The Sport Business Summit

Confirmed Speakers

H.E Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi

Chairman, General Authority for Sports, Abu Dhabi

Boutros Boutros

Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand,

Emirates

Lord Sebastian Coe

President

IAAF

Dato’ Windsor John

General Secretary

Asian Football Confederation

Aarti Dabas

Former Head of Media Rights, Broadcast & Digital

International Cricket Council

Keith Pelley

Chief Executive Officer

PGA European Tour

Paolo Bellino

Chief Executive Officer and General Manager

RCS Sport

David Tyler

Chief Operating Officer

DDMC Fortis

Ed Thorne

Partnerships Director EMEA

Hilton

Kim McConnie

Head of Big Bash

Cricket Australia

Olivier Jaubert

Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer

Ligue de Football Professionnel

Peter Silverstone

Commercial Director

Arsenal FC

Marisol Casado

President

International Triathlon Union

John Robinson

President and Chief Operating Officer

100 Thieves

Brad Nierenberg

Chief Executive Officer and Founder

RedPeg

Mark Arthur

Chief Executive Officer

Yorkshire County Cricket Club

Shaji Ul Mulk

Owner

T10 League

Sundar Raman

Chief Executive Officer, Sport

Reliance Industries Limited

Moya Dodd

Chair, Women’s Football Committee

Asian Football Confederation

Houriya Al-Taheri

UAE National Team Head Coach

Asian Football Confederation

Jacques Faul

Chief Executive Officer

Titans

Peter Leible

Head of Global Audiovisual Rights

Bundesliga International

James Pabla

Director of Digital and Social

Lewis Hamilton Management

Ibrahim Al-Kassim

General Secretary, Saudi Arabian Football Federation

H.E Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi

Chairman, General Authority for Sports, Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates’ General Authority for Sports (GAS) seeks, along with various national sports federations and other relevant bodies functioning under its umbrella, to enhance the citizens and expats of UAE’s society to perform sports activities, develop abilities, advance skills and enhance values.
The UAE’s Ministry of Sports was established in 1971. Its broadened responsibilities now include enforcing the government’s sports policy, overseeing sports projects, deepening the sports culture and achieving outstanding sports results.
Major General Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi will be discussing the success of the AFC Cup, which the UAE is hosting in January, and the tournament’s wider impact and legacy.

Boutros Boutros

Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand,

Boutros has been with Emirates for nearly three decades and now oversees one of sport’s biggest sponsorship portfolios.
The airline has a range of major sponsorships across the world, in football, rugby union, tennis, motorsport, golf, cricket, Australian rules and horse racing.
He’ll be discussing the ways in which sport can be an effective way for countries, region and cities to raise profile and increase tourism.

Lord Sebastian Coe

President

Lord Coe is the President of world athletics’ governing body, a role he was elected to in 2015.
He was the mastermind behind London’s successful bid and then the delivery of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as chairman of the local organising committee.
Lord Coe set 12 world records during his athletics career. At the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 he won gold in the 1500m and silver in the 800m, a feat which he repeated in Los Angeles in 1984.

Dato’ Windsor John

General Secretary

Windsor became the AFC’s General Secretary in 2015, after a period as Deputy General Secretary.
He has been with the AFC since 2012 and previously held roles at the Malaysian Football Association, Asean Football Federation and Fifa.
Speaking during the final stages of the biggest international football tournament in the Asian region, he’ll be joining a discussion examining football’s new frontiers.

Aarti Dabas

Former Head of Media Rights, Broadcast & Digital

Aarti Dabas is the Head of Media Rights, Broadcast & Digital at the International Cricket Council and is part of its Leadership team. She led the creation of ICC’s first fan engagement strategy, focused on understanding, growing and monetising the global cricket fanbase.
Recently her role has expanded to include identification and development of brand partnerships focused on using technology and digital for storytelling and connecting with fans.
She is also part of the project team that is working on developing a global strategy for cricket.
Aarti is passionate about women’s empowerment and the role sport plays in growing diversity and inclusiveness.

Keith Pelley

Chief Executive Officer

Keith has headed up the European Tour since 2015 and in that time has pioneered a series of new initiatives including the launch of new formats such as GolfSixes, and shored up longstanding broadcast relationships with the likes of Sky Sports.
He’s also overseen a consolidation of the European Tour’s ambition to become the global golf tour, notably including an early-season Middle East swing which takes in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and now Saudi Arabia.
He was previously President of Rogers Media, where he oversaw a multi-billion media rights contract with the NHL.

Paolo Bellino

Chief Executive Officer and General Manager

Paolo runs RCS Sport and jointly holds the roles of Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, with the goal of reinforcing company activities and increasing its international development.
RCS Sport owns and operates the annual Giro d’Italia cycling race and has operated the Abu Dhabi Tour and Dubai Tour in recent years.
Prior to joining RCS as its General Manager in 2014, he worked as a General Secretary for Italy’s Track and Field Federation and worked with the International Olympic Committee as an Operations Consultant.

David Tyler

Chief Operating Officer

Co-founder of Fortis Sports and COO of DDMC Fortis, the start-up agency that was recently awarded the exclusive commercial rights mandate for the AFC’s national team and club competitions through to 2028.
David has 25 years football industry experience, most recently as CEO of Relevent Sports in New York, leading the global International Champions Cup tournament.
Prior to that he was Managing Director at TEAM Marketing, where he spent 15 years at the heart of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League projects. He has extensive experience in football rights development and commercialisation.

Ed Thorne

Partnerships Director EMEA

Ed heads up Hilton’s partnership team in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa where he oversees the company’s strategic partnerships, including relationships with the likes of the European Tour and McLaren Formula One team.
He previously led the brand marketing team responsible for driving awareness and consideration for six Hilton brands across the EMEA region. He has also worked for Radisson Hotels, IHG, Sainsbury’s and American Airlines in the UK and US.
Ed will be joining a session focused on how major brands use sports sponsorships to tell their story.

Kim McConnie

Head of Big Bash

Kim oversees Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition, focused on delivering fun family entertainment.
Kim joined Cricket Australia after spending 13 years with PepsiCo, where she was Head of Sports Marketing based at the company’s global headquarters in New York.
She’ll be using her expertise in helping to discuss the latest methods for enhancing the fan experience and in particular growing the women’s game.

Olivier Jaubert

Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer

Olivier oversees commercial and marketing activities for Ligue 1, France’s top-level football league.
Before joining the LFP in 2017, he worked in various roles for Nike including the creation of Nike’s merchandising operation in LATAM and as sports marketing director for Nike France.
He will be joining a panel session discussing how football clubs and leagues are adapting and expanding into new territories.

Peter Silverstone

Commercial Director

Peter is responsible for leading the commercial department at Arsenal, which includes media, CRM, partnership development and services, retail, licensing and ticketing.
He is also part of Arsenal’s executive team, which is made up of a group of senior football and non-football executives who are responsible for wider club strategy and other cross functional projects.
Prior to Arsenal, Peter worked for Pitch International as Director of Federation Services and, before that, in investment banking with Morgan Stanley.

Marisol Casado

President

Marisol is the President of the International Triathlon Union. She was a founding member of the organisation in 1989, and was deeply involved during the early years. She has been President since 2008.
Marisol was a founding member of the Mediterranean Triathlon Federation, and the Iberoamerican Triathlon Association. She also has an influential role in the International Olympic Committee.
A Triathlon winner herself, Marisol joins a session focused on sport’s role as a ‘destination builder’.

John Robinson

President and Chief Operating Officer

John is the President and Chief Operating Officer of 100 Thieves, a leading and innovative team in the world of esports.
Before joining the esports team, John has previously worked at Electronic Arts, Kexon, and Bessemer Venture Partners.
John has been brought to 100 Thieves to focus on growing monetisation capabilities and partnerships for the esports organisation.

Brad Nierenberg

Chief Executive Officer and Founder

Brad is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the independent, award winning marketing agency RedPeg. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Chance for Life charity.
Through Brad’s leadership, RedPeg has earned top-25 ranking in Promo Magazine’s Promo 100, top ranking in Inc. Magazine 500, multiple Ex and Promo Awards, and a Best Place to Work honour from Washingtonian Magazine.
Brad will bring his 25 years of experience in event and experiential marketing to the session detailing how brands can thrive in the age of gaming.

Mark Arthur

Chief Executive Officer

Mark runs day-to-day operations at Yorkshire, English county champions in 2014 and 2015.
He is also a former CEO of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and spent 14 years as CEO of Nottingham Forest between 1999 and 2013.
He will be part of the panel focused on global franchise cricket.

Shaji Ul Mulk

Owner

Shaji is the founder of the T10 League, a 10-over cricket competition which launched in the United Arab Emirates in 2017.
The eight-team league has been sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board and co-sanctioned by the International Cricket Council.
Shaji will bring his expertise to the panel discussing global franchise cricket.

Sundar Raman

Chief Executive Officer, Sport

Sundar oversees Reliance Group’s activities across sport, which includes the Mumbai Indians IPL team.
He was previously Chief Operating Officer of the Indian Premier League between 2008 and 2015.
Sundar will join the panel discussing the development of global franchise cricket.

Moya Dodd

Chair, Women’s Football Committee

Moya Dodd is a lawyer, sports administrator and a former vice-captain of Australia’s women’s football team, the Matildas. She played in FIFA’s first ever women’s tournament in 1988.
Twenty-five years later, she joined the governing body of FIFA as one of the first women in its 108-year history.
She currently chairs the Asian Football Confederation’s Women’s Football Committee, working to develop the sport across the continent.

Houriya Al-Taheri

UAE National Team Head Coach

Houriya is a role model who is recognised as playing a leading role in the development of women’s football culture in the United Arab Emirates.
A former goalkeeper, she was the first Arab woman to receive a professional coaching licence and is the current UAE national team head coach, and is also a AFC women’s football committee member
She will be joining a session examining the ways in which women’s football can be further developed and promoted in the Middle East.

Jacques Faul

Chief Executive Officer

Jacques has been CEO of the Titans, the most successful franchise in South African cricket, since 2013.
He is a former acting Chief Executive of Cricket South Africa.
He’ll be joining a powerhouse session of senior cricket executives discussing the rise of global franchises in the sport.

Peter Leible

Head of Global Audiovisual Rights

Peter Leible has been Head of Global Audiovisual Rights at Bundesliga International, since February 2018.
He previously oversaw the Bundesliga’s Asian division from Singapore and prior to that was Managing Director for MP & Silva in the Asia/Pacific territory.
Peter will join a session examining the future opportunities for football in Asia.

James Pabla

Director of Digital and Social

James has headed up the social media and digital department at Project Forty Four, Lewis Hamilton’s bespoke representation company, since 2015.
He has led social media services in a range of award-winning advertising and digital agencies including Mother London and Wickedweb.
With over 21 million highly engaged followers across the world, Lewis Hamilton is the most followed and engaged racing driver in the world on social media.

Ibrahim Al-Kassim

General Secretary, Saudi Arabian Football Federation

Ibrahim Al-Kassim is the General Secretary of Saudi Arabian Football Federation. He started his sport career as Local Media Officer and Local General Coordinator in AFC and the Saudi Professional League.
He had held the position of General Secretary in Ettifaq Sport Club in Saudi Arabia before he was appointed as SAFF General Secretary.
Mr. Al-Kassim set a successful example with the Futsal in his previous club and hope to replicate that success in the federation.

Audience Overview
Brands	10%
Service Providers	20%
Clubs and Leagues	30%
Federations	20%
Broadcasters	10%
Government	10%

Attendee Job Titles
Owner	10%
C-Level	40%
Director	20%
Manager	20%
Other	10%

Sponsors and Exhibitors

View Company Details

Abu Dhabi Cricket Club

Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) is supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council and operates under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan.

ADC was founded on 20th November 1996, with the impressive Zayed Cricket Stadium, considered among the world’s best, being completed in 2005. The Stadium’s inaugural international match was staged between India and Pakistan in April 2006 and was attended by 20,000 enthusiastic fans.

2018 saw the stadium’s biggest season to date with over 75,000 fans flooding the stands throughout the 2018 ACC Asia Cup, Pakistan vs. Australia series, Pakistan vs. New Zealand series and of course the inaugural Abu Dhabi T20 – during which six of the world’s biggest T20 franchises descended upon the UAE capital to vie for championship honours.

Though cricket is at the core of operations, ADC also prides itself on the world class facilities available, catering to sportsmen and women of all ages and abilities from elite international players to community sports enthusiasts.

AWE Sport

AWE Sport is an international sport marketing agency providing Institutions, National committees and Federations with a wide range of services and a high level of expertise.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, AWE Sport is among the market leaders in big event management and sport marketing strategic advisory, with offices in the UK, Italy, Monaco and Saudi Arabia. AWE Sport lays its foundations on the values of sport and on the competences of people who have international formation and experience. This is what allows the agency to efficiently transform strategies into something tangible and concrete.

Blink Experience

It takes many years to build the perfect team, with over 15 years of growth and development Blink Experience has evolved into the Ultimate Innovative Communications Agency.

Our capabilities reach across the region and globally, with our own dedicated offices in 7 markets, and we are still growing. It is this level of commitment, experience and knowledge that have led us to be the Full Service Communications Agency of choice for a huge range of regional, and international brands.

Our services are provided at the highest level across this expanding network, with a team of 60+ experts in everything from creative design to digital engagement, live events to campaign strategy. We consistently deliver exciting, engaging and successful ideas; and we look forward to working with you & welcoming you into our world.

Catapult

Catapult exists to build and improve the performance of athletes and teams. Delivering precision engineering at the intersection of sports science and analytics, Catapult products are designed to optimise performance, mitigate the risk of injury and support return to competition. Today, Catapult has over 300 staff based across 28 locations worldwide, working with over 1,800 elite teams from 37 different sports globally.

Find out more

Flash Entertainment

Based in Abu Dhabi, FLASH Entertainment (#ThinkFLASH) is the region’s largest curator of unmissable world-class events and entertainment. It’s extraordinary festivals, mesmerising music events, world-class sporting events, spectacular stage shows and inspiring community events create memories that last a lifetime and beyond.

FLASH offers comprehensive event management solutions from concepts and designs through to coordinating every stage of production. The company is committed to providing the region with diverse entertainment programmes, grass roots creativity and stimulating the local economy and events’ industry.

FLASH manages a multi-million-dirham portfolio of assets including the du Arena and du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

For more information visit www.thinkflash.ae

Ligue de Football Professionnel

Ligue 1 Conforama is France’s top football competition. Every season, from August to May, the best 20 French clubs compete in an exciting title race! Rich with talented young players, competitive teams and state-of-the art stadiums, Ligue 1 Conforama has become one of the most tightly-contested football championships in Europe. Ligue 1 Conforama is watched by more than eight million spectators in the stadiums and 500 million TV viewers worldwide, each season.
Ligue 1 Conforama is run by the French Professional Football League (LFP) which also organises the Domino’s Ligue 2, the Coupe de la Ligue BKT and the Trophée des Champions (French Supercup).”

MEIS Architects

MEIS Architects is led by Dan Meis, FAIA, one of the worlds most experienced and creative designers of sports and entertainment architecture. Throughout his 28 year career, Dan has designed dozens of sport’s most iconic and successful venues, including Los Angeles’ Staples Center, Paul Brown Stadium, and the new AS Roma stadium. With a focus on creativity and out of the box thinking, MEIS architects is recognised for consistently delivering spectacular architecture that significantly enhances fan experience and the financial sustainability of the venue.

https://www.meisarchitects.com/

Mott MacDonald

We’re a global engineering, management and development consultancy focused on guiding our clients through many of the planet’s most intricate challenges.

The needs of the world’s population are changing fast. Our network of experts, active in 150 countries, finds opportunities in complexity, turning obstacles into elegant, sustainable solutions. By looking at problems from a fresh angle, we aim to add value at every stage, for our clients – you – and the lives you touch every day.

Improvement is at the heart of what we offer: better economic development, better social and environmental outcomes, better businesses and a better return on your investment.

RedPeg Middle East

RedPeg is an independent brand engagement agency based in Washington D.C. and Dubai. We create experiences that delight, inspire, and instantly make an impact. Through insight-led strategy and measurable ROI and KPIs, we ensure that fleeting moments become long-lasting memories. We make it mean more and have been since 1995.

For more information visit https://redpegme.com/

Socios

Socios.com helps football clubs achieve digital transformation through blockchain technology. Socios.com is powered by the Chiliz token ($CHZ), a digital currency that is both an ERC20 utility token on the Ethereum blockchain and BEP-2 token on Binance Chain.

Fan Tokens are specific to a team or a club, and are a finite, digital asset that provides access to an encrypted, immutable ledger of voting and membership rights ownership. The platform has been developed to help sports teams increase fan engagement and achieve essential investment from fan-monetization.

Find out more: https://www.socios.com/

YAS Marina Circuit

Yas Marina Circuit is the United Arab Emirates’ most exciting sporting and entertainment multi-purpose venue. Located on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the circuit is home to the annual Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and much more. In addition to the extensive year-round program of professional and grassroots motorsport events and experiences including Drag and Yas Track Nights, the circuit has emerged as a thriving hub for entertainment and community events in the UAE.

WORKS

We are a design agency, helping global sports brands perform at the highest level. We combine our clients’ knowledge and experience with our skills and expertise, to tell stories, entertain and inform. The perfect team, whether you’re looking for beautifully crafted brand identities, comprehensive guidelines, full stadium roll-outs, emotive promotional movies, broadcast titles or tournament mascots and trophies.

Strategy:
Brand architecture, positioning and management.

Identity:

Corporate identity, look and feel, brand guidelines and applications.

Events:
Tournament and stadium branding, hospitality and fan-zones, mascot and trophy design and CGI modelling.

Motion:
Promotional videos, animation graphics, broadcast titles and LED displays.

Marketing:
Sales decks, merchandising assets, brand activations and ad campaigns.

We’ve delivered for 21 different sports across 39 sports organisations in 6 continents, including 36 World Cups and 27 World Championships.

We’re on top of our game, so you can be on top of yours. www.worksltd.com

Summary

In Partnership With

Main Partners

Missed us in Abu Dhabi?

Confirmed Speakers

In Numbers

Sponsors and Exhibitors

Who Attends?

Get in Touch

The Sport Business Summit

Summary

In Partnership With

Abu Dhabi Sports Council

Main Partners

Arab USF

Nielsen Sports

Missed us in Abu Dhabi?

Confirmed Speakers

H.E Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi

Boutros Boutros

Lord Sebastian Coe

Dato’ Windsor John

Aarti Dabas

Keith Pelley

Paolo Bellino

David Tyler

Ed Thorne

Kim McConnie

Olivier Jaubert

Peter Silverstone

Marisol Casado

John Robinson

Brad Nierenberg

Mark Arthur

Shaji Ul Mulk

Sundar Raman

Moya Dodd

Houriya Al-Taheri

Jacques Faul

Peter Leible

James Pabla

Ibrahim Al-Kassim

H.E Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi

Boutros Boutros

Lord Sebastian Coe

Dato’ Windsor John

Aarti Dabas

Keith Pelley

Paolo Bellino

David Tyler

Ed Thorne

Kim McConnie

Olivier Jaubert

Peter Silverstone

Marisol Casado

John Robinson

Brad Nierenberg

Mark Arthur

Shaji Ul Mulk

Sundar Raman

Moya Dodd

Houriya Al-Taheri

Jacques Faul

Peter Leible

James Pabla

Ibrahim Al-Kassim

In Numbers

Sponsors and Exhibitors

Abu Dhabi Cricket Club

AWE Sport

Blink Experience

Catapult

Flash Entertainment

Ligue de Football Professionnel

MEIS Architects

Mott MacDonald

RedPeg Middle East

Socios

YAS Marina Circuit

WORKS

Who Attends?

Get in Touch