Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan hit the studio again for a wander through the sports industry stories of the week.

On the eve of the Uefa Champions League draw, they’re joined by Uefa Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein to help explain the revamped competition format and the reasons behind the changes.

Epstein also discusses partner reaction to the new-look tournament; 30 years of Champions League brand finessing; the rise of the Women’s Champions League; North America’s growing interest in football and what that means for organisations like Uefa; what he’s looking for in an agency partner, as a new sales cycle looms; and the approach to innovation in a football market that prizes tradition.

Marina Storti has spent over 20 years in the sports industry delivering strategies to accelerate commercial growth, engage diverse fans and impact positive change.

And she’s been bringing all of that experience and expertise to her new role as CEO of WTA Ventures – the commercial arm of the WTA – having previously earned her sporting stripes at Sky and NOW TV.

One year into the role, she joined David Cushnan and James Emmett to reflect on an incredibly exciting time for women’s professional tennis; the partnerships that she’s overseen during her tenure so far - most notably with Saudi Arabia - and how she’s planning to guide WTA Ventures in an innovative new era of the WTA.

This episode is part of the Leaders in Focus series, produced in partnership with IMG.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan take an amble through the sports industry week, joined by Seven League and Rematch Founder Richard Ayers.

They discuss how politics and sport are mixing during the UK General Election campaign, and as French President Emmanuel Macron calls a snap election just weeks before Paris hosts the Olympics.

It’s a free-flower of a conversation, taking in evolving agency models; what Richard plans to digitally transform next; table tennis and badminton’s incessant rise; how government sports policy is formed, and the impact a future UK sports industry trade body could have; creating live, theatrical ‘immersive’ experiences inside and outside sports venues, and the evaporating barriers between the physical and digital worlds.

The Leaders team bring you their thoughts on the current sports broadcast space, along with a Q&A with the NBA’s Head of Fan Engagement & DTC.

The Leaders Broadcast Disruptors Audio Bulletin is a regular podcast for discussion, debate, and exploration around the latest developments in sports content production, distribution and monetisation. 

Leaders Editor-at-Large and Head of Content James Emmett and David Cushnan unpack a Q&A with the NBA’s Head of Fan Engagement & DTC for EMEA, George Aivazoglou, which was recorded back in March at our Leaders Sport Business Summit Abu Dhabi event. Aivazoglou doffs his cap to Fortnite, Nike and Roblox in a fascinating conversation on micropayments, the metaverse, and the process of innovation.

But first, James and David offer their views on the latest happenings in the sports content space, with talk around the issue with subscription models in the midst of a cost of living crisis, Spotify’s big plans in the global sports content space, and what FIFA’s new gaming strategy reveals about the purpose of FIFA+.

Behind the Scenes of the inaugural edition of our 4SE event experience in NYC with two key leaders from Elevate Sports Ventures.

Leaders on the Ground takes you behind-the-scenes at our in-person events – and this one’s a bit different. The Leaders team has been in New York this week, working with our sister companies Sports Business Journal and SportTechie to launch 4SE, a brand-new event experience providing a much-needed opportunity for senior executives to explore and navigate the collision of sport, entertainment, lifestyle and culture.

Leaders Editor-at-Large James Emmett is joined by colleagues Matthew Stone and Javan Odegah in a Manhattan backroom to explain more.

James is also joined by Al Guido, President of the San Francisco 49ers and Chairman and CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures, and Shawn Doss, newly promoted to run Elevate’s international business.

Formed in 2018 in partnership between the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Elevate is a leading consulting firm that has quickly become something of juggernaut in the sports and entertainment sector, and the trio sat down for a conversation about where and how sport meets entertainment in 2022, how an organisation like Elevate fits into that, and the company’s global aspirations.

4SE, at the intersection of sport, entertainment, lifestyle and culture, is due to become an annual fixture in the calendar each year in May. Do join in on all the action by visiting https://4-se.com/#contact to register your interest for 2023.

Leaders Editor-at-large and Head of Content James Emmett and David Cushnan bring you their thoughts on the latest trends and developments in the sports broadcast space.

The Leaders Broadcast Disruptors Audio Bulletin is a regular podcast for discussion, debate, and exploration around the latest developments in sports content production, distribution and monetisation. 

On this episode’s conversational agenda: The long anticipated announcement of DAZN Bet, and how DAZN are differentiating themselves in a saturated market; What is (and perhaps what is not) working with FIFA’s new streaming service; Our critique of the broadcast coverage for the Formula One Miami Grand Prix; Intriguing developments in the Olympic World, and the ramifications for broadcast and production; OneFootball’s huge new investment round and the next chapter of its success story; a quick mention of how, despite UK government pressure, Channel 4 are building up an impressive sport portfolio; and a shout out the impressive growth of Swedish entertainment group NENT.

Next week we will be hosting our inaugural 4SE event in New York, which will be around the intersection between sports, entertainment, lifestyle and culture. We will be opening the week with a Broadcast Disruptors Think Tank, unpacking the D2C conundrum over three facilitated hours. If you in the area and wish to attend, please contact James or David at james.emmett@leadersinsport.com or david.cushnan@leadersinsport.com. 

In this episode, three inspiring advocates for diversity discuss what they have learned about standing firm and speaking out.

Leaders in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) is a monthly series covering news, views, comments and debates happening across the equality, diversity and inclusion space.

This episode features an unmissable conversation led by Shona Crooks, who works as Management Futures Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She is joined by Sarah Cartwright, coach, trainer, speaker and Associate of Management Futures, and by Darnelle Morgan-Johnson, a sports and events professional currently working as the Events Services Operations Manager at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

Within the discussion, the trio offered their valuable insight and practical advice that they have taken away from C-Suite and Future Leader programmes that were delivered by Management Futures as part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series. Among the topics of exploration were setting boundaries and how this may be affected be race and gender stereotypes, psychological safety and how to offer feedback, and the uncomfortableness but cruciality of establishing non-negiotables with leaders.

The Leaders in EDI podcast is part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Meta, which provides a platform for executives within sport to come together to drive diversity across the industry, accelerate the pace of change and inspire the next generation of executives, through thought-leadership events and digital forums. To find out more about the Leaders Meet: Diversity series, please visit https://info.leadersinsport.com/l/856843/2021-04-21/hfhrj.

DFL Digital CEO Andreas Heyden joins the team to reveal how technology is enriching the fan experience.

Leaders Live is our studio talk show on hot button issues facing the industry, featuring interviews with leaders from across and beyond sport. On this episode, we are examining the ultimate matchday experience – what is it, how has it changed, and how can we deliver it?

To provide answers to our burning questions this month: Andreas Heyden. Heyden is the Executive Vice President of Digital Innovation at DFL, and the CEO of DFL Digital, and thus speaks with deep knowledge on smart solutions for enhancing the matchday experience for fans both at home and in-venue. He explains how DFL’s ‘glass to glass’ strategy is revolutionising how the Bundesliga interact with fans, why aiming under the age average will maximise your appeal across all age groups, and the potential of the Metaverse and other developing technology to elevate the fan experience holistically as the present and future converge.

To watch the broadcast in video, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_9sxxs0y08

In this episode, we bring you a conversation on Inclusive Leadership with the CEO of English Football’s leading equality and inclusion organisation. 

Leaders in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) is a monthly series covering news, views, comments and debates happening across the equality, diversity and inclusion space. It also shines a spotlight on the progress being made and the challenges being faced in EDI across sport.  

This episode includes a guest interview with Anthony Burnett, the CEO of Kick It Out. Kick It Out have been working throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change in the game for almost 30 years.  

Having previously had experience in senior roles within organisations such as Ford, Lloyds Banking Group, and the West Midlands Police, and having worked across the world within the EDI Space, Burnett brings a strong, fresh, and global perspective on the topic of inclusive leadership. Within the discussion, Burnett offers fascinating insight on the distinction between re-examining and re-inventing, lists some examples of leaders setting a shining example, and laments the significant negative impact of when imposter syndrome meets longstanding systemic messaging.  

The Leaders in EDI podcast is part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Meta, which provides a platform for executives within sport to come together to drive diversity across the industry, accelerate the pace of change and inspire the next generation of executives, through thought-leadership events and digital forums. To find out more about the Leaders Meet: Diversity series, please visit https://info.leadersinsport.com/l/856843/2021-04-21/hfhrj

Digital expert and newly appointed CEO of Stadion gives his views on the innovations happening in the space. 

The Leaders Broadcast Disruptors Audio Bulletin is a regular podcast for discussion, debate, and analysis around the latest developments in sports content production, distribution and monetisation. 

On this episode, James Emmett and David Cushnan are joined by Russell Stopford, a giant in world of sports digital, who is newly-installed as CEO of digital agency Stadion, following over a decade of leading digital activity at three of football’s biggest clubs, Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.  

In an insightful and informative conversation, the trio dive into the latest happenings in the space, such as the NFL’s plans for a new subscription streaming service, Spotify’s giant sponsorship deal with FC Barcelona and of course, 2022’s biggest buzzword, the metaverse. In the process, Stopford offers his expert perspective on the complexity of developing a huge new project like the NFL’s, the untapped potential in the crossover between sports and music, and the big tech question in the development of the metaverse that demands to be solved.