{"id":630,"date":"2021-01-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/reports\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/"},"modified":"2022-03-18T16:13:54","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T16:13:54","slug":"leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- blocks\/hero-editorial -->\n<!-- inc\/hero-editorial -->\n<div class=\"hero es-hero__editorial hero--var-1\" role=\"banner\">\n\t<div class=\"hero__image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header.png);\">\n\n\t\t<div class=\"hero__overlay grad-overlay content-bottom\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hero__content\">\n                    \n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hero__content__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t                            <p class=\"es-label es-label--md\">\n                                Jan 20, 2021                            <\/p>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\" class=\"theme-dark hero__back-link back-link es-label es-label--sm\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon icon--md icon--arrow-left\"><\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"hero__title\">Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n        \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <section class=\"es-section theme-light hero__sidebar-wrapper container\">\n        <div class=\"hero__sidebar\">\n                            <div class=\"category-list\">\n                  <div class=\"es-label es-label--sm\">Category<\/div>\n                  <a href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/category\/brands-sponsorship-sport-business\/\" rel=\"tag\">Brands &amp; Sponsorship<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/category\/digital-media-sport-business\/\" rel=\"tag\">Digital &amp; Media<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/category\/investment-and-ownership\/\" rel=\"tag\">Investment &amp; Ownership<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/category\/leadership-and-culture\/\" rel=\"tag\">Leadership &amp; Culture<\/a>                <\/div>\n                            <div class=\"share-list\">\n                  <div class=\"es-label es-label--sm\">Share<\/div>\n                  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/\">Facebook<\/a>\n                  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/&#038;text=Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass\">Twitter<\/a>\n                  <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Here's a Leaders In Sport article for you &amp;body=Check out this article: Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass. https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/\">Email<\/a>\n                  <a href=\"#copyLink\" id=\"copyButton\" class=\"copy-link-clipboard\">Copy Link<\/a>\n                  <div id=\"textToCopy\" class=\"font-hidden\">https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/<\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<!-- blocks\/section -->\n<section\n  class=\"es-section flexible-section  text-only theme-light\"\n    >\n                <div class=\"container\">\n                                    <div class=\"bg-striped-pattern__inner section-padding-top section-padding-bottom\">\n                <div class=\"es-section__inner col-parent col-parent--stack-sm\">\n                                            <div class=\"es-section__sidebar es-section__sidebar--sticky col col--12 \">\n                            \n                            \n                            \n                                                            <div class=\"es-section__text content-area\">\n                                    <p><h4><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Charting the money, the moves, and the media across the global business of sport.<\/span><\/b><\/h4>\n<h6>By <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/davidcushnan\">David Cushnan<\/a><\/h6>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for clicking, hello and welcome, on this busy global news day, to the Leaders Digest, your fortnightly bounce around what\u2019s worth knowing in the global business of sport. David Cushnan at the controls again this time, in for James Emmett.<\/p>\n<p>A reminder to send colleagues and industry pals <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/newsletter-sports-business-\/czxbm\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">here<\/a> to subscribe and receive the Digest each fortnight. We\u2019re here all year.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>3\u00a0 Questions, Answered<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong>1.)\u00a0 \u00a0 Might this be remembered as a watershed week for sponsors taking a stand?<\/strong><br \/>\nQuite possibly. See <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/rus-stripped-iihf-world-champs\/czxbp\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Skoda, Nivea and Liqui Moly<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/n-thomas-after-homophobic-slur\/czxbr\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Ralph Lauren<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.)\u00a0 \u00a0 What\u2019s Jimmy Worrall\u2019s secret?<\/strong><br \/>\nListen to <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/l-856843-2021-01-19-cs9m5\/czxbt\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">this<\/a> and he\u2019ll tell you (and don\u2019t keep it to yourself).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>3.)\u00a0 \u00a0 Can you point me in the direction of a substantial report pieced together by a coalition of experts making detailed and tangible recommendations for the development of women\u2019s sport?<\/strong><br \/>\nAbsolutely, <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/-sport-leap-to-the-next-level-\/czxbw\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">courtesy of the Women&#8217;s Sport Trust<\/a>. And once you\u2019ve read it, don\u2019t forget to sign up for the latest <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/l-856843-2021-01-19-cs9mh\/czxby\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">women in sport community call<\/a> from our Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Facebook, next week.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>The Digest, Digested<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/-launch-multi-year-partnership\/czxc1\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">LV= expands England cricket partnership <\/a>(1 min)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/rshipWithVitality-section-1044\/czxc3\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Vitality to become main partner of GB Hockey<\/a> (1 min)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/v-GwowwnOqEAY-feature-youtu-be\/czxc5\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">The Space Between launches<\/a> (1 min)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/owned-businesses-through-feb-2\/czxc7\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">76ers open Buy Black application process<\/a> (2 mins)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/elb-status-1350557883822444544\/czxc9\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Craig Tiley on the Australian Open quarantine saga<\/a> (8 mins)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/en-go-state-of-mobile-2021-\/czxcc\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">The State of Mobile 2021 report<\/a> (20 mins)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/news-business-55628597\/czxcf\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Private equity firm eyes All Blacks stake<\/a> (1 min)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/er-salary-cap-scandal-12187658\/czxch\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Saracens owner in talks to cut stake<\/a> (2 mins)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/66-af92-4076-a568-6a5502665cb5\/czxck\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Inter Milan in talks over private equity sale<\/a> (1 min)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/inance-NBA-private-equity-aspx\/czxcm\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">NBA may expand private equity stakes in teams<\/a> (2 mins)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/ircles-sports-ink-acquisition-\/czxcp\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Two Circles acquires Sports Ink<\/a> (2 mins)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/l-856843-2021-01-19-cs9mc\/czxcr\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Marloes Sturkenboom \u2013 How do you manage?<\/a> (6 mins)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/wnload-performance-journal-22-\/czxct\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Leaders Performance Journal<\/a> (30 mins)\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>What&#8217;s new<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>\u00a0Sponsors stepping up<\/strong> \u2013 Clear sponsorship planning and progression, not to mention a focus on participation, in evidence from LV=, <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/-launch-multi-year-partnership\/czxc1\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">expanding its role with England cricket<\/a>, and Vitality, the <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/rshipWithVitality-section-1044\/czxc3\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">new main partners of GB Hockey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>\u00a0Carving out a niche<\/strong> \u2013 Congratulations to former Synergy colleagues Lisa Parfitt, Adam Raincock and Tom Gladstone who have gone to market this week with their new \u2018faster, more flexible and better value\u2019 sports and entertainment agency, <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/v-GwowwnOqEAY-feature-youtu-be\/czxc5\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">The Space Between<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<strong>Affirmative action<\/strong> \u2013 The Philadelphia 76ers have begun accepting applications for their new \u2018<a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/owned-businesses-through-feb-2\/czxc7\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Buy Black\u2019 programme<\/a>, designed to promote local black-owned business and assist them with a range of marketing, advertising, educational and business tools. The initiative is part of Harris Blitzer Sports &amp; Entertainment\u2019s US$20 million commitment to racial equality, announced last year.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>What&#8217;s trending?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>&#8211; \u00a0 \u00a0<strong>Quarantining tennis players<\/strong> \u2013 With a good portion of the field placed in hard lockdown after a number of positive Covid cases on the charter flights into Melbourne, it\u2019s an understatement to say preparations for this year\u2019s Australian Open are sub-optimal. The situation is fast-moving, but in amongst the various clips of players finding novel ways of staying active in their rooms, I was struck by <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/elb-status-1350557883822444544\/czxc9\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">this interview with Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley<\/a> at the weekend. Faced with truly remarkable circumstances \u2013 considerable player disquiet, the constraints of Australia\u2019s national health protocols and the general practicalities of trying to make a complex international sports event happen while a pandemic rages \u2013 it seemed to me a superb example of how a leader should communicate in a crisis: clarity, transparency, empathy and clearly across his brief and the detail.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Numbers<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-43908\" src=\"https:\/\/www.leadersinsport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/State-of-mobile-report-300x139.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"697\" height=\"323\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As part of its highly recommended 2021 <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/en-go-state-of-mobile-2021-\/czxcc\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">State of Mobile report<\/a>, App Annie has ranked the most downloaded apps by monthly user over the last year.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Money<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong>PE lesson\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nThe <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/news-business-55628597\/czxcf\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">All Blacks<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/er-salary-cap-scandal-12187658\/czxch\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Saracens<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/66-af92-4076-a568-6a5502665cb5\/czxck\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Inter Milan<\/a> are this week\u2019s sports organisations reportedly in talks about fresh investment from private equity firms. Meanwhile, the NBA is <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/inance-NBA-private-equity-aspx\/czxcm\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">reportedly pondering a change<\/a> to its rules to allow minority private equity investments in teams.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Two deals, Two Circles\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nTwo months after buying TRM Partners, Two Circles has added to its growing portfolio by <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/ircles-sports-ink-acquisition-\/czxcp\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">acquiring ticketing and hospitality specialist Sports Ink<\/a>. Paul Williamson, Sport Ink\u2019s founder and formerly Director of Ticketing at London 2012, will slot in as a Two Circles Director.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>People<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong>Got\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A hat-trick of job changes at <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/tments-headed-by-disneys-boss-\/czxcw\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">The Jockey Club<\/a><\/strong>: ESPN\u2019s <strong>Charlie Boss <\/strong>is joining as Chief Commercial Officer;<strong> Alex Goldschmidt<\/strong> has been named Director of Partnerships; and <strong>Hannah Grosvenor <\/strong>has been promoted to National Sales Director.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Former Suzuki MotoGP Team Principal <strong>Davide Brivio<\/strong> is the new <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/or-76okxl1kmvJRnk84zATl7F-html\/czxcy\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Racing Director at <strong>Alpine F1<\/strong> (formerly Renault)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<strong>Nielsen Sports<\/strong> has hired <strong>Steve Loader <\/strong>as Head of Business Development in the UK and Ireland.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<strong>MKTG Sports &amp; Entertainment<\/strong> has promoted <strong>Jarrad Provis<\/strong> to General Manager, Marketing Strategy, and<strong> Jeremy Francis <\/strong>as Chief Operating Officer. <strong>Stephanie Rudnick<\/strong> is rejoining the agency as Head of Global Communications and GM of Hospitality and Events in Australia.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>\u00a0Kin Partners<\/strong> has promoted <strong>Tess O\u2019Sullivan<\/strong> to the newly-created role of Business Strategy Director.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Need<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; \u00a0 \u00a0Are you Sydney Swans\u2019 new <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/edaf0ec-2021-CP-Manager-Ad-pdf\/czxd1\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Manager of Commercial Partnerships<\/a>?<br \/>\n&#8211; \u00a0 \u00a0Are you Formula E\u2019s new <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/en-jobs\/czxd3\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Senior Partnership Manager or Broadcast Operations Manager<\/a>?<br \/>\n&#8211; \u00a0 \u00a0Are you the ECB\u2019s new <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/ull-click-originalSubdomain-uk\/czxd5\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Senior Manager, Clubs and Leagues<\/a>?<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Are you BSE Global\u2019s latest <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/-1g2FvbpVjS2BmKftq7xmds2BA3D3D\/czxd7\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Director, Ticketing Analytics<\/a>?<br \/>\n&#8211; \u00a0 \u00a0Are you F1\u2019s new <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/d-of-sustainable-business-html\/czxd9\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Head of Sustainable Business<\/a>?<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Are you Engage Digital Partners\u2019 new <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/fId-RN7qLHReSS62olHO4QPpDg3D3D\/czxdc\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">Head of Content<\/a>?<\/p>\n<table width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>How do you manage?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>A window into the working worlds of people from across the sports industry now that nothing is as it was.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marloes Sturkenboom is Head of Acquisitions and Content Rights at ESPN<\/strong> <strong>(formerly Fox Sports)<\/strong>, part of The Walt Disney Company Benelux, where she has a dual role coordinating the negotiation of broadcast rights for platforms in the Netherlands and Sub-Saharan Africa and overseeing the domestic and global media sales of ESPN\u2019s rights to the Eredivisie, the Netherlands\u2019 top football league. She lives in the Dutch city of Utrecht with her partner, Danny.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-43830\" src=\"https:\/\/www.leadersinsport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Marloes-Sturkenboom-header-300x161.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"161\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b<br \/>\n<strong>How are you feeling now on a scale of 1-10?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n8.5. I feel blessed that all of my loved ones are in good health. Another personal highlight is that I am currently six months pregnant! As it probably was for the most of us in this business, it has been quite the year from a professional point of perspective. During the first lockdown Eredivisie was one of the first leagues in Europe to be cancelled. But we returned in August with the very successful \u2018Eredivisie Comeback\u2019, which was a series of pre-season friendlies. This provided our production and operational colleagues the opportunity to work on all protocols for the start of the actual season.<\/p>\n<p>We have also introduced a new kick-off timing: Saturday 4:30pm; before all Eredivisie matches on Saturday were played later during the evening. This has been well received by clubs as well as our audience.<\/p>\n<p>What makes me tick at the moment is the prep-work that I am doing with a lovely team of people on a big tender process for the rights acquisitions of our Dutch business. These tender processes are always exciting times!<\/p>\n<p>I do miss my colleagues. I haven\u2019t seen many of them for months &#8211; having a coffee, talking about how their vacation was or how the kids are doing at school, is something that would normally be part of my daily routine. Currently all conversation are so super-effective. I only speak to someone on the phone, whenever there\u2019s issues to solve. The fact that one doesn&#8217;t coincidently bump into someone else in the elevator or at the coffee machine deducts 1.5 points. Therefore: 8.5.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who was the last person you spoke to before me?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nI just got off the phone with IMG\u2019s Michael Mellor [SVP, Head of Football] and Jake Harkins [Business Development Director, Football] during a monthly catch up. IMG is our long-term international reselling partner for the Eredivisie rights. We talked about the latest Covid-restrictions imposed by the Dutch government and how this would affect the progress of the competition. Apart from a small number of postponements at the start, so far we have been able to play all of our fixtures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How have things changed since Covid? How has your employer adapted?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nI have been working remotely since the start of the pandemic in March. The pandemic has been a technological equaliser; there was no choice but to adapt to the situation. I hope the best practices will live on. Meaning a more agile way of working. With the greater use of video conferences, I don\u2019t think business travel is ever going to be exactly the same. However, the ability to not see my colleagues every day makes me realise how valuable that was. Besides, I find the in-person interaction a critical part of my work. Also \u2013 for me as an extravert \u2013 I truly miss being at the office with my co-workers or at conventions meeting our business colleagues.<\/p>\n<p>The Walt Disney Company Benelux has focused on our wellbeing from the start. I am amazed how quickly the organisation adapted to the ongoing challenges. At the moment, we are in the midst of rebranding our Fox Sports channels into ESPN in the Netherlands. Normally, this calls for the project team being at the same place at the same time. It has been an outstanding performance from our marketing and digital team, managing the creative process and overseeing the complete transformation of our digital platform under the current circumstances.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where do you work? What\u2019s the environment like?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nMost of the time I sit at the dinner table with my laptop. I do have the ambition to vary my work spot from time to time, just to work in a different setting and with other impulses. We were lucky that we were able to transform our closet room into a home office. We can work quietly if we need the space or have confidential meetings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who do you share your \u2018home office\u2019 with?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nI live together with my partner, Danny Melger. You might know him, as he works in the television business as well. Danny is a television director on projects like the Uefa Champions League. That means he\u2019s is normally out of the house most nights of the week. During the first lockdown all sporting events were cancelled, which resulted in us having dinner together at our dining table like proper grown-ups more often than ever before. We are both very passionate about our jobs. It\u2019s a big plus we have a greater understanding of the business and can support each other also on a professional level.<\/p>\n<p><em>This is an edited extract from the full interview, which is <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/l-856843-2021-01-19-cs9mc\/czxcr\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">available here<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Longer read<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0 Over at the Leaders Performance Institute, the team have been busy putting the finishing touches to our latest Performance Journal. It\u2019s a banger. Head <a href=\"http:\/\/go.pardot.com\/e\/856843\/wnload-performance-journal-22-\/czxct\/164198988?h=HBJIPCnZecMLS8lJ7zGuRaYtVauzjcMS7ytOIlY_WdI\">here<\/a> for the big interview with Australia men\u2019s cricket team head coach Justin Langer; then stick around for in-depth features on WNBA champions Seattle Storm, GB Hockey and the McLaren F1 team\u2019s role building ventilators to support the health response to the pandemic.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for reading this edition of the Leaders Digest. We\u2019ll have another for you in a fortnight; and if you haven\u2019t subscribed yet, do remember to <a href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/newsletter\/sports-business\/\">opt-in here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n                                <\/div>\n                            \n                            \n                            \n                                                    <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"col visibly-hidden col--flex-align-right\">\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":631,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[25,19,60,59],"pathway":[],"topic":[],"sport":[],"class_list":["post-630","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brands-sponsorship-sport-business","category-digital-media-sport-business","category-investment-and-ownership","category-leadership-and-culture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass - Sport Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass - Sport Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sport Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-18T16:13:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header-1024x548.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"548\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/\",\"name\":\"Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass - Sport Business\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-20T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-18T16:13:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header.png\",\"width\":2040,\"height\":1092},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/\",\"name\":\"Sport Business\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass - Sport Business","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass - Sport Business","og_url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/","og_site_name":"Sport Business","article_modified_time":"2022-03-18T16:13:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":548,"url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header-1024x548.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/","name":"Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass - Sport Business","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header.png","datePublished":"2021-01-20T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-03-18T16:13:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Craig-Tiley-header.png","width":2040,"height":1092},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/articles\/leaders-digest-skoda-and-ralph-lauren-take-action-agencies-bought-and-formed-and-craig-tileys-communications-masterclass\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Leaders Digest: Skoda and Ralph Lauren take action; agencies bought and formed; and Craig Tiley\u2019s communications masterclass"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/#website","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/","name":"Sport Business","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6989,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/630\/revisions\/6989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630"},{"taxonomy":"pathway","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pathway?post=630"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=630"},{"taxonomy":"sport","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/sport-business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sport?post=630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}