Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan gather their thoughts and reflect on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

They discuss the broadcast coverage and tone, for the BBC, Discovery and NBC in particular; sponsor creep in the wake of LVMH and Samsung’s activity in Paris; the visual spectacle and the power of the still image; the challenges ahead for organisers of LA28; and Thomas Bach firing the gun on an IOC Presidential election next year.

Claire Nelson is in the midst of overseeing the relaunch of Netball Super League. As Managing Director, she’s plotting a 10-year path to professionalisation for the newly-restructured eight-team league and intent on growing the sport around the UK.

On this edition of Leaders in Focus, she shares those plans; her approach to breaking the bad news to the existing teams that won’t be getting a place in the new league format; why working with Premier League club Nottingham Forest – which acquired one of the franchises - could open up a world of opportunity; and the commercial models that underpin the Super League’s growth strategy.

She also discusses life as a CEO; the progress being made in EDI across sport; and how to make room for brands looking to be creative – and even edgy - when activating in and around women’s sport.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan are reunited for a chinwag about the global business of sport.

They reflect on the summer of sport and hospitality so far - from Wimbledon to the British Grand Prix - and consider the latest state of play at the NBA, as its new media deal nears completion, and the health of tennis and golf.

Then, on the eve of the Olympic Games, they ponder the major storylines and pointers of Paris 2024, including the baffling logistical and security operation for the opening ceremony along the River Seine; the role and integration of LVMH into various aspects of the Games experience; the political clouds hanging over the event; and the ambitious hospitality programme being delivered for the IOC by On Location.

Leaders’ Content Director David Cushnan rattles through the big stories of the sports industry week - media rights updates from the NBA and Ligue 1, and the IOC-Saudi deal for the Olympic Esports Games - before two more conversations recorded at last month’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. He was joined by two athletes transitioning into executive roles, operating in growing, challenger sports in the US.

Brazil’s Helio Castroneves is a four-time Indy 500 winner, who is gradually winding down his racing career and moved into team ownership in Indycar.

Paul Rabil, one of the great lacrosse players, co-founded PLL in 2019 and has put it on a growth path, helped by a major ESPN media deal and a switch this year to a city-based model for its eight competing teams.

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For the fifth year in a row, Leaders in Sport is partnering with The Women’s Sport Collective and Women in Football to offer funded places at October’s Leaders Week London for women and nonbinary people working in sport. For more information and to apply visit leadersinsport.com

Leaders' Content Director David Cushnan is back with the stories of the sports industry week, while Editorial Director James Emmett chips in with two more conversations from last month’s Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

England and Arsenal footballer Alessia Russo was first to drop in to the Sport Beach, hosted by Stagwell, for a chat about working with brands, and learning from the creative and marketing worlds.

Then climber Alex Honnold, perhaps best known for his Free Solo film, stopped by to discuss how to tell the best sports stories and balancing performance with commercial work.

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For the fifth year in a row, Leaders in Sport is partnering with The Women’s Sport Collective and Women in Football to offer funded places at October’s Leaders Week London for women and nonbinary people working in sport. For more information and to apply visit leadersinsport.com

Recorded at The All England Lawn Tennis Club on the eve of the 2024 Championships, Sally Bolton discusses life as Wimbledon's CEO.

In a wide-ranging conversation on Leaders in Focus, in partnership with IMG, she reflects on the varying leadership styles required to manage a two-week Grand Slam, a thriving year-round club and relations with a host of partners and global tennis stakeholders.

She also assesses the overall health of sport in the UK, 12 years on from London 2012 and after her experiences running the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

Bolton pinpoints Wimbledon's role in discussions over the future direction of professional tennis, as the four Grand Slams are working more collaboratively; shares how she motivates and challenges her team; outlines the pursuit of perfection and the art of making that look effortless; and shares some of the leadership traits - resilience, transparency - that are essential in one of world sport's most prestigious jobs.

Leaders' Content Director David Cushnan brings you the stories of the sports industry week, while Editorial Director James Emmett brings you a couple of heavyweight brand CMO conversations from last week's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

At the Sport Beach, hosted by Stagwell, he sat down with Don McGuire, CMO of Qualcomm, a B2B company that, through its Snapdragon brand, is about to become much more visible, as Manchester United's new front-of-shirt sponsor.

Then he catches up with Mark Kirkham, CMO of International Beverages at PepsiCo, who reflects on how the best storytelling in sports marketing happens - and where it's happening in 2024.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan are out and about, sharing their sports industry week.

James is in Cannes, taking in the beaches, making note of the activations and soaking up the vibes at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity - and asking what sport is doing there, who it wants to meet, why so many athletes have turned up and where sport actually fits in the minds of the big brands and agencies who have decamped this week to the South of France.

Meanwhile, David’s had a slightly shorter trip, to Chiswick Park in West London, where he reflects on hosting part of IMG Networking Week, IMG’s latest internal engagement initiative - and picks up a few tips including how to remember names and the art of the elegant conversation exit.