11 minute read
Speaker Profiles
SPEAKER
PROFILES
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Listed in alphabetical order by speaker name
DEREK BELCH
Founder & CEO, STRIVR Labs, Inc.
Derek Belch is the founder and CEO of STRIVR Labs, Inc., a Palo Alto based company that uses immersive technology to improve human performance. Belch laid the foundation for STRIVR during the 2014 season with the Stanford Cardinal football team, when he was an assistant coach for the team while completing a masters degree in VR. His thesis project was exploring virtual reality applied to sports training and he worked with the Cardinals during the season to build and test the technology that is now STRIVR. STRIVR currently works with over 25 professional and collegiate sports teams, Walmart, United Rentals, and several other Fortune 100 companies, all of whom use VR to improve the performance of their players and employees. Belch holds three degrees from Stanford (BA Communication, MA Journalism, MA Media Studies), as well as an MBA from the University of Southern California. He resides in Menlo Park, CA, with his wife, Amelia, and son, Preston.
CHRISTOPHER CLAWSON
Chairman, Sports & Fitness Industry Association
Former President of Life Fitness and current Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Sports Fitness Industry Association whose mission is to “Promote Sports and Fitness Participation and Industry Vitality.” Chris earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and received his baccalaureate degree from San Diego State University. He also attended Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, where he was an Academic All-American in baseball and is a two-time member of its athletic hall of fame. Before joining the fitness industry, he was a professional athlete, playing for the minor-league organizations of both the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves.
TOM COVE
Tom Cove assumed leadership of the SFIA in 2005, after thirteen years building the organization’s advocacy and public policy presence in Washington, D.C. In his role, he oversees SFIA programs to promote sports participation and safety, health and fitness, thought leadership and product standards, and serves as liaison to international sports federations and government agencies. Cove also directs the industry’s premier research facility. Under his leadership, SFIA implemented a strategic rebranding initiative, transitioning the 100-year old organization to a new business model, mission, programs, membership benefits as well as a new name.
BRIAN FINEGAN
Brian is currently the Head of Marketing & Product Management of the Sports & Fitness category at Amazon. He started with the company in 2013 as a Senior Vendor Manager, working on strategy and buying for Team Sports and Golf. Prior to his time at Amazon, he worked at Rawlings Sporting Goods leading business development and licensing activities within Jarden Sports Licensing, as well as contract negotiation and management with key licensing partners: NFL, NCAA, MLB, NBA, NHL, Mattel.
SPEAKER PROFILES
RAKHIL HIRDARAMANI
Director, Hirdaramani Group
Rakhil Hirdaramani is one of the 4th Generation of Owner/ Directors of the Hirdaramani Group, a $1 Billion Apparel Manufacturing Organization. He has been on the company’s Board since 2007, where he oversees Key Strategic Accounts, Automation and also the group’s IT infrastructure. The Hirdaramani Group is a multi-country apparel manufacturer, producing across 35 facilities in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam & Ethiopia. The organization is backwards integrated with its own state of the art Washing, Printing and Embroidery facilities. Rakhil currently serves as the Chairman of the Manufacturer’s Committee of the World Federation of Sporting Goods. He is also on the Regional Board of the YPO-South Asian Region as well as the Colombo Chapter as its Chapter Chair. In his spare time he is an avid Crossfitter and a Certified Level 1 Trainer.
JEFF KEARNEY
Global Head of Sports Marketing, Gatorade
Jeff Kearney is the global head of Gatorade Sports Marketing. In this role, he manages a team that oversees the brand’s sports marketing portfolio, including all league, team, event and athlete partnerships and negotiations around the world. Further responsibilities include Gatorade athlete services, GSSI and influencer marketing platforms. A 12-year veteran of Gatorade, Kearney has worked across many facets of the Gatorade Marketing organization and most recently served as senior director, Athletes Services. From managing partnerships with key sports influencers to overseeing the brand’s youth sports platforms, Kearney has driven many of the brand’s key equity and partnership platforms. After leading brand marketing efforts for the introduction of G Series in 2009, Kearney returned to the Sports Marketing team in early 2012 as its global director. In his Global role, Kearney worked across many of Gatorade’s key international markets, leading integration across all sports and sports assets for the brand. Prior to joining Gatorade, Kearney began his career in sports as an intern at the Big Ten Conference. He later became assistant director of communications at Conference USA and previously held various posts at sports and event marketing agencies.
KEVIN KNIGHT
Chief Marketing Officer, Experticity
Kevin Knight is Chief Marketing Officer at Experticity, which connects retail associates, industry professionals, and other real-life influencers with brands to create a more powerful consumer buying experience. Before joining Experticity, he was the global head of creative and brand strategy at Pinterest and previously worked at the Facebook Creative Shop in New York City, where he developed some of the most successful campaigns in digital advertising. Kevin has also held marketing roles at Google and Microsoft. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah and his MBA from MIT.
SPEAKER PROFILES
TOD LEIWEKE
Chief Operating Officer, National Football League, Inc.
In September 2015 Tod Leiweke rejoined the NFL as Chief Operating Officer, reporting to Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Leiweke is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the league including football operations, media, marketing, NFL International, communications and social responsibility. The COO position is one that no one has held since Roger Goodell was named commissioner in 2007.
Prior to rejoining the NFL, Leiweke was Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, which included the Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Arena from June 2010 to August 2015. Leiweke was with the Lightning for five seasons managing the day-to-day operations of the franchise and arena. Leiweke also served as leader of Strategic Property Partners; the related real estate company with a vision of a major $2 billon dollar mixed use real estate transformation in downtown Tampa. In the 2014/2015 season the Lightning were a Stanley Cup Finalist accentuating a remarkable turnaround of the franchise since Jeff Vinik acquired the team in 2010. The 2015 ESPN Ultimate Sports Standings ranked the Lightning 3rd among NFL teams.
At the direction of the Vinik family, the Lightning built deep community engage with commitments such as 5,000 hours of community service promised by its employees and distribution of a $10 million dollar Vinik Family grant over the past five years through the Lightning Foundation. Tod was Co-Chairman of the University of South Florida’s Unstoppable Campaign, committed to a goal of achieving $1 billon dollars.
Prior to joining the Lightning, Leiweke served as CEO of the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and Vulcan Sports & Entertainment for seven years while also providing oversight of the Portland Trail Blazers (NBA). Leiweke served as first ever team President of the Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) helping set in motion the team that is now regarded as a model franchise in Major League Soccer averaging over 40,000 fans per match. During Leiweke’s tenure in Seattle he revived the Seahawks 12th Man brand, and assisted in building one of the NFL’s finest 200,000sf waterfront practice facilities including access for fans to attend training camp. Tod also led the King County United Way 2009 Campaign that reached the goal of over $100 million dollars raised. That campaign was capped with a climb, and summit of Mount Rainier with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. In addition, Leiweke was one of the Founders of the PGA Tour Champions event; The Boeing Classic. Preceding his time at the Seahawks, Leiweke served as President of the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Sports & Entertainment. Tod also held an executive position with the PGA TOUR, helping establish the national charity program, The First Tee.
SPEAKER PROFILES
RICHARD LUKER, PH.D
Founder, Luker on Trends & the ESPN Sports Poll
Dr. Rich Luker is best known for his creation of The EPSN Sports Poll (The Poll) in 1994. The poll was the first systematic, national, ongoing study or sport in America. Today, Luker still has proprietary measures inside The Poll covering overall free time and discretionary spending, as well as cutting edge measures of free time technology engagement. The measures Rich developed in creating The Poll have become the standard measures of fan avidity and fan base size used by all the major research companies working in the industry today. All the major sports properties have been clients of The Poll, as well as major brands including General Motors, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, AARP, VISA, NIKE, Proctor & Gamble, Hershey’s and many others. In the late 1990s, Rich’s research uncovered a growing sense of the loss of engaged community. IN response, in 2008 he wrote “Simple Community” to encourage Americans to be more engaged and proved insight to sponsor brands on how to promote more engages community. Since 2009, Rich has been writing the quarterly column “Up Next” for Sports Business Journal – covering the changing trends in the sports industry. In 2010 he formed the company Luker on Trends (LoT) to offer broader contextual research and strategic consulting to his clients. LoT has documented the substantial shift in free time activity as a result of the great recession, and as impacted by explosive technological advancement. In 2011, LoT published research showing a significant increase in “vitality” by Americans 35+. The combination of explosive technology, a fragile economy, younger generations facing uncertain futures, and elders with greater vitally have resulted in Luker doing even more to promote the need and desire for more engaged, in-person, community.
Rich earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan where he was trained and engaged in research at The Institute for Social Research. Luker has remained engaged in academic pursuits throughout his career, serving on the faculty of Temple University, and as an adjunct professor at Michigan, Northwestern, USF and as the Woodard Family Research Fellow at the University of Oregon. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee for the Future with the Institute for Social Research of the University of Michigan.
MATT POWELL
Senior VP of Industry Analysis, The NPD Group
Matt Powell is the vice president of industry analysis for The NPD Group, covering the sports, outdoor, and recreation marketplace, offering his industry expertise on retail sales and consumer trends across apparel, footwear, and equipment for categories such as running, outdoor, paddlesports, fitness, and cycling. With over 40 years of experience in the retail and research industries, Powell has held positions both on the client and vendor sides of the business. On the client side, he has worked with leading retailers and e-tailers in sporting goods such as Modell’s Sporting Goods, Sneaker Stadium, and MVP.com. A recognized expert on the sports industry, he is frequently quoted in media and writes Sneakernomics, a blog on Forbes.com. Matt has a B.A. in Sociology from Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
SPEAKER PROFILES
SARAH QUINLAN
Senior VP of Market Insight, Mastercard
Sarah Quinlan is the Senior Vice President of Market Insights for Mastercard. Providing macro-to-micro economic trends related to consumer spending and retail sales, Sarah advises executives across industries, including retail, banking, capital markets and government agencies. She and her team analyze and predict spending patterns, based on the billions of anonymous purchases Mastercard processes every year, to create solutions that help clients make better business decisions.
Sarah is widely recognized as an expert in her field and appears regularly in the media including CNBC, the Associated Press, Fox Business Network, Bloomberg TV and Women’s Wear Daily (WWD). She is also a frequent speaker at prominent industry conferences such as the Financo CEO Forum, Milken Institute Global Conference, WWD CEO Summit and 100 Women in Hedge Funds. Prior to joining MasterCard in 2013, Sarah spent 28 years in the capital markets as an investment banker, portfolio manager and hedge fund manager. Sarah received her BA and MBA from the University of Chicago in Politics, Economics, Rhetoric and Law with Special Honors and in Finance and Accounting, respectively.
THE SECOND CITY WORKS
For 50 years, The Second City has been North America’s foremost comedy theater. Our unique brand of social and political satire mixed with improvisation has delighted audiences all over the world. The skills we use to create the world’s best satire and comedy are the same skills we teach every day to many of the world’s most successful corporations, helping them become more innovative, team driven and nimble organizations. We use humor and open conversation to honestly identify challenges, and improv learning techniques that build both individual and team skills to address those challenges. In fact, because everything we do in improvisation is about enabling the ensemble, teamwork is an inescapable outcome of our work.
Behind “the funny” is a powerful learning methodology and a sensibility that gets to the truth in any situation, which is what makes us funny in the first place. Our mission with our corporate clients is to bring a little humanity and authenticity back into business, because our experience shows that humanity trumps fear, and when fear is gone, it is possible to create, innovate and connect powerfully.
