In this role, Ricardo leads The Company’s global portfolio of sponsorships, owned assets and events, including the partnerships with The Olympics, FIFA, the Special Olympics and other worldwide sports properties.

Prior to this role, Ricardo was the SVP of Global Brand, Product & Sponsorship Marketing at Visa where he led all initiatives related to the sponsorships of the NFL, FIFA, Olympics, dozens of athletes, teams and Federations worldwide. Before Visa, Ricardo worked as Global Marketing Director with Group Danone based in Paris. He also held several Marketing roles at Coca-Cola, including Business Unit Marketing VP in India and SW Asia, Business Unit Marketing Director in Brazil, and Director of Global Sports Marketing.

Ricardo gaduated with a Bachelor’s of Civil Engineering from Escola Politécnica da Universidade de Sao Paulo and has a Master of Business Administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas, both in Brazil.

David Gallop AM was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Football Federation Australia in November 2012.

David’s tenure since this time has coincided with a period of stability, growth and innovation in Australian football, underpinned by the successful 2015 AFC Asian Cup that saw the Socceroos crowned as the Champions of Asia, Australia’s qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and the Matildas’ inspiring run during the quarter-finals of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, and qualification for 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan.

On the domestic front, initiatives include the launch of the Westfield FFA Cup, roll out of the Aldi MiniRoos initiative, Foxtel A-League All Stars, the National Premier League, and sustained growth in Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League ratings, crowds and memberships.

David entered the world of Football with a rich sporting background having been Chief Executive of the National Rugby League for over a decade where he guided the game through one of it’s most successful era in terms of crowds, television ratings and commercial success. Prior to this he held the Legal Adviser role to the game, since the NRL’s inception in 1997.

One of the most respected sporting administrators in Australia he was appointed to the restructured Australian Sports Commission in 2008 and served as Deputy Chairman until the end of his term in 2014.

A winner of the Australian Sports Administrator of the Year Award (2006) and the NSW Sports Administrator of the Year (2002), David was also the Secretary of the Rugby League International Federation from 1998 to 2011 and previously as a member of the Asian Football Confederation Competitions Committee. He was also a member of the Local Organising Committee for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and is an Ambassador for the Male Champions of Change (Sport) program.

In 2016, David was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant services to sports administration through executive roles with football and rugby league organisations, and to the community.
A law graduate and a former first grade cricketer, David is known for a considered approach in dealing with complex issues and for his ability to combine the passion of sport with the realities of a competitive business world.

David grew up in Canberra. He is 53 years old and is married with two children.

Jack is Co-Founder of the Orlando Magic Innovation Lab where he helps lead the NBA team’s Innovation Initiatives and created one of the first innovation labs in pro-sports. Jack has been with the team since 2005 serving in Business Development as well as Technology. He helped oversee the development of the award-winning Amway Center which opened in downtown Orlando in October 2010. He is Founder of the Persportives Institute where he leads experiences to learn the social technologies, design methods and venture sourcing strategies to innovate in sports. Jack is a graduate of both Florida State University & the University of Central Florida and has been an adjunct professor of Social Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation at Rollins College. His highest goal is to build creative leaders and foster innovation in sports; however, his two loves are his family and adventure – and he especially enjoys blending the two together. Jack and his wife have a 1-year old son, Nathanael.

Catherine Harris is the Chairperson of Harris Farm Markets Pty Ltd. She is on the Board of The Australian Rugby League Commission, The Sports Australia Hall of Fame, Tyro Payments (Australia’s newest bank), The Australian Ballet. The Australian School of Business UNSW and Governor of The University of Notre Dame and Consul General for Bhutan.

Previous roles have included Federal Director of Affirmative Action and Deputy Chancellor of the University of NSW, Trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust, The National Gallery of Australia, The Australian Defence Force Academy, The MCA, St Margaret’s Public Hospital and the Australia Japan Foundation.

Catherine is an Officer in the Order of Australia and was awarded the Australian Public Service Medal, The Centenary Medal and has an Honorary Doctorate in Business from UNSW. She and her husband David have 5 boys and 7 grandchildren and their passion is riding Icelandic Horses in the Megalong Valley

Appointed Chief Executive of Netball Australia in April 2017.

Marne was appointed CEO of Netball World Cup Sydney 2015 and delivered the most commercially successful World Cup in the history of the event, setting new benchmarks for the sport.

Formerly Head of Netball Australia’s Commercial, Marketing and Events Team, Marne has more than doubled Netball Australia’s commercial turnover since 2007.

She has led and successfully implemented a range of strategic projects, including the national and commercial framework which has seen the national body and eight member organisations work collectively on sponsorship and commercial opportunities for the first time in the sport’s history.

Most recently, Marne has played a pivotal role in securing a landmark 5-year broadcast deal with Nine and Telstra; secured the most significant sponsorship investment in female sport in Suncorp, and led the collective bargaining process with the Australian Netball Players Association for the new National Netball League, now known as Suncorp Super Netball.

Marne was awarded the Sport Executive of the Year in the 2016 CEO Magazine Awards.

Originally from the construction industry, Matt Carroll’s career as a sports executive stretches over 24 years’, taking in all aspects of sports administration. He has worked in three sports as a senior manager, including Chief Executive Officer, with roles encompassing grass roots sport development, professional leagues, national and international organisations and global sporting events. Matt Carroll’s career to date;

• Rugby Director NSW Rugby Union (1991-1995) – responsible for representative and club rugby.

• General Manager, Rugby Australian Rugby Union (1995-1999) – Forefront of establishing the professional game in Australia including setting up Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions.

• Chief Executive Officer Waratahs and NSW Rugby Union (2000-2001) – successfully led the financial turnaround of the business.

• General Manager Rugby World Cup (2002-2003) – led the team that staged one of the most successful sporting events held in Australia and set the benchmark for future World Cups.

• Inaugural Head of the A-League and Head of Community Football, Football Federation Australia (2004-2006) – establishing Australia’s first fully professional football competition and managing significant changes to the structure of community football and relationship with the professional game.

• Deputy CEO, Australian Rugby Union (2007-2012) – Responsible for rugby’s commercial program, broadcast rights and management of Test and Super Rugby competitions.

• Interim Chief Operating Officer, Japanese Organising Committee for Rugby World Cup 2019 (2013-2014) – based in Tokyo leading the master planning, budget drafting and establishing the organisation structure for the Tournament.

• Chief Executive Officer, Australian Sailing (2014-2017) – Led the ground breaking organisational reforms in sport, changing Sailing from a federated model to a national structure to build Sailing’s future sustainably and success.

The Volvo Ocean Race is sailing’s toughest race to win and the ultimate test of a team in professional sport. Since 1973, the race around the world has been an obsession for some of the greatest ever sailors, and more than four decades on it continues to sit at the intersection of top level sport and human adventure.

Having been involved in The Volvo Ocean Race for the majority of my working career, after working as shore crew and competing in the race, I now find myself as part of the Leadership Team for what has become a true global sporting and business challenge.

The 2017-18 edition starts 22 October 2017 from Alicante, Spain and will take the teams 45,000 nautical miles around the world – across four oceans, touching six continents and 12 landmark Host Cities, and finishing at the end of June 2018 in The Hague.

Paul Rogers is Head of Digital Media at AS Roma, one of the world’s most famous football clubs. Paul is based in Boston, where the Italian club’s ownership is headquartered, and is responsible for the club’s content activities across all digital and social platforms.

Prior to joining Roma in January 2015, Paul spent 14 years working for Liverpool, England’s most successful football club and one of the most iconic sporting brands in the world. He was responsible for developing and leading the club’s international media strategy – helping the club to communicate with over 25 million followers in 18 different languages every day.

He joined Liverpool FC in 2001 after helping to launch the youth portal Liv4now.

Previously he worked at Condé Nast as a writer and sub-editor for GQ magazine as well as contributing weekly music columns and articles for the likes of The Independent and Guardian newspapers, New Musical Express, iD magazine, The Face, Sky Magazine, Echoes, Blues & Soul, Hip-Hop Connection, Q, Smash Hits, Just Seventeen and Match.

Before Sunrise, Kochie was a pure finance nerd. He’s still one of Australia’s foremost business and finance commentators but his first love now is teaming up with Sam to host Australia’s number one breakfast program, Sunrise.David still maintains his passion for money writing finance columns for New Idea and a number of News Limited newspapers; including the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun.

A survey conducted by Money Management newspaper recognised David as one of the 10 most influential people in establishing the retail financial services industry. A Reader’s Digest survey found he is also one of the top 25 most trusted people in Australia.

David has a strong interest in small business issues and was a director of the NSW Small Business Development Corporation for over six years being appointed to the board at its inception in 1996.

As a former business owner, operator and company director, David is in demand as a presenter and regularly addresses a wide range of corporate events and groups. His specialty is speaking on success in small business and investment issues as well as providing practical tips. David speaks informatively from a base of personal experience and knowledge of business and financial issues. But finance aside, he’s also an all-round good bloke and family man, making him perfect for his role on Sunrise.
He’s coached his kids’ rugby, netball and basketball teams while serving on the council of his daughter’s school, and in 2007 was named Australian Father of the Year. Just please don’t ask him about the Wallabies, Sydney Kings or Port Power. He takes being a passionate support to a whole new level.

Taking over Port Adelaide Football Club as its Chairman in 2012, Kochie was presented with the big challenge of turning around a club lacking in funds, membership and points on the board.

He devised a three-year plan – to make Port Adelaide a profitable football club by 2015. Port has transformed the AFL landscape with their game day experience, their fitness levels and their supporter interaction. They’ve become the benchmark for any team who want to get back to the top quickly.

Dr Adir Shiffman, is an Australian serial tech founder, investor, and the Executive Chairman of the publicly listed, global sports technology leader – Catapult Sports (ASX: CAT). Since investing in Catapult in 2010, Adir’s expertise in strategy, M&A and global expansion has played a pivotal role in the company’s transformation from a local, privately-owned sports technology business to a global success story and the world leader in wearable and video analytics for elite sport​.

After graduating from Monash University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery and practising as a doctor, Adir made the switch to being a fulltime start-up founder. Since the age of 16, he has founded and sold more than a dozen high-growth companies, many of which were high growth SaaS (software as a service) businesses and in the process, become one of the foremost technology experts in Australia. In 2014, he was recognised as the World’s 10th Most Innovative Person in Sport by SportBusiness International, and continues to be heavily involved in the broader industry as a mentor for start-ups and a regular ​keynote ​speaker at global sporting, technology and start-up ​conferences and ​events.

Mr Harnden has extensive experience in the delivery of world-class sporting, tourism and entertainment events, as well as the capital projects that often accompany them.  He was appointed as Chairperson of the Board of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation in August 2015, having joined the Board in August 2006 and served as Deputy Chairman since March 2007.

Mr Harnden is also a Director of Cricket Australia and World Twenty20 2020 Ltd and provides strategic advice in the Sports, Events, Media and Tourism industries.  He has led some of the world’s largest sporting events and tourism properties through his roles as Chief Executive Officer of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the South Australian Cricket Association, Village Roadshow International Theme Parks, the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.  Mr Harnden has served on a number of boards in the sporting and tourism areas and has also been involved in a range of engineering projects, including the management and design of Stadia and Formula One Grand Prix Circuits around the world. Originally from Adelaide, Mr Harnden was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for his services to sport in the staging of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Scott has 19 years’ experience across digital, technology and strategy at AFL, SEEK, The Boston Consulting Group and Accenture, including working for 20 of the largest Australian companies and public sector agencies.

He helps organisations in times of change and growth to achieve their business outcomes. To accomplish this he works closely with the business to put technology strategy into simple terms along with the commercial trade-offs, and with technologists to ensure they understand business priorities and focus on the highest value initiatives.

He has a passion for people and building high-performing teams, awarded for his people management and mentoring skills within BCG and has directly managed operational teams of between 30 to 200 people.

He also has an entrepreneurial side, and is the creator of PPT Productivity product suite www.pptproductivity.com

Billie Whitehouse is the CEO, designer and director of Wearable X. Billie was once compared to Elon Musk in Business Insider because of her specializes in the combination of hardware, software and apparel for wearable technology products. Known for her development of Nadi X and Fan Jersey recently presented at Super Bowl 50, Billie is invigorating the fashion industry and transforming it into a business focused on improving the quality of our lives.

Billie is an aesthetic specialist with a naturally inquisitive nature towards technology and innovation. As a garment engineer she strongly believes people should not have to look like the technology that they have grown to love and depend on. Billie’s designs are sharp, experimental, naturally confident and subtly feminine in appearance integrated with the latest technology.

Business Insider recently named Billie as one of the 30 most important women under 30 in tech and she was named in the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. The highlight for Billie in 2017 was being named one of the Most Innovative Companies in Fitness by Fast Co. Forbes recently compared Billie and her co-founder Ben Moir to Steve Jobs and Jerry Seinfeld.

Billie is a renowned keynote speaker with presentations stretching from the The New Yorker Tech Fest 2016, Fortune’s Elevate 2016, Wired UK 2015, Cannes Lions 2015/2016,, Conde Nast Digital Russia 2016, India Fashion Forum 2016 and many more.

Ray currently holds the position of General Manager – Infrastructure, Major Projects and Investment with the Australian Football League. In this role he is responsible for Etihad Stadium as Chairman, AFL investment and financial management, and significant long term strategic projects across the industry.

Ray has had extensive experience as a senior executive and a company director in a variety of industries and would be well known to many of you through his time as Interim Chief Executive Office of the Essendon Football Club following the supplements saga and before that as a Chief Financial Officer of the Tatts Group.

In addition to the Tatts Group, Ray has had executive roles with Westpac, Price Waterhouse, Aluminium Smelters of Victoria, Southern Cross Austereo and the Victorian Government. He is a non-executive director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals and Hotel Property Investments. Ray as also previously held non-executive director roles with AFL Victoria, Greyhound Racing Victoria (as Chairman following the live baiting incidents), and the Melbourne Renegades Cricket Team.

Ray played a leading role in the transformation of the privately owned Tattersall’s into the publicly listed Tatts Group as an ASX 100 listed national and global company followed by initiating and implementing the $4 billion merger of Tatts and UNITAB. He also played a lead executive role in acquisitions for the Tatts Group. Ray is also a non-executive director on two ASX-listed companies – Sigma Pharmaceuticals Limited and Hotel Property Investments Limited.

Andrew is responsible for the Game’s revenue streams including sponsorship, events, major games, licensing and marketing the Game at the elite and grassroots level. His responsibilities include driving growth in both corporate and consumer markets and the delivery of the Game’s brand and marketing strategy. Previously, Andrew was a Director for Deloitte Consulting in Sydney, where he focused on strategy and operations consulting and prior to that he was a Partner for Deloitte Corporate Finance in South Africa.

Clive joined Seven West Media (ASX:SWM) in 2015 as the Chief Digital Officer for Seven West Media and as a non-Executive Director at Yahoo 7.  He oversees all strategic and operational aspects of Seven West Media’s digital content and digital revenue activities.

Clive’s career to date has been a unique Digital/Broadcast media hybrid – never very far from Broadcast Content nor from a Digital team and boasts over 30 years’ experience, which has taken him from New York to Los Angeles, Mumbai to Johannesburg, Budapest to Berlin and London to now Australia. Clive’s first digital role was in 1995 with the multi award winning team at Capital Interactive part of then one of the largest Broadcasters in the UK.

Clive was also an advisor to the founders of the world leading mobile company Shazam used by more than 700 million people in over 60 countries and was recently valued at $1bn. Since Shazam, Clive has also advised a number of other successful digital start-ups, helping them achieve growth, maturity, IPO or exit.

In 2008 Clive co-founded Absolute Radio for the Times of India – the World’s largest English language newspaper publisher as COO. Absolute Radio has a world leading reputation for Digital, Social, Mobile innovation with more than 77% of its audience via a digital platform. Absolute Radio pioneered the new ‘In-Stream’ premium marketing platform.  Clive was also a Founding Director of UK Radio Player Ltd, a joint venture between UK Broadcasters and the BBC that is used each month by 6m users to simplify discovery of live Broadcast Content.

In April 2013 he relocated from the UK to Australia to take the reigns as Director of Digital and Innovation at Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), overseeing strategic and operational aspects of the company’s diverse and multifaceted digital content and free-to-air television platform. During the 20 months Clive was at SCA, his digital team achieved a 700% increase in digital traffic, which in turn drove 50 % increase in digital revenue and EBITDA by over 90%.

Clive is one of the Founder Directors of Code Club – a not for profit after-school coding club for Australian primary school children funded in part by a grant from the Telstra Foundation.

Patrick Kidd was appointed as the CEO of the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 in January 2017 and is on secondment from Deloitte until the Games conclude in October 2018.

Patrick has been with Deloitte since the start of 2015 having joined after a 30-year career in the British and Australian defence forces. He has extensive experience leading teams to deliver highly complex programmes involving many different nations and multiple stakeholders. He has had operational service across the Balkans, Middle east and Afghanistan where he has worked in partnership with the Armed forces from many different nations and in Afghanistan he was responsible for the force development of the local police and National Army forces.

He holds an MBA (Open University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Matt was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the St Kilda Football Club in April 2014.

St Kilda is a foundation club of the Australian Football League with significant membership, commercial and community interests. Prior to joining St Kilda, Matt was CEO of the AFL Players’ Association representing the interests of current, future and former AFL players in a range of industrial, commercial and development matters.

Before his roles in the AFL Matt worked as a commercial lawyer advising numerous sporting organisations, businesses, athletes and government. Matt also has extensive experience in supporting community causes and organisations having been chairman of Ladder – an AFL Players charitable initiative to tackle youth homelessness and a director of AFL SportsReady – the AFL industry’s group training company. Matt was a director of Surfing Australia – the peak governing body for the sport of surfing between 2007 and 2016 and has been a director and company secretary of Surf Life Saving Victoria since 2002. Matt was also a founding director of HeartKids Australia, a charity supporting children born with congenital heart disease.

Matt has been a founding member of the Sport Male Champions of Change Group since 2015 working with influential leaders to redefine men’s role in taking action on gender inequality.

Qualifications include Bachelor of Arts (Psych), Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Advanced Management Program (INSEAD) and Vincent Fairfax Fellowship.

Sally has over 20 years of Marketing and Advertising experience and in the last decade has help drive the continued growth of the KFC brand, both in sales and consumer love. In that time Sally has lead KFC’s activation and sponsorship of Cricket Australia, including the hugely successful big bash league.  Sally has driven the transformation for the brand from just being a naming rights sponsor to being an authentic part of cricket culture over summer

Melbourne City FC CEO Scott Munn has over two decades of experience as a key administrator across Australia’s leading sporting codes and organisations.

Commencing his career with the Sydney Olympic Games Organising Committee, Munn transitioned to an integral position within the commercial operations of the National Rugby League (NRL), before joining Australia’s established code, the Australia Football League (AFL).

While with the AFL, Munn contributed to the expansion of a second team into the competition in Queensland, before joining the newly established outfit, the Gold Coast Suns, as General Manager.

Installed as Chief Executive Officer in Melbourne City FC’s inaugural year in 2010, Munn has played a key role in the Club’s evolution following the acquisition by City Football Group in 2014.

Over the past three seasons, Munn has managed the establishment of the club’s football and administration headquarters at the City Football Academy, helped to enhance Melbourne City’s commercial portfolio, while its football teams have delivered two youth team premierships, back-to-back women’s titles, and an FFA Cup Final triumph.

Having stood at the helm since 2009, Munn continues to espouse the core values of Melbourne City; equality, inclusiveness and community.

Sarah Chibnall Bio Sarah Chibnall is the Group Director of Communications at H&H Group, the company which includes four premium health and nutrition brands – Swisse Wellness, Biostime, Healthy Times and Dodie.

Sarah is responsible for the Global Brand Management of H&H Group, Global Partnerships & Ambassadors, Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Government & Public Policy, and Internal Communications across the Group. Sarah has been integrating sport and athletes into marketing and communications for over 20 years, and has a strong belief in the power of role models and the positive influence that sport can have.

Be it social and behavioural marketing for government and public health campaigns, or selling the aspirational dream to be that little bit healthier (with a Swisse supplement of course), Sarah has successfully invested in sport to communicate a message.

Sarah joined Swisse Wellness in 2014 and has led numerous milestone activities for the brand from a communications and marketing viewpoint including the internal and external communications strategy for the $1.6 billion acquisition of Swisse by the Group in 2015.

Jeremy Loeliger was appointed General Manager of the National Basketball League from 1 July 2015, and Chief Executive Officer from 2016. Since that time Mr Loeliger has overseen the League’s commercial transformation, establishing the foundations for a successful and sustainable future for professional basketball in Australia.

Before joining the NBL, Mr Loeliger was a partner of a national law firm, practising corporate and commercial law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets, but also including a successful niche sports law practice.

Mr Loeliger also sits on the Executive Committee of the Victorian Chapter of the Australia China Business Council, and is a champion of Sino-Australian trade and the important role of sports diplomacy.

Kerry is the Founder of PlayersVoice. By elite sportspeople – for sports lovers – PlayersVoice focus on the Human Behind The Headline.

Prior to launching PlayersVoice in 2017, Kerry was Global President of RadiumOne, a data driven marketing company and before that was the Director of consumer and online for Microsoft across Asia Pacific.

Kerry has worked in Europe, Asia and the U.S with sports rights holders on data gathering and usage, fan engagement and sponsorship.

Kerry is also the Founder and Chairperson of UnLtd.org.au, the Australian foundation for the media, marketing and advertising industry.

Marina Go is Chair of the Wests Tigers NRL Club, Chair of Office Brands, a non-executive director of Energy Australia and Autosports Group, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Centre For Media Transition at the University of Technology Sydney, and author of the business book for women, Break Through: 20 Success Strategies for Female Leaders.

She was previously Head of Hearst Australia at Bauer Media. Boss magazine named her as one of 20 True Leaders of 2016. Marina has over 25 years of leadership experience in the media industry, having started her career as a journalist. She was appointed Editor of Dolly magazine at the age of 23, before spending the next decade editing a number of leading women’s magazines. She has held senior leadership roles at Fairfax, Pacific, Emap, Bauer and Private Media, where she was CEO of news and business websites including Crikey and Smart Company, and founder of the career website Women’s Agenda.

She is a director of digital startup Daily Siren, and also a member of the Advisory Boards of the Walkley Foundation and Women’s Agenda. She is a former director of Netball Australia, Odyssey House, Sydney Symphony Vanguard and The Apparel Group.

Olly Wilton is the Head of Sports Partnerships at @TwitterAU. He works with Australia and New Zealand’s sports leagues, teams and stars to bring them closer to their fans, and their fans closer to the action. Olly was one the first hires for the @TwitterAU team back in 2013, and has been all over #WhatsHappening on Twitter ever since.

Currently in his 4^th year as Head of High Performance at Sydney FC Andrew is responsible for the philosophy and integration of Sports Medicine, Sports Science, Strength and Conditioning and Sports Psychology into the Sydney FC coaching process and club philosophy. A former professional footballer, qualified coach and sport scientist places Andrew in a unique position to understand the demands and stresses of life as a professional footballer and ultimately to assist athletes in exceeding what they thought was capable in their careers.

Employment in similar roles at the Central Coast Mariners and Vegalta Sendai (Japan), Andrew is a 3 x A-League Premiership winner, 2 x A-League Championship Winner, FFA cup winner and 6 x Asian Champions League qualifier. His current tenure at Sydney FC has seen unparalleled domestic success for the club. With a long list of Socceroos and players plying their trades around the globe Andrew has had a significant influence on the education and development of many players.

An Executive Committee member of Football Coaches Australia (FCA) Andrew has an interest in being a leader in the representation of Sport Performance Management, Sports Science and Strength and Conditioning in football.

Andrew has over 20 years experience in Sports Administration, beginning in 1993 as a Senior Sports Consultant with the Australian Sports Commission. From there he went on to play leading roles with over 20 Olympic and Professional sports working with them on a range of strategic projects to develop high performance and commercial outcomes. Andrew joined the ACT Brumbies in 2002 as General Manager before being appointed CEO in 2005 a position he held until 2013. In 2014, Andrew moved to the governing body as General Manager, National Teams and Rugby Operations with Australian Rugby Union, before crossing codes when appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Adelaide Football Club in September of 2014.

He holds tertiary qualifications in sports management and law, he has spoken at national and international conferences on a range of sports management issues. Andrew is a passionate leader with a proven track record of developing innovative business strategy and leading teams to success.

Dr Darryl Woodford is co-founder of Hypometer Technologies, starting the company in November 2015 after 5 years at Queensland University of Technology, most recently as a research fellow in the Social Media Research Group. Darryl has over 15 years of experience in building predictive models, having applied them to various domains including sporting data, social media and video games. As a company, Hypometer Technologies is at the forefront of applying predictive models to sports for public consumption, and are the operators of Fantasy Insider and Stats Insider, delivering player and team projections to sports fans in Australia and beyond

John has been on the Board of Directors of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia since July 2008, and currently serves as the Commodore (Chairman of the Board). One of his responsibilities is to work with the chief executive and the planning committees that deliver the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht race.

He is the Managing Partner of Hicksons, an Australian legal and professional services firm. Additionally John is a Director of Standard Communications Pty Ltd, an Australian manufacturer of Communications and Marine Safety Equipment.

Prior to taking on the role of Pro-Vice Chancellor, sport strategy and Dean, College of Sport and Exercise Science in 2013, Professor Hans Westerbeek was the founding Director (January 2010) of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL).

Professor Westerbeek started his academic career at Deakin University in 1994 in the sport management program. He was also a Senior Research Associate in the Centre for Business Research at Deakin before moving to La Trobe University in 2003. During his time there he held several positions, including Chair of Sport Management and Head of School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management.

He is a past President (and founding Board member) of the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand and of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in Australia. He continues to serve as a Chair of Sport Management at the Free University of Brussels (Belgium). He also holds Visiting Professor appointments at the Real Madrid Graduate School, at the European University of Madrid in Spain and at the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE) in Beijing, China. He is a member of Club Melbourne and was a founding Board member of Australian Football League (AFL) Europe, the AFL-endorsed governing body in Europe.

Professor Westerbeek co-founded the European Association for Sport Management (EASM) and was a founding member of the European Union’s European Network of Sport Science Institutes.

Professor Westerbeek is an active researcher, corporate facilitator, author and consultant to numerous organisations such as Tennis Australia, FIFA, the AFL, the Australian Sporting Goods Association and the International Tennis Federation, and governments in a variety of countries including Australia, the USA, Malaysia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil, India, Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan and most recently in India and Colombia.

Professor Westerbeek has (co)authored more than 200 scientific, popular science and opinion articles, 23 books and 16 book chapters. His books have been translated in Dutch, Greek, Chinese, Russian and Arabic.

Neil was appointed as the VRC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in January 2018.

Neil has been a member of the VRC Board since December 2012 and was elected Honorary Treasurer in February 2017, ahead of stepping into the Interim Chief Executive role in June 2017. He remains a member of the Club’s Board in his capacity as CEO.

Neil is also a Director of the racing.com Board, the Victorian Racing industry media and digital initiative and is an advisor and non-executive Director to a number of Digital and Technology companies outside of the racing industry. He regularly presents at industry forums and to executive teams and Boards about the impact of emerging technology and increased access to information has on business models.

He has had over 25 years’ experience in Information Technology and digital transformation working in corporate roles and as a founder of his own business (Charter Wilson) which was acquired by ASX listed company Oakton, a leading technology services company which employed over 1,200 people. Neil was the Chief Executive Officer of Oakton for nine years until it was acquired by Dimension Data in 2014.

Neil is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and a member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

Daniel has founded and exited several companies and raised capital along the way. As a life long gamer and sports fan, the appeal of coming to work for the biggest esports company in the world was too hard to pass up. Daniel now leads a team of approximately 50 dedicated people determined to continue the growth of League of Legends esports in Oceania.

10 years in sponsorship, with experience across agency, rights holder and brand side, Simon now leads the Etihad Airways sponsorship program across the region.

Nick Vanzetti is the Managing Director of ESL Australia and VIM Media & Events. A passionate advocate of the eSports community, he has helped shape some of the region’s largest events & leagues. Nick has spent 15 years in the games industry, combined with careers in event project management, film & television and games retail management prior to the commencement of his own company, VIM. Having grown the esports & gaming services business over the last 5 years to manage 20 permanent staff, Nick helped steer VIM to become part of the world’s largest esports company in ESL.

Coming from a life as a Professional athlete across Europe & Australia, the transition into Sports Administration and Sports Marketing was natural. After spending some in a Marketing Agency in Sydney, Andreas took on a role at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs as the Marketing & Events Manager for 5 years. He now manages the Sports Marketing at Reebok across South-East Asia and Pacific, fostering the brand’s global partnerships in the Region that includes CrossFit, Les Mills, Spartan Race, and the recently inked UFC deal. Building the strategic direction for the brand’s positioning in these communities compliments the rich athlete portfolio the brand holds.

A digital pioneer for over twenty-five years, Scott leads Accenture’s Media & Entertainment practice across Australia and New Zealand. An accomplished entrepreneur, musician and operating executive Scott has lead digital transformations at Sony, Bertelsmann, The Motion Picture Association of America and Merrill Lynch & Co as well as the iconic start-ups Data Broadcasting Corporation, Firstlook.com and Ruckus. Scott is a lecturer at The Australian Film, Radio & Television School and The University of Southern California, and a Senior Fellow at The Annenberg Center for the Digital Future.

David joined the Board of Sportradar as a non-executive director in 2012, moving into an executive role as Managing Director Corporate Services at the end of 2013.  David is based in London and heads up Sportradar’s UK business. At group level he also oversees a number of different functions including Legal, Compliance, Marketing, Communications, and Offices amongst others.

David is a qualified accountant who has spent over 13 years in the sports industry.  During this time he has been at the forefront of developments in the governance framework for sport including the licensing of agents, financial fair play and betting integrity.  He has had senior roles at national governing bodies (working for The Football Association as Head of Financial Regulation) to international federations (advising FIFA on its Transfer Matching System and serving on the UEFA Club Licensing Committee), and from clubs (as Chief Executive of Portsmouth FC) to fan groups (as Chief Executive of Supporters Direct, a not-for-profit organisation promoting fan involvement and good governance in sport).  He is passionate about sport, speaks French and Italian and is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur.