Leaders Podcast

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan have a roam around the stories of the sports industry week.On the eve of the Masters, there’s a reminder of Augusta National’s well-manicured and private approach to running a global sports event; remote reflections on the Caitlin Clark-inspired remarkable few weeks for women’s basketball in the United States; honourable mentions for Endeavour’s new arrangement with Silver Lake and Greenfly’s latest funding round; YouTube’s approach to live sport and live sport’s approach to YouTube; and a plan of action for how the Commonwealth Games ought to be reimagined as the search for a host of the 2026 edition continues.The agenda’s out for 4se New York, our sports, media, brands and popular culture show, examining the spaces where sport, lifestyle, culture and entertainment are intersecting. There’s still time to join us in New York on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd May - visit 4-se.com for more details.

Leaders’ Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan review the big sports industry stories of the week, joined in the studio by Giulia Zecchini, Co-Founder of Sneaker Sisterhood.There’s reflections on the big motorsport announcement which has seen F1 owner Liberty Media acquire MotoGP in a deal valued at £3.6 billion.Elsewhere, Giulia Zecchini joins the show for a deep dive on sneaker culture: what it is, the challenger brands in the market, and how fashion collaborations are put together.Plus a look back to the on-stage programme at 4se New York in 2023, our sports, media, brands and popular culture show, examining the spaces where sport, lifestyle, culture and entertainment are intersecting.There’s still time to join us in New York on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd May for the 2024 edition – visit 4-se.com for more details.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan return for an extended ramble around the stories of the sports industry week.There’s reflections on the Cheltenham Festival as an event, a social occasion and a sports industry hospitality hotspot; the competing visions for the future of global professional tennis; and the NFL’s latest expansion of its team international marketing programme.Plus a look ahead to the on-stage programme at 4se New York, our sports, media, brands and popular culture show, examining the spaces where sport, lifestyle, culture and entertainment are intersecting.There’s still time to join us in New York on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd May - visit4-se.com for more details.

Leaders' Content Director David Cushnan has the stories of the sports industry week, and he's joined by Winners Alliance CEO Ahmad Nassar. Nassar discusses Netflix's decision to halt production on tennis documentary Break Point and the latest on the NBA's next media rights deal. He also explains the rationale behind Winners Alliance, the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association and the Federation of International Cricketers' Association, and its latest project: the launch of a new track and field professional series in partnership with Michael Johnson. Also on the show, Leaders' Javan Odegah stops by to share the latest on the Leaders Diversity Series, and preview his YouTube conversation with the LTA and Amazon Prime Video.

Leaders’ Editorial Director James Emmett sifts through the sports industry stories of the week in the company of World Horse Racing CEO and sports broadcast expert Russell Scott. Leaders MD Laura McQueen is also in the hot seat and outlines what you need to do to win a Leaders Sports Award this year.On the conversational agenda: Reviewing the National Rugby League’s first foray to the US with two action-packed games being played out in front of a 40,000 Las Vegas crowd; the content pillars that are helping World Horse Racing tell new stories; and China’s return as a global sporting superpower.Listen to the podcast below, and subscribe today on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or your chosen podcast platform.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan sum up the sports industry week, joined in the studio by British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton.They reflect on the first edition of the Greater Bay Area International Sports Business Summit, held last weekend in Macau, and a new positivity around China’s relationship with sport. There’s also time to examine the abandonment of the DFL’s plan to find a private equity partner for the Bundesliga, challenger sports trying to make it in the USA and Apple’s new scores app.Then Dutton discusses preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games; how British Cycling is restructuring at a time when the national governing body model is “distressed”; the different rhythm of leadership required at an NGB versus his previous role as CEO of the Rugby League World Cup; and commercialising the men’s and women’s Tours of Britain.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan take a purposeful stroll through the stories of the sports industry week, joined by Dee Kundra, Managing Director, Americas, for Bayern Munich.There are reflections on the NBA’s annual tech summit - and the concept of in-house rights-holder conferences - and the league’s NB-AI showcase, plus a look at China’s re-emergence on the global sports stage.Then Kundra explains exactly how a regional office for a major football club works and outlines the business, logistics and importance of pre-season club tours, as well as looking ahead to the first edition of the expanded and revamped Club World Cup, which will take place in the United States in the summer of 2025.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan sift through the stories of the sports industry week.They ponder China's decision to cancel two Argentina friendlies, as the row over Lionel Messi escalates; putting boots on the ground in new markets, as the NFL selects Madrid as its next host venue; Emirates' new deal with the NBA; the trio of media companies going into business together with a new sports streaming service; and the ATP's viral promo video.And, with half an eye on our 4se New York sport-meets-entertainment event experience (Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd May), there's no better duo to examine the deepening relationship between fashion and sport. For more details on 4se New York, visit: https://4-se.com.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan break down the stories of the sports industry week, in the company of big-time boxing promoter Kalle Sauerland. There's Lewis Hamilton's big move to Ferrari, the latest Saudi sports plays and a major deal in executive search, as Elevate acquires SRI. Then Sauerland, Global Head of Boxing at Wasserman and one of the driving forces behind crossover boxing series Misfits, takes us inside the boxing industry: Saudi Arabia's growing influence, working with KSI on Misfits and why he sold his business, Team Sauerland, to Wasserman in 2021.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan assess the stories of the sports industry week, with the help of Amanda Calder-McLaren, the new CMO of outdoor wear brand Montirex. They discuss stadium and Formula One team branding, as Levi’s renew a big deal with the San Francisco 49ers and Visa teams up with Red Bull in F1. Then Calder-McLaren explains her switch to Montirex after six years looking after The North Face’s brand and marketing activities. She outlines the challenges of building credible, meaningful partnerships with endurance/adventure events and fans; shares her perspective on the role purposes plays in modern marketing; and explains why she’s helped found Opening Up The Outdoors, a coalition of brands seeking to make outdoors spaces a more inclusive environment.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan pick over the stories of the sports industry week, in the company of Ladies European Tour Commercial Director, Fiona Harold.They react to Netflix’s big, bold move into live sports-entertainment with WWE and examine the latest news from Saudi Arabia, as World Snooker prepares to host its first event there and Formula E, Extreme E and E1 Series sign a sizeable partnership with the Public Investment Fund.Sticking with Saudi, Harold shares her perspective on the latest state of play in golf, the LET’s busy 2024 international schedule, and how the tour is working with and seeking to attract brand partners.

On this special episode of Leaders in Focus, two of IMG’s digital experts, discuss and dissect some of the key digital trends in sport.As a busy new year begins, Leaders are joined by Bindi Ghai and Charlie Beall - VP of Digital Commercial and VP of Digital Strategy at global sports and culture company IMG.In conversation with Leaders’ James Emmett, they reveal the platform sport is sleeping on; why 2024 is the year women’s sport fulfils its potential; how to achieve maximum impact for minimum spend in making stadiums smarter; and the difference between ‘if’ and ‘when’ in digital trend spotting. The basis for the conversation, which was recorded in early January 2024, is IMG’s annual digital trends report.Leaders in Focus is produced in partnership with IMG.

The CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation tackles the critics who say the Games have lost their relevance.As the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Katie Sadleir finds herself at the centre of the most critical moment in the organisation’s history.In this episode of Leaders in Focus, Sadleir offers a status report on the the Commonwealth Games, following the Australian state of Victoria’s shock decision last July to withdraw as host of the 2026 edition.Sadleir also reveals the leadership attributes she prizes the most and explains the critical importance of effective stakeholder management, as well as recalling her experiences working in sport in New Zealand and at World Rugby.

Leaders Managing Director Laura McQueen joins James Emmett and David Cushnan this week in the studio. Discussion and analysis of the latest happenings in the sports industry, hosted by Leaders’ Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan.On the conversation agenda: Michelle Kang’s acquisition of the London City Lionesses, and the hype cycle in women’s football; the vote which may pave the way for private equity investment in Germany football; and our completely unofficial awards ceremony at the end of a busy year – including best venue, best dealmaker and best hype-person. 

New York Giants and Gotham FC royalty Carolyn Tisch Blodgett joins the show. Leaders’ Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan bring you the latest shifts from across global sport’s tectonic plates.New York Giants and NY/NJ Gotham FC owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Founder and CEO of the Next 3 investment firm, joins the show for a conversation that includes Shohei Ohtani’s remarkable new deal with the Dodgers, John Rahm’s seismic – and, arguably, sensible - decision to play on the LIV golf tour, Spotify’s latest round of layoffs, and the state of play in the NWSL. 

Amazon's European sports chief reflects on five years of Premier League coverage and building out the company's rights portfolio.*This conversation was recorded shortly before the Premier League announced its new domestic media rights deal.*Amazon's rights portfolio includes Uefa Champions League deals in Italy and Germany, plus Ligue 1 and Roland Garros in France - thanks in large part to Alex Green, Managing Director of Sport, Europe for Prime Video.On the latest edition of Leaders in Focus, Green speaks to Leaders' James Emmett and Cameron Macdonald to discuss his work at Amazon and explore his own leadership in the media sector - his tactics at the negotiating table, how he deals with setback and a customer-obsessed approach. Green also explains how Prime Video's sports team is able to draw on Amazon's vast engineering capacity and why we're simply not talking about latency in sports streaming as much any more.

At the end of a week in a country that bristles with sporting potential, Leaders’ James Emmett and David Cushnan reflect - direct from Bangalore - on the first edition of Leaders Meet India, in partnership with Royal Challengers Bangalore. They’re joined by Portas Consulting’s Nic Coward - a man with considerable experience of the Indian market - to discuss the potential India bid for the 2036 Olympic Games that was the talk of the conference, the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian sports market, and the contributions made on stage by the likes of Dream11 Co-Founder Harsh Jain; IPL Chair Arun Dhumal; G20 organiser Amitabh Kant; Olympic champions Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra; Premier League Chief Commercial Officer Will Brass; and Manchester United Chief Marketing Officer Ellie Norman.

A discussion about what great strategy looks like in practice with two of Europe’s most storied football teams, recorded live at Leaders Week London.This is the Blueprint, the podcast brought to you by Leaders and Deltatre about straightforward strategic thinking in sport. This series teases out insights from leading industry executives about how they strategise. They’ll provide a fresh perspective on sports’ most recognisable organisations, with real life examples of where strategy worked (or didn’t). In this episode, Leaders’ Content Director David Cushnan and Deltatre’s Commercial Strategy Lead Max Barnett are joined by Mike Armstrong, Chief Marketing Officer at Juventus and Patrick Jenkinson, Commercial Director of Venue and E-Commerce, at Manchester United for a special edition, recorded live on stage at Leaders Week. On 29th– 30th November, Leaders are headed to Bangalore for the first edition of Leaders Meet: India. This two-day exploration will connect global leaders in sports and media as they share

The sports industry week reviewed.Welcome to the Leaders Sport Business podcast, your weekly show hosted by Leaders’ Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan. On the show today: a review of F1’s Vegas debut; fight announcements in Riyadh and the business of boxing; Australia’s record-breaking cricket win in a record-breaking tournament; learnings from the Leaders Sport Performance Summit; the NFL and Universal Music Group’s hip-hop collaboration; and more.On 29th– 30th November, Leaders are headed to Bangalore for the first edition of Leaders Meet: India. This two-day exploration will connect global leaders in sports and media as they share ambitious plans to propel growth. To enquire attend, please visit: https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-meet-innovation-india/

A fresh new sound for the Leaders Sport Business podcast, featuring a 360 view of the sports industry, this week unpacked with one of football’s veteran commercial leaders.  Welcome to the Leaders Sport Business podcast, your new weekly show hosted by Leaders’ Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan. We’ll review the past week in and around the global sports industry, and welcome experts into the studio to unpack these stories and share their own. This episode includes talk of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the NWSL’s huge broadcast rights deal, the record-breaking but lengthy Cricket World Cup, and more – plus Tyson Henly, whose 25 years of commercial experience most recently includes stints as Chief Commercial Officer at AS Monaco FC and Nottingham Forest FC, joins the conversation. On 29th- 30th November, Leaders are headed to Bangalore for the first edition of Leaders Meet: India. This two-day exploration will connect global leaders in sports and media as they share ambitious plans t