Speakers

Jonny Wilkinson is widely acknowledged as one of the best rugby union players of all time.

He was an integral member of the England Rugby World Cup-winning squad, scoring the winning drop goal in the last minute of extra time to defeat Australia in the 2003 final.

He won two European Cups plus a top 14 Title with Toulon where he moved to in 2008 following twelve seasons in the English Premiership with the Newcastle Falcons. Jonny has also toured twice with the British and Irish Lions, in 2001 to Australia and in 2005 to
New Zealand.

Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2015, Jonny was named BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2003 and IRB International Player of the year in the same year.

His converted penalty against Scotland on 8 March 2008, took him 3 points past Neil Jenkins record tally of 1090 test points and he also passed Ronan O’Gara to regain the overall points scoring record for the Six Nations during the 2010 tournament.

Jonny holds the all-time Rugby World Cup points scoring record with 277 and is the only player in history to score points in two Rugby World Cup Finals.

He is passionate about physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and the sustainability of the planet. He talks about wellbeing and sustainability at a number of levels including the opportunity for growth and the inherent relationship between performance and sustainability.

He is proud to be sharing a platform at the Sport Positive Summit with experts from RSK.

Martin Offiah MBE, a former pro rugby player has achieved greatness in the world of sports. Inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame, he holds the title of the third-highest try-scorer and top try-scoring English player in history. Martin has become an EV innovator, driven by his passion for electric vehicles. Martin believes in the importance of building an extensive and reliable charging infrastructure to accelerate the switch to EVs to assist in reaching Net Zero by 2050. He joined forces with Connected Kerb, an EV charging and Smart City infrastructure company, to provide accessible sustainable affordable, reliable, future-proofed charging solutions. Martin’s dedication to sustainability also extends to his brand and sustainability ambassador role for the Wigan Warriors RLFC. His story serves as an inspiring call to action, inviting others to embrace EVs and work towards a greener more sustainable future.

Susie has competed in two Paralympic Games at London 2012 and Rio 2016. She advises and speaks globally on disability, empowerment and inclusion across all sectors. She is also an experienced and qualified Non-Executive Director serving on numerous Boards. She is Patron of Spirit of 2012, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games legacy charity. She is currently an Ocean Ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society in the UK.

Kim Stone is a prominent figure in the world of professional sports, having held executive leadership positions at global sports brands such as the Miami HEAT, Golden State Warriors, and Oak View Group (OVG). With a career spanning over two decades, she has demonstrated her expertise across various aspects of team business, including sustainability, corporate partnerships, premium ticket sales, food and beverage, concert programming, and arena operations.

In 2022, Stone assumed the roles of President of UBS Arena and Executive Vice President of OVG East Coast, where she oversees business and building operations at the 18,500-seat UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY. Her responsibilities extend to OVG East Coast properties, including the renovated CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD.

She has been honored by Billboard, Pollstar, and Variety for her business acumen. She was recognized by Venues Today, the Sports Business Journal, and the South Florida Business Journal for her influence and leadership. Stone’s commitment to her field led to her induction into the UNC School of Journalism Public Relations Hall of Fame and other esteemed awards.

UNFCCC: 1st World Athletics member federation out of 214 to join World Athletics in committing to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework.
World Athletics: A member of World Athletics Global Athletics calendar committee
Confederation of African Athletics (CAA): Senior Vice President, Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) and Board Chairman of the African Athletics Development Centre (AADC).
East Africa: President, Eastern Africa Athletics Region.

Other roles in Kenya:
Chairman of the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund in Kenya.
Chairman, Organizing Committee for the World Athletics U18 Championships in 2017
Chairman, Organizing Committee for the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2021
Chairman, Organizing Committee for the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, Gold in 2022 and 2023
Chairman, Organizing Committee for the World Athletics Continental Tour, Gold in 2023

With over 15 years of global experience on both the brand and rights holder side of sports partnerships, Jennifer has worked across rugby, skiing, equestrian, motorsport, triathlon, mass participation sport and of course, football.
Jennifer’s current role involves leading on M&S’s partnerships with all four national men’s and women’s football teams.  Launched in 2022, these are partnerships for change. Through the Eat Well, Play Well campaign and with a little help from some much-loved footballing heroes from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, M&S hope to inspire and educate families in each nation, by making healthy-eating delicious, easy and fun – for generations to come.

Ed is a climate scientist in the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, and a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6th Assessment Report. His research examines how and why the climate has changed since the industrial revolution, and how it may change over the coming decades. He also leads Weather Rescue – a citizen science project involving thousands of volunteers – which is recovering millions of lost Victorian-era weather observations from hand-written archives and turning them into invaluable digital data. Ed also actively engages with a variety of audiences about climate change, especially using novel graphical visualisations.

For over 20 years, Caroline Flaissier has been driven by a constant quest for performance, staying close to the field, by a passion for innovation and teamwork, and by a strong commitment to promote diversity.

After two years in financial auditing, she joined the energy major TotalEnergies in 2002, where she held various operational and functional positions, including that of VP in charge of Digital & Innovation for the “Gas, Renewables & Power” business line. In 2018, Caroline was appointed CEO of ENGIE Entreprises et Collectivités, where she initiated an in-depth transformation of the company, driven by an ambitious strategy focused on digital opportunities, and the environmental transition. In early 2022, she joined executive search firm Korn Ferry, a few months before being appointed as CEO of the French Tennis Federation (July 2022).

Caroline Flaissier’s mission is the operational management of the Federation and of its international tournaments (Roland-Garros, Rolex Paris Masters, Greenweez Paris Premier Padel Major). She puts her creative, results-oriented approach, her knowledge of transformation within complex environments, and her relentless energy, at the service of a long-term vision for the development of tennis, padel, urban tennis and wheelchair tennis.

Sébastien’s racing career started at the age of 8, three years after getting his first kart, as a Christmas present in 1993. After something of a tough first year, he won the Swiss Minis championship at the age of 9. From 1998 to 2002, he won four Swiss karting titles: Mini, Mini90, SuperMini.

It was in July 2007 that Sébastien drove a Formula 1 car on a racetrack for the very first time, when he got behind the wheel of the Red Bull at the Jerez circuit in Spain.

For the first season of Formula E in 2015, Sébastien finished 2nd in the championship. He lost for 1 small point to Nelson Piquet Jr. In the 2nd season of Formula E, Sébastien wins the championship in London in front of Lucas Di Grassi for this time 1 point. The 2018 season saw Sébastien conclude the championship in 2nd, and in the 2019/20 season he finished in 4th.

A couple of difficult seasons followed, and the move was made to join Envision Racing for the Gen3 era. He secured two pole positions, one podium and 105 points to finish 6th in the drivers’ standings and contributed significantly to Envision Racing’s Team World Championship victory.

Laura is Head of Sport Recovery in the Department for Culture Media and Sport, where she has policy responsibility for the economic and environmental sustainability of the sport sector.

She is also leading on the publication of the forthcoming government Sport Strategy. Before joining the team, Laura worked on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games where she led on Sustainability, Youth & Education, Volunteering and Physical Activity & Wellbeing legacy programmes, and published the B2022 Highlights Report. She managed the Dignitary Programme at Games-time, delivering VIP visits to the Games, including at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Laura has also worked on other major events, including the 2021 G7 Summit, and has further experience of operational delivery through her time working on EU Exit. Prior to joining the Civil Service, Laura worked in grassroots and university sport in Yorkshire.

Expert in circular economy, Caroline obtained a Master in Economy and Finance at the Institute of Political Science of Lille. Since then, she has been committed in the field of sustainable development, CSR and circular economy. She was also a former under 18 top level volleyball player.

Caroline started her career in a sport and cultural marketing agency, developping a new consulting offer based on CSR strategies. Caroline advised and supported trust funds, institutions and corporate companies in the design and implementation of their Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility strategies. She then moved overseas to the Caribbean, where she focused on climate change issues in this region, developing Energy and Climate Strategies for French Guyana and Guadeloupe, as well as several Climate and Energy Action Plans in other overseas French territories. Back in Paris, as “Environmental Performance and CSR Manager” within ECOACT, Caroline continued to create methodology and tools to help corporate companies and local territories embrace environmental and social topics and issues.

She started working in circularity in 2014, leading the French Environmental Agency (ADEME) Circular Economy network in Ile-de-France. Passionate about ressource issues, she joined OREE, a think and do tank, as a Circular Economy manager where she was in charge of promoting Circular Economy in France and Europe, developing strategies and circular action for members and creating tools.

In October 2020, Caroline joined the Organizing Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games as Circular Economy Manager.

Having been with Tottenham Hotspur for more than 15 years, Tony has made the progression from a junior Club journalist to Head of Public Relations, now overseeing all non-football communications and the Club’s corporate social responsibility strategy. A lifelong fan from Hertfordshire, Tony has been heavily involved in the planning and delivery of key events, including the Finale of White Hart Lane and the opening of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tony plays an active role in raising the profile of the Club’s substantial off-field work – managing player engagement with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation programmes and official charity partnerships, engaging with key stakeholders within the Club’s local community, driving the Club’s sustainability strategy and developing key fan-facing communications. Tony has also been instrumental in helping to grow the Club’s global fanbase, assisting in the planning and delivery of international tours, liaising with key international media and building relationships with Official Supporters’ Clubs.

Ellen Jones, Head of Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) at Formula 1, joined in January 2022 to help steer the business’ sustainability strategy on the way to becoming Net Zero Carbon from factory to flag by 2030. As a sustainability leader, Ellen works across Formula 1’s ESG agenda to develop strategies and collaboratively deliver change programmes, already making huge progress across the business and wider sport within the first year in position and becoming a vital spokesperson for the sport in the space.

Upon joining F1, Ellen boasted a wealth of experience across a variety of subject areas including: carbon & energy, waste & recycling, packaging, sustainable sourcing and reporting. Her role now entails empowering the business to deliver on its sustainability objectives and manage the governance & reporting requirements. This also requires close communication with key counterparts at the teams, partners and promoters, as the sport as a whole continues to move forward in a positive way to become a sustainable entity. Under Ellen’s stewardship, Formula 1 has again achieved and retained the FIA 3* Environmental Accreditation, the highest level of recognition in this area.

Ellen’s drive and passion for a sustainable future has been long-standing having studied Architecture at Yale University and writing a thesis on how sustainable building practices can be communicated to the public through different media, before doing a Masters in Sustainable Environmental Design.

Jeanette’s role has responsibility for ensuring integrity issues and inclusiveness are central to England’s community sport and physical activity system.

She joined Sport England in 2022 from the Trussell Trust, where she was Director of Participation. Jeanette’s also held a variety of senior roles for the Greater London Authority, including Head of Community Engagement and Assistant Director for Communities and Social Policy.

She’s also a former Director of the African Diaspora Dance Association (ADDA) and strategic consultant for clients including Arts Council England, Creative Lives and BBC Arts.

Michele Uva is UEFA Director of Social and Environmental Sustainability, appointed in January 2021.

He has dedicated an entire career to professional sport in several contexts, disciplines and environments. He has performed the role of CEO in sports organisations such as the Italian Football Association (FIGC), the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), professional football clubs (Parma and Lazio), basketball club (Lottomatica Roma) and volleyball clubs (Bologna, Treviso and Matera), as well as Deputy Commissioner in Italian Serie A football league.

Between 2017 and 2020 he was UEFA Vice-president, Chairman of Club Licensing Committee and member of several UEFA Committee: Finance, Club Competition SA, Strategic Steering, Professional Football Strategic, Women.

Author of six books on sport and football industry, he is currently a lecturer for several masters organised by international and Italian universities.

Rita Nehme is an environmental, social, and governance specialist whose work and passion are at the nexus of sport and sustainability. She is currently the Head of Sustainability at Richmond Football Club, where she leads the Club’s Social and Environmental Sustainability strategies and initiatives. Rita developed and is implementing the Club’s inaugural Environmental Sustainability Action Plan, a first in the AFL industry, as well as the Club’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.

Rita was also recently involved in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she took on the role of Sustainability Manager of the Perth venue. There, she led the sustainability initiatives and measures spanning environmental sustainability, human rights, anti-discrimination, and accessibility.

Rita is a board member of Midsumma Festival, Australia’s premier LGBTQIA+ arts and culture organization. She has also been appointed by the Victorian Government as a Change Our Game Ambassador to champion inclusion, diversity, and equity for women to fully participate and advance Sport at all levels, her primary focus being culturally and linguistically diverse, as well as LGBTQIA+ women.

Ruaidhri is currently Head of Procurement and Sustainability at The English Football Association (also incorporating Wembley National Stadium and St George’s Park). He has run Procurement at The FA since 2017 and took over Sustainability in January 2023. In July this year, The FA launched their Sustainability strategy for the period 2023-28, entitled Playing For The Future. Wembley is an ISO20121 accredited venue, and The FA is signatory to the UN S4CA framework. This year for the first time, The FA is including Climate-Related Financial Disclosures within its annual reporting.

He is a Procurement professional by background, with 15 years spent in previous roles both within sport (London 2012, Rugby World Cup 2015) and in other industries (Deloitte, Sainsbury’s). He also sits on the Board of the FA pension scheme as a member-nominated trustee.

Brianna Treat is a life-long sustainability advocate with a decades spanning career focusing in large scale waste reduction projects, corporate ESG reporting (Environmental, Social, Governance), green building certifications/implementations and carbon accounting.

Upon graduating with a degree in Sustainability from the University of Oklahoma, Brianna started her career in Baltimore, MD where she got her hands dirty as a waste reduction specialist (or as she likes to joke: ‘professional trash talker’) for Johns Hopkins University, as well as a few notable sports venues in the area.

After a few years of her direct impact work with trash and waste management in Baltimore, Brianna found a new challenge as the lead Sustainability Consultant for JP Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM). Here she developed key sustainability/Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting skills that assisted in providing JPMAM with their annual GRI reporting and GRESB submissions.

Through this, and through championing sustainability reporting on a building level, Brianna became interested in Green Building Certifications such as LEED, WELL, and TRUE. She took another leap to work for a tight-knit consulting firm out of Atlanta that was at the forefront of green building certifications, and it was here that her love for sustainability and sports aligned. Brianna was the lead consultant on certifying the first zero waste NBA game in the world. This achievement brought her previous work full circle to her waste management roots, and began to highlight the concept that sports and venues are pillars of strength and change in communities; a concept that Brianna wanted to keep pursuing.

It was through all her past experiences that have now led her to her dream job at the Climate Pledge Arena and with the Seattle Kraken. As Director of Sustainability for the Climate Pledge Arena & the Seattle Kraken, Brianna Treat has embedded environmental sustainability across both organizations. She has developed and implemented a multitude of sustainability initiatives onsite, tracking all operational carbon at the Arena and assisting in achieving the Arenas 95% waste diversion goal. Each piece of her past has built her skillset to now ensure that the Climate Pledge Arena and the Seattle Kraken maintain their commitments to the Climate Pledge.

Andrew Lamb is a sports marketing professional who has held a number of partnership development roles in sport over the last 17 years. These roles have included stints with Sale Sharks (rugby), and Manchester United and Everton (football), before stepping into the world of offshore sailing with The Ocean Race.

In Andrew’s current position with The Ocean Race, purpose is at the heart of the partnership programme he leads and is the central focus when securing new partnerships. This is primarily driven by the Race’s objectives around ocean health (and the role of a healthy ocean towards a sustainable planet), and gender equity, with all teams of The Ocean Race comprising of a mix of genders. Partners are backing these areas of focus and finding ways to leverage it to support their own business objectives in the spaces of equality & diversity, sustainability and nature protection.

Creative collaborator, expert communicator and coach. Strategist and ‘what if’ thinker. People-focused executive leader.

Passion for catalysing positive change for people, purpose-driven organisations and society; building connections, unlocking insights and creating breakthroughs.

Background in sustainability and international development and experience working across private and charity sectors alike. Working at Executive level with Board & C-Suite, with experience across a breadth of issues ranging from Olympic & Paralympic sport to food security, climate resilience, education and human rights.

Collaborated with the likes of Tesco, HSBC, Aviva, Jaguar Land Rover and Sky, alongside Unicef, WWF, VSO and the Aga Khan Development Network to share a few previous partners, connectors and collaborators.

Emily Iveson-Pritchard has worked in the events industry for 14 years with a background in commercial sales. They began engaging with their passion for sustainability during their MBA at Central Saint Martins & Birkbeck with her focus moving to the sustainability of virtual events as part of her thesis. Emily now works as the Head of Sustainability for Surrey County Cricket Club. In this role they lead Surrey County Cricket Club’s work in sustainability including the design, further development, and implementation of their sustainability strategy with a focus on hosting and staging sustainable events.

Fiona joined the global purpose-driven sports entertainment league SailGP in 2020 with a mission to help make sustainability and inclusivity essential to the fabric of sport. Fiona is the mastermind of the SailGP Impact League – a world-first in sport which sees athletes race to win two podiums: one for sporting performance and one for the planet. The league champions authentic, committed, and impactful initiatives and rewards positive sustainability and social actions.

Fiona has an exceptional track record of shaping social impact strategy, promoting gender equality and campaigns for some of the world’s most high-profile sports brands and talent. She was the driving force behind Sky’s corporate and social purpose team, The Bigger Picture, and led the Sky Ocean Rescue consumer campaign, which reached an awareness of over 50 million people across Europe and resulted in behavioral change among its customers towards plastics. Fiona is proud to be an Ambassador for Meaningful Business, a member of the Social Impact Committee, member for the British Paralympic Association, an advisory board member at 17 Sport, and Non-Executive Board Member of the Manchester Originals – a team in the new Hundred tournament shaking up and growing the game of cricket.

Fiona is also a judge for the Laureus Sport for Good index and a founding member of Sports Pro Media NEW ERA programme, which recognises, supports and advocates for gender equality and representation within the international sports industry.
Under Fiona’s guidance, SailGP has won both the BBC Green Sport Ambition and Impact Award, as well as the Sports Industry Environmental Sustainability Award.

Fiona was also shortlisted for Edie Sustainability Leader of the Year in 2023, for which she was highly commended.

Sander van Stiphout is Director Innovation and Advisory and director of the consultancy branch of the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
What drives Sander is to contribute to a well-managed, safe stadium with great fan engagement that makes profit and simultaneously create true value to society. To achieve concrete goals for the stadium and its main stakeholders Ajax, KNVB and the City of Amsterdam he drives innovation among ecosystem partners such as KPN, KPMG, Microsoft, Signify, Heineken, Coca Cola, ABN Amro, research institutes such as TNO, universities, SME’s, start-ups and Governmental institutions using the stadium as a fieldlab.
Sander has worked on stadium projects worldwide and was involved in projects related to all recent major tournaments, such as the Russia and Brazil World Cups. Sander was special stadium operations consultant to the Qatar Supreme Committee in relation to the FIFA World Cup 2022 preparations.

Having joined World Sailing last year as Head of Sustainability, double Paralympic medallist Alexandra Rickham has been working in sustainability in the sport sector as a consultant since retiring from full time competition in 2017. She combines her academic knowledge and insight with her practical experience in competitive sport and environmental operations to focus both on changing the sports industry and its practices, and on utilising sport’s platform to inspire change. Alexandra is very passionate about diversity and inclusion and ensuring the athlete’s voice is heard on sustainability and regularly participates on panels, podcasts and other speaking opportunities on these subjects.

As Head of International Relations at Malmö FF, Siri is tasked to manage the club’s responses to disruptive forces reshaping the football industry through innovative solutions and extensive club football knowledge. With a background in international diplomacy and a wide experience in areas such as stakeholder relations, strategic development, knowledge exchange programmes, social impact projects and event management, she has a wide portfolio of knowledge, particularly in the evaluation and development of the intangible components that make football clubs successful communities.

Before joining Malmö FF in April 2022, Siri served at the European Club Association (ECA) in the membership department while also managing the ECA Women’s Football Committee and its Bureau. In 2020, she co-founded the independent football advisory Club Affairs, providing services to enhance strategic decision-making in football, both on and off the pitch.

Siri is a strong believer in implementing sustainable solutions and principles of good governance in the sports industry, and social development of, and through sports.

Ellis is currently Sustainability Manager 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. His task is to work across the World Championships’ unique delivery model, consisting of a Central organisation and Event Delivery Partner (EDPs), to lead and support the implementation of the Environmental Sustainability Action Plan; its core themes of People, Place, Planet and key objectives are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes Carbon footprinting the event and measurement of its general impact on the environment.

Formerly Ellis was employed for seventeen years with a large timber importing and upgrading business as an Environmental/ Sustainability Manager. His responsibilities included the Environmental Management System (EMS), Timber Chain of Custody Certification, timber legality specialist, supplier assessment and auditing. He also counted and reported on Carbon emissions for the UK operations.

Aslı is both working as the lead for all commercial operations of the Club while building a sustainable identity by gathering the relevant recourses and the power of the commercial brands and İstanbul Başakşehir FK.

She has a Masters Degree in Sports Management, Club Management and also have several educations in sustainability. She actively has been running environmental, educational and social well being related projects under sustainability in İstanbul Başakşehir FK for almost 4 years.

Dr. Madeleine Orr (she/her) is researcher, educator, and advocate working at the intersection of sport and climate change. After earning her PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota in 2020 and a postdoc in strategy at University of British Columbia, Orr joined the Institute for Sport Business at Loughborough University London where she developed the world’s first MSc in Sustainable Sport Business. In the Fall of 2023, she is joining the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor.

Maddy is the founder and co-director of The Sport Ecology Group, an international consortium of academics who drive climate action in the sport sector through research and public education initiatives. Her research in sport ecology examines the impacts of climate change on the sport sector, with a focus on resilience and adaptation. She has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and several industry-facing reports that have gained global attention. Her work has been covered by the BBC, Time Magazine, ESPN, Sky Sports, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, and more. Her first book Warming Up: How Climate Change is Changing Sports (for Bloomsbury) will publish in 2024.

For her contributions to the sport sector, Orr has been recognized by Forbes’ 30 Under 30, Corporate Knights’ 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders, and NAAEE’s 30 Under 30 Environmental Educators. She was the 2022 recipient of the Rising Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota and was named a Future of Canada Fellow in 2023.

Dr Walker J Ross is a lecturer in sport management at the University of Edinburgh and a member of the Sport Ecology Group. His research focuses on sport ecology and sustainability with emphasis on the impact of climate change on sport, governance, institutional behaviours, and stakeholders. Efforts like the UNEP’s Sports for Nature Handbook and Protect Our Winters’ reports on both the Winter Olympics and cycling have been aided by his expertise. Peer-reviewed research of his has been featured in top academic journals as well as popular press from BBC, Sky, ESPN, Associated Press, and Reuters. He is an active member of both the European Association for Sport Management and the North American Society for Sport Management.

An expert in renewable energies and clean technology innovation, Georgina Grenon obtained an MSc in Chemical Engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (Argentina) and an MBA from INSEAD Business School (France). Polyglot, she has triple nationality :  Argentinean, French and Italian.

Georgina began her career in business development at YPF S.A., the national oil company in Argentina. She then took up position as a director at international strategy consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton, devoting herself mainly to energy and operations, working in Europe, the USA, Japan and South America for nearly ten years. She then joined the Directorate-General of Energy and Climate (DGEC), part of the French Ministry of Ecology and Energy, where she supported the development of renewable energy policies and markets for six years. She also represented France at the International Energy Agency, promoting international cooperation in the creation of markets, innovation and the deployment of clean technologies, playing an active part at COP21 and, among other things, helping to create the International Solar Alliance. She then moved to the ENGIE Group, becoming director of the New Business Factory at ENGIE Fab.

In August 2018, Georgina Grenon has joined the Organizing Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games as its Director of Sustainability.

Innes Fitzgerald is is a British track and field athlete and cross country runner from Devon, England. FitzGerald set a new under-17 record for 3,000 metres, and in December 2022 finished fourth in the under-20s European Cross Country Championships in Turin, to avoid flying to the competition FitzGerald took a 20-hour coach and train journey from Exeter to Italy.

In January 2023, FitzGerald turned down the opportunity to compete at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia because of concerns she holds about contributing to climate change. In a letter to UK Athletics she wrote that “The reality of the travel fills me with deep concern”, adding that “I was just nine when the COP21 Paris Climate agreement was signed. Now, eight years on, and global emissions have been steadily increasing, sending us on a path to climate catastrophe. Turning this around is only possible through transformational change from collective and personal action.” In it’s coverage of this, The Times called Innes “The Greta Thunberg of Sport.”

Steinar Hoen is a retired Norwegian high jumper, his indoor and outdoor bests are both 2.36 m – these are also the Norwegian records for the event. He has been the meeting director for the Oslo Bislett Games since 2007.

Dr Sheila Nguyen is a leading regenerative built environment design professional who has consulted with several sport organisations and professional clubs, globally, on strategic and operational environmental sustainability issues with the most recent work with the Australian Olympic Committee’s Climate Action Plan.

Sheila was given the Honorary Lifetime Member award from the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) and recognised as an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Women of Influence (2019) for her leadership in galvanising the sport industry to protect and respect the natural environment.

She has contributed to over 50 internationally peer-reviewed research outputs and media outlets, has been an invited speaker for TEDx and as a presenter at a number of natural environment and sport industry forums, most notably, at COP21 in Paris (2015), the first-time sport has been invited to the climate agreement discussions. Sheila was the invited Chairperson & MC for the Sustainable Innovations in Sport Forum in Amsterdam (2018) (Ajax Stadium) among other changemaking forums over the years.

Sheila is on a number of boards and advisory committees including as an Independent Director on the World Lacrosse Sustainability Committee.

Sheila is the Co-Founder and an NED of the Sports Environment Alliance, the coalition of sport & planet leaders in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand working to protect the places where we play so we can continue to do what we love- watch an

Rishi is Liverpool Football Club’s Director of Impact, and is responsible for leading the Club’s approach to sustainability through the lens of equality, diversity and inclusion and environmental sustainability; aiming to ensure that the club continues to lead the way on and off the pitch.

Having worked in ED+I for over 20 years, he has an expert understanding of successfully integrating strategy into businesses and ensuring positive change. Rishi is responsible for the Liverpool FC’s The Red Way strategy that encompasses the clubs plans across all areas of business operations and ensuring that sustainability is embedded throughout. Rishi is a driving force for change and successfully works with colleagues and business leaders to ensure progress.

In 2023, Rishi was named on the Pride Power List, and in 2020, he was named on the Global Diversity List as a Top 20 Diversity Professional. His previous work led to wide-ranging recognition at the European Diversity Awards 2019, North West Football Awards 2019 and Inclusive Companies Awards 2019 – in addition to being awarded the Premier League Equality Standard Advanced Level in the same year.

Prior to joining Liverpool Football Club, Rishi has held roles at Manchester United, Kick It Out and The FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board, where he has worked throughout his career to champion equality, diversity and inclusion and the power of football to make a positive impact across society.

With a background in aerospace engineering, three world records in cycling, and a triathlon championship title, Kate is currently doing Climate Cycle – a 3,000 mile, 90 day cycle on a hand-made bamboo bike across the length and breadth of mainland Britain, visiting sustainability projects, to raise awareness of the climate crisis. Find out more and support here: https://katestrong.global/climatecycle/

Seán is the Climate Justice Officer with Bohemians – a first in the world of football. In this role, he is working with the club to design climate responses that can be both led by and empower the club’s fans and their communities. He also works as the secretariat member with responsibility for strategy with the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative – a global coalition of organisations working to secure children’s right to a safe and healthy environment.

Over the past year, he has supported the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in the development of authoritative guidance to States on the protection of children’s rights with respect to the environment and climate change. Previously he worked with the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, in seeking to advance climate justice within the UN system and subsequently authored The People’s Transition: Community-led Development for Climate Justice with the European Foundation for Progressive Studies and the Think Tank for Action on Social Change.

The People’s Transition is a participative decision-making model that views climate action as an enabler of local development and gives people and communities ownership of the transition to zero-carbon societies to tackle inequality and raise standards of living through the delivery of climate solutions. He has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency in Freetown, Sierra Leone and with communities facing extreme poverty in Kolkata, India.

Jana joined the newly established Sports for Nature team at IUCN in mid-2023. As Engagement Officer, she is responsible for building and managing relations with and between the wider sports and nature conservation communities and helping develop sports’ capacity to champion nature and contribute to its protection and restoration.

Jana came into the role with a rich sustainability-and-sports expertise and capacity building and training experience having worked on sustainability, public affairs and international relations in the Olympic movement (Czech Olympic Committee and the European Olympic Committees EU Office) for the last decade.

In her career, Jana has had the privilege to lead or co-manage several exiting projects and initiatives, including the “As Sustainable As Possible” project, which helped three National Olympic Committees develop and implement sustainability strategies, and the Czech Olympic Committee’s Master of Public Administration programme on Sport Diplomacy. She is also a member of the European Olympic Committees Sustainability and Active Society Commission.

With over 20 years’ experience as a sustainability consultant, mainly within the sports and major events sector, and a parallel career developing purpose, leadership, culture and values in business, Kate knows what actually works when it comes to developing and implementing sustainability strategies, and how to embed them within an organisation.

Kate has worked in sport sustainability for the Royal Yachting Association, The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and for the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals). She has been working with London Marathon Events since 2013 – at first as an external Sustainability Advisor to the RideLondon cycling event and from 2018 helping LME to develop and implement its sustainability strategy. Kate has recently joined LME permanently as Head of Sustainability, working across LME’s portfolio of running, cycling and swimming events to help deliver on an ambitious sustainability strategy. She also plays a key role in the MSO (Mass Participation Sports Organisers) group – driving collaboration on environmental sustainability throughout the mass participation industry.

Alongside her work with sport, Kate has supported over 100 companies across a wide range of sectors with B Corp certification. B Corps are companies that demonstrate the highest levels of positive social and environmental impact.

And yes – she has run the London Marathon – slowly!

With over 10 years in the Sports Marketing and Commercial industry across rugby and golf, Maria’s focus shifted to sustainability in the world of sport in 2021.

An alumni of the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability, Maria developed the European Tour group and Ryder Cup Europe’s sustainability department and “Golf for Good” strategies. This focuses on three programmes tackling social and environmental sustainability challenges: The G4D (Golf for the Disabled) Tour with 10 annual events; the Golf Futures community outreach programme, and Green Drive.

In this role Maria launched a revised Green Drive strategy on World Environment Day in 2021 reinforcing the Group’s commitment to sustainability and steering the Tour to become the first professional golf Tour to join as a signatory to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework with a commitment to being net zero by 2040.

For nearly fifteen years Kelli has been helping to inspire, support and champion sustainability and climate action in and through golf.  As Executive Director of the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, she manages organisation operations and the effective development and delivery of programmes and services to meet global stakeholder needs and the overall strategic vision for golf courses, tournaments, players and associations.  Prior to joining the sport and sustainability movement, Kelli was at Microsoft’s Seattle headquarters in product management and strategic relations.

In 2006 he published The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football – the definitive history of the game – and in 2019 brought it up to date with a successor, The Age of Football: The Global Game in The Twenty First Century. In between he published books on Brazilian football, the history of the Olympics, and in 2015 won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award for The Game of Our Lives: The Making and Meaning of English Football. He has been described by Prof.Dominic Sandbrook of Oxford University, in the Sunday Times, as “not merely the best football historian writing today, he is possibly the best there has ever been.”

He currently teaches for the Football Business Academy in Geneva, is a regular visiting Professor at Pitzer College, Los Angeles, and is an Honorary Fellow of the International Centre for the Culture and History of Sport at De Monfort University, Leicester.

His journalism has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, the Financial Times, the New York Times, Prospect, New Statesman, the Times Literary Supplement and many other publications. He has won the sports story of the year at the Foreign Press Association Media Awards in London three times, In 2009, for the BBC World Service documentary Mathare United. which showcased the power of football for social development in the slums of urban Kenya ; in 2015 for “The Prison Where Murderers who Play for Manchester United” published in The Guardian, which reported on the role of a DIY English Premier League and Prison football association in turning Luzira, Uganda’s notorious high security jail, into one of Africa’s most humane and progressive prisons; and in 2018 for “Viktor Orban’s Reckless Football Obsession”, published in The Guardian, which featured the first interview with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with a foreign newspaper for more than a decade. It was shortlisted for the European Media Awards in 2019.

In 2020 he published Playing against the Clock: Global Sport and The Climate Crisis and has been working and campaigning on these issues ever since.

Lindita Xhaferi Salihu leads work on sectors engagement in climate action as part of UN Climate Change wider Global Climate Action work. She led development of both Sports for Climate Action and Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and works closely with a variety of stakeholders to mobilize key actors and catalyze ambitious action towards decarbonization. Before joining UN Climate Change, Lindita worked in public relations and coordinated projects promoting multi-stakeholder engagement in policy and sustainability. Lindita has an educational background in engineering, international relations and global energy & climate policy.

Lauren MacCallum is a dynamic and passionate advocate for climate action, with an impressive and diverse background that has made them a prominent figure in the fight against climate change. As the Managing Director of Protect Our Winters UK, she is at the forefront of mobilising the outdoor sports community to take action on climate issues.

With a career spanning both the literary and broadcast realms, Lauren is also an accomplished author and broadcaster, contributing their expertise and insights to the BBC and award-winning environmental and social films. Lauren’s ability to communicate complex environmental issues in a relatable and compelling manner has made them a sought-after voice in the world of climate communication.

Beyond their commitments to Protect Our Winters UK and media contributions, Lauren is unwavering in their dedication to preserving the UK’s natural landscapes. Serving on the board of the Cairngorm National Park, the largest in the UK, Lauren tirelessly works to safeguard and promote this invaluable region while amplifying the voices of ordinary working people in the pursuit of sustainable solutions.

Lauren MacCallum embodies the spirit of action and advocacy in the fight for a greener, more sustainable world, seamlessly blending her love for the outdoors, mountain biking and snowboarding with her commitment to addressing climate change.

Responsible for leading and influencing sustainable development, operations and events with a wide-ranging social, environmental and commercial programme that engages all parts of the Club – and CFG – and its work, its
fans, communities and partners, measuring and reporting the impacts transparently and consistently.

Pete has worked in the sport and leisure field since the mid 1970s with key roles in leisure management, sports development, health education, strategic regeneration and in sustainable development.

Working in the UK and overseas, Pete has developed his career to help build strong and successful organisational structures and responsible change and development.

Born and educated in Manchester; a swimmer and water polo player ‘by trade’, Pete attended his first Manchester City match in 1963. An alumni of Hulme’s Birley High School and (masters) of the University of Leicester.

A published author – a Mancunian through and through – Pete is confident that the spirit of industry, invention, innovation and change is alive and well – creating wide ranging benefits and opportunities with security in learning, health and wellbeing above all – so that we prosper – together.

Sofi Armenakian joined the Hawks and State Farm Arena in 2020 and currently is the Head of Sustainability. As she oversees the sustainability department for the award-winning venue, she was the first employee in the organization to be tasked with leading sustainability efforts with a focus on zero-waste operations for the franchise and the first person to hold a title in sustainability across the NBA. Her focus in her role is in three key areas including environment social and governance (ESG), guest and employee engagement as well as future of sustainable operations, which lie in automation. In Oct. 2022, Armenakian was recognized by industry publication Sports Business Journal as one of 10 Executives to Watch in Sports Sustainability and was in the class of the 2022 All-Stars through VenuesNow.

In summer of 2022, she led the Hawks and State Farm Arena’s joint efforts in the launching of GOAL (Green Operations and Advanced Leadership) in partnership with OakView Group and Fenway Sports Group. As of the end of 2022, GOAL has 25 founding members across the country.

Under her supervision, State Farm Arena became the first sports and entertainment venue in the world to earn TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) Platinum certification for zero waste in April 2022 and was the first to be re-certified in April 2023. In achieving TRUE Platinum, the venue earned near the maximum number of points from a variety of categories including: redesign, reduce, reuse, compost (re-earth), recycle, zero waste reporting, diversion (min. 90%), zero waste purchasing, leadership, training, zero waste analysis, upstream management, hazardous waste prevention, closed loop system and innovation. In 2021, State Farm Arena also hosted the first-ever zero-waste NBA All-Star Game and delivered the first TRUE certified sporting event in the world (Hawks’ Eastern Conference First Round Game 4 versus the New York Knicks on May 30).

After retiring as a professional athlete in 2021, Melissa founded non-profit Athletes of the World with Double Olympic Champion Hannah Mills. Athletes of the World builds athlete-led campaigns for climate action, and works with elite sports teams and federations to deliver climate education and climate-focussed media training for athletes.

Since 2020, Melissa’s brought over 600 elite athletes together across various campaigns: a letter to the UK government with 320 GB Olympian and Paralympian signatories; a video to World Leaders ahead of COP26 involving Olympic flag bearers form 35 different countries, and a letter to World Rugby signed by over 200 professional players. Last year she also co-hosted the second series of Emergency on Planet Sport with Jonathan Overend, unpacking sport’s contribution to the global climate emergency and the solutions the sector can deliver to create and influence change.

Qasa Alom is a presenter, investigative journalist & director with credits on documentaries, current affairs and radio. He has been with the BBC since 2010. In November 2020 Qasa was awarded with Best Radio Presenter at the Asian Media Awards.

Qasa freelance presents for BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio London and presents a weekend show for BBC WM. Qasa further presents shows for Radio 4 that include Costing The Earth and From Our Own Correspondent.

Qasa hosted an event for the UN at COP26 and is passionate about preventing climate change because of how he has seen it affect his family and ancestral home in Bangladesh.

This year Qasa has reported for BBC Sport at Wimbledon and The Commonwealth Games on sustainability in sport. Qasa has reported on the whole of the Commonwealth Games 2022 that included the athletes parade on the opening day.

Qasa loves sport, particularly cricket and tennis. 2021 Qasa launched @realtennispod with @dominglot. 2021 also saw Qasa host @thehundred @Edgbaston . He also presented the 2019 ATP World Tour Finals for BBC 5 Live Sports Xtra, the season ending tennis tournament between the top 8 men’s players in the world, from London’s 02 Arena.

Hattie Park is the Sustainability Manager at Wimbledon, leading their Environment Positive strategy. She is an environmental sustainability specialist with fifteen years’ experience developing and delivering corporate sustainability strategies. At Wimbledon she is involved in everything from integrating sustainability within long-term regeneration plans and emission reporting, to delivering Championship-specific initiatives. She joined the AELTC in February 2019 after 9 years as sustainability manager at the BBC.

Federico Addiechi is responsible for sustainability at FIFA.

Federico worked in various capacities in the sports industry before joining FIFA in 2003 to take charge of the CSR and humanitarian activities of world football’s governing body and of its relationship with the United Nations system and non-governmental organisations.

In his role at FIFA, Federico initiated and implemented programmes to address issues ranging from social development through football, education, human and labour rights to climate protection, waste management, accessibility for fans, anti-discrimination and green stadiums. He also contributed to strengthening FIFA’s management system through the integration of sustainability standards, policies and reporting frameworks for FIFA and the FIFA World Cups.

As a former professional volleyball player (Argentinian national team; Italian and Swiss leagues) and through his current role as a board member of the Swiss Volleyball Federation, Federico has an intimate knowledge of the world of sports administration and competition management as an athlete, manager and official. He is member of the Board of the 2010 Legacy Trust, Chairman of the Board of the Daniel Nivel Foundation and Co-Chair of the Sustainability Steering Group of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Federico has undergraduate studies in engineering from the University of Mar del Plata, Argentina, and in human sciences and philology at the University of Catania, Italy. He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Dallas, USA, and completed the Executive Programme on Corporate Social Responsibility at Harvard Business School, USA. Federico has Argentinian, Italian and Swiss citizenship.

Federico speaks Spanish, English, Italian, French, German and Portuguese and lectures on sustainability and sport at numerous courses, conferences and seminars worldwide, as well as at the CIES post-graduate programme

Julia Pallé is a leading expert on sustainability in motorsport and the international elite sport industry. As Sustainability Director at the world’s first all-electric motor racing series, Formula E, Julia certified the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship net zero carbon since inception, the first sport in the world to achieve the standard.

Julia is also Sustainability Advisor for Extreme E, the all-electric SUVs series, bringing electric racing to some of the most remote corners of the planet to highlight the climate change challenges faced by different ecosystems. Widely recognised as a leader in sustainability in global sport, Julia is a regular speaker at major events and conferences including COP26, Bloomberg, Sport Positive Summit, and FIA Smart Cities. Her industry roles include President of Sports and Sustainability international (SandSI), an international association of sustainable experts working to broadening and harmonising the international sport and sustainability movement. Before joining Formula E and defining the sustainability strategy, Julia was sustainability executive at Michelin Motorsport. Her primary area of research has focused on Business & Sustainability, Change Management and Project Management especially in Motorsport.

Bob Ramsak is the Head of Sustainability at World Athletics, the global governing body for track and field and long distance running, a journalist who has covered the sport globally for more than two decades and a long-time advocate for environmental, economic, and social justice.

David Garrido is a Sky Sports presenter with almost 25 years’ experience in the industry, and he is widely considered one of the leading communicators and content-makers for sport and sustainability in the UK and Europe. His documentary, ‘Football’s Toughest Opponent’, explores the relationship between the biggest sport in the world and the climate crisis, and his ongoing episodic series, ‘Playing For The Planet’, profiles elite athletes and their journeys in climate action. Recent guests include British men’s tennis number 1 Cam Norrie, Premier League footballer Ben Mee, double Olympic sailing champion Hannah Mills and marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge.

Katie is founder and CEO of Pledgeball, a research-backed charity that supports sports bodies to engage fans on environmental sustainability and climate change. Working with stakeholders across the sports community, from clubs, County FAs and leagues to the Lawn Tennis Association and Football Supporters’ Association, Pledgeball effectively mobilises fans and players to make pro-environmental choices resulting in a reduction in emissions on game day and beyond.

Iris studied an MA in History and Sociology of the Middle East at the University of Erfurt (2019 to 2022) and the University of Saint Joseph in Beirut as well as an MA in Peace and Conflict Management at the University of Haifa (Topol Fellow) from 2018 to 2019. She is a passionate footballer who is responsible for social media, communication and workshop delivery for Spirit of Football’s “One Ball, One World” project. She especially likes to deliver workshops that inspire people and organisations to take sustainable action and to use social media to communicate participants’ stories and ideas. She co-led Spirit of Football’s global sustainability project “One Ball, One World” which took The Ball across 21 countries in 13 months – learning about and advocating for climate action.

Lydia Carrington is Sustainability Manager at Warwickshire County Cricket Club who leads Edgbaston Stadium on the venues sustainability strategy and targets. Through educating and inspiring change, she takes pride in encouraging interaction and engagement amongst spectators, fans and staff, whilst driving down the environmental impact of the Stadium’s emissions through the use of new technologies and verified data.

She has led Edgbaston Stadium to become the first cricket ground in the UK to gain the ISO20121 accreditation, highlighting their commitment to Sustainable Event Management. She also led the planning and delivery of the UK’s first sustainable international cricket matchday, the Go Green Game, held in September 2023. The event aimed to reduce operational emissions, whilst engaging and educating spectators and viewers from around the world using the sports industry platform.

Jenny is an Associate Director at Nature Positive. She works with businesses and organisations to design, develop and deliver sustainability strategies to leave a positive legacy for people and planet. Jenny was previously the recipient of the BusinessGreen Leaders Award for “Young Sustainability Executive of the Year”. With a background in Geography and a master’s in environmental management, Jenny has ten years’ experience in different sectors, including sports and leisure, the built environment, energy, construction, and hospitality. She brings experience advising on a range of sustainability topics including biodiversity, social value, and climate change.

Current and recent projects include working with a UK sports and leisure organisation to develop their sustainability strategy, a biodiversity impact assessment for a construction company, developing an ocean strategy for a multinational business, and supporting RSK group to develop their sustainability strategy. Nature Positive is part of the RSK Group of companies, formed of more than 200 environmental, engineering and technical services businesses and a global leader in the delivery of complete sustainable solutions.

Jim is a Principal Consultant for Nature Positive, part of the RSK Group, who works to integrate sustainability into the heart of the organisations he works with. Having worked across multiple sectors, including sports and leisure, construction, manufacturing, travel and chemicals, he understands the environmental issues that are material to business and has a particular passion for seeing nature rise up the corporate agenda. Jim has experience developing both corporate and project level sustainability strategies and targets, with a focus on proactive, tangible actions to generate positive change. In the sports sector he is currently working with Charlton Athletic Football Club and Cardiff Rugby to support their sustainability ambitions.

Nature Positive is a management consultancy filled with a unique combination of environmental, sustainability and business specialists, and part of the RSK Group of companies. The RSK Group is formed of more than 200 environmental, engineering and technical services businesses and a global leader in the delivery of complete sustainable solutions.

Norman Vossschulte is originally from Berlin, Germany. His culturally rich background included ten years living abroad in Africa, Iraq and Spain before moving back to Germany to finish High School and College. He studied Biology and Physical Science before deciding to move to New York City in 1996 to attend the Herbert Berghof Institute for Fine Theatre Arts and Drama.

Norman’s work experience is as eclectic as his upbringing. He has worked in the hotel industry, the non profit industry, as well as both sports and entertainment industries. 25 years of practicing customer and client relations, has given him an overview of which techniques consistently enhance guest experiences.

Norman has over 16 years of staff training and team leadership experience working with The Walt Disney Company and currently the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2014, Norman became the official GO GREEN spokesperson and began leading the green team for the Philadelphia Eagles. During his tenure the Eagles obtained LEED Gold certification and were the first sports team in the world to obtain ISO20121 certification. He organized and re-branded the initiative as the GO GREEN ECO Committee (Engagement, Communication, Operations) to involve the entire organization. One of the main missions of the ECO Committee is to Innovate & Sustain. The Eagles are now the first sports team to actively invest in the ocean by offsetting carbon emissions from player

As Sustainability Advisor to the GAA’s Green Club Programme, Míde is part of a committed team working on structures and supports to encourage sustainability awareness and engagement at grassroots level within the GAA, Ireland’s largest sporting organisation. The Green Club programme is designed especially for the realities, challenges and opportunities of volunteer-led sports clubs and has been developed with the input of volunteer club members and the support and guidance of expert organisations and agencies from across the island of Ireland

Míde also works with community groups, campuses and business organisations in the development of sustainability strategies and programmes and is a guest lecturer on sports sustainability and management in University College Dublin.

From Thurles, Co Tipperary Jimmy D’Arcy is an experienced coach educator, group and systems change facilitator. His role supports the organisation to evolve its response to climate change, embrace sustainability and empower its future voluntary leadership.

He endeavours to support GAA members to strive in terms of personal and community development, and guides Clubs towards a more ecological way of being within their communities and environments for the betterment of all, and in line with the GAA values of Community Identity, Inclusion, Teamwork, Respect, Player Welfare and Amateur Status.

He is the GAA Green club Programme project manager.

Helen has worked in Sports broadcasting for over 20 years. She started at Sunset and Vine covering the Channel4 Cricket and Channel 5 football output.

A couple of years at Sky New Zealand followed before she joined Sky Sports in 2006. Helen is now Sky Sports Director of Multi Sports, was shortlisted for a WST ‘Ambassador for Women’s Sport’ award in 2018 and is a member of the Sky Sports Content Sustainability group, championing environmental issues within Sky Sports coverage.

She is a keen netball and tennis player and has 3 daughters.

David leads our Climate Engagement Lab, which helps communicators tell new climate stories. He also leads our work with the business community to help them engage the public effectively on climate change.

David has nearly two decades of experience as a campaigner, communicator, researcher and strategist on environment and climate change. He’s worked as Head of Environment and Green Transition at the New Economics Foundation and senior campaigner on economics and resources at Friends of the Earth. He has a MA in English Literature, an MSc in Environmental Strategy, and a Graduate Diploma in Economics. He’s particularly interested in the intersection between systems change and individual psychology, and how to build campaigns that harness the deeply held concerns we all have about the climate crisis.

Outside of work he hosts the climate psychology podcast, Your Brain on Climate, and until 2022 was co-host of Sustainababble. He is also the chair of Somerset Wildlands, and spends whatever time there is left running and playing the sax.

Dr. Jessica Murfree is an Assistant Professor of Sport Administration at the University of Cincinnati. Her research as a sport ecologist examines the effects of climate change on sport. Primarily, she explores these effects through social and legal implications of extreme weather, climate risks, and environmental injustices. To date, her expertise has informed organizations the United Nations Environment Programme, Climate Week NYC, and Ocean Conservancy. Her research has contributed to sport industry conversations in Forbes and Sports Illustrated and has been featured in outlets like Scientific American and The Athletic. Dr. Murfree was recognized as a 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Sports Honoree.

Kristen Fulmer is a sustainability expert, focused on maximizing performance and promoting health and wellbeing within the built environment. Kristen leads Oak View Group’s Corporate Sustainability strategy as well as their Sustainability Program, GOAL. Prior, Kristen ran a consultancy that supported sports organizations’ sustainability strategy. She previously led WeWork’s Global Sustainability Advisory Team, which focused on delivering sustainability solutions for Enterprise members. Early in her career, Kristen spent time working as a sustainability consultant for a third-party consulting firm and in-house for Lendlease, an international construction management and development firm. Kristen holds an MS in Sustainable Design from the University of Texas’ School of Architecture and a BS in Public & Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture.

Tom leads Irwin Mitchell’s Sports Team.  He is responsible for overseeing the team’s strategy and key relationships with athletes, clubs, governing bodies and other organisations operating in the sport industry.  Tom himself specialises in regulatory and commercial disputes in sport.

Claire is the CEO and Founder of Sport Positive, supporting the global sports industry to increase action and ambition on climate change, sustainability, biodiversity and environmental justice; through direct support, community creation, the annual Sport Positive Summit, Sport Positive Leagues and The Climate of Sport podcast.

Sport Positive Summit is the annual award-winning, leading global meeting place for sports effecting positive environmental impacts, in collaboration with UNFCCC and the International Olympic Committee. Sport Positive Leagues rank and highlight environmental sustainability efforts of top flight sports organisations, to drive industry progress.

In 2017 she was cited as doing ‘more than anyone alive to mobilize convocations for sustainability advocates throughout the sport world’ and in 2022 she appeared on Sport Business Journal’s ‘Influential Executives To Know in Sports Sustainability’ list. Her views and work have been covered by BBC Sport, Sky Sports News, The Mirror, BT Sport, Euronews, The Independent, Reuters, The Times, The New York Times, The Nikkei, The Japan Times, Forbes, The Athletic, Rouleur, Euractiv, Ecolospot and more. She is a frequent keynote speaker and chairperson at industry conferences.

Additionally Claire is an Advisory Board Member for Ecoathletes, Athletes of the World and The Sport Ecology Group; Advisory Committee Member for The Council for Responsible Sport’s Standard for Organisations and IWBI’s WELL Advisory on Sports and Entertainment Venues. She sits on the and UEFA Environment Steering Group and is also part of the albert Sports Consortium, for sports broadcasters to tackle their environmental footprint.

Matthew Campelli is a journalist, strategist and communicator specialising in sport and sustainability. He is the Managing Director of Touchline Earth, Director of sustainability for Touchline and Editor of The Sustainability Report, a platform that showcases leadership, strategy and innovation related to sport and sustainability.

Following a degree in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews, and after 12 years working in the golf sustainability sector, Philip joined Bluewater in 2022 to drive forward the company’s innovative portfolio of sustainable hydrations solutions for events and venues.  With first-hand experience of major sporting events, with a particular emphasis on delivering sustainability and legacy strategies, Philip is focused on realising the unique opportunities that are open to the sport sector globally to drive meaningful and proactive change on the sustainable development agenda.

Brynn is an Associate with WM Advisory Services, providing environmental, climate, and energy consulting to companies in various industries. She performs comprehensive sustainability assessments and strategic planning functions for stadiums and arenas, events, and organizations across the country. With years of experience in intensive sustainability research throughout Asia, Europe, and the US, as well recent projects working on event sustainability and CSR, Brynn specializes in holistic, data-centered approaches to environmental management and sustainable program development. She has extensive knowledge on formulating sustainable solutions through systems thinking and pragmatic approaches, including zero waste operations, supply chain impact analysis, science-based targets, sustainable event management, stakeholder engagement and global reporting initiatives. Brynn graduated with a BA in Sustainability, BA in Anthropology, Minor in Italian, and Certificate in International Business from Arizona State University and received her MS in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science from Lund University, Sweden, where she specialized in innovative approaches to environmental sustainability research and education. She is a LEED Green Associate and TRUE Advisor.

Chris leads Schneider Electric’s business in Ireland as well as the Major Pursuits sales team in the UK. He plays a vital role in directing the next phase of growth and strategy in the zone. He joined Schneider Electric as a Business Development Manager in 2003 and was responsible for building automation and security products in the North East region of the US. Over the past twenty years, he has held several roles, including senior board-level positions at Schneider Electric and is a seasoned business leader, having overseen Schneider’s smart buildings business, covering both the commercial and residential sectors in the US. Prior to taking on his current role in April 2021, he was Vice President of Systems Transformation, Digital Energy in the US.

Aileen McManamon is the Founder and Managing Partner of 5T Sports Group, a global sports management advisory and certified B Corp. 5T focuses on futureproofing the sports industry by aligning team and league revenue models to the environmental, social and economic realities of today. 5T also works with global brands bringing their environmental and social responsibility messaging forward through their sports partnerships.

Aileen’s career began at the wheel in the European auto industry as brand steward for FIAT and Alfa Romeo, crafting marketing strategy and top-performing partnerships. She then took a tight turn into technology, heading up an investment arm of Canada’s National Research Council, where she focused on clean tech, information technologies and other innovations driving Smart City solutions. In 2005, Aileen parlayed this experience into the sports industry. Her career has included work with the Olympic Games, FIFA Women’s World Cup, MLB, MLS, MiLB, English Premier League, Tour de France and the NFL, and brands such as Microsoft, EA Games, Hewlett-Packard and Mercedes-Benz.

She currently serves as Board Chair for the Green Sports Alliance, a 350+ member association of leagues, teams and corporations innovating sports industry practices and was among the eight authors of the UN’s Sport for Climate Action Initiative launched at COP24 and a co-organizer of Sport@COP at COP26.

Ms. McManamon has presented workshops and speaks frequently on the commercial partnership valuation of social and environmental initiatives at various global conferences and league meetings. She is a native of Cleveland, Ohio; a diehard Indians, Browns and Cavs fan and lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and 2 sons. She can frequently be found on the ball diamond, the ski slope or her road bike.

Having started life and his early career as a professional footballer, his move off the pitch saw Simon delve into the world of sustainable solutions.

Simon joined Veolia 14 years ago, where he has worked in a variety of commercial roles before beginning his current expanded position as Commercial Business Development Director in April 2023. As well as the commercial sales and account management teams, he also has responsibility for customer experience and innovation, supporting the delivery of sustainable solutions to Veolia’s commercial portfolio. Simon’s teams support Veolia’s 60,000+ UK customer base.

Simon is committed to driving sustainable innovation and partnering with customers to reduce their carbon footprint, alongside developing circular projects and their journey towards ecological transformation. He is a passionate supporter of creating a more sustainable sporting landscape for the future.