Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast

The International Olympic Committee has revealed the process and timeline for selecting the host of the 2036 summer Olympic Games, and James Emmett and David Cushnan are on hand to discuss why a more open bidding contest is a good thing. They consider the publicly-announced contenders for 2036 - India, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa, Germany, Hungary and Türkiye - ahead of next week's expression of interest deadline, and the group of comms and PR agencies who will help craft the bids and shap

Bex Smith, CEO of multi-club women's football ownership group Crux Football, is the next guest in the series, from Leaders and research agency GWI, exploring demographics, attitudes and priorities amongst fans of women’s sport. GWI’s Director of Research Services Peter Kent joins David Cushnan, to frame up the conversations through GWI’s extensive data on the topic. In this episode, Smith explains the rationale behind the formation of Crux Football in 2025, and its first two club investments -

Netflix has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights in Spain to the 2030 men's Fifa World Cup, a move which underlines its live sports ambition and marks a first foray into football in Europe. James Emmett and David Cushnan are back in the studio after a frantic Leaders Week London to examine the streaming giant's latest move, and reflect on Netflix's VP of Non-fiction Series & Sports Brando Riegg's appearance on stage at Stamford Bridge. Elsewhere, Rwanda has signed a 10-year agreement with F

Simon Crownshaw is Microsoft’s international factotum: Worldwide Director for Media & Entertainment, CTO, and AI evangelist, he is also the key to the sports and entertainment marketing arsenal at Microsoft. He joins James Emmett to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the sports industry, from content creation and production workflows to fan engagement and the future of media itself. Simon's career has taken him from Disney, Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic to Microsoft, wher

The curtain has fallen on Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge, and James Emmett and David Cushnan are joined by an all-star lineup to reflect on the major themes of the Summit. Next League Founder and CEO Dave Nugent, Trippant Founder and CEO Tom Scott and Abe Madkour, Publisher and Executive Editor of Sports Business Journal share their highlights. They include the latest from on and off stage on NBA Europe, as EMEA Managing Director George Aivazoglu provided a status update; Europe's venu

As the dust settles on the first day of the Summit at Stamford Bridge, James Emmett and David Cushnan gather their thoughts - and those of guests Shivs Thevarr, VP of Global Partnerships at the Milwaukee Bucks; Francois Westcombe, MD of Ticketmaster Sport EMEA; and Steve Gera, Former President, Grand Slam Track. They reflect on some of the big themes to emerge across the stages and on the floor, including the leadership lessons coming out of LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil's morning session; Louise Y