Best pitch presenter you’ve ever seen:
Jack Conte, Patroen, SXSX Austin 2020 - The way he presented his business, how it was inspired by his passion for music and his band but delivered it all through pictures and getting the audience involved blew my mind, if you ever get chance to see him present, don’t miss it.
Best sports marketing campaign (that wasn’t yours):
I’m a Nike sneaker head so I can’t look any further than some of the football campaigns they have done down the years - Good Vs Evil in ‘96, Brazilian Football Airport Style ‘98, the list goes on…
Best agency (that isn’t yours):
We Are Sweet - I love how James and Lou think about things and how they approach their work. I’ve got to know them well over the last few years and their first thought is always how they can do things differently and better for their clients.
Best young industry talent:
I am biased but our very own Grace Wilson. As our Marketing Executive she has immersed herself in the business since joining, not being afraid to throw herself into things she has never done before and projecting the business as a leader in our industry.
Best sporting event attended:
Darlington Race Circuit for NASCAR, March 2024 - a totally mind blowing experience. I’ve been lucky to attend so many more but that’s my latest and most interesting one.
Best sporting event on TV:
So many!!!! I vividly remember watching Marco Van Basten volley the ball past the then known Soviet Union at Euro 1988, I was ill at the time and had been in bed for a few days. It announced Van Basten on the World
Stage along with Rijkard and Gullit which inspired me to follow the great Milan team of that period. I always love watching the major football tournaments on TV, almost better than being there as I can watch so many games that way, the intensity that you get in pretty much every game - Total Football.
Best brand ambassador:
Ryan Reynolds in anything he endorses!!!! The man can do no wrong in my eyes. In his own way he makes you feel an attachment to the product, service, film or football club he is associating himself with every single time. He’s a marketing genius (that’s his education btw), I deeply research what he does
and how he does it as he is very unique
Best industry event or conference:
Plenty of good ones and a lot of bad ones, it’s the holy grail trying to find the best events right - imo needs a healthy mix of insightful interviews/firesides and networking
Best film containing a scene depicting the sports business:
Any Given Sunday, love Al Pacino in that film and how he goes through all the challenges of managing a team
Best book recommendation:
It's a few years old now but Velocity - The Seven New Laws For A World Gone Digital by Ajaz Ahmed (CEO of AKQA) and Stefan Olander (at the time, Nike, now CEO at OMORPHO). A fascinating discussion by people at the top of their game who were very much delivering digital transformation for Nike at the time. Its written as a conversation between the two of them and helps to give so much clarity in a business world of rapid change
Best bar or pub:
I really enjoy spending time in bars in New York, wall to wall sports and you always bump into random people from all over the world to engage in conversation about the most random things. If I had to pick one in would say The Long Acre just off Times Square, great beer, great food, great people and sport on all the time
Best restaurant:
I love steaks and I always have a great experience at Hawksmoor restaurants, good quality food and always a great atmosphere and service
Best holiday resort:
I’m not a holiday resort person, more of a city break or road trip person. Favourite road trip is San Fran to LA, love that. Favourite City, Rome/New York, both of them feel like you are transported onto a film set or another world
Best box set:
Band of Brothers, I know it is not sporting but it still makes me cry now when I watch it. So well cast and shot brilliantly, showcasing the madness of war whilst underlining the brotherhood that comes out of having to be there for each other.
Best influence on your career:
Claire Murphy, Commercial Sport Services Director when I was at ITV. She pushed me every single day, challenged perceptions, and always pushed me to make sure it was the best work I could do. She would never accept the easy option but would also support and back me whenever I needed it.
Best dinner companions (min 4, max 6):
Ryan Reynolds - love everything he does and would just geek out on marketing with him, Will Ferrell - cracks me up, I’d be in stitches all night, Roberto Baggio (a childhood hero that I have always wanted to meet and having met Toto Schillaci a few times who is a good friend of his, he told me he is a great guy), Jess Phillips, Labour MP, I love her attitude, she’s fearless and driven and never gives up on cause, plus she’s funny so she would be a good crack with Ryan and Will. Mark Cavendish, I’ve followed his career for years, always tackling adversity and finding a way to go again but also so honest about everything, be great to chat about how he sees the world. Finally, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, my favourite band of all time, the stories this guy would have would keep the chat going!
Best job in the sports biz:
The one I have right now, genuinely, I work with a great group of people who inspire me every day and I have the freedom to lead the business in the direction I want
Best professional regret:
I don’t have any, things happen for a reason, it’s a journey and everything I have done professional leads me to where I am today and what I will do in the future
Best skill you most covet:
Relentless drive (inherited that from my grandfather)
Best trait you admire in others:
Willingness to help others without expect anything in return
Best overrated virtue:
Confidence…It’s great to be confident but that doesn’t mean the one who talks the loudest or the first to put their hand up to do something, confidence needs to be backed up with ability.
Best ambition:
Make every day better than the last, always forward, never look back