CATHERINE INKSTER
Head of Content & Communications, Sport Industry Group
Best pitch presenter you’ve ever seen:
Emmanuel Macron, for Paris 2024.
Best sports marketing campaign (that wasn’t yours):
Nike’s “Crazy” and Paddy Power’s Rainbow Russians
Best agency (that isn’t yours):
I could give you an opinion, but then I’d have to resign.
Best young industry talent:
Alex Willis at AELTC / Wimbledon. I don’t know her well but I’m a huge fan of the way she’s managed to steer Wimbledon into the digital media age while preserving its essential traditions. I also like the way she presents herself, which feels very authentic - a calm, unshowy authority and intelligence. It’s a great example for other young female leaders in the industry.
Best sporting event attended:
The French Open at Roland Garros, and Vitality Netball Quad Series at the Copper Box.
Best sporting event on TV:
The Olympic Games. Come on.
Best brand ambassador:
Serena Williams and Nike.
Best industry event or conference:
The BT Sport Industry Awards. Next!
Best film containing a scene depicting the sports business:
Cool Runnings. Next!
Best book recommendation:
The Girls by Emma Cline. It’s the closest I’ve seen anyone come to capturing the endless complexity of a young female brain. I recommend it to men, for sure!
Best bar or pub:
Can I say my mate’s pub, The Borough, in our hometown, Lancaster? I’m hoping she might do me a freebie in the unlikely event that I ever get married.
Best restaurant:
Astrid & Gaston in Lima.
Best holiday resort:
Sardinia. A more off-beat tip would be Lake Ohrid in Macedonia (or North Macedonia, officially).
Best box set:
Veep or The Thick of it.
Best influence on your career:
Nick Varley, my boss at Seven46, who took a chance on me as a know-nothing kid, trained me up and offered me some extraordinary opportunities. More recently, the late Mike Lee also became a mentor and a champion. I felt incredibly lucky to have had him believe in me and I miss him terribly.
Best dinner companions (min 4, max 6):
I’m a bit of a politics junkie. I’d go: Macron, Merkel, Obama, Blair, J Trudeau and Ardern. It would be a total progressive centrist echo chamber, but that sounds pretty good to me right now.
Best job in the sports biz:
IOC member.
Best professional regret:
Oxymoron? In general, I try not to regret. Some of my biggest mistakes have led to my biggest opportunities.
Best skill you most covet:
Microsoft Excel. Honestly.
Best trait you admire in others:
Compassion.
Best overrated virtue:
Faith.
Best ambition:
To own property in London.