Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer James Maddison joins the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast to unpack his approach to social media. Fresh off the stage at the Summit at Leaders Week this year, Maddison was joined by fellow panelists Shaneil Patel, Head of Social Media at Spurs, and Rollo Goldstaub, TikTok's Global Head of Sports Partnerships. The trio piece together the winning formula that has made Spurs the most successful Premier League team on TikTok - with 43 million followers - and Maddison himself one of the most resonant active athlete voices on the platform today.

Andrew Abdo, National Rugby League (NRL) CEO, joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation, as its global ambitions solidify. In London for the England-Australia Ashes Test series, he reflects on five years at the helm of Australia's biggest sports league by viewership, a stint which has seen major revenue growth and international expansion, in the Pacific and to Las Vegas.He sets out the NRL's approach to international markets, reflects on the league's global vision - including its relationship with the Super League in the UK - and, as the NRL's next domestic broadcast rights cycle approaches, Australia's dynamic media market.Abdo also shares his approach to longer-term challenges, including artificial intelligence, private equity investment and real estate development, and gives his advice to international organisations coming into Australia as the 2032 Olympics loom on the horizon.- - -- Join 200 influential sports leaders at Leaders Meet: Australia in Brisbane on 4th and 5th February 2026 - for more information head to https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-meet-australia/ (https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-meet-australia/)

IMG Americas EVP and Head of Commercial Hillary Mandel joins James Emmett in the Leaders studio in the first of a new three-part series looking at how to do business around the global sports industry.After identifying the ramifications of media fragmentation, corporate consolidation and cord cutting in the North American media market, sports media legend Mandel, who has sold billions of dollars worth of rights across a 22-year career at IMG, is joined by colleagues Evandro Figuera, an IMG VP based in Sao Paolo, and Brian Pressman, VP of Global Partnerships based in New York.On the agenda: how to make an impact in Brazil, from the boardroom to the field play; IMG's record-breaking partnership with Conmebol; Major League Soccer, the NWSL and the gigantic opportunity that is the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Former AFC Bournemouth owner Jeff Mostyn and his daughter Janine, MD of search firm Huckleberry Sport, are the guests on this week's Leaders Worth Knowing. The Mostyns are two of the best networked people in the UK sports industry, and ahead of the release of Jeff's new book, The Chairman: The Man who Saved AFC Bournemouth, they visited the Leaders studio to reflect on a (very expensive!) fairytale journey. Having made a success of a financial advisory practice focused on the Armed Forces, Jeff began his association with AFC Bournemouth in 2006. At the time, the club was in the third tier of English football, saddled with debt and poorly run. Over the course of the next 16 years, Jeff took the club through administration, to the brink of extinction, via a trip to the very bottom of the English professional pyramid, before establishing the club as a force in the Premier League. Bill Foley's consortium, Black Knight Football Club, bought the club in 2022. Janine has led sport and entertainment talent firm Huckleberry Sport since 2017, and works with the likes of Premier League football clubs, Formula 1 racing teams, media and broadcast production companies, business consulting services and agencies and world-renowned gaming and entertainment providers.

Audi joins the F1 grid in 2026 and the team’s Chief Commercial Officer Stefano Battiston joins the show to give an update on preparations.Completing its phased, multi-year buyout of the Sauber team, the German manufacturer will join the grid as F1’s latest round of technical regulations come into play with the potential to shake up the competitive order.Commercially, Battison was at the heart of a new title sponsorship agreement with finance app Revolut - he explains what happened behind the scenes to get the deal done.He also reflects on the changing culture as the Swiss-based team grows, how Audi intends to make its mark as one of 12 teams in F1 next season and how he identifies new sponsorship categories and brands with marketing budgets.

In the aftermath of Leaders Week London 2025, James Emmett and David Cushnan breakdown some of the top stories and tidbits from the biggest sports industry event of the year at Allianz Stadium, before introducing a series of conversations recorded on-stage. On the agenda:(10:42) Jeff Moorad, Co-Founder of MSP Sports Capital, talks about the art of the exit in sports investment, following MSP's recent decision to part ways with McLaren Racing after playing a key role in the team's revival. (17:23) James Foster runs marketing at HUGO Boss and has a number of top tier partnerships in sport, including with Aston Martin. He talks through the rationale behind the organisation's sponsorship activity and more broadly, how the brand thinks about cultural traction.(22:00) Foday Dumbuya, Founder and Creative Director at Labrum, on the partnership between Labrum, Arsenal and Adidas; an away kit collaboration that celebrates Arsenal’s connection to its supporters from across the African diaspora.(31:00) Britt Hadris, Director of Global Women's Sport at PepsiCo, on how the brand looks at and measures sponsorships across men's and women's sport.(36:35) Mohammed AlSayyad, Head of Corporate Brand and Strategic Advisory, PIF, on the four principles that help shape how PIF think about sports investment and sponsorship. 

Premier League CEO Richard Masters, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the FA's Director of Women's and Para Football Sue Day, and CBS Creative Producer Pete Radovich are the featured guests as Leaders duo David Cushnan and James Emmett are joined by Karthi Gnanasegaram to review the final day of the Summit at the 2025 edition of Leaders Week. 

James Emmett, David Cushnan and Eoin Connolly reflect on a terrific opening day at The Summit from Allianz Stadium, which saw over 2,000 movers and shakers from across the global sports industry gather at the home of England Rugby.The trio discuss a range of themes and talking points from on-stage sessions, which featured a stellar lineup of speakers across three stages. Alongside the dialogue, this episode contains short snippets of sessions and from around the venue, featuring Victor Montagliani, Sarah Massey, Mark Wilf and Susan Goodenow.

WWE President Nick Khan, Garcia Companies Founder Dany Garcia, and IMG President Adam Kelly sit down for a series of punchy conversations on Leaders Worth Knowing this week. On the eve of Leaders Week, James Emmett and David Cushnan give an inside view on what to look out for at the biggest sports industry event of the year at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham next week, before introducing a series of conversations recorded at the IMG x RedBird Summit last week. Fresh from TKO's debut boxing event in Las Vegas, WWE President Nick Khan talks ground-breaking media deals with Netlfix and ESPN, ponders the future of PPV, and explains why he won't use emojis; Dany Garcia - the woman who runs Dwayne Johnson's Seven Bucks Promotions production company, as well as the UFL, Danimás, and a portfolio of other businesses - explains what makes a great sports film, talks bodybuilding, and finally reveals what it was that the Rock was cooking. And Adam Kelly looks back at a year of breathtaking deal-making and partnership building at IMG, and gives us a view from his front row seat overlooking the rapidly changing picture that is the macro media market.

In the second episode of the series between Leaders and TikTok, we explore the social giant’s approach to sport through the prism of some of its key executives and content creators.To help us do that, we called upon Rich Paul, Founder & CEO of Klutch Sports Group – one of the most influential sports agencies in the world with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Juju Watkins and Draymond Green on its books. Paul has recently become a TikTok user and has already been widely admired for dropping brilliant insights on athlete branding, draft picks, and what it takes to build a lasting sports empire.Vanessa Craft, TikTok’s Global Head of Content Partnerships and Business Development, joins Paul on the show to talk through community-building, how the worlds of sports, music and fashion are showing up on TikTok, and the consumption habits between men and women on the platform.SBJ’s Managing Director Dan Kaufman hosted the conversation a few days after TikTok’s North American Sports Summit.

As the finals take place this week, Billie Jean King Cup CEO Kerstin Lutz joins the show from Shenzhen, China, which is hosting the women's national team tennis competition for the first time.Lutz explains how China's third-largest city is embracing the finals, and shares her tips for working in and running events in the country, as it re-emerges onto the global stage.She also reflects on her first 18 months as CEO of the BJK Cup, the operational takeover of the tournament in 2023 by Billie Jean King and TWG's Mark Walter, working in tennis alongside the sport's many stakeholders, and the elements of agency life - Lutz is a veteran of Team Marketing - that have helped as she settles into life running a sports property.

Nascar EVP and Chief Media & Revenue Officer Brian Herbst joins the show to discuss how the stock car series thinks about broadcasting and engaging fans. Speaking to Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett, he explains the rationale behind the latest cycle of US broadcast rights, including a new partnership with Amazon, which began this season and netted Nascar a reported $7.7 billion over the next seven years. Herbst also discusses why and how Nascar shows up in Roblox and Fortnite, plus its recent debut on Substack, and where international rights and coverage fits into his thinking as he plots the future media direction of the top-level Cup Series, the secondary Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. 

Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) completed a series C funding round earlier this summer, raising a reported $40 million. The round was led by Saudi Arabia's SURJ Sports Investments, and supported by Cordillera, Verance Capital, and initial investor Sir Michael Moritz. Sam Renouf is the founder and CEO of PTO and the man who leads the organization's T100 series of triathlon events. He led the efforts to raise the money. He joins the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast this week to give us a step-by-step guide to the year-long process that led to the capital injection.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Professional Triathletes Organisation and many other rights holders from across global sport will be out in full force at Leaders Week London from 29 September - 2 October. To find out more and to secure your pass, visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

David Bruce is the Chief Business Officer at Sunderland, the North East club that's back in the Premier League after an eight year absence. Under owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, who, at 28, is the youngest Chairman in the Premier League, Bruce is responsible for steering the commercial operations at Sunderland. Staying in the Premier League is the aim this year, and, quite simply, much of the resource required for putting together a team capable of doing that is being driven by Bruce and his team. Bruce, who left his role as CMO of Major League Soccer to take up a position at his home club of Sunderland two years ago, joined the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast fresh from an opening day win against West Ham. On the agenda: - The record shirt sales achieved through partnerships with Fanatics and Hummel;- The new need for a season-ticket waiting list for the team's 49,000-capacity Stadium of Light;- The new premium offerings rolled out this season;- Finding new fans, and reconnecting the club to the city and its people;- The business and marketing lessons he learned in the US that he's trying to implement in Sunderland.

According to Google, that's the second most common question people ask in relation to the former FC Barcelona and Spanish international football legend. The answer may well be 'very'. Since retiring from playing in November 2022, Pique has launched himself whole-heartedly into the running of his Kosmos agency. A few short weeks after hanging up his boots, he launched Kings League, a seven-a-side football competition with unconventional rules designed to major on the entertainment side of the sport. Two and half years later, and Kings League has established itself as a new model for short-form football; it's expanded out of Spain and into new markets around Europe and South America, with the Middle East and the US now firmly on radar. Pique sat down to record with Leaders at the Cannes Festival of Marketing earlier in the summer. Fresh off a whirlwind few weeks of activity with Kings League - including signing a landmark deal with Saudi Arabian fund SURJ, and overseeing a successful finals event in Paris - Pique gave his thoughts on football's expansion into the US market, the Club World Cup, spawning competitor outfits like the Baller League, and the transition from the field to the boardroom.

Raine Group Partner and Head of EMEA, Jason Schretter joins the show to explain how the England & Wales Cricket Board managed the sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises - which drew significant investment from the United States and India. Raine was the lead financial advisor to the ECB on the auction process, working closely with Deloitte to achieve an overall valuation of over £975 million across the eight franchises, and a £500 million windfall for the development of English cricket. In conversation with Leaders' Content Director David Cushnan, Schretter reflects on the process from start to finish, shares the rationale for such sizeable investments, identifies some of the lessons for other sports looking for investment and offers his assessment of the sports industry's current financial literacy.  Look out for the Leaders Week London agenda, which is out next week - check out leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

Tom Jackson, Group Director, Content at the DP World Tour - once known as the European Tour - joins the podcast to share the organisation’s approach to content creation and in particular its run of viral videos featuring challenges and players.In conversation with Leaders’ Content Director David Cushnan, Jackson explains the critical planning and process required to bring a comprehensive content strategy to life; how his team convinced players to take part; the risk and reward of humour in content; and how the DP World Tour’s approach to branded content has become more sophisticated.Join leading creatives, digital and content experts, and organisations including Ferrari, FIFA, Chicago Bulls, Snuggs, NASCAR and more, on the Creative Stage at Leaders Week London - 1st and 2nd October at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. To find out more visit: www.leaders on sport.con/leadersweek

Fresh from the Uefa Women’s Euros semi-finals, Rexona/Sure Global Brand Director Emily Heath joins Leaders’ Editorial Director James Emmett to examine whether women’s football sponsorship actually works.Heath shares her on-the-ground thoughts on the atmosphere around this week’s games and describes the mood in host country Switzerland, plus outlines how Unilever-brand Rexona (Sure in the UK) is approaching its Uefa and Fifa sponsorship activations across different markets.She also explains how and when Unilever will measure the success of the Euros - from sentiment to sales - and offers a few top tips to rights-holders about how to approach partnership conversations with the brand.Emily Heath will be one of a gaggle of senior, global brand-side executives speaking at Leaders Week London, on 1st and 2nd October at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. To find out more visit: www.leaders on sport.con/leadersweek

Mark Goldbridge, owner and frontman The United Stand and That’s Football, joins the podcast to explain how he’s building the biggest football content brands on YouTube, and the truth behind the viral clips they spawn.Manchester United-focused The United Stand (19 million views in June) and That's Football (9.85 million views) were the top two YouTube football channels globally for long-form views in June.In conversation with Leaders’ Content Director David Cushnan, Goldbridge discusses how he turned a hobby into a business; his thoughts on mainstream football coverage and how it needs to change; the business model and how The United Stand and That’s Football are increasingly working with brand partners; and, naturally, his thoughts on the soap opera that is Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Glazers and what he’d do first if he was club CEO Omar Berrada.

Manchester United have remained a market leading force in commercial activity despite a run of challenging seasons for onfield performance and results. Current front-of-shirt partner Snapdragon, a mobile phone chip manufacturing brand within the Qualcomm software empire, is entering the second year of a five-year deal worth a reported $375 million. It's a top-end fee for a position at a club that finished 15th last season. On the show this week, Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire and newly installed Manchester United Chief Business Officer Marc Armstrong join James Emmett to talk about how to make commercial and marketing impact through a challenging era of transition.