The Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast by Marcus Luer

Ralf Reichert, is considered a founding father of the Gaming/Esports industry, having shaped the industry for the past 20 years as an Entrepreneur.  We are unpacking the early days of ESL Gaming and off course the current state of play and plans for the future.  Recording from my hometown in Koeln (Cologne), Germany.  Happy holidays everyone. 
 
Key Highlights
Growing up in Oberhausen, the “honest” Coal mining part of Germany with two competitive brothers
Great learning from his apprenticeship at a BWM dealership while studying in Essen
How SK Gaming started in 1997, by his brother.  1999 connecting with Jens Hilgers (now Bitkraft Ventures), Alex Mueller (SK Gaming) to start Turtle Entertainment, later called ESL Gaming (Electronic Sports League)
SK Gaming stories, started with playing Quake World and his involved at the beginning of the team.  Later sold shares due to conflict of interest with ESL
ESL Gaming, the “world’s largest independent esports company”,  where everyone can be somebody – creating an ecosystem where Gamers can be stars, from amateur to pro player (From Zero to Hero)
First 10 years, hard to find sponsors and funding, had to be smart and cost efficient – fight for survival – ESL was a match making platform
The first big break, Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), 2006, longest running global pro gaming Tour in the world
Working with Twitch when it was still Justin.tv  – 2010 -2014 the golden era and big break through of Esports as an industry
Bootstrapping the company the first 8-9 years, only small fund raise (US$ 1 mil), being frugal was the key. 
From 2010-2016 growing from a US$ 10 mil company to US$ 100 mil company – the big growth period
The different events and Leagues 2002 ESL Pro Series, local Pro League in Germany,  ESL Pro League 2013,  ESL Pro Tour 2018 (local, regional and global competitions)
Focus on Counter Strike for Pro League, because of the maturity in the Game and longevity
Individual Tournaments on top of the Leagues, ie. IEM and ESL ONE  - world championships type of events
Prize money and event model – own and operated (ESL branded events), hybrid events in partnership with Publishers, Esports Services (agency model, power Esports for Publishers)
Global footprint of ESL from Cologne to New York, regional HQs in LA, Singapore, Riyad, etc and production hubs in Poland and Malaysia and local offices in partnership with local partners
2000-2010 start up phase, 2010-2015 scale up phase, 2015-2021 globalization phase
Modern Times Group (MTG) transaction in 2015 (which wasn’t a sale according to Ralf), Swedish group, synergies, neutral and independent
Constant changes in industry, staying focused on ESL Brand premise (North Star) and making adjustments as industry growth
New partnership with Immutable X, first dip into NFT space – always trying and investing in new things
ESL during Covid – going back to roots, being online focused – Esports continued to grow during Pandemic
Being global is difficult and hard but the best thing the company did and ESL thrived in Covid, setting new processes
Close to 700 people now, after merger with DreamHack in 2020
Other activities, advisory roles, etc mostly connected and synergies to main role as CEO of ESL – some angel investment   
 
About Ralf Reichert
Ralf is Managing Director / CEO of Turtle Entertainment the world’s largest eSports company leading the industry in raising eSport production and audience levels to those of mainstream sports. Alongside the creation of Turtle Entertainment, Ralf has been an integral part of the development of ESL Gaming which is now the largest global Esports league, as well as the elite pro gaming tour Intel Extreme Masters which has given out over $3.5million of prize money spanning across 8 seasons.  Reichert’s passion for gaming and technology is for all to see, and with over 20 years of experience in the industry, it is no surprise that Turtle Entertainment has been such a resounding success.
 
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Ben Smith, a chartered financial planner for the past 10 years, is on a mission to educate young athletes about wealth management, proper financial planning and goal setting.  Very important messages for anyone dealing with young athletes and of course for athletes themselves.  Listen and learn. (The Podcast was NOT sponsored by FLM)
Disclaimer: No financial advise or recommendations are given. The Podcast is purely highlighting options available.
 
Key Highlights
How Ben got into the industry and how childhood lessons shaped his career path and mindset about investing
Chartered Financial Planner, help clients make great decision with their money, from planning, tax, legal structures, etc
FLM (Financial Lifestyle Management Ltd) a partnership affiliated to St James’s Place Plc – a Footsie 100 company (150 billion under management), different investment solutions (highly regulated environment in the UK)
The stats behind the reason for the Podcast and why it’s so important for young athletes to be aware of it
Early 90s, salaries in Football were only around avg GBP 20k pa, now nearly GBP 2 million per year – high earning in early part of the career (young age), opposite to traditional career path  
Process to engage young athletes – step by step process to educate them in an interactive way and setting goals
Passive Income and Compound Interest – key to understand it – Jill and Jack example
FLM focus on Football, Rugby and Golf
The process, value added services by FLM, fee structure and steps to take by athletes and families
Athletes as investors beyond their Money – bringing their Name into investments – Athletes are Brands - Whoop example – risk and returns
FLM’s background and history over the past 20 years  (www.Flmltd.com)
 
About Ben Smith
I help busy, successful people make great decisions with their money. I believe that wealth is dictated by behaviours, not earnings, Everything I do is focused on creating world class money habits that help my clients achieve financial freedom. This is the ability to live life to the full without financial constraints.I believe that in any area of your life, a lack of clarity can be fatal. It can lead to anxiety and hold you back from achieving what is really important to you and your family. When I first joined the industry in 2011, I had studied business, finance and economics throughout my education, yet I knew very little about personal financial planning. From working with many families over the last 10 years, I have found that money is very poorly understood in the UK which really can hold people back in a quest for a better life.With this in mind, I am passionate about financial education and the importance of having a plan.How many of us studied money or personal finance at school? It is also rarely discussed, even between close family members. I really believe in helping my clients learn as we work together, which brings both enjoyment and greater peace of mind.Having a well thought through plan allows you to get on and enjoy life whilst striving towards the things that are important to you.Everyone has a different 'why' which ultimately gets us out of bed in the morning. Maybe you want to send your kids to private school, maybe you want to retire at 45 or maybe you want to own a second home in France. The harsh reality is that, without a clear plan, you are unlikely to achieve these goals.Over the last 10 years I have worked with busy, successful individuals in London to help them establish their ‘why’ and put in place prudent, robust financial plans to meet their goals.Life is as busy as it has ever been, and very few people find the time to put in place adequate financial plans and for those who do, even fewer continue to monitor them over time. I believe everyone has experienced some kind of financial inertia during their life – for some this will be for longer than others. It is arguably the single greatest threat to ones financial plans.
 
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Chris Lencheski, also better known as “SKI” in the industry is a true serial sports Entrepreneur from his early days around the Atlanta Olympics to his very successful years across global motorsports.  SKI & Company left its mark on the industry on many levels and Chris till today continues to shape the industry.  Great insights and learning from his own businesses to the various groups he worked with over the decades (Comcast Spectacor, TPG Speciality Lending, MyyTake India), including an interesting opinion on what happened to MP & Silva.  Listen and learn.    
 
Key Highlights
Starting at The Easton Events Company (spun out from United Media) – involved in the Atlanta Olympic Games and developing the protection of the marks, oversight of licensing rights, building activation plans, a great way to learn the ropes
Delos Associates – first Entrepreneurial venture
exclusive event marketing and management company for 1996 US Olympic Team Trials for Cycling; developed Official Corporate Marketing Partners Program
first look at motorsports
Next stop,  CMDC (Chesapeake Motorsports Development Corporation),
oversaw advertising, marketing, sponsorship, licensing, real estate, development, co-partnership, sanction, and television deals 
involved in big Pepsi deal for new Venue (NASCAR track)
MFP Agency (Marketing for Fun & Profits) – first time CEO working for someone else (Legendary Rod Campbell) 
Rod Campbell, founder of Campbell & Company (exclusive agent of Ford Motor Company’s racing efforts globally)
MFP, was separate entity involved in other motorsports ventures Indycar, F1 (lots of new learning experiences from Rod Campbell)
Next up, TSI Agency for a few years
Strategized commercial aspects as COO for organization that fielded teams in NASCAR Busch Series and Winston Cup competitions for Christian Fittipaldi and Kenny Wallace
Created the "The Cadillac Grand Prix" with George Debidart and the late Don Panoz (founder of ALMS), the first racing event in Washington, DC – comparing with the KL City Grand Prix in Malaysia where TSA was involved 
SKI & Company – back being an Entrepreneur
General Motors (GM) had a problem and Chris had the answer – great story on how the company got started by helping to fix a problem for the largest automobile company in the world
GM’s mishap in Golf – bidding against itself for a major sponsorship
How a white paper turned into the assignment as “Global Agency of record for GM Racing”, developing strategies country by country, brand by brand (from Vauxhall, Opel, Holden, to Chevy - fingers in any and all with blessing from GM)
GM’s large interests in motorsports around the world, including NASCAR, F1, Le Mans, etc
Growth comes at a cost – selling the business to principals of former CSS Stellar
Phoenicia Sports & Entertainment (live after SKI&Company) – transferring the learning and philosophy
Involved across Motorsports and Football/Soccer (Bologna)
Next stop, President of Front Row Marketing & Analytics (a Comcast Spectacor company)
Operated the stadia, sports media commercial rights and entertainment agency inside the greater Comcast ecosystem
Being part of a huge group and the pros and cons of it - picked up big clients Americas Cup, EPL Teams, French Football Championship Trophee Game (NYC), etc.
IRG Sports & Entertainment – A TPG Specialty Lending Group company ,  involved in change management
From Drag Racing to race tracks around the world & bringing ESPN back and growing Australia business rapidly.
MP & Silva – Senior Advisor to the Board – Chris’ observation as an Advisor to what happened?  
Everbright Securities & Beijing Baofong investment (at the time of China’s big push into Football/Sports globally)
Lots of senior leadership was let go and/or advice was being ignored by the Chinese leadership which had different ideas
Story not finished yet
Current role at Winning Streak Sports (a Granite Bridge Partners company – linked to Wafra - Sovereign Fund of Kuwait)
Number One premium licensing company in the world. From Board Member to CEO at request of Board
From Live streaming, social commerce, media support to premium licensing for major sports franchises globally
Last thoughts, success is not easy, never linear and not a ladder (more like a spray paint can) & when juggling businesses, especially going through Change Management, the rubber balls are the businesses, clients, etc.,(these balls will bounce) but don’t drop the glass balls (which are the people you work with and the most important part of any pivot - especially in commercial rights)
 
About Chris Lencheski
Chairman, Phoenicia Sport and Entertainment January 2009-present 
Chief Executive Officer, Winning Streak Sports March 2019-present 
Board of Directors, MyyTake (India) March 2021-present 
Board of Directors, Electronic Gaming Federation January 2019-present 
Chris Lencheski has worked in the global sports and entertainment sector for more than two decades. 
As founder and chairman of Phoenicia Sport and Entertainment, a sports and media consultancy firm he launched in 2009, he advised purchasers of Italian top-tier (Serie A) football teams, developed and executed commercial rights programming for Newman/Haas Racing, the IndyCar racing team of Paul Newman and Carl Haas, developed sports television programming for the Sportsman Channel, and has represented a host of traditional sponsorship/media clients, including managing the U.S. sports marketing debut of Chinese solar company, Trina Solar (SHA:688599). From 2009-2010, through Phoenicia, Mr. Lencheski was owner of International Hockey League franchise the Quad City Mallards, an affiliate of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. The team was IHL Franchise of the Year during Mr. Lencheski’s tenure. 
In March 2019, while a director of Winning Streak Sports, a portfolio company of Granite Bridge Partners, Mr. Lencheski was asked to assume the role of chief executive officer, where he currently oversees all business affairs of both Winning Streak Sports and affiliate Prinstant Replays, which, together deliver the number #1 premium licensed goods and collectibles product line in professional sports by both sales and quality. 
Prior to Winning Streak, from 2015 to 2019, Mr. Lencheski was the Senior Advisor to the chairman and board of managers of, MP & Silva, the Italy-based global sports media company. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Lencheski also served as co-chairman, chief executive officer and a director of IRG Sports + Entertainment, a TPG portfolio company and leading promoter of sports and live entertainment experiences. IRGSE is the parent company of the International Hot Rod Association and the International Drag Bike League and owns and operates Palm Beach International Raceway, Palm Beach Driving Club, Memphis International Raceway, Cordova International Raceway, and Maryland International Raceway. IRGSE promoted more than 1,150 global motorsports, live entertainment, and corporate events annually at its venues and within its series. 
From 2011 to 2014, Mr. Lencheski was president of Comcast-Spectacor's (now Spectra) wholly owned subsidiary Front Row Marketing and Analytics (“FRMS”), which managed commercial rights, sponsorship, and analytics for the entirety of the Comcast ecosystem of stadiums, arenas, teams, and Comcast properties. FRMS was acquired by Learfield Sports in 2015. While at FRMS, his work included collaborations with the Americas’ Cup, English Premier League Football, the Olympics, Formula One Racing, and FIFA World Cup projects, as well as a host of international and national properties, including every major sports league in the United States and international sport governing bodies. 
In 2002, Mr. Lencheski founded SKI & Company. With offices in New York, London, Dubai, Charlotte, NC, and Bethelem, PA, SKI was the first global agency for General Motors Racing and the recipient of BrandWeek Magazine’s Gold Award in the National Sales Promotion Campaign category for Mr. Lencheski’s work on behalf of client Turner Broadcasting and developing their program with Target Corporation. At SKI, Mr. Lencheski authored industry-setting standards and practice guidelines followed by major entities from network and cable television providers to Fortune 500 companies. From 2005-2008, SKI was majority owner and operational manager of its NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series racing Teams. In 2009, Mr. Lencheski sold SKI to a UK-based company, the terms of which cannot be disclosed. 
Mr. Lencheski has extensive experience and connectivity in motorsports. He held operational and ownership positions in teams competing in NASCAR. Through SKI & Company, from 2005-2008, Mr. Lencheski was the majority owner and chief executive officer of his NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity team. Through his role as minority owner and chief operating officer of The Source International, a sports and entertainment agency, and their racing team, Innovative Motorsports, for the 2001 and 2002 seasons, Mr. Lencheski was responsible for fielding a NASCAR Busch/Winston/Xfinity Series teams. During his time in NASCAR, Mr. Lencheski developed many sponsorship relationships with global brands including General Motors, Goulds Pumps/ITT, Stacker 2, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, NOS Energy Drink, Pure Fishing, and Smith & Wesson. Operating on limited budgets, Mr. Lencheski’s teams competed both full and part time, amassing one race win, five pole positions, 23 top-five finishes, and 58 top ten finishes with two top-ten year-end point standing finishes in 2001 and 2002. 
From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Lencheski was chief executive officer of the MFP Agency, an automotive-focused sports marketing agency founded by automotive marketing legend Rod Campbell of Campbell & Company. From 1997-1999, he was the executive vice-president and coo of Chesapeake Motorsports Development Corporation. From 1995 to 1997, he made his first run at launching his own sports marketing firm, Delos Associates Corporation, selling the portfolio to Joe Mattioli (whose family are the longtime owners of NASCAR Cup Series Pocono Raceway). Mr. Lencheski began his career as a vice president of event marketing, Olympics marketing, and director of sponsorship at The Easton Events Company, the official event management company of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. 
Mr. Lencheski has been an adjunct professor at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies’ Sports Management Master’s Degree program since 2015. He is a member of the board of directors of Winning Streak Sports, MyyTake India, Electronic Gaming Federation and a Founding Member of the Board of Advisors for Syracuse University’s Falk College. Mr. Lencheski is a graduate of Syracuse University and an alumnus of Harvard Business School, having completed the Advanced Management Program. He is married with four daughters. 
 
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Michel Masquelier had an incredible career with IMG over 35 years starting as an Intern and finishing as the Chairman of IMG Media and SNTV.  Over that time he had the privilege to work with and learn from the charismatic owners from Mark McCormack,  Ted Forstmann to Ari Emanuel at the end.  Pioneering a variety of new innovations and setting up new business units over his tenure. Fascinating stories of an amazing career.  Also check out Michel’s new book “This is not a Dress Rehearsal” for more.
Link to the book: http://getbook.at/NotADressRehearsalInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/m_masquelier/
 
Key Highlights
Taking a plunge and heading over the channel from Belgium to the UK to seeking new challenges in London
Reading Mark McCormack’s book and being inspired to seek employment with the company (1985), working for free at the beginning
First role in sponsorship activation, with Yves St Laurent and later focusing on sales in Benelux countries
Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France – advising the Organizing Committee
Mark McCormack, first interaction – “you the guy who plays golf before coming to the office in the morning” story
A man of amazing innovation, vision and anticipation
Setting up the Office in Brussel, at the start of the European Union
After 10 years, took a six months break and toured the world – NY Office story
Next stop, Media Division, selling Media rights, involvement in pioneering projects (China Football story)
Intrapreneur within the company, building teams, leadership style (Love & Respect)
Head of Sales Europe, Head of Sales Worldwide to President IMG Media
European Tour Production deal and Mark’s vision and foresight examples
The shock and worry when Mark suddenly passes away across the organization
Ted Forstmann era starts – US$ 750 mil purchase – leader in Private Equity
New focus on “ownership” in sports,  becoming a small shareholder in the business
Ted initially wanting to replace him due to clashes in strategy before new found respect
Frustrating moments with Ted when it came to Minimum Guarantees for Media Rights
Next Super-agent Ari Emanuel backed by PE money takes over (US$ 2.4 billion deal) and his drive and vision for the company (WME -IMG leading to Endeavor)
Moving from President of IMG Media to Chairman of Events/Media, slowly winding down
Huge growth from UFC deal to recent IPO at US$ 10 billion valuation under Ari’s leadership and future of industry thoughts (data the new gold)
“This is not a dress rehearsal”, his book about his experiences and journey – coming out in December 2021
 Reminiscing about the parallels of our careers and philosophy in life
 
About Michel Masquelier
Michel Masquelier is an Entrepreneur that has spent over 3 decades at the heart of the sports industry. Making his way up the ladder from intern to Chairman, he has become a respected leader in his field, and recognized as peoples manager.He now takes on the role of advisor to governing bodies, media organizations and private equity firms. He is also an active investor, board member and consultant for small enterprise, with a focus on the media industry. Michel is still a compulsive networker, but his passion has shift to stimulating education, especially amongst future generations. In the same spirit of innovation and disruption, he is involved in philanthropic projects, motivational speaking and development of educational programs for young executives.More recently he has been working on a book - This is not a Dress Rehearsal.In this part-memoir, part-manifesto and career guide, all inspiration-from-the-heart book, he shares stories from his early life in Belgium to his unique experiences rubbing shoulders with sports stars, business moguls and media pioneers. With open and honest examples of his triumphs, failures, and everything in between, there is something for everyone – the sports fans, the misfits, the motivated and the intrepid.
 
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From his two decades with DENTSU Sports to now 17 years with FIFA, Hide Arai has been at the heart of the Japanese presence in sports marketing globally for decades.  Great stories and insights into the Japanese Advertising Giant’s influence in global sports for the last 40 years, driven by the emergence of Japanese super brands.  And a short discussion about FIFA’s state of play, with several sensitive topics appropriately edited.   
 
Key Highlights
How it all started in the mid 80s, producing Japanese TV commercials at Dentsu Advertising
Dentsu’s first foray into sports marketing started in 1982 at the FIFA World Cup in Spain and 1984 LA Olympics – two Japanese Dentsu executives (Hartori & Takahashi) started to build a close bond with Horst Dassler, the powerful German businessman who controlled adidas and had launched ISL Marketing.
Coinciding with the growth of Japanese brands globally.  Dentsu taking on calculated risk to acquire the rights to certain packages and then selling it to one of it’s 3,000 clients.
Dentsu’s investment in ISL Marketing (49%) in 1984  and playing a significant role for decades
ISL Marketing taking the FIFA rights away from Coca-Cola which were managed by West Nally at that time.  Host Dassler cutting a deal with FIFA’s President Joao Havelange
First role at Dentsu Sports Division in 1990,  sponsorship sales and rights activations
World Championship of Track and Field in 1993, Stuttgart, Germany – we were both there.  Mike Powell story and Panasonic package size
1992, Barcelona Olympics – strong Japanese sponsor presence
Fuji & Kodak rivalry (FIFA vs IOC sponsorships) , Sony (Playstation, FIFA ) and Panasonic (Olympic TOP program) stories
His ISL Marketing years as “Dentsu Rep” (or Spy as his colleagues jokingly called it)” and some Papa Diack stories
His perspective on how the ISL powerhouse crumbled – loss of key management, wrong investments and missed IPO (Heinz Schurtenberger)
Loss of CEO may put on brakes at ISL (sportsbusinessjournal.com)
Back into Dentsu for the World Cup 1998 in France and then back to Japan to set up a new Media Rights trading division
Buying FIFA World Cup, Italian League (Canal+), Bundesliga (UFA Sports) buying rights for Japan territory
Growth of MLB rights in Japan due to Japanese players playing in the League since the 90s (NHK largest MLB broadcaster in the world)
Dentsu’s stake in World Sports Group (AFC Marketing agency for two decades) (Seamus O’Brien & Jack Sakazaki, JSM)
FIFA role from 2004 till now – Deputy Director, Business Development, sales & distribution of Media rights (partnering again with Jerome Valcke)
Difference between Agency life and life at a Federation. Different type of stakeholders and their needs
ISL and Kirch Media Bankruptcies endangering FIFA – on the back FIFA Marketing AG was created, FIFA taking commercial rights in-house, massive growth of fees (driven by Jerome)
Mastercard vs VISA drama
Growth of FIFA from 30-40 staff in the 90s to now 1,000 staff globally, all brought in-house, from ticketing, security to other areas
 
About Hide Arai
An avid baseball fan has turned into a sports business marketeer, Hide Arai’s association with the sports business has started in the early 80s when he joined Dentsu, the advertising giant in Japan and was subsequently assigned to ISL Worldwide in Switzerland during early 90s.  As VP at ISL, his activities had entailed sponsorship sales to Japanese global brands including Canon, Fujifilm, Panasonic and Toyota, as well as sponsors activations surrounding FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games, and IAAF (now World Athletics) World Athletic Championships. 
Back at Dentsu’s Sports Division from the late 90s to early 2000s, Hide Arai had driven scores of major sports rights deals as GM of the Division, including FIFA World Cups 2002-2006, Major League Baseball, English Premier League, Serie A, The Open (Golf).  
After 22 years of tenure at Dentsu, he switched his career and geographical base to a sport governing body, FIFA at Zurich, Switzerland in 2004.  Hide has been involved in sales and distribution of FIFA’s media rights, covering the entire Asian and African regions, as well as host broadcast production for the last 17 years. 
Hide Arai holds a BA (1981) in Political Science from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan and an MBA (1987) from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, US.
His current personal pursuits are scuba-diving in South Pacific and occasional golfing.
 
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Great stories and learning from Murray Barnett’s illustrious career across NBA, ISL, World Rugby and F1 to turning entrepreneur with his own boutique consulting agency during the pandemic. Lots of wisdom and great sharing from his journey over the past 2 decades.
 
Key Highlights
Starting at Orbit, Satellite TV space in Rome, Italy and some Italian House Music 
From Rome to Budapest to the NBA Europe in Paris – plan, plan and plan again – amazing level of detail, great lessons from David Stern 
Lessons from being at ISL Marketing for the final years of the agency handling FINA & FIBA accounts. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true (ATP disaster) 
Next stop ESPN, Russell Wolf offering a role as Employee #1 in ESPN’s Disney office in London
His focus at ESPN International – selling rights portfolio to other broadcasters, supervising ESPN channels in Middle East & Africa , identifying new opportunities to build the brand    
Big international expansion and ESPN UK (Premier League rights for one cycle) – what worked and didn’t work 
Success stories, ESPN Middle East, growing to 3 channels on ART and growth of ESPN Latin America and learning from top Disney/ESPN executives 
ESPN MVNO (ESPN The Phone) – culture of trying lots of new things and turning failure into learning to pivot into new areas
World Rugby (IRB),  Chief Commercial Officer role, from TV to sponsorship to hospitality.  Rugby World Cup 2015 in England and other competitions (HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series deal)
Rugby’s different philosophy as a sport and significance of rebranding the sport to World Rugby, Olympic inclusion for Rugby Sevens 
Rugby World Cup scale and size – US$250 million per event & Maradona visiting Twickenham story 
Private Equity in sports - bringing external “influencers” to push change in sports, the role of “outsiders” like CVC and similar groups investing and coming into sports with a different perspective 
Formula One Management – Head of Global Sponsorship & Commercial Partnerships – track side and hospitality packages       
Massive ten year deal with Aramco (largest company in the world, Saudi Oil giant) and how AWS (Amazon Web Services) came into the sport 
Aramco deal unpacked and how the deal happened.  And the big difference between selling TV rights and sponsorship deals. 
F1 Esports, fan festivals and other new innovations 
Founding 26West Sport during the Pandemic , boutique sports consultancy specializing in TV rights, sponsorship and commercial development 
“Learning” being an entrepreneur the past year 
 
About Murray Barnett
Murray Barnett is a Sports Marketing professional with over 20 years’ experience in Media, Marketing & Sponsorship worldwide. He has uniquely worked for sports leagues, governing bodies, TV/media companies and sports marketing agencies.
Starting out in Italy and Hungary with Orbit and Nethold respectively, Murray worked on two international TV start-ups in marketing, sales and programming capacities.
Upon leaving Hungary, he was employed by NBA Europe to manage marketing partnerships & programme development with NBA Broadcast partners. From there he was headhunted by ISL to manage TV accounts for FIBA basketball and Fina swimming.
Amongst ISL TV’s sales portfolio were also IAAF, FIFA and ATP Tennis which Murray sold across a number of European territories. From there, he was asked to join ESPN to launch their European TV Sales operations which included 3 channel brands and over 10,000 hours of content sales. Murray was also part of the launch team for ESPN UK which broadcast English Premier League, Rugby and US Sports for four seasons.
After 11 years at ESPN, Murray was recruited for the role of Chief Commercial Officer at World Rugby, the governing body for the sport. His many responsibilities include all TV sales, content development, sponsorship & commercial agreements, licensing and hospitality.
Following the change of ownership at F1, Murray was asked to join the management team as Director of Global Sponsorship & Commercial Partnerships tasked with developing and growing commercial opportunities for partners within F1.
 
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Stephane Schindler, another French industry veteran who has left his mark across the sports world and in particular with CAA Eleven which changed the face of UEFA’s National Team competitions and commercial structures. Lot’s of great stories and details in our discussion.  Enjoy.  
 
Key Highlights
Starting as Intern at EUROSPORT, early days of cable TV in Europe
Next stop Canal+, Head of Sports Acquisition of sports rights, Sport+ and Jerome Valcke connection
Connecting with all the major rights holders during the role – early days of Sportel Monaco
Joining IMG Media in France in 2000,  Michael Grach and Michel Masquelier roles   
Great six years at IMG from selling rights to dealing with rights holders, lots of learning in the commercialization of sports rights (Golden Age of industry 1990-2010)
Meeting Arnaud Lagardere and starting the agency in 2006, because Lagardere being a big listed company, organic growth wasn’t an option.  M&A growth model.
Setting up Lagardere Sports from scratch as first employee and going on big acquisition spree from Sportfive, World Sport Group, IEC in Sports, etc. Building a portfolio of companies.
Total acquisition cost, in the EURO 1 billion range for the above agencies to buy scale in the industry fast  
Recently, the group was sold for around Euro 110 million (renamed Sportfive), 90% drop in value – failure in implementation and execution, at peak Euro 60-70 mil in profits
Founding his own agency, Media Sport System, short 1 year as advisor
CAA Eleven, how it all started in 2012 with UEFA looking to centralize the National Team rights  - idea driven by M. Platini, G. Infantino, G. Laurent Epstein, etc
UEFA was looking for a similar structure to their successful TEAM Marketing partnership for their National Team rights
Finding the right partner to create a brand new agency which would only focus on UEFA rights, partnering with CAA, big US talent agency
Multiple rounds of bidding, starting with 15 bidders, final rounds against IMG and Lagardere.  Advantage of being a start up and brand new company, totally dedicated to the project.
How CAA Eleven won the deal?  UEFA wanted to keep full control and have protection through an agency.  CAA Eleven’s first block of rights, 2014-18, since then renewed twice, currently till 2028
UEFA Nations League – turning friendly matches into something more meaningful for fans and players – every match counts – going from 700 official matches to 1,500 on offer
Successful both on and off the field (commercially)
UEFA EURO 2020 in 2021 – his experience from the inside. UEFA made an early decision to move up by one year. Renegotiate with everyone from host cities, sponsors, broadcasters, teams, etc
Overall big success and positive feedback from partners – now focused on EURO 2024 in Germany (Football is coming home 😊)
Insights into UEFA’s and CAA Eleven OTT and media strategy and approach
His crystal ball on future growth of media rights for Premium sports properties – live is rare & rare is gold  
 
About Stephane Schindler
Stéphane Schindler started his career in 1996 at Eurosport as Operational Marketing Manager.In 1998, he joined Canal+ and became Head of Sports Acquisitions.In 2000, he became part of IMG as TWI International Vice-President and IMG Head of Business Affairs France.He was in charge of:- the sale of the rights of prestigious sports events (Rugby World Cup, America’s Cup)- the relationships with the French sports governing bodies (24 hours du Mans, French Tennis Open, “Tour de France”, “Ligue de Football Professionnel” (French Football League))Stéphane joined Groupe Lagardère in September 2006 to launch the Sports Division for Arnaud Lagardère and became Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of Lagardère Sports, where he managed and supervised:- the strategy, the development and the acquisitions of the whole Lagardère Sports division (SportFive, IEC in Sports, World Sport Group, Upsolut and PR Event)- all the operational activities in Media, Marketing and eventsIn 2011, Stéphane Schindler decided to launch MEDIA SPORT SYSTEM, a consulting firm operating in the Media & Sport business, as well as a worldwide network of independent partners in the fieldStéphane Schindler is graduated in TV and Telecommunications Management (DESS) from the University of Paris IX Dauphine, and in Management and Economics (Master’s degree) from the same University (Paris IX Dauphine)Specialties: Media & Sports business :- Sports media rights management- Sports media production- Media & sports investment strategy (M&A experiences)- Brandtainment in sports
 
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Andrew Croker, Chairman of multiple enterprises and one of the most outspoken sports Entrepreneurs hailing from the UK.  Fun and colorful deep dive into Andrew’s 40+ years in the industry from his days following his dad around Football club board rooms to successfully launching Perform, the Global Cycling Network and getting Hawk-Eye into Football.
 
Key Highlights
How it started, back in ancient history in 1973, his father becoming the General Secretary of the English FA
Opening doors and hanging out with his dad in Football club board rooms and socializing with everyone in sports
Joining BSB (later BSkyB) as employee #4-5, drawing up weekly sports schedule
Finders, Binders, Minders and Grinders.  He was always a “Finder”
How sitting next to Sir Frank Lowe (Advertising Legend) on the Concorde lead to launching Orbit –  sports marketing agency   
Next stop, Ian Todd asking him to start IMG Football Division together with Paul Smith   
Sportal – massive rise and big crash  - missed the big sale by weeks – dotcom boom and bust story of the year 2000
Premier League international TV rights (IMG, Sport+, Fox/Newscorp partnership) –  working with new Sportfive as International Board Member and UK CEO
How “Perform” idea was seeded and came together – group in Hamburg looking at Digital Production idea – Oliver Slipper – Premium TV  & Inform team
Access Industries (Len Blavatnik) comes into the picture – meeting Robert Louis-Dreyfus – and eventually cutting a deal with Len to merge Premium TV and Inform to form Perform
Going public and taking it back private, from de-coupling Perform’s profitable B2B business from DAZN’s B2C business and the differences in business models and valuations
Next opportunity arrives with Play Sports Group – Claude Ruibal, Global Head of Sports of YouTube at the time providing the “seed money” for the Global Cycling Network on YouTube (Chairman role) – great story from how it started and eventually sold to Eurosport/Discovery Network in 2019
Fascinating Hawk-Eye Football story (South Africa World Cup story and how we ended up in the same stadium in Bloemfontein)  and our thoughts on VAR (Video Assistant Referee) in football
Oakwell Sports Advisory – Chairman Advisory Board – intersection between sports world and Private Equity
His views on PE in sports, not mincing his words as usual – and a bit of Consultant bashing to top it off
Final thoughts on why we both love the industry and can’t wait to get back out
 
About Andrew Croker
Andrew Croker is a very well-known figure in the sports management and media business, with over forty years’ experience. He has worked with many of the biggest rights holders, media owners, agencies and sports brands in the world. Andrew was the first Head of Sport at BSB, the forerunner to Sky Sports, and started and ran IMG’s global football division.
In 2007, as Executive Chairman, he co-founded the digital sports rights agency, Perform Group, now DAZN, the live and on-demand sports streaming service. He remains an adviser to Stats Perform, the leading sports data and streaming service. He also consulted to Hawk-Eye for ten years until 2019, focussing on the introduction of technology into football, and was also Chairman of Play Sports Group, which included the Global Cycling Network - the world’s leading community of cycling fans - until its sale to Discovery Networks in 2019.
 
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John West, a serial entrepreneur across multiple businesses before getting into the exciting world of Sports content, influencers and social media platforms.  Started Team Whistle in 2009 after several years of figuring out his next move.  Recently partnered and merged with Eleven Sports.  Learn about his entrepreneurial journey and amazing stories of how he build a company that now has over 4 billion impressions per months across over 1,600 “Channels” of influencers and online personalities.  
 
Key Highlights
Early days as entrepreneur in environmental engineering business in his early 20s – company still around till today
Getting a Harvard MBA while working and sold the business
Next stop, New York City – Mitchell Madison, new Consulting group – fast growing business
Silver Oak Solutions – 2nd entrepreneurial company in “spend management”, software to automate spending patterns of private equity firm’s assets – sold successfully as well
How he got “back” into sports and learning from his kids habits on how they consumed content (media).
A group of people who made the difference in getting Team Whistle started (Geraldine Laybourne, Don Tapscott’s book “Growing up Digital”  and Mark Lazor)
Researched topic for four years, personal learning curve and getting the product right – GenZ focus – first few ideas didn’t work well
Focus on UGC (User generated content) across social media platforms – now managing over 1,600 channels and platforms
Big hit with “Dude Perfect” , help them with wider distribution, content creation and bring advertisers to them
Now over 500 “partners” (influencers) and over 200 Whistle owned channels
Not going Negative – Content focused on being “positive, fun and entertaining”, focus on 13-15 year old’s
Raising Money for growth – total raise over US$ 110 mil by now
Revenue share model with partners and influencers - don’t need to own all the content, key is owning the data behind it and finding ways to monetize it
“Brother”  big show on Snap – one great example with a social media platform
4 billion monthly views, 600 million followers globally across all channels. Currently focused on US and Europe. Expanding globally
Further growth by acquisition, getting high profile investors into the business (lots of miles travelled) and partnership with Eleven Sports (Andrea Radizzani).
Logic behind the deal with Eleven and the synergies between the companies – merged stock deal – combined US$ 300 mil in revenue
Esports & Gaming – 25 Pro-Gamers as partners, lifestyle, etc
Harvard Business School connections and his involvement as the President of the Harvard Alumni network
 
About John West
John West is the Executive Chairman of Team Whistle, which he founded in 2008.  Prior to that, he was the CEO and Chairman of Silver Oak Solutions, which he founded in 1999, and sold to CGI in 2005.  Prior to that he was a Partner at Michell Management Group, and also Founder and CEO of Enstrat from 1989 until he sold it in 1996.
John has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  He has served on several Boards at Harvard, and is currently the volunteer President of the Harvard Alumni Association.  John lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
 
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Harpreet Singh Rai, the CEO of OURA Health Ltd, a Finish company which is making a huge splash in the wearable health and wellness space through its smart ring product.  He shares his stories how he became involved in the business and where he is planning to take it.  Great stories on how the product works and the benefits behind it, to the future growth and plans of the business.   
 
Key Highlights
Coming out college wanting to be an engineer, spending his first 10 years in the financial world on Wall Street, including Eminence Capital, multi billion dollar Fund, investing in tech 
Combined his passion for health and wellness with his research in the tech space and getting into wearables as an early adopter/user
Running into the co-founder at a grocery store – and hitting it off 
Personally investing in the company in 2016 and joining the board.  Joining the company full time, in 2017 as President/CEO 
Founders from Finland, country with great history in tech and health culture (Nokia, Polar, etc)
OURA – focus on sleep tracking – massive benefits of the right amount and type of sleep (lack of sleep is detrimental to health)
OURA ring – how it works, the data it measures, what it does and comparison to other wearables 
“Sleep is the world’s best (legal) performance enhancing drug” quote by Matthew Walker, Author of “Why we Sleep”
What were the first users, beyond the early “bio hackers” adopters – awareness of Sleep becoming more main stream
Sports connection, with NBA, UFC, NFL teams all inbound requests based on the product benefits 
Covid influence on the business – very positive due to the ability to detect potential Covid infection before people show symptoms
Shipped over 500k rings since inception, doubling every year – raised Series C, over US$ 100 mil 
Great diverse group of investors globally, from Google to Temasek (Singapore Wealth Fund), Michael Dell and others. Strategic Investors supporting growth.
Ouraring.com – only available online, shipping to 100 countries globally  - North America biggest markets, Europe and Asia growing 
What’s the future going forward.  Wearable market, 200 million units globally – smart phones over 1 billion. 
Opportunities for more use cases to measure important health markers and build in preventive measures to detect heart attacks and others early signs of illnesses      
Next steps after raising the money -  growth, SPACs, IPO and other options out there 
Strong growth margins and profitable business 
Challenges and how to overcome them – strong company values = solutions focused (find 3 solutions to every problem), Ubuntu (ancient African word -humanity to others)
 
About Harpreet Singh Rai
Harpreet Singh Rai is the chief executive officer of Oura and a member of its board. His purpose is to be part of a team that is committed to improving the well-being of others. Under his leadership, Oura has grown to a team of nearly 100 employees and has launched its Generation 2 ring, shipping over 100,000 units to 90 different countries. He is responsible for Oura’s vision and strategy and guides decisions that ensure the organization’s financial health.
Before Oura, Rai was a portfolio manager who led the technology, media and telecom portfolio at Eminence Capital for 9nine years. He began his career working in Morgan Stanley’s merger and acquisitions group. Rai studied electrical engineering at the University of Michigan.
 
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Terrence Burns is best known as the “Bidding Guy” (in his own words), having supported and worked on more successful Olympic bids than anyone else in the industry. Lots of great stories and learn from his incredible experiences at Delta Airlines (which inspired several books) to working with sponsors and brands across the world. Great insights into the Olympic Games, from bidding processes and how it has changed, to branding the Games, to emotions which describes what the Rings mean to people.  Enjoy the history lesson of the Games while watching the Tokyo Olympics 2020-21.   
 
Key Highlights
Starting at the bottom of Delta Airlines fresh out of College –  Maintenance Utility Employee & working his way up the ranks over a period of 15 years 
Official Airline of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta – how it all started 
Leading Delta’s sponsorship program of the Games, massive learning curve.  Key setting clear KPI’s, to manage the board expectations
Moving from being a Client to the Agency side with Meridien Management, official marketing agency of the IOC
Joining Founders Chris Welton and Laurent Scharapan as Sn. VP Marketing – commissioned first proper research on the IOC and Olympic brand  
McDonald’s five Cheeseburger Olympic story to illustrate the change in thinking
Sponsors have to tell a story to show consumers why they are involved and build the connection.  The fee is just the entry ticket to the party. 
Celebrate Humanity Campaign with Robin Williams 
Talking numbers of Olympic programs in early 2000 – both for the TOP and LOC program 
Salt Lake City crisis and how it turned around through “research lead facts” with sponsors 
Losing Moscow Bid, character building and leading to the next gig – Sochi 
Partnering with Frank Craighill, one of the foundering partners of ProServe (Donald Dell’s Agency) and Chris Walton to launch Helios (adding Chris Renner, Prescient later)
Success with Five Olympic bids & 2 World Cups , bringing Wrestling & Golf back into the Games, Asian Games, etc – helping to steer those bids and creating the stories around it
PyeongChang winning bidding story vs Munich’s losing story 
New IOC approach to decide on future locations – no longer beauty parades, now Executive Board looks at which cities reflect the Olympic Values and best location for the movement 
Emotional Senegal story – Olympics means “hope” 
Asian Games gig – a balancing act – Doha 2030 and Saudi Arabia 2034
Current focus for him – working with Sponsor on the great decade of global Sports for North America, from the 2026 World Cup to the 2028 LA Olympics to potentially the Winter Olympics in 2030
Basic advice to sponsors – don’t sign the BTA (Basic Terms of Agreement) before you get advice from an expert
Latest numbers, US$ 200 million fees for TOP or LOC programs (4 year cycle) – the ratio of fees to activation investment debate
LA Bid about the next 100 years of the Olympic movement 
Sochi story – the US$ 50 billion number unpacked 
Tokyo 2020-21 thoughts to wrap it up – differences in sponsor mind set in Japan or China vs the US market
 
About Terrence Burns
I have a long history in Olympic marketing, dating from 1993. My background is unique, and includes: 
A combination of sponsorship consulting/sales, Olympic and World Cup bidding, Olympic Agreement negotiation, and international sports branding and communications.
Serving "on all sides of the table" - as an Olympic sponsor, as a rights holder with the IOC/Meridian, and as a consultant to bidding cities and nations, rights holders and sponsors around the world.
Advising clients as varied as Allianz, the Australian Rugby Union, Australian Football Federation, Samsung, Petro-Canada, the City of Moscow, BHP Billiton, TNT China, Bell Canada, Dow Chemical, Nissin Foods, the International Olympic Committee, and the International Paralympic Committee to name but a few.
Directing Delta Air Lines' highly successful sponsorship of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Joined the IOC’s then-new external marketing agency, Meridian Management SA after the Atlanta Games where I served as Senior Vice President – Marketing, responsible for managing the marketing and client servicing relationships with the IOC’s global TOP Partners.
At Meridian, I helped spearhead the first-ever global assessment and positioning of the Olympic Brand, resulting in the IOC’s first brand image campaign, “Celebrate Humanity”.
Served as the lead brand and marketing consultant for the successful Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic bids, the 2018 Russia FIFA World Cup & United 2026 FIFA World Cup bids, and the Doha 2030 Asian Games bid.
Served as the lead brand strategist for Golf and Wrestling’s bids to return to the Olympic Games.
 
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Patrick Mouratoglou, also known as “The Coach”, currently the most influential coach in tennis, sharing his incredible journey with us, starting with his difficulties in his childhood to overcoming them and turning his passion for Tennis first into a business (Academy) and then into a profession (Coach).  Amazing stories and incredible learning on multiple levels.  Best warm up story ever on the Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast. I am certain you will enjoy it.  
 
Key Highlights
Early childhood stories and challenges (from low self esteem and panic attacks) and the lessons from it
Winning the fight against his body and mind at the age of 11 – (first little victory) – lesson, we are the product of our life lessons (have a little win every day)
Started playing tennis at the age of 4, playing 8 hours per day – Court was only place where he felt safe and confident 
Age 15, parents “forced” him to stop playing against his will – another turning point in his life – his dream was destroyed
Age 17, started psycho therapy for 10 years – developed tremendous skills how to read people due to his in-ability to interact with people 
Working in his father’s company to learn the trade from the ground up – but wasn’t for him – pursued his passion for tennis again
Great life Lessons from his meetings with his parents 
Starting his first academy – renting two Courts (for E$ 3 per court per hour) – putting flyers on cars – after one year 40 “average” players taking lessons
Next step – approached Bob Brett (at that time Boris Becker’s coach) to partner with him for the “Bob Brett Academy”
Had two months to put it all together before Bob Brett showed up. Patrick was the “manager” and running the academy, unfortunately, after six years Bob leaves. 
Worst business decision to build a name for someone else and now the “brand” disappears on him – luckily his young players stayed on
He decided to put his own name on the “door”. Only problem was, he was not a Coach (yet).  
From that decision onwards, it took him 10 years to win his first Grand Slam as a Coach – we unpack that incredible journey
Marcos Baghdatis, first protégé, next lesson (from bad coaching)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, just made French Open Final  – 16 years old when she joined him, struggling together, great story 
Serene Williams, she was going through a tough moment when they first met, hadn’t won a Grand Slam for two years and lost in first round in Paris 
Called him to train in his tennis academy in Paris (at that time he was coaching Grigor Dimitrov) – “talk to me” story 
He showed her what he thought she was doing wrong, working for 3 days and she loved it – next meeting in Wimbledon (which she won while Patrick coached her)
Massively successful year in 2012, winning Grand Slams, Olympic Gold, etc at the age of 30 – and 10 Grand Slams later 
Patrick Mouratoglou Academy  - from Nice, France to Greece & Dubai (Tennis Centers within top resorts)  
Schooling and sports program – 200 students, 40 different nationalities – also for families, hotel, medical center, seminar area, etc 
UTS – Ultimate Tennis Showdown – amazing new concept, shorter format, adapted rules, focused on digital audiences, players love it 
Patrick talks us through his vision for UTS and what he thinks is right and wrong with tennis right now – must listen for anyone in the business of tennis
UTS formula - short, dynamic, immersive and authentic content – started in 2020 in height of pandemic – coverage across 100 countries, 20 mil viewers, 10 invited players 
Raising US$ 50 million right now, to build a League, 10 events per year in amazing locations across the world – like F1 (only same 10 players)
 
About
Patrick Mouratoglou is a French tennis coach and sports commentator of Greek descent. He has been the coach of Serena Williams since June 2012.
He founded the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in 1996 near Paris (later relocated to the outskirts of Nice), and has coached many up-and-coming players, including Marcos Baghdatis (whom he coached to the final of the 2006 Australian Open), Julia Vakulenko, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Aravane Rezaï, Irena Pavlovic, Jérémy Chardy, Laura Robson, Yanina Wickmayer and Grigor Dimitrov.
Mouratoglou started coaching the ATP player Marcos Baghdatis in 1999 when Mouratoglou invited him to his Tennis Academy in October 1999, on a one-week basis. Baghdatis was, according to Mouratoglou, "not an athlete at all", however within seven years he would become a junior world No. 1, win the 2003 Australian Open boys' title, reach the final of the same tournament in 2006 and reach the world's top ten.
In July 2007, he started coaching Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Within two years, Pavlyuchenkova reached the world's top 30 and has since made two Grand Slam quarterfinals and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 13. They ended their association in August 2009, and Mouratoglou moved onto coaching both Aravane Rezaï and Yanina Wickmayer. Rezaï enjoyed a successful 2010 season, entering the world's top 20 and winning the Premier event in Madrid whilst Wickmayer reached a career-high ranking of world No. 12 in April 2010. Mouratoglou stopped working with both Rezaï and Wickmayer in August 2010 and April 2012 respectively.
In December 2010, Mouratoglou started coaching Laura Robson, who was world No. 217 at the time and still struggling to break into the senior tour. They worked together for six months before separating shortly before Wimbledon in 2011, when Robson was still struggling to make any progress on the WTA Tour, having slipped further to world No. 257. During this same period, Mouratoglou also coached Jérémy Chardy within his academy.
In March 2012, Mouratoglou started coaching Grigor Dimitrov and set about guiding him back into the world's top 100, having dropped to No. 102 by the time he started. This association ended in September that year and Mouratoglou moved on to coaching Serena Williams.
By the time Mouratoglou started coaching Williams, she had just suffered her first-ever opening round defeat in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, losing in the first round of the 2012 French Open. Since then, Mouratoglou has guided Williams to her fifth, sixth and seventh Wimbledon titles, the Olympic gold medal, her fourth, fifth, and sixth US Open titles, her second and third French Open titles, three consecutive year-end championships titles, her sixth and seventh Australian Open title and lifted her back to world No. 1 in the WTA rankings.
 
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Giampiero Rinaudo, a passionate Italian sports tech Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of Deltatre. Being the CEO for the past 35 years, managing the growth over three decades with now a team of over 1,000 technologists, designers, and innovators across the world who are driven by a passion to change the way the world consumes content. 
 
Key Highlights
How it started, at the young age of 20 as a student, started to work part time in “timing support” with Olivetti – in Alpine Skiing and F1  
In 1986, Deltatre was born, with three partners – continuing to service Olivetti in result and timing systems (manual time spotting at F1) 
Olivetti starting to have financial problems, time to be a proper entrepreneur and start offering service to multiple clients 
In 1995, about 40 people, growth in second decade driven by growth in media rights fees, especially Football 
UEFA Champions League, big new client and opportunity, central results system operator 
Staying at the cutting edge, working with top clients who push company to new heights and working globally 
Internet and PC boom offering new opportunities, World Championship of Athletics, Gothenburg, 1995 – first real time results on the internet  
Building websites and portals for Federations – clear focus to be a service provider, not in competition with our clients 
In 2005 (second decade), 110 staff, two offices, heavily focused on 2-3 big clients, UEFA, FIFA, IAAF
His own Entrepreneurial journey and learning – software developer turned CEO.  Learning on the job 
Third decade, from 5 clients to 70 clients, streaming over the internet and social media, nearly 500 people 
First Olympic streaming website for NBC at the Beijing Olympics 2008 – great success 
London 2012 – first proper digital Olympics – again involved at a major level 
Starting to develop “Products” for broader range of clients with smaller budget (changing from Service to Product culture)
New Broadcasters clients, still focused on Europe and a few around the world 
Growth funded internally until 2008, looking for growth beyond organic, Italian investor came in and Deltatre saved them during the subsequent global crisis
2016 Bruins Sports Capital (BSC), buys 75%, 25% still held by management – big growth in the US through BSC strong network 
First new client(s) in the US, NFL Game Pass, then MLB, MLS
OTT growth, now 50% of the business – broadcast clients 
Acquisition of Massive Interactive – combining their product culture with Deltatre service culture 
OTT – discussion about the evolution, the opportunities and challenge with monetization 
Partnerships with Rights Holders, example with DFL (Bundesliga) and Sportec Solutions
Beyond sports, a look at entertainment, Gaming & Esports
Deltatre and Covid – effects on company & “one company” system & the “new normal” office culture 
Look into the future of Deltatre – continued two digit growth, acquisition, etc 
 
About Giampiero Rinaudo
“When I was young, I wanted to be a timekeeper for alpine skiing,” says Deltatre’s Group CEO, Giampiero. Fascinated by sports, and growing up near Turin, Italy, within easy reach of mountains, it wouldn’t have been an unrealistic goal. But Giampiero, known as Gipi, would follow a related, but different, tact.
After completing his Computer Science studies at the University of Turin, he took his career dream as a starting point and supercharged it. Setting up Deltatre with two partners in 1986, he combined his interests in technology and sport to produce better fan experiences across the world – an ambition which began with creating ways to record times and other sports data more accurately. “I was a lover of computers and data and I loved sports, so I thought ‘what better than setting up Deltatre?’ Computers and sports were my passions,” he says.
When he set up the company aged just 27, Deltatre was unsurprisingly a very different place to today. An early project involved developing software to provide more accurate timekeeping for Formula 1, with the company installing transponders within cars to ensure lap times could be measured accurately – a tactic still used to this day.
Personal computers were in their infancy, meaning heavy equipment would often be carted to games. “They did the tasks we were doing at that time like record timings and inform about results,” he says. “Now we’ve moved in a completely different direction.”
Gipi could never have foreseen the incredible growth that Deltatre would encounter. From its humble beginnings as a team of just three, to more than 1,000 technologists, designers, and thought-leaders today in 19 offices across the globe. Now a silent partner powering many of the world’s most-watched events, including FIFA World Cups, UEFA Champions Leagues, ATP Tennis Tournaments, and NFL Super Bowls – to name just a few.
Disruption has remained constant over the past three decades – and Gipi and employees have evolved with it rather than fervently clung on to techniques of the past. With the recent acquisition of software company Massive Interactive, which specialises in the entertainment OTT space, this has never been more true. “When I look back every year, the company is never the same as the year before; it’s a constant transformation,” he says.
As well as the continued growth of the company, he believes one of his biggest achievements is the culture fostered at Deltatre. “It’s a very informal environment and my door is always open,” he says. And how does he want others in the company to view him? “Honest and loyal,” he says, “which I believe are also important sport values.” Outside of work, he enjoys alpine skiing, swimming, and hiking.
 
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Clive Bowen is a man truly shaped by his early career experiences; from his days at Rolls Royce to his years working with a large Saudi group before entering into the world of motor racing and him emerging as a world leader in building Racing Resorts around the world:
 
Key Highlights
Studying mechanical engineering and landing first job at Rolls Royce (Aerospace) 
Moving on to Wright Machinery (PPM). Amazing experience serving clients in Middle East – commencement of project management responsibility 
Middle East stories from late 80s. A territory which changed dramatically each year for 20 years. 
Great Lessons and stories from running Haldir Ltd., a division of a Saudi group for nine years. Commencement of the ‘always under promise and over deliver’ mantra
1997, meeting Paul Berger in Dubai and various other motorsports luminaries. Entry into the motorsport industry, initially as a hobby, then as a profession
Pitching Dubai Autodrome for four years with Paul Berger. Cutting a deal with Union Properties, working with HOK Sports (now Populous). First design for a track and masterplan for a venue
West Surrey Racing days - six years in Touring cars with MG – even becoming ‘team principal’ of the Junior MG BTCC team that launched the career of Colin Turkington
Dubai Autodrome stories; how it evolved as a major property development 
Next Apex project in Iceland and how 2008/09 financial crisis killed it
Development of first "Race Resort", Hampton Downs Motorsports Park, New Zealand 
Various Karting design and construction projects in Middle East 
Herman Tilke, mutual respect - positioning Apex purposely below his F1 tracks 
Difference in company philosophy: Tilke ‘race circuit focus’ vs ‘venue with a race circuit inside’ focus for Apex 
Pragmatic approach to developing leads in the industry: 1 in 100 chance a lead turns into a construction project; Apex has had over 2000 inquiries, 200 project codes, turned into 20 construction projects. Typical five years lead time from enquiry to venue
Difference between a race drivers point of view vs a designer's on what constitutes a great track 
What makes an ultimate race track?
Race Resort Projects in China
Insights into the new Miami F1 track
Potential new Race Resort in South East Asia 
 
About Clive Bowen
I established Apex Circuit Design Ltd in 1997 and developed it to become a world-leader in the field of motor race circuit design, engineering and master planning. My team and I design cost-effective, relevant, multi revenue, multi-use motorsport based entertainment destinations.In 2009 we were appointed the FIA Institute Facilities Advisory Partner on a multi-year contract to support projects which are grant funded by the FIA Motor Sport Development Fund. Our service is to provide commercially and environmentally sustainable master plan designs for race destinations anywhere in the World.We pride ourselves on creating exciting, interesting and commercially viable race track designs and currently have projects on 5 continents.Our master planning services are accepted as among the World's finest. We are considered the de facto choice for commercial developers even in today's harsh economic climate.We aim to meet the future needs of environmentally sustainable developments whilst also supporting and nurturing motorsport from the grass roots to the highest levelsSpecialties: Race Circuit Design (Road course, street circuit, temporary circuit), Motor Sport Destination design, Entertainment Destination design, Master Planning services, Motor Sport event management, Motor Sport operational management, Motor Sport sustainability consultancy, Motor Sport environmental consultancy.Please review our website at www.apexcircuitdesign.com for further information.
 
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Joachim Hilke, is a German sports marketing Veteran with an colorful career across NFL Europe, UFA/Sportfive early growth story,  HSV (Hamburg Football Club) and now with Fanatics in Europe.  Lots of great stories on how the NFL started in Europe and the challenges around it, to an insider look into German Football Club thinking and off course a deep dive into Fanatics’ amazing online merchandise retail business globally.  Enjoy.
 
Key Highlights
From his College thesis to the first job at the NFL Europe with Rhein Fire - great stories how the League and team started (Americana in Duesseldorf)
Next stop, UFA/Sport 5 -
HSV (Hamburger Sport Verein – Bundesliga Club) great stories about selling their rights and sitting on the board of a major Club.
Naming rights of HSV Stadium – AOL Arena – focusing on sponsorship and marketing while the rest of the company is mostly selling TV rights
UEFA National Team deals – the good old days of maximizing 2nd & 3rd party rights both in TV and sponsorship (Double production – sell both sides of the pitch to different sponsors)
Front Runner of UEFA Qualifiers packages now managed by CAA Eleven
2nd run at HSV – Chief Commercial officer & Board member again – dream job for a kid from Essen. At that time, team was a regular in European Football and amongst top teams in the Bundesliga  (Emirates Airlines on the Jersey)
Challenging six years on the pitch, legal structure of German Football clubs make it challenging with Fans having a large say and voting rights (Members Club) – lots of emotions which start influencing decisions
Current role at Fanatics – Managing Director Global Partnerships – massive online Merchandise and Licensing retailer, valued US$ 12.8 billion (up from 6b mid last year) – representing all major US rights holders
com – V-Commerce Model (vertical) – the ultimate online sports apparel and fan gear store (80% of revenue online)
Difference between official apparel of Kit supplier and other fan apparel merchandise
Demand for Fan products stayed strong during Pandemic, especially after Leagues started playing again - Fandom is still alive and well
International roll out – differences in Europe to US model with Leagues – in Europe deals are done with Clubs and not Leagues
Some big names signed up in Europe, German and English FA, PSG (Paris St Germain) and Bayern Munich
With large volume but thin margins in merchandise, wondering why European Football Leagues don’t bundle merchandise like the American Leagues?
Opportunity to take global IP to Asia and other parts of the world. Hillhouse Capital (PE Fund), JV partner for China market launch. Office in Tokyo, dealing with Japanese Baseball and US Sports
Counterfeit products not a major focus or concern -  focus heavily on Football/Soccer for now
      
About
2017 – today, Fanatics International, MD Global Partnerships
2011 – 2017, Hamburger SV (HSV Fußball AG), CCO
1998 – 2010, Sportfive, CEO International
1994 – 1997, NFL International, MD Rhein Fire
 
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