Operations, Technology & Sustainability

Jacopo, graduated in law at University of Naples Federico II, started to work as a journalist in Italy at 17 years old for newspapers and on Tv having more than 10 years experience in live broadcast. Communication in all of his aspect and football have been his main passion since he was a child. He has worked for Udinese Calcio since 2018 and believes in an innovative way of communicating, smart and oriented to the new media. He has been Head of Communication for the club since 2019.

Jacopo firmly believes that football should convey positive social messages thanks to its popularity and media power. Above all that the environmental sustainability and in all its aspects, an area in which he has been involved for 3 years thanks to the green policy launched by Udinese thanks also to Blunergy Stadium case history: an innovative and sustainable stadium owned by the club with the first solar park in Italy.

Matt has nearly a decade of experience working in health, safety, risk, and compliance roles across a variety of attractions, events, stadia, and arenas.

Matt has driven successful culture change programmes across multisite organisations, including increasing H&S reporting by 2800% in one company.

Matt has worked at some industry leading organisations including Chester Zoo, Chester Race Company and now The ACC Liverpool Group, encompassing the M&S Bank Arena, as well as working at the British Transport Police in their wellbeing, health, and safety team.

Across all his roles Matt has gained a unique perspective into the operation and delivery of safe and secure publicly accessibly spaces and has worked with numerous software companies to develop and implement technological solutions to improve guest and colleague safety.

Greg Power is Director of Estates, Campus Strategy and Property Development at The RDS.

The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) is a philanthropic organisation founded in 1731, and owns one of Ireland’s most well-known venues — RDS Arena.

The venue boasts a capacity of 18,500 and is the home ground of Leinster Rugby, which plays in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup. It also provides the backdrop for the annual Dublin Horse Show.

Greg is the Programme and Project Director for the new RDS Arena stand. Prior to entering the events and arena world, he was head of capital projects and master/space planning at two major universities.

Will is the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society (RA&HS) of South Australia. The RA&HS owns and operates a 27-hectare event, tourism, and exhibition site on the fringe of the central business district of SA’s capital city, Adelaide. The RA&HS’s premier event is the Royal Adelaide Show, which attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year

Will is also the Chairman and President of the South Australian Cricket Association, and a Director of the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority (AOSMA). AOSMA operates the world famous ‘Adelaide Oval’, and 138-room ‘Oval Hotel’. Will is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds an MBA from the University of Adelaide.”

Since January 2012, Marie Smyth has been an integral part of the historic Croke Park Stadium, currently serving as the Head of Venue Business. With a career spanning over a decade at this iconic Irish venue, Marie has played a key role in shaping and enhancing the stadium’s corporate offerings.

In her capacity as the Head of Venue Business, Marie spearheads sales initiatives and coordinates a myriad of activities for Croke Park Premium, showcasing her strategic acumen in the competitive events and hospitality industry. Her responsibilities extend to overseeing Meeting & Events, where she ensures seamless coordination and execution of diverse gatherings.

Croke Park Stadium, with its storied history spanning over a century, holds a special place in Irish sporting heritage. Marie operates in a challenging yet thrilling environment with a capacity of 82,300, 110 event spaces, 94 suites, and over 8,700 premium seats under her purview. Her daily challenges are as diverse as the events hosted at the stadium.

Leading a dynamic team, Marie manages a wide array of clients, ranging from internal and external to national and international, including corporate and association clients.

Marie Smyth’s tenure at Croke Park Stadium is characterized by her unwavering commitment to excellence, her strategic vision for business development, and her passion for creating memorable experiences in one of Ireland’s most iconic venues.

Norman Vossschulte is originally from Berlin, Germany. His culturally rich background included 10 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 sector, as well as both sports and entertainment industries. Twenty-five years of practicing customer and client relations have given him an overview of which techniques consistently enhance guest experiences. Norman has more than 17 years of staff training and team leadership experience working with The Walt Disney Company and currently the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2014, Norman became the Eagles’ official GO GREEN spokesperson. During his tenure leading the “green team,” the Eagles have obtained LEED Gold certification and were the first sports team in the world to reach ISO 20121 certification. He organized and later re-branded the program, which included a new slogan “Innovate. Sustain.” and committee (ECO – Engagement, Communication, Operations). The Eagles are also the first sports team to offset their carbon emissions through seagrass and mangrove restoration efforts, a partnership formed in June 2021 with Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Foundation.

Most recently, Lincoln Financial Field became the first stadium in the world to have an onsite hydrogen production and fueling station to power its fleet of maintenance vehicles.

James de Groot joined Sodexo as a student placement back in 2004 and formed part of the team at Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) that in-sourced the Food & Beverage Operation. James now oversees the delivery and strategic direction of Food & Beverage at MCC.  

James sits on the Executive Management Board in his role as Chief F&B Officer; he’s successfully led six Ashes summers as well as delivered the ICC Men’s World Cup (2019), and the ICC Women’s World Cup (2017) – both culminating in famous wins for England. 

James and the Operations team ensure that the quality and range of food and beverage enhances the event and matchday experience, with a specific focus around the Member experience. Innovating is a key part of the role, exemplified by The Home of Food Festival which took place at Lord’s last September, and was the first non-cricket related food event to take place in the Club’s 210-year history. James led the strategy around food and drink, as well as the delivery across the weekend, including signing some of the UK most well-known and celebrated chefs, driving new sponsors and activations for the event. James was the pioneer behind Lord’s Ding Club, an award-winning series of exclusive dinners that operate inside the Grade II listed Pavilion, combining cricket, and Michelin-starred chefs. 

The Club remains ‘in-house’ but partners with Moving Venue, Freemans and Tommy Banks/Made in Oldstead to deliver the operation for up to 31,000 spectators per match.  Working with partners and suppliers to innovate to offer the best in-ground experience for spectators is a key strategic focus for James and his talented team. 

James is passionate about sport, hospitality, food, drink and driving values through all aspects of service.

Sergii Khomenko is a techpreneur technology and eCommerce expert with over 20 years of experience, Sergii is Co-Founder of Autocanteen the UK’s first touchless self-checkout solution which increases checkout efficiency.,

Since his schooldays Sergii has had a deep interest in computers and technology and before founding Autocanteen he spent 10 years working in the ecommerce industry looking after and consulting ecommerce retailers.

Autocanteen is a touchless self-checkout solution which increases checkout efficiency. Disruptive innovation, no barcodes – the system can identify anything from fruits to meal plates with visual discovery. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

Nick has 20 years’ experience in stadium economics in his roles at Eden Park, Colonial Stadium, Telstra Dome, Etihad Stadium, Domain Stadium, and the West Australian Football Commission through his strategic and authentic leadership style.

Since commencing at Eden Park in 2017, Nick has implemented an integrated Icon Partnership program securing seven iconic brands including global market leaders Kia, Samsung, Vodafone and American Express. In addition, for the first time in Eden Park’s history, corporate suite inventory is fully occupied and stadium membership revenue growth has exceeded 40%.

Nick has also been instrumental in introducing key philanthropic initiatives with the Auckland Returned and Services Association as well as engaging the local community through a public art exhibition celebrating the neighbourhood surrounding Eden Park.

Nick has been committed to enhancing his business acumen and acquiring further technical skills and knowledge throughout his career. Nick has studied in China, Germany and America and holds Bachelor degrees in Business and in the Arts, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Melbourne.

Outside of work, Nick played 260 VFL matches and won 5 premierships with Sandringham and 2 VAFA premierships with Wesley Collegians. Amongst a number of individual honours, Nick kicked 883 goals in the VFL competition and holds the competition record for leading goal kicker.

In 2019 Nick was proud to receive the Executive of the Year award at TheStadiumBusiness Awards, and Venue Executive of the Year and Supreme Venue Person of the Year at the EVANZ Awards. He proudly became a Certified Venue Executive in 2020 with IAVM.

As part of his commitment to the community, he sits on The Auckland Children’s Christmas Parade Trust, the Akarana Marine Sports Trust and is a member of the British New Zealand Business Association Board.

Mary Norris brings with her over 30 years of experience in sales and business development spanning diverse industries. Currently, she holds the position of Sales Director EMEA at Humanforce, a company committed to streamlining workforce management and human resources solutions for frontline and flexible workers. Before her role at Humanforce, Mary held key leadership positions at prominent companies, where she spearheaded initiatives related to integrated HR software solutions and the management of non-employee workforces on a global scale. Her extensive expertise has contributed significantly to the success and growth of the organizations she has been a part of.

Jonas Oliebos is a dedicated Digital Coordinator at KAA Gent, where he has been instrumental in advancing the club’s digital strategies since March 2021. He has a strong background in marketing and communication, campaign management, and project coordination. Passionate about sports and digital innovation, Jonas is committed to enhancing fan engagement and driving digital excellence in the sports industry.

Yannick Vandevoorde is a customer experience expert at Premium Plus, Zendesk EMEA Partner of the Year. As one of the driving forces behind KAA Gent’s successful CX strategy, he has helped along the team to transform fan engagement and customer support. Yannick’s innovative approach and deep understanding of industry trends make him a valuable asset in optimising operations and enhancing customer satisfaction. Passionate about continuous improvement, Yannick is dedicated to helping organisations achieve excellence in customer experience.

Tom Grant, whose expertise as one of the Venue Safety Officers at Lord’s Cricket Ground has set industry benchmarks in safety and security. With a background in project management, Tom has overseen initiatives such as CCTV upgrades, continued enhancements in incident management systems, access control, accreditation platforms, turnstile infrastructure projects, and overlay planning.

His specialisation is the intersection of where safety management meets technological efficiencies and commercial success within the sporting landscape. Tom’s insights will draw from his experiences offering a unique perspective on enhancing operational efficiency, elevating spectator experience, and fostering a culture of safety excellence amongst the many challenges and opportunities within the stadium management industry.

Rebekah Murphy has an established track record in transformative software. Accelerated by working across commercial functions with a focus on building localised resources and leading dynamic teams. Rebekah is dedicated to serving 24/7 Software’s customers in EMEA, reaffirming their commitment to innovation and excellence in the venue operations industry.

Peter Evans has 25 years of experience leading organizations’ digital transformation and innovation activities for customers in the telecom, cloud, SaaS, and security industries, both cyber and physical. With Xtract One, Peter is bolstering the physical security technology industry while not only maintaining but improving the customer experience – not just Xtract One’s customers, but their customers also. With an understanding of the operational challenges their customers face, Peter is driving the organization towards delivering solutions that replace outdated systems, augment current technology, and enhance existing resources.

Matjaž Možina is the CEO of 2Mobile, an innovative leader with over two decades of experience in the mobile industry. His deep understanding of technology trends and passion for sports drive 2Mobile’s mission to revolutionize fan engagement through AI-powered solutions.

David have spent the last 5 years working within the hospitality industry covering stadiums, hotels and cruise liners for Aruba where our focus is to improve guest and employee experiences by providing a connectivity platform which can deliver unique fan and staff services.

Dorothy Tan, the Chief Operating Officer at AsiaWorld-Expo Management Ltd. (AWE) since October 2019, meticulously oversees the company’s operations, including event planning and management, food and beverage services, customer service, and the venue operations and services teams. She is spearheading the renovation of AWE Phase 1’s facilities, enhancing them to set new industry benchmarks. Upon completing Phase 1, Tan will dedicate her efforts to the AWE Phase 2 expansion, a significant project aimed at extending and enhancing the venue’s capabilities to meet Hong Kong’s growing demands.

Tan brings an extensive 20-year background in retail leasing, property management, and valuation from Singapore and Hong Kong, where she has contributed to the success of numerous high-profile developments. She has held positions at former organizations such as the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, The Mass Transport Rail Corporation, and the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

Simon Hanna joined Freemans Event Partners as Chief Operating Officer in 2023 to oversee the operational delivery of a five-year strategic plan and the implementation of a sustainability roadmap, further enhancing the customer experience through innovative hospitality, food and beverage, brand activations and payment solutions at events and venues both in the UK and overseas.

Simon’s extensive operational experience spans across 25 years, leading teams in large-scale food and beverage event environments and developing multi restaurant, bar and hospitality concepts; earlier forging his career within the independent, branded, country house and corporate hotels.

Since then, Simon has held various senior roles in multi-site, regional and national level operations, most recently as Regional Operations Director of Food & Beverage with The Jockey Club Cheltenham and Southwest where he oversaw the operations across four racecourses as well as the Henley Royal Regatta and the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

Simon is passionate about sustainability and spearheaded the development and implementation of the Jockey Club Net Zero by 2027 sustainability strategy together with his team.

From Live Nation Entertainment to Escape to Freight Island and now the AO Arena, Gemma has spent 14 years at the heart of Manchester music. During her time at Escape to Freight Island, Gemma was key to the regeneration of the Depot Mayfield area, turning a historic former railway station into a diverse hub for arts music and culture right in Manchester’s city centre.

Ready for a new challenge, Gemma is now heading up the revenue streams for the £50 million redevelopment of the AO Arena’s premium experiences as Director of Sales and Marketing. This will see the introduction of the UK’s first restaurant and bar experience inside a live music venue, solidifying the AO Arena as the beating heart of the City’s music scene.

Gemma is also a key ambassador across the City’s local initiatives, with the AO Arena being proud partners of Forever Manchester, This is Manchester Awards and The Manc.

Within his current role, Dan focuses on delivering the organisation’s growth strategy by overseeing the successful delivery of the project portfolio; ensuring alignment and delivery of both customer and business goals.

Prior to joining Vindico, Dan’s leadership and management experience was obtained within the Defence and Higher Education sectors, having held multiple leadership roles responsible for wide-ranging and varied operational services and portfolios.
Dan’s passionate about delivering innovative, high-quality outputs, keen on continuous improvement, and likes to think he and the wider Vindico team ‘leave nothing on the pitch‘; he’s also rather partial to a bad pun.

Andrew Smith, Sales Director UK, has worked in the AV industry for over 20 years. With particular expertise in the stadium and higher education sectors, Andrew has been working for a number of years with the likes of Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Wembley and Principality stadiums, Southbank University, Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter Tour and many more well-known names across the UK.

In his role at Humanforce, Paul manages over 30 enterprise clients with dynamic shift-based workforces across UK and Europe. Paul works closely with operations, finance, IT and HR leaders to ensure Humanforce meets their ever-changing and evolving people management needs.

With a decade of experience in the wireless infrastructure industry, Gavin is a mobile connectivity expert, working closely with standout venues and mobile network operators to deliver high-speed mobile solutions in large-scale environments.

Gavin is responsible for driving Boldyn Networks’ venue strategy in the UK and Ireland, with a particular focus on delivering game changing connectivity for sports and entertainment venues. Empowering venues to deliver unmatched visitor experiences, whilst unlocking new revenue streams and operational efficiency opportunities.

Boldyn Networks work with leading sports & entertainment venues to design connectivity solutions for high-density crowd environments. Proven in over 300+ marquee venues, delivering solutions that deliver consistent coverage and capacity in any environment.

Battery-powered devices are a persistent challenge for facility managers, knowing when to change batteries and the consumables used can cause unscheduled maintenance. Devices are normally changed on a regular basis, which can lead to extra waste. Procell Insite is a retro fitted software that enables pro-active maintenance, reduced waste, reduced maintenance costs, improve customer satisfaction.

As a former Olympian (1984 Los Angeles) and Asian Games medalist, Jin Teik’s illustrious 33-years career spanned both private and public sectors, with residence in USA, China, and Singapore. He is a trusted, people-centric leader who specializes in business turnaround, mega project ideation-startup-operations, place making, data-driven digital transformation, and complex stakeholder management.

Jin Teik founded disrupTEIK Consultancy to help end users (e.g. governments, venue owners, rights holders, clubs, investors) in their pursuit of excellence by providing strategic advisory and digital solutions.

He served in CEO roles (Singapore Sports Hub and Singapore Sports Council), Advisor roles, Board roles, and various leadership roles.  Awarded the Public Service Medal 2023 by the Singapore Government, Jin Teik has an MBA & BSc Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University, USA.

Ursi’s journey through the world’s biggest stadiums began as a professional track & field runner. She is now Head of the new stadium construction department at Hertha BSC. She has a degree in Sports Economics and is a Certified Safety Manager. Her wide-ranging expertise spans 25 years in professional sports and covers various facets of the field, with hands-on experience in security management, crowd control, fan journey design and match day operations. In recent years, her focal points have encompassed strategic feasibility studies, project management, change management and construction management.

Beyond her operational role, Ursi is a member of Hertha BSC’s Sustainability Board, actively engaging in matters pertaining to the club’s economic and ecological development, reorganization, and new construction. Her multifaceted skills continue to shape the landscape of sports and stadium management at Hertha BSC.

After 25 years in the duty-free industry, Susan Whelan translated the commercial principles of luxury retail to the world of professional football when the Thai duty-free company, King Power International, bought Leicester City Football Club and appointed her as Chief Executive in 2011. Since then she has steered the Club to Premier League and FA Cup victories, as well as three seasons in European football, and oversaw the acquisition of LCFC Women and its promotion to the Women’s Super League. Susan led delivery of the world-class 180-acre Leicester City Training Ground which opened in December 2020, and is leading the team working on the King Power Stadium expansion project.

Susan represents King Power on the Board of its Belgian Club, OH Leuven, is a Director of LCFC Women and a Trustee of Leicester City in the Community and the VS Foundation.
Susan was named FC Business CEO of the Year in 2021 and a year later was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to football, the economy in the East Midlands and the wider community in Leicester.

Born in 1968, Patrik Meyer started his career as a professional drummer before entering the business as a financial director for a local promoter in Cologne. He worked on shows with The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Luciano Pavarotti.  

In 1997 he began working for the Koelnarena Management GmbH as director for the financial department, ticketing and controlling, both during the pre-opening and the operating period. 

From 2005 until 2020 Patrik Meyer was Managing Director of the operation company for the Commerzbank-Arena – the World-Cup-stadium in Frankfurt.  The stadium is the leading event stadium in Germany and hosts an average of 30 – 40 major events per year. 

Since 2020 he is Managing Director of Eintracht Frankfurt Stadion GmbH – the new operator for the stadium in Frankfurt (Deutsche Bank Park). In combination with his previous role at the former operator Patrik is now Managing Director of the stadium in Frankfurt for almost 20 years.

Involved in the LED industry since 1997, Tom brings a wealth of practical and technical expertise to digiLED. Working for LED screen pioneers Invision, Phillips and Lighthouse, on a practical level has played key roles on many high profile events including the 2000 Sydney Olympics and as Head of Video for Robbie Williams. 
Now found regularly working on new patents, Tom’s outstanding engineering skills drive product and industry innovation for the digiLED range of screens and accessories.

Andrew is currently Chief Growth Officer of Kuori Oy, a high technology digital solution design and manufacturer from Finland. Kuori is a Nordic star with high growth over the last few years, and Andrew has joined to accelerate industry partnerships in the space of digitisation. Andrew has a long career in technology and commercial partnerships from Microsoft, Nokia and most recently Tymphany where he led their global business development. Kuori is moving into the Stadium sector following successful projects in smart cities, retail operations, parking and payment and their one platform approach is resonating well across the markets.

Marko Hurme serves as the CEO of Finland’s most popular multi-purpose arena. The arena’s ecosystem includes several companies that together form a multifaceted entity. Customer experience, services, responsibility, and arena technology solutions must be designed in collaboration with all ecosystem partners.

Uma Srivastava was born and raised in Meridian, MS and calls Nashville, TN home; she attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Uma started volunteering for KultureCity in 2015 and now operates as the Executive Director. Aside from KultureCity, Uma is a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville.  During her time in Birmingham, she was recognized in 2018 as a Trailblazer for her commitment to Birmingham. Uma was also honored as a Servant Leader honored by the Vulcan Foundation. Uma has spoken about the importance of acceptance and inclusion at several conferences such as Collision, GuestX, ALSD, & others.

Davide Villa was born in Vaprio d’Adda (in the province of Milan) and after graduating in Mechanical Engineering and completing two master’s degrees in management from the Scuola Superiore Enrico Mattei and SDA Bocconi respectively, he embarked on his professional career with ABB and Falck S.p.A. In 2002, he entered the multi-utility world as the Marketing Manager of EDISON ENERGIA S.p.A. From 2003 to 2022, he worked at Vivigas S.p.A., where he held various positions until reaching the position of General Director in 2016. He was appointed Executive Business Unit Director in 2020. He joined Bluenergy in 2022 as General Director and immediately proved his managerial and organisational skills. Strong-willed and ready to tackle difficulties with a smile, he carries out the business strategies defined by the Board of Directors and the CEO.

He immediately demonstrated strong managerial skills and qualities when he first became part of Bluenergy, which is why he has the drive and motivation to guide and encourage his teams through even the most critical moments, while always creating a positive and supportive working environment. A passionate sportsman, he is a proud and very devoted father; Stefano, Paolo, Vittoria and Andrea are the cornerstones of his attention and the leisure time of the whole family.

Operations Director at Bath Rugby, Gené Willis has had many years in Operations, with a strong background in Health and Safety and Risk Management. Until Worcester Warriors’ untimely collapse, Gené was Head of Operations at Sixways Stadium for over 7 years, responsible for all operations and safety at the stadium which hosted more than 60 sporting fixtures, 100 conference and exhibitions, 25 private functions, and over 50 music and entertainment events per year.

Gené joined Bath Rugby in June 2023 at a very exciting time for the Club. Planning has been submitted to redevelop the stadium from 14,500 to 18,000 seater with a major upgrade in conferencing and events space. It will be a phased development where the Team will continue to play at the ground during the development, throwing up perfect challenges for an Operations Director to navigate!

Gené has a passion for sustainability in sport and stadia and has been a regular delegate and panellist at the Stadium Business Summit where her enthusiasm is leaves a lasting impression. A recent winner of the ‘Event of the Year’ award at #SBS22 for her ‘Convert to Zero’ Premiership Rugby match.

 Michael Bolingbroke is the CEO and Executive Producer of ABBA Voyage, a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Pophouse Entertainment AB (a developer of entertainment industry IP), and a member of UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (the body that oversees Financial Fairplay).

In recent years, Michael has been Chairman of Blackpool Football Club (where he oversaw the turnaround), Chairman of Goals Soccer Centres PLC (where he oversaw the sale of the business), an N.E.D. for The Inspired Travel Company (a P.E.-backed luxury travel company), and Chairman of Superstruct (a P.E.-backed live entertainment start-up). From 2014 to 2017, Michael was CEO of Inter Milan, where he led the revitalisation of one of the jewels in the crown of Italian football, and then oversaw the sale of the Club.

Prior to this, Michael was COO at Manchester United, a position he held for seven years, and was also Chairman of the Club’s charitable Foundation. He was also the Principal Financial Officer for their NYSE listing in Summer 2012. From 2000 – 2007, Michael was Senior Vice-President, Shows, at Cirque du Soleil, where he oversaw strategy, profitability and operations for their global business. Earlier in his career, he was a Senior-Vice President at The Jim Henson Company (creators of The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street, amongst others!).

Michael has a degree in Economics, is a chartered accountant (indentured at PwC), and holds an MBA, awarded cum laureate, from The London Business School, where he is currently a visiting lecturer. He is also a Governor at a school local to where he lives. In addition to travelling extensively, Michael has lived and worked in Canada, the U.S., Holland, & Italy – he & his family currently live in the UK. 

As Managing Director of Sport, Entertainment & Events, Jamie Barkley has significant expertise delivering international and major Australian sporting and entertainment events. His business specialises in venue management and operations, stadium design, business planning and event management.

Jamie is the former CEO of three of Australia’s leading sport and entertainment venues including the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) – a winner of the Stadium Business Awards for Best Event staging the Major League Baseball Opening Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers v. Arizona Diamondbacks.

He was also CEO of the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS) now Allianz Stadium. The stadium was re-opened after a knock down rebuild in 2023. After 17 years leading both these venues Jamie took on the role as CEO of the Australian Turf Club. He was responsible for all thoroughbred horse racing in Sydney overseeing Royal Randwick, Rosehill Gardens, Canterbury Park and Warwick Farm. During his five years with the ATC, Jamie transformed the business and direction of racing in Australia.

Tony was appointed Chief Privacy Officer at Corsight in January 2021. He is responsible for developing software in line with emerging global regulations and law, supporting clients in their lawful and ethical use of the software and developing and influencing public opinion on its use.

Tony was appointed Surveillance Camera Commissioner in the UK in 2014 having been appointed by the Home Secretary in March 2014. He reported annually to Parliament over 7 years. He developed the National Surveillance Camera Strategy, introduced a suite of certification processes and wrote police guidance on lawful and ethical use of facial recognition systems. In January 2022 Tony was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen in her New Year Honours list, receiving the OBE, for services to Security and Human Rights

Prior to this, Tony was a senior police leader in international counter-terrorism. He performed the role of National Coordinator Pursue throughout the London Olympic Games 2012. He received the Queens Police Medal in 2008.

As Managing Director of Arenas for the NEC Group, Guy’s role sees him lead 2 of the UK’s leading live entertainment venues, Resorts World Arena and Utilita Arena Birmingham and being a member of the NEC Group Senior Leadership Team.

Guy has worked at the NEC Group for over 20 years, starting as an Assistant Event Manager and previously working his way up to General Manager of Utilita Arena and Resorts World Arena.

Guy is currently chair of the LIVE Venues Group and Vice Chair of the National Arenas Association (NAA), having previously chaired the Association from 2013-2015.

Faye Bennett is the founder and managing director of Faye Bennett Consultancy Services (FBCS). As a specialist consultancy in the audio-visual (AV) technology space, FBCS works with live sports and entertainment venues focusing on operation, maintenance and achieving long-term strategic value from technology investments. Winner of AV Consultancy of the Year 2023 and featuring in a number of Pro-AV watch-lists and 40under40 cohorts, Faye has been recognised as a disruptor to the industry, shaping and leading the way of future AV strategy.

Darren is Executive Director at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, a new 28 hectare sports and entertainment precinct comprising a 50,000 seat stadium, 10,000 capacity arena, 5,000 seat public sports ground, 60,000 m2 of retail space, as well as public open spaces. He is leading the team on pre-opening and will oversee the day to day operation of this US$3.8bn precinct.

Darren has had a number of Chief Executive roles in his career including managing sports and entertainment venues in Christchurch and Dunedin in New Zealand. He has also acted as an adviser to the New South Wales Government in Australia on projects including the redevelopment of Stadium Australia and the development of CommBank Stadium in Western Sydney.

Darren is a past winner of the Asia Pacific ‘Venue Professional of the Year’ by the Asia Pacific Venue Management Association.

Ben Veenbrink is one of the leading stadium experts in the world with nearly 25 years of experience in the venue industry. Building on his experience as a member of the management team of the Johan Cruyff Arena, Europe’s first multifunctional stadium, he founded The Stadium Consultancy in 2006. During the last 17 years The Stadium Consultancy successfully realised more than 120 projects in 4 continents under his leadership, ranging from community stadiums to FIFA World Cup stadiums.

He has been working as a client project manager as well as specialist consultant for stadium (re)developments. His expertise ranges from feasibility studies, business plans, employer’s requirements, design reviews, compliance audits and value engineering to the preparation of operations plans and strategies.

Ben has been appointed a member of UEFA’s Expert Panel on Stadium Construction & Management since 2006 and he is a consultant to FIFA’s Forward Program since 2015. He was co-author of various stadium requirements and good practices, most recently the new FIFA Stadium Guidelines 2023. He has been a regular speaker on international stadium conferences.

From August 1972 until 31^st December 2012 : Deputy Secretary, then Secretary General, then CEO of LE  HAVRE ATHLETIC CLUB.

During his time with the club, has taken an active part in:

• Promoting the club to Professional Ligue 2 in 1979 after 15 years as an amateur club
• Allowing the club to regain professional status (1981)
• Taking part in the opening and in the running of what is now known as one of the most successful Academies in French Football (1984)
• Allowing the club to remain in the top division (Ligue 1) of the French Football League between 1985 and 1988 then between 1991 and 2000 (longest ever run at the top level in the whole club’s history)
• Imagining the creation of a new stadium (1999) and allowing it to become a reality (2012) by managing the whole designing and building process.

Lisa Knights, Group Director, Media & Communications –Bristol Sport Group, Ashton Gate Stadium
 
Lisa has led the media and communications team for Bristol Sport Group since she joined from Sky in 2014.
 
A unique multi-sport model based at Ashton Gate Stadium, the group includes Bristol City (men and women), Bristol Bears (men and women), Bristol Flyers Basketball and the clubs’ associated community foundations. Lisa holds multiple board director roles within the sporting group and sits on the board of the British Basketball League (BBL).
In the last decade Lisa has overseen the digital and media strategy for the clubs’ livestreaming platforms along with the creation of a purpose-built TV Studio which now hosts the clubs’ shows and podcasts.

The next two years will see a £130m investment adjacent to the stadium, to build a 4000-capacity Sport and Convention Centre which will become the new permanent home of the Flyers. With a hotel and retail/commercial space alongside it, it will form a new Sporting Quarter for the city of Bristol. 
 
Prior to joining the group, Lisa worked for Sky News as a presenter and worked more than 15 years in broadcast television (Sky, BBC and ITV), covering many major live international news events.
 
A keen sportswoman and passionate advocate of women in sport, she represented GB in water polo for more than a decade competing at two European Swimming Championships and a Commonwealth Games.

Gerard Griffin has over 25 years’ experience in venue management in Australia. He is currently the CEO of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust, which manages GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, Victoria and was recently voted Australia’s Best Regional Stadium. Kardinia Park is currently overseeing the $142M redevelopment, hosted its first concert last year, Foo Fighters, and is now a truly multi-purpose stadium as well as being the home of the current AFL Premiers, the Geelong Cats. Before joining the Trust Gerard worked at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in projects, strategy, governance and venue and event services. Gerard is a father of three children and has a passion for all sports. He began his career working as a turf curator on the Victoria Golf Course before moving across to venue management.

Robert Fitzpatrick was appointed Chief Executive of the Odyssey Trust Company Ltd (OTC) in 2007. Robert’s early experience in property and development business has given him the insight to grow, manage and develop the Odyssey site in Belfast. It is now not only an entertainment venue but also a learning environment which contributes to the advancement of scientific education for the young people of our society and in particular those from underprivileged areas.

Robert has built up a close relationship with colleagues in Boston and has delivered the Friendship Four Tournament working closely with the University of Ulster. This is all about bringing different cultures together through sport and education with the aim of giving our young people the chance to gain essential work experience

Francis Casado is one of the founders of Mobile Media Content, who comercialises the 3D Digital Venue platform and is currently serving as Head of International Business Development. Prior to founding MMC- 3D Digital Venue, that revolutionized Interactive Digital Venue Management for Sports and Entertainment Venue Industry, Francis made his career around the beneficial application of 3D Technology and Virtual Reality for various sectors, including Mobile apps, real estate and pharma, amongst others.

Ian Nuttall is the owner and founder of TheStadiumBusiness Summit, presented by his Xperiology events business. His working life began in sports hospitality events management (including Formula 1, horse racing and Wimbledon) before pursuing an award-winning career in B2B magazine publishing. He has co-launched and edited numerous business titles (ranging from energy and industrial processes through to airport design and Intelligent Transportation Systems).

He has also founded many of the sports sector’s most respected publications and news sources – most recently TheStadiumBusiness News, delivering the all the latest Stadium Business news, blogs, videos, and up-to-the-minute media coverage from all the leading voices in the Stadium Business industry, all in one place. In addition to his ongoing commitments as a sports business writer and speaker, Ian provides highly-valued, specialist consultancy to the sports and entertainment venue sector.