• Mentoring and networking opportunities
• On-the-job training across the full project lifecycle
• Proactive and reactive security engagements
• Technical and soft skills development
• Building cross-sector experience
• Controls, processes, and tools to strengthen security posture

The real question isn’t if a cyber-attack will occur but when, and this can pose a fundamental threat to an organization's value.

In this episode of – ‘A day in the life of....’ Lewis Pedley interviews Ankura expert Danny Howett as he offers insight into life as a Threat Actor Negotiator within our incident response team, and the importance of recovering value for our clients as quickly and efficiently as possible. Key themes:

• Ransomware, web-based attacks, and data exfiltration  
• Cybercrime investigations and law enforcement
• Negotiation techniques, traits, and terms
• Threat actors – Dark web – chat platforms
• Understanding threat actor motivations
• Data back-ups, robust cybersecurity plans, and recovery methods 

In this episode of – ‘A day in the life of....’ Lewis Pedley interviews Ankura experts Jasmin McCabe and Ben Hanson to find out more about working as digital forensic investigators at the intersection of cybersecurity and criminal justice. Key insights:

• Digital forensic investigations services; Digital fraud, litigation, employee misconduct and anti-trust matters
• Expert witness reporting and testimony
• IP theft investigations
• Evidence handling and data collection
• Challenges in the pandemic – remote data collection
• Advice in preserving digital information for legal matters
• Career progression – building technical skills

In this episode of "A day in the life of...." podcast we are celebrating successful and inspirational women across the industry. In conversation with Lewis Pedley, experts Tanya Gross and Holly Shepherd offer insight into their roles in this space and discuss their career journeys being a female in the data, technology and cybersecurity world. Key discussion points:

• Incident response and investigations
• Ransomware incidents
• Threat intelligence research
• Data governance, compliance, and risk management
• Stages of client engagement; how to support victims of cyber-attacks and best ways to manage data investigations
• Career progression – from graduate to leadership
• Advice for women seeking a role in data analytics, e-discovery, cybersecurity and data privacy
• Skills required to succeed in the industry

🚑💡 When healthcare meets innovation, big change happens! 

Ankura healthcare strategy expert Michelle Mader and Ray Anderson, Chief Strategy Officer of Trinity Health talk about the intersection of innovation and transformation to tackle today's tough challenges of clinical integration, nursing shortages, and balancing national leadership versus local decision-making. 

In our cybersecurity and data privacy podcast series – "A day in the life of...." we will be showcasing some of the incredible experts we have at Ankura. Our host Lewis Pedley will interview a special guest to give us a flavor of what it's like to work in the world of cybersecurity and data privacy. Listen to the full conversation with Steve Sandford to find out what life is like in the day of an Incident Responder. Key insights:

• The Incident response life cycle
• Life in law enforcement as a hi-tech crime investigator - to moving into the private sector
• How to support victims of cyber-attacks; scoping the incident, and then assisting with containment, investigation and recovery from the incident
• Common threat actors – Ransomware
• The technologies deployed as part of the investigation
• Patching and vulnerability management
• Incident response plan – mapping company infrastructure
• Career paths in Cybersecurity

In this episode of The Business Behind, Sport Jonny Gray is joined by “the most powerful woman in African football” Abi Ijasanmi, former Chief Operating Officer of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). 

This conversation ranges over the landscape of football on the continent, looking closely at integrity and good governance as well as the improvement of infrastructure, the growth of the women’s game, and the emerging global appeal of CAF’s blue-ribbon events such as the African Cup of Nations; both the male and female editions. 

Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, with much of its growth being driven bottom-up by investors. 

One of those investors, Houman Ashrafzadeh, Founder of Padium, joins Jonny Gray on this episode of #TheBusinessBehindSport to discuss the rise and growth of padel in the UK and worldwide over recent years. Together they discuss: 

• What makes padel different from other racket sports 
• The development of the governance of the sport 
• The commercial opportunities with padel 

Sports are still a very male-dominated space, especially in the boardroom.

In this episode of The Business Behind Sport, Jonathan Brown speaks to two female leaders in the sports industry, Monique Choudhuri Board Director at Women in Football and Rowena Samarasinhe, Managing Director at GENSport.

During this episode, they explore the progress female sports have made over the years, the challenges they face in their careers, the role diversity, equity, and inclusion plays within the industry, and the future of women’s sports as a whole.

Subscribe to The Business Behind Sport

Snooker has always been a popular sport, particularly in the UK, but its rapid growth worldwide has led to a potential global audience of 1.8 billion viewers.

In this episode of The Business Behind Sport podcast, Jonny Gray speaks to Jason Ferguson, Group Chairman & CEO of The World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association (WPBSA) and Director of the World Snooker Tour to discuss Jason’s journey from a player to running the sport worldwide, including his hopes for entry as an Olympic sport in Los Angeles 2028.

Subscribe to The Business Behind Sport

Disputes and investigations expert, Jacqui Record, construction expert, Sena Gbedemah, and cybersecurity specialist, Kajen Subramoney, are joined by Bevan Farmer, Construction and Engineering Partner at Addleshaw in this latest episode to discuss the role of AI and its impact on expert evidence, cost implications in construction disputes, and their views on future trends.

This month on The Business Behind Sport podcast, our Ankura experts discuss the creation of The Hundred Cricket competition, and the England and Wales Cricket Board's (or ECB’s) plans to invite private investment into the tournament. 

Join Alecia Futerman, Jonathan Brown, and Torie Hamilton Wilson as they explore the potential implications for the sport and its stakeholders. Listen now to find out more about the history of the sport, as well as the investment process and strategy. 

Join Ankura’s Lorynn Demetriades and Danny Mayhew, Global Head of Organisational Justice and Smart Assurance at Sanofi on this episode of The Ankura Podcast where they discuss high-stakes investigations, and, in particular, managing crises as they unfold. They discuss:

• The importance of being prepared for crisis-led investigations
• Developing an investigation function within your organisation
• Building a team with the right people and clear responsibilities 
• How to build resilience into an organisation's processes 

In this episode of the Ankura podcast, Lorynn Demetriades sits down with corporate communications and crisis management experts Patricia Rodriguez and Dana White to explore how strategic communication can make or break an investigation's outcome. 

Key insights include:

• The role of strategic communications in shaping public perception
• Collaboration between investigations and communications teams
• Social media's impact on corporate transparency
• New strategies in crisis management

A must-listen for anyone in corporate communications, PR, or crisis management. 

FIFA recently confirmed Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034. 

In this exclusive interview, Jonny Gray speaks to Polly Handford, General Counsel of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) to discuss the local reactions in the Kingdom to the news, as well as what hosting the World Cup means for Vision 2030 and what the organization of the tournament will look like. 

Dive into the latest episode of the Ankura podcast with Sasi-Kanth Mallela as he hosts a discussion with Satnam Tumani, Partner at Edmonds Marshall McMahon, and Tapan Bebnath, Head of Integrity, Regulatory Affairs & Data Privacy - Process Automation at ABB. 

These experts, all former members of the Serious Fraud Office, share their invaluable insights on navigating high-stakes investigations and dealing with global authorities. 

Tune in to discover: 

• How the UK reached its current stance on corporate cooperation with authorities, especially the SFO 
• Real-world experiences of engaging with the authorities 
• Key considerations when deciding to self-report

This month on The Business Behind Sport, Jonny Gray is joined by forensics expert Charli Curran from Ankura and Kat Craig, a multi-award-winning human rights lawyer and the founder and CEO of Athlead, a sports and social impact consultancy.

They discuss trauma-informed governance in sport, focussing on the evolution of safeguarding over the last 10 years. They also address where the gaps in safeguarding in sport are, the importance of the correct stakeholders managing safeguarding and trauma issues, priorities to achieve better governance, and what change looks like for survivors and victims of abuse in sport.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' newsletter. 

Tune into the latest episode of The Business Behind Sport featuring Sarah Lewis OBE OLY, as she shares her journey from Olympic ski racer to influential sports leader, as Secretary General of both the International Ski and Snowboard Federation and the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations. 

As the snow sports season begins, join hosts Jonny Gray and Torie Hamilton-Wilson as they delve into:

❄️ The governance system in international snow sports
🎿 Strengths and areas for improvement within the current framework
🏂 Balancing long-term strategic goals with immediate priorities
🏔️ Addressing the threat of climate change to the future of snow sports

In this first episode of The Impact Exchange, John Frehse sits down with Ankura colleague and change management expert Kevin Cowherd to discuss why change is so important to an organization, why so many of us fail to change and what leaders can do to facilitate effective change.

Listen now to hear more on what leaders can do to successfully lead their organizations through change and transformation.

🎙️✨ After winning the Sports Education award as part of the International Sports Convention (ISC) International Sports Awards, Jonny Gray and Jonathan Brown share some of their favorite moments, key learnings and insights our guests have discussed during previous conversations on this episode of The Business Behind Sport.

This episode is a must-listen! Relive the unforgettable stories that made our show what it is today.