Hammad Albalawi is an experienced leader in the sports and tourism sectors committed to serving Saudi Arabia’s remarkable transformation as part of Vision 2030. He currently heads up the Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup™ 2034 bid unit at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). He leads a team across all functions set out to achieve Saudi Arabia’s dreams of hosting the largest-ever edition of a 48-team FIFA World Cup™ held in a single nation. The bid recently revealed details of its ambition to host the iconic global football event, held under the slogan ‘Growing. Together.’ Albalawi previously held the role of Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Planning & Investment at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport. He oversaw both the strategy and investment departments at a time of incredible development for the sports sector. He led a team that helped formulate the Kingdom’s ambitious National Sports Strategy, built on three core pillars – mass participation, talent development and elite performance. The role also included working closely with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Saudi Pro League to develop the National Football Strategy, a long-term transformative approach to all areas of the Saudi game. On the investment side, Hammad led the privatization initiative of state-owned sports assets for the very first time, which included implementing regulatory and policy changes aimed at making the sector more attractive to local and foreign investors. The project also included helping support realizing a return on investment for numerous sports federation’s intellectual property (IP), such as the Formula 1® Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while assisting on engagement with the private sector, including the sale of naming rights and establishing new commercial opportunities.

Razan is an accomplished professional in the public and private sectors in the GCC with more than 12 years of experience spanning across multiple sectors such as Sports, Culture, Education & Human Capital Development, and Finance. Razan was nominated in 2021 to be on the Board of the Saudi Arabian Modern Pentathlon Federation – a newly formed sports federation in KSA – leading its strategy development, financial planning and operations and is a member of the Strategy and International Affairs Committees. She is also the Vice President of the Board of the Arab Modern Pentathlon Federation.

Rasha has +9 years in leading consulting firms in Riyadh. During this time, she specialized in
designing and implementing dynamic strategies, business re-engineering, target operating
models, performance management, and conducting in-depth cost analyses within the Sports,Culture, and Entertainment industries.Rasha is a board member on Al’Ula sports Club and she’s the VP of the BoD at the Saudi Boxing Federation. Rasha also sits on the BoD at the Asian Boxing Co-federation, and spearheads the women committee at the Arab Boxing Federation.Rasha is a graduate of the University of Southern California, holding a Master’s in Public
Policy and Management. A sports enthusiast that holds 4 Guinness World Records. Rasha is
also the first female certified boxing coach from the Saudi Boxing Federation.

Khalid Al-Khudair is the CEO of SMC. His previous role to SMC was CXO to one of the largest banks in the Kingdom leading the experience and brand transformation and chairs the Media committee on behalf of all Saudi Banks.
Khalid Founded Glowork in 2010, an employment organization that created thousands of jobs for women and placed over 40,000 women thus far.
He is the first Saudi Ashoka Fellow, Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum & an Endeavor Entrepreneur.
Khalid has held the role of Chief Operating Officer- Markets at KPMG in Saudi, Kuwait, Lebanon and Jordan.
He has a Bachelors Degree in Commerce from Saint Mary’s University in Canada with three majors, Marketing, HR and Psychology, and has completed his Executive Education in Leadership at the University of Yale, and in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.
Khalid a multi-award leader with and acclaimed personality with awards and titles such as the Chaillot Prize for Human Rights by the European Union, The King Salman Award for Entrepreneurship, Ranked 3# Most Influential Arab by Arabian Business, EY Entrepreneur of The Year, amongst many others.
Khalid sits on the board of management for the General Entertainment Authority also sits on a number of Advisory boards throughout the Globe including the L’Oréal Global Panel of Critical Friends, The Global Agenda Council on Middle East and North Africa Issues at the World Economic Forum, and is an Amend’s Fellow at the University of Stanford.

Goal-driven and highly motivated professional offering a unique combination of technical and business acumen.

Creating a vision, identifying opportunities, building organizations, and defining strategies to deliver sophisticated solutions.

-Founded Grintafy, the biggest Sportech startup in the Middle East
-Co-founded two startups in the mobile app development
-Regional director in a leading Tech firm for 8 years.
– Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida, USA
-Project Management Professional – PMI
-Risk Management Professional – PMI -Expert in BI, KPI and BSC.

Sultan Althari is a Founding Partner at The Althari Group, a global strategic advisory and investment firm, where he leads a portfolio of engagements at the intersection of sports, media, and entertainment. As a member of the Executive and Investment Committees at Al Shabab FC, he oversees strategic investments and global outreach. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the World Football Summit and previously served as a Senior Advisor at Inter Miami CF. Sultan is a Harvard University alumnus and a best-selling author, widely recognized for his insights into socio-economic, cultural, and geopolitical trends.

Raj is an inspirational and collaborative CEO having previously worked at top clubs including Glasgow Rangers, Coventry City and Watford bringing over 25 years of experience of working in the higher echelons of British football to India’s top flight league.

He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience having worked in the English Premiership and Championship with some of the World’s top coaches.

Mayur has close to two-decades of experience as a broadcaster and in the PR & Communications space. In this time Mayur has worked across the Middle East and North Africa region, South East Asia, India and across Europe for many leading organisations such as the BBC, beIN SPORTS, LaLiga and Sky Sports.

Currently Mayur leads PR, Communications and Media Relations for Raiola Global Management, supporting many of the leading athletes from the world of football.

James Bisgrove joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah as CEO in June 2024, charged with leading the club’s transformation on and off the field into one of the leading sports organizations in Saudi Arabia and across Asia. Previously CEO and Board member of Glasgow giants Rangers FC, James led significant revenue growth and was part of the management team that enjoyed a run to a European final in 2022; he was also appointed to the board of the Scottish Premier League (SPL) in 2023. Before the Rangers, James was the Head of Sponsorship for the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, working both in-house at UEFA and, later, at TEAM Marketing, based in Switzerland. James has further commercial and football marketing experience in the Middle East, where he led global sponsorship activities at Emirates Airline based out of Dubai.

15 years experience in the mobile and VR industries. Francis is a serial entrepreneur, with strong expertise on mobile monetization, VR, AR, social media and sports fan engagement platforms. Computer Science Studies and associated Professor at Pompeu Fabra University for 10 years. He also holds a MBA from Ramon Llull University and Manhattan College.

Franck Castillo serves as the General Secretary of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), a position he has held since January 2018. He oversees the development and growth of football across the Pacific region, focusing on high performance and using the sport as a tool for positive change in communities. With a strong commitment to professionalising football, Castillo will be instrumental in launching the OFC Professional League, aimed at elevating the level of competition and providing more opportunities for clubs and players within the region. Prior to becoming General Secretary, he spent nearly a decade as OFC’s Head of Social Responsibility, where he developed a deeper knowledge for the Pacific. Castillo’s extensive experience in football management is supported by a Master’s degree in Communication, Marketing, and Administration from ISCT. His passion for the game is matched by his dedication to fostering professional football, ensuring that both on and off the pitch, the sport continues to grow.

Professor Simon Chadwick is a researcher, writer, academic, consultant, advisor, and speaker, whose work focuses on leading and managing in complex environments. His particular expertise is in policy and strategy, international and global environments, as well as business and marketing. He has three decades of experience working in the global sport, event, and cultural industries, particularly in an Afro-Eurasian setting.

Michele Ciccarese, a professional marketer with international managerial experience, has established a firm career in Advertising and Sports that spans for more than 15 years working as an expert consultant in developing strategic partnerships and media strategies based in major cities like Milan (Italy), Dubai (UAE), London (UK) and New York (USA).

Ivan Codina is a prominent figure at LaLiga, where he serves as Managing Director for Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. He has been instrumental in driving LaLiga’s brand development and commercial growth across these regions. Ivan has focused on building strong relationships with local football associations, securing commercial deals, and promoting LaLiga’s digital and social media presence tailored to the preferences of Asian audiences. Under his leadership, LaLiga has significantly expanded its footprint in Asia through initiatives such as launching regional offices (e.g., in Singapore), collaborating on local football development projects (like “Unleash the Roar” in Singapore), and organizing fan engagement activities like local watch parties and other partner related activations. Ivan’s efforts have also contributed to key partnerships with broadcasters in SEA, Australia, Japan and South Korea, as well as digital activations to engage younger audiences. His expertise in adapting LaLiga’s content to local languages and cultures, and his keen understanding of the unique fandom in countries like Japan and South Korea, have played a vital role in LaLiga’s success in Asia.

Nick De Marco KC is ranked as one of top lawyers in sports law. He acts for international and domestic sports-governing bodies, federations, players, clubs, sponsors, broadcasters and agents across all sports in both commercial and regulatory disputes. He is recognised as the foremost expert in football regulatory issues by all the leading UK legal directories. In additional to acting in numerous high profile football disputes, he has a busy practice in many other international sports including boxing, motorsports, tennis, gymnastics, cricket, rugby and athletics. He regularly lectures and writes on sports law, is author and editor of ‘Football and the Law’ (Bloomsbury 2018 & 2022), contributor to ‘Lewis & Taylor: Sport and the Law’ (Bloomsbury, 2021) member of the Editorial Board of Law In Sport & Football Legal, is a director of the British Association for Sport and the Law (BASL). Nick also sits as an arbitrator across a number of sports.

With a reputation for connecting global sports brands, teams, leagues and properties with revenue-driving solutions and partnerships, Elevate Sports Venture’s Chief Business Officer, International, Shawn Doss will spearhead the agency’s international corporate development strategy, leading efforts to secure and deliver results for its worldwide roster of current and future clients.

Previously, Elevate’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, the 15-year industry veteran’s resume boasts experience with an impressive roster of US-based and international professional sports teams, leagues and properties, including: the EPL, Formula 1, the FIFA World Cup, the LFP, La Liga, and EuroLeague; the San Francisco 49ers and Levi’s Stadium; Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment’s New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center; the Arizona Coyotes, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, and more. As a founding member of the Elevate senior leadership team, Doss played a critical role in several of Elevate’s foremost client acquisitions and project management efforts which have culminated in three consecutive nominations to the esteemed Sports Business Awards in the Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services.

Doss received his Master’s in Business Administration from Columbia University and B.S. in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University. The Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada native has called Madrid, New York, San Francisco, and Sydney home; he currently resides in London, England with his wife Jacqueline, daughter Naulakha (8) and son, Luciano (5).

Doss is a 2022 recipient of the internationally renowned Leaders in Sport, “Leaders Under 40” Award; and has acted for a Judge for the Leaders in Sports Awards from 2018 – 2021.

The appointment of Doss to the international growth role in May 2022, caped three years of significant growth for Elevate; now boasting an active client roster of over 175 sports teams, brands, venues, events and properties from am…

Kristian’s passion for sports, traveling and connecting (with) people has taken him to nearly 50 countries across all continents. A sports industry native, he studied Business Administration & Sports Management in Barcelona and California and cut his teeth working in different roles at Nike, Havas, Mediapro and eventually Soccerex. He then embarked on a more entrepreneurial path during which he faced great challenges as Partner at Axis 10 Sports Consulting Group and then as Business Development Director at ATEVO Sports Group. In late 2015, Kristian got together with a few former colleagues to start shaping an innovative and disruptive idea regarding the football industry that in 2017 came to life as The Football Business Academy – now recognized as a global leader in football business education. As Co-Founder and Deputy CEO of The FBA, he has been mainly in charge of developing and servicing The FBA’s 75+ partnerships, using his deep understanding of and network in the global football industry to facilitate valuable learning and networking experiences for everyone involved.

With more than 10 years of experience in the sports industry, focused on the growth and operation of sports institutions, I am currently leading Club America´s strategy of Internationalization and brand growth. Before assuming this role, I performed as General Coordinator at Club América, where I oversaw the logistics of the first team, as well as coordinating with the marketing, commercial and social responsibility areas. Earlier in my career I worked at Liga MX as manager on the Competitions, Operations & development area, where we planned and executed U12 through First division leagues, as well as strategic guidance for clubs. I obtained MY bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Administration from Universidad Anáhuac and an International master’s degree in Business and Football Administration from the Johan Cruyff Institute. With outstanding skills in strategic planning, I am always committed to contributing to the growth of the sports sector, with a special focus on innovation and social responsibility.

Jonny Gray is Senior Managing Director at Ankura and co-lead of its global sports advisory practice. Ankura is a global expert services and advisory firm with offices worldwide, including Riyadh. Its sports practice work extensively in world football providing a wide range of expert services and advice to national and international governing bodies, clubs, investors and regulators. Additionally, Jonny is a retained advisor to the Council of Europe on National Sports Integrity Platforms, an Independent NED with the International Table Tennis Federation and an international sports disputes arbitrator. Previously he was the founding CEO of The International Tennis Integrity Agency responsible to setting up the ITIA and transforming the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.

Ben Harburg is Managing Partner at MSA Capital, a global investment firm with over $2 billion in assets under management. He sits on Boards of Directors of various private, as well as those of foundations such as the National Committee on US China Relations, and the Asian Cultural Council.

He was a Neubauer Scholar at Tufts University and a Fulbright Scholar at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. He is a co-owner of Cádiz Club de Fútbol, a team playing in Spain’s First Division (LaLiga).

Sport and Performance Scientist with extensive experience working within elite level football, including the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and international teams in Europe, before moving to Saudi Arabia. As a doctoral student at the University of Birmingham, my research focuses on recovery, adaptation, and response to training load, aiming to optimise performance outcomes. A Chartered Scientist and accredited by both BASES and UKSCA. My experiences have fostered a deep understanding of applied sport science in high performance environments, bridging the gap between research and practice to support elite athletes in achieving peak performance.

Andy has a global publishing & media career spanning the last 30 years with extensive experience in Europe, Australia, Asia and the USA. He is an alumni of the Stanford University Professional Publishing Course.
For the last 20 years he has worked exclusively in the football media industry holding senior positions for FourFourTwo, DAZN and now Footballco leading his teams to multiple industry awards in that time.
In his current role, Andy leads Footballco’s partnerships with football federations, leagues, clubs and players globally.
As a fan Andy has watched football matches in every continent on the planet attending multiple World Cups, European Championships and Asian Cups. He also holds an advanced ‘B’ License football coaching qualification.

Co-founder of OVG, Tim Leiweke is a leader and veteran in the sports and entertainment industry with more than 35 years experience spanning multiple teams, leagues, and facility developments around the world. No one else has been recognized on both the Billboard Top 100 People in the Music Business and the Most Influential Sports Executives by the Sports Business Journal in the same year. In addition to creating Coachella and other iconic music festivals, he has also been part of Championship teams in the NBA, NHL, MLS, AHL, and DEL. Oak View Group is the global leader in venue development, management, and premium hospitality services for the live event industry. Offering an unmatched, 360-degree solution set for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster that includes the most influential, highest attended arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions on the planet.

Kike Levy is an entrepreneur and sports media executive with over a decade of experience at the forefront of the sports, media, and technology intersection. He is currently leading NJF Sports and Media, a pioneering sports investment firm that connects visionary entrepreneurs, investors, and sports properties to redefine the industry.

Kike’s led Sports Partnerships across Southern Europe at Meta Platforms Inc., where he transformed the digital landscape of sports media, designing and implementing digital strategies for the biggest leagues, teams, athletes and media across the region. Some of his partners include LaLiga, Serie A, Moto GP, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

Prior to this, he made significant contributions at Twitter Inc. and Infront Sports and Media AG. Kike’s journey in the industry is characterized by a passion for sports and a commitment to innovation, as he continues to inspire and transform the way fans engage with sports and content.

Lambert Maltock is the President of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and Vice President of FIFA, holding these positions since 2018. With over 35 years in football administration, Maltock has been pivotal in advancing football across the Pacific region. As President of the Vanuatu Football Federation, he led the country to its historic qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. At OFC, it was his vision that led to the creation of the OFC Professional League, a project designed to raise standards and create opportunities for players and clubs across Oceania. His goal is to foster unity and excellence in football across all levels in the region.

Mike McCabe is the Chief Operating Officer of the Esports World Cup Foundation, the non-profit organization dedicated to hosting and growing the annual Esports World Cup, the largest gaming event in the world and a global celebration of competitive excellence and esports fandom. Previously, Mike was Managing Director of International Publishing at Epic Games, where he oversaw publishing, marketing and strategy for the APAC, EMEA and LATAM regions. Prior to joining Epic, Mike led Digital Activity & Innovation at Nike and was Head of Asia Studios for Electronic Arts.

Natalini is a creative, philanthropist and entrepreneur who, through her personal journey, discovered the transformative power of healing as a path to unlocking her own authenticity and creative drive. She now dedicates her time to building platforms for change and inspiration, sparking global movements and fostering carefully curated communities of visionary leaders.

A 25-year entertainment, consumer products, and sports marketing veteran who has conceptualized and executed award-winning product launch campaigns. He is the winner of the 2018 Major League Soccer Marketing Executive of the Year Award, and was included on the 2019 Adweek’s L.A. Brand Stars list. Prior to LAFC, he co-founded American-made menswear brand Exley, served as the Co-General Manager of the Los Angeles Matadors in the World Series of Boxing, was the Vice President of Marketing at Warner Bros. Television, and the Executive Director of Advertising and Promotion at CBS Paramount Television.
Rich is a co-founder of the LAFC Youth Leadership Program, Board Chair of the Bresee Foundation Youth Center in Los Angeles, member of the Delta Aeromexico Latino Outreach Leadership Advisory Board, and has guest lectured at MIT Sloan School of Management, UCLA Anderson School of Management, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Emerson College Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University, and California State University Long Beach.

Unmish is Founder & Executive Director of Picture Board Partners, a Singapore based growth practice dedicated to Gaming, Edutainment, Media and Sport; aka the ‘G.E.M.S’ sectors.

A Design Thinking practitioner, he triangulates content, code & capital to curate solutions that drive sales, brand recall or equity appreciation.

Founded in 2019, the clients roster of Picture Board Partners spans tech (Dolby, Nielsen, Microsoft), gaming (Twitch, Nodwin), sport (ICC, BWF, WTT, AFC), startups (NIUM, ONE, Amagi, Quidich), governments (Singapore, Australia, India, Saudi Arabia) and investors (Apollo, Jungle, Lumikai Ventures).

In a past life, Unmish held leadership roles at IMG Media, BBC Technology, ESPN STAR Sports, News Corp., and the International Cricket Council (ICC) whilst being based in Singapore, Dubai, London, Johannesburg, New York and Delhi.

A self-confessed Cricket Tragic, he represented Cambridge, is a graduate of INSEAD’s Board Directors Program and was appointed Chairman of the GoSports Foundation (Bangalore) in April 2023.

Javier Tebas Medrano (San Jose, Costa Rica, 1962), of Spanish nationality, holds a degree in Law from the University of Zaragoza. He has been a practising lawyer since 1987 and founded his own legal firm, specialising in Company Law and, subsequently, in sports and bankruptcy law.

Tebas’s direct involvement in football began in 1993, when he was named president of Sociedad Deportiva Huesca, a position he held until 1998 (a period during which the club competed in Spain’s Tercera Division and Segunda Division B). He later served as a board member at C.D. Badajoz S.A.D. and C.D. Toledo S.A.D. before being elected vice-president of LaLiga in 2001. In 2003 he headed up the G-30, a group representing 30 small LaLiga clubs that was set up to collectively negotiate their audiovisual rights. He has been LALIGA president since 2013 and was re-elected in 2016 and again for a further four-year term in 2019. In 2021 he was appointed as representative of European Leagues on the UEFA Executive Committee.
Tebas’s tenure as LALIGA president has revolved around three core areas; the introduction of a financial controls system which has enabled the clubs to restructure their finances; the collective sale of audiovisual rights which boosts the clubs’ revenue in a balanced way, and the league’s internationalisation strategy, which has seen LALIGA and its member clubs establish themselves as a benchmark reference on the global stage, not just on the field but in the entertainment industry as a whole. In addition, Boost LALIGA, the strategic project of LALIGA and CVC Capital Partners, was recently created to promote growth and consolidation in the areas of technology, innovation, internationalisation and the sporting sphere.

Zubair is a serial entrepreneur, who is currently Partner and Global Vice President, Culture at Meltwater.

With his experience focusing on SAAS, global strategy and expansion, Zubair has a pedigree for developing leadership talent and high performance teams across markets.

Specializing in the sports and luxury sector, he has been involved in developing esports, specifically, chess to an award winning level.
Based in Dubai, his commitment towards inclusivity has enabled various social and community initiatives, namely executive allyship for female leadership.

Having extensively developed commercial operations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, India, China, Japan and South-East Asia, his passion is emerging markets and their interplay with innovation.

He has a degree in European Law and Masters in Medical Law. Given his thirst for education, he has a Post Grad in Global Business from the University of Oxford.

Zubair is a published contributor for Forbes and Campaign Magazine, he continues to be an active commentator for inclusivity in sport and culture.

A vastly experienced sports executive with a 30 – year track record of driving innovation, transformation, commercial growth and brand engagement in Sport. He is known as an Industry thought leader and as lead evangelist in business transformation in sport.

• Luis is currently the Chairman of Europe’s leading athlete – led investment platform, APEX, which he accumulates with several non executive board, advisory board or advisor positions at different organizations in sport, including REALFEVR, SOCIOS.COM, COMMON GOAL, WORLD FOOTBALL SUMMIT and 777 PARTNERS .

• Previously, Luis was Group CEO of ELEVEN SPORTS , a digital first global sports broadcaster and member of the board of parent company ASER VENTURES , a sports focused investment platform that included ownership of Premier League club Leeds United.

• Luis was also a member of the Management Board at FIFA and the Football
Governing Body first ever Chief Digital Transformation & Innovation Officer, with responsibility for championing new technologies, gaming, data and content
strategies.

• Luis has served as well as CMO/CDO/CCO of La Liga historic football club VALENCIA CF , Director of Partnerships at MANCHESTER CITY and advised REAL MADRID CF CEO and President on football transfers and commercial development. Luis has also advised C – Level and ownership at RED BULL in Football, Motorsport and Sailing, FERRARI and LOTUS in Formula 1 and as well A1GP.

• Luis was also a sports and commercial agent, managing some of the world biggest soccer stars of the 90’s and the 2000’s, including LUIS FIGO , RONALDO NAZARIO and ANDRYI SHEVCHENKO