Aoife Burns is Head of Social and Environmental Sustainability at League of Ireland Club Drogheda United. She has been working and volunteering within the League for the last 7 years with roles including Child Welfare & Protection, Community Engagement and Head Coach for summer camps. In 2024 she moved into Social and Environmental Sustainability and in 2025 took on the role as Head of Social and Environmental Sustainability with current club Drogheda United. Aoife developed and published Drogheda United’s first Social and Environmental Sustainability Strategy Plan 2025-2029 which outlines the clubs’ commitments and measurable goals for the next five years.
Main Summit
James Karst
James Karst is communications director at the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, a statewide nonprofit whose mission is to unite people in action to achieve a thriving, sustainable Louisiana coast for all. Prior to joining CRCL, he worked for 18 years at The Times-Picayune, where he was on the staff that won two Pulitzer Prizes for their coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. James also writes about jazz history and moonlights as an actor. He lives in New Orleans.
Greta Bodino
Greta Bodino obtained a Master of Art in Translation from the University of Geneva. Starting from 2001, she embarked on a path in the field of Human Resources, where she held the position at BNP PARIBAS Group with increasing responsibility, until she became HR Project Leader – Vice Head of Training.
From 2007 until 2010, she joined Michael Page International, as HR Business Partner. Later on, her career continued in prestigious companies such as: Nyrstar Sales & Marketing AG, Coutts & Co. Ltd, TEAM Marketing AG (as Head of Human Resources) and ECA (European Club Association), in which she held the position of Director of Staff and Operations.
In August 2021, she joins Juventus in the role of “Chief People & Culture Officer”. Currently, she holds the position of Chief People, Culture and ESG Officer.
Guy Rippon
Aston Villa’s Social Impact and Community Director Guy Rippon has over 25 years of experience in the sports, community, and social responsibility industry. Early in his career held various management and leadership roles in local government before taking up regional manager positions with The Football Foundation and The Football League Trust.
In 2011 Guy moved into the work of football club Foundations, initially as Director at Coventry City’s Sky Blues in the Community before joining Aston Villa as Head of Foundation in 2016 where he has overseen a sustained period of growth and impact of the club’s community work.
Guy completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Aston University in 2024 and in early 2026 was appointed Social Impact and Community Director at Aston Villa FC. This newly created role sees Guy continue to oversee the clubs Foundation whilst shaping and leading the club’s wider ESG strategy and agenda.
Alisa Torgersen
Alisa Torgersen is the Education Lead at Yachting New Zealand and leads the national RŪNĀ education programme, connecting schools, sailing clubs, and communities through sustainability and ocean-focused learning. A qualified teacher with experience in New Zealand and Australia, Alisa is passionate about creating meaningful opportunities for young people to engage with sport, environmental action, and community wellbeing.
Kim Crane
Kim Crane is the Chief Executive Officer of Paddle Australia, guiding the organisation through a bold new era where elite performance, community connection, and system-wide innovation come together to define the future of paddling in Australia.
Kim brings over 30 years of experience in high-performance sport and leadership, underpinned by a deep personal connection to paddling. Growing up in Torquay, Victoria, she was immersed in water sports from a young age – yet Kim went on to represent Australia as a Hockeyroo – before rediscovering her passion for paddling through outrigger canoeing and long-distance ocean racing, including competing in the iconic Molokai Challenge.
Her professional journey spans senior executive roles at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS), Surfing Australia, and Hockey Australia. She has led Olympic and Paralympic campaign strategy, national high-performance systems, talent development pathways, and major structural and cultural reform. Her leadership of Paddle Australia’s High Performance Programs contributed to the nation’s most successful Games campaign in the sport’s history.
Ebru Köksal
Born in the vibrant city of Istanbul in 1968, Ebru Köksal’s journey from the bustling streets of New York to the heart of Turkish football is nothing short of inspiring. She kicked off her career as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley, navigating the fast-paced world of finance with finesse. Her return to Turkey saw her rise through the ranks at Citibank, where she honed her skills as a senior manager.
In 1999, Ebru took a bold leap into the world of private equity with AIG, before making a game-changing move to Galatasaray Sports Club in 2001. As CFO, and later CEO, she steered the club through a transformative era of growth and international success.
Ebru’s influence extended beyond Turkey when she was appointed General Secretary of the Turkish Football Federation in 2011. Her expertise was sought after by FIFA and UEFA, where she served as a consultant from 2012 to 2018. She returned to Galatasaray as a Board Member, continuing to shape the future of football.
Today, Ebru Köksal is a Board Member and Business Development Director at J Stern & Co., Chair of Women in Football, UK, Board Director at A-Leagues Australia, INED at the Professional Footballers Association UK, and an INED at the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Her accolades include the Executive of the Year Award 2011 by Stadium Business Awards, the first-ever Making a Difference Award by HBS Executive Education in 2018 and the inaugural Leaders in Sport Trailblazer Award in 2024.
A graduate of Brown University with dual degrees in Economics and International Relations, and an alumna of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, Ebru is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Ebru’s story is a testament to her unwavering dedication and pioneering spirit in the world of sports and finance. She has significantly impacted the representation of women in sports globally through her pioneering leadership and advocacy. She broke numerous glass ceilings, becoming the first woman on the Executive Board of the European Club Association and the first female General Secretary of the Turkish Football Federation. As Chair of Women in Football, she champions gender equality, creating opportunities and raising awareness about challenges women face in sports. Ebru’s journey inspires women and girls worldwide to pursue careers in sports, and her work with various organizations promotes diversity and inclusion, making her a key figure in creating a more equitable sports environment.
Dr. Gaia Pretner
Gaia Pretner joined EFC in May 2023 as Head of Sustainability and launched ECA’s first sustainability strategy in April 2024.
She is a sustainability management expert with experience in different sectors from major events, MNCs, Federations and trade associations. Before joining ECA she worked as Sustainable Procurement Manager for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, Sustainability and Circular Economy researcher and consultant for Bocconi University and as Sustainability expert for EXPO Milano 2015 and UNI
Isabella Burczak
Isabella Burczak is the Cycling for All & Sustainability Manager at the UCI, where she has led global initiatives and partnerships since 2017 to promote cycling as an inclusive, safe and sustainable mode of transport. Her work focuses on supporting cities, regions, National Federations and institutions to embed cycling into urban mobility strategies, public policy and major events, notably through initiatives such as the UCI Bike City Label, UCI Bike City Pathway and the UCI Mobility & Bike City Forum. She oversees efforts to harness elite cycling events as drivers of broader social impact, participation and cultural change around cycling, and led the development of the UCI’s first sustainability strategy, aligning the UCI with international climate and nature frameworks. Prior to joining the UCI, she worked at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for ten years, contributing to international sport policy and the planning and delivery of multiple Olympic and Youth Olympic Games.
Felipe Llorente
Felipe Llorente is the President of the River Plate Foundation. He also serves Club Atlético River Plate as 1st Vice President of Public Relations and as a representative for club members. He holds a degree in Political Science from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) and is currently pursuing master’s degrees in International Relations (Austral University) and Political Leadership (CIAS University Institute). He has received international training in the United States, the European Union, China, and India, and has worked for various public sector bodies, including ANSES, the Superintendence of Occupational Risks, and the Government of the Province of Buenos Aires.
