The Sport Business Summit

Scott O’Neil is the Chief Executive Officer of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, an organization with the mission of becoming the most impactful sports and entertainment company in the world through the pursuit of innovation and performance, the industry’s most passionate and driven executives and engagement in the communities where its properties live, work, play and win. O’Neil is responsible for the organization’s leadership, strategic vision, operations and growth, including the pursuit and acquisition of sports, entertainment and consumer-facing properties.

He is the acting Chief Executive Officer over all properties within the organization’s portfolio and under the ownership of Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, including: the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the New Jersey Devils (NHL), Prudential Center, a top five-ranked performance venue in the U.S. located in Newark, New Jersey; Team Dignitas, an internationally renowned esports team, the Sixers Innovation Lab Crafted by Kimball, the GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center, the Delaware 87ers (NBA G League), and the Binghamton Devils (AHL).

• Richard Masters was appointed Interim Chief Executive of the Premier League in December 2018.

• He oversees all elements of the League’s operations and is responsible for the continuing success of the most watched football league in the world.

• Richard has worked in the UK sports marketing industry for more than 25 years and joined the Premier League in 2006, as Director of Sales and Marketing.  In July 2015, Richard took on the role of Managing Director, where his core responsibilities included leading the Premier League’s commercial sales processes, partnership management, digital operations and overseeing international events.

• Prior to joining the Premier League, Richard was Commercial Director at The Football League for five years, and before that he worked for the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Chloe Targett-Adams is the Global Director of Promoter and Business Relations for Formula 1. In her role, she is instrumental in helping to shape the future of the sport, and drive strategic and commercial growth for the group.

Chloe oversees race promotion commercial operations for the organisation and is responsible for one of the primary revenue streams for Formula 1. She is the key contact point for Formula 1 race promoters and new race opportunities. Her responsibilities cover the entire Formula 1 global footprint which currently spans 21 races across five continents.

As CEO of NBA China, Derek Chang oversees all of the league’s basketball and business development in China, including television, digital media, media licensing, marketing partnerships, social responsibility and events including NBA China Games, and extensive fan engagement and community enrichment activities.  He leads a staff based in the NBA’s Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong offices.

Chang spearheads the NBA’s effort to expand its presence in China as the preeminent sports league in the country.  The league has a 32-year partnership with CCTV, 22-year partnership with SMG/BesTV, along with the groundbreaking collaboration with Tencent and a strong lineup of digital media partners including Alibaba, Bytedance, China Mobile and Weibo.  The NBA is also focused on basketball and youth development as Chang’s team works with the Chinese Ministry of Education to grow the game throughout the country.

Before joining the NBA, Chang was the Head of International Lifestyle Channels at Scripps Networks Interactive based first in Singapore and then London.  Prior to Scripps, Chang was Executive Vice President of Content Strategy and Development at DIRECTV, where he oversaw all content acquisition and production.  He previously held senior executive positions with Charter Communications, the YES Network and TCI Communications.  He also served on the board of directors of Starz after its public spin-off in 2013.

Michael Ma is CEO of ENDEAVOR China, a subsidiary of global sports and entertainment leader, Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG). Formed in June 2016 through a Sequoia Capital China-led investment group that includes Tencent, FountainVest Partners and Focus Media, ENDEAVOR China is focused on advancing the company’s growth in the country across sports and entertainment.

Ma previously spent 13 years with the NBA where he played a pivotal role in developing the organization’s presence in China and later spearheading the league’s global eSports strategy.

Based in Shanghai, Ma now leads a team of sport and entertainment professionals working with industry-leading brands including the English Premier League, Sneaker Con, UFC®, Chinese Super League, CCTV, Wimbledon and the PGA and LPGA Tours.

• Eric’s aboard to join the esports session on day 1 alongside Johnson Yeh from Riot Games and team owner Pe Lei.

• He’s a Nike China veteran and has worked across various specialist areas including basketball and the Jordan brand before taking up his current role in overseeing all Nike’s marketing activities in the country.

• In February, Nike agreed to a four-year deal to sponsor the League of Legends Pro League, China’s biggest esports tournament – the company’s first significant move in esports includes supplying team uniforms across the league and customisable physical training programmes for esports athletes. He’ll be discussing the rationale behind the deal, how it came together and how brands can make an effective entry into esports.

Michael Roche is the executive director of Singapore GP, the organiser of the Singapore Grand Prix, which has sold more than 2.5 million race tickets. Roche is also the managing director of Lushington Entertainments, here he has now amassed over 25 years experience in bringing some of the world’s biggest acts to Asia. In this role, he has produced 40 headline concerts across Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau over the past two years, featuring the likes of Coldplay and Bruno Mars.

David has recently been appointed by the CBA to run the league, he was previously Chief Marketing Officer at NBA China. In that role, for over a decade, he was responsible for partner management, media sales, merchandising, retailing, data strategy, youth development and brand promotion.

He has been tasked with working with CBA clubs to improve the overall operational level of the league – including fan engagement, business development and competition management, making his session with us must-attend for international delegates looking to understand how to succeed in China.

Johnson started his career in Harvard Law School as a research assistant. Since then, he has worked at Fidelity Investments, McKinsey & Company, and the World Economic Forum in Geneva, where he led an initiative on circular economy by working with top stakeholders in the world. He is now the Managing Director for Riot Games in the Chinese region.

Riot Games organises the League of Legends Pro League, the top level of League of Legends Esports competition in China. A hub for Esports, some estimates suggest China will be home to 60 per cent of the world’s video games players in two years. Johnson will join a session exploring the league’s explosive growth and the wider implications of how Esports is at the forefront of a major change in how content is consumed.

Mr. Jiang is the founder of Hope Group, the founder and president of desports, the co-chairman of the Sports Finance Research Center of Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance. He is also the president of three football clubs, Chongqing Dangdai Lifan FC, Granada FC and Parma Calcio 1913. By acquiring shares of Minnesota Timberwolves he became the first Chinese shareholder in NBA’s history.

fMr. Jiang has over 15 years of experience in the sports industry, where he has done many well-known sports marketing cases and helped hundreds of brands to achieve the goal of internationalization

• Sergi Torrents is an experienced international sports marketing expert with over 20 years in the industry and with more than 14 years of experience in China market and other Asian markets and industries.
• He worked in the past for properties as Euroleague Basketball or Formula-e and the agency Grupo 11.
• He is currently the Managing Director for Greater China for LaLiga, leading the league’s growth in the region.