Delivering NextGen Spaces for Sports & Entertainment

Guy – a family man with sport at his heart, he spent his formative years growing up in Wales, played Rugby for Swaziland and has a passion for the outdoor environment. He has over 30 years Construction Project Management experience, graduating from the building sites of the 1980’s, working in Sport, Leisure and Retail construction in both the UK and overseas. In 2016 he set up EnTodo Project Management and has led major projects with clients including Fulham Football Club, Crystal Palace Football Club and Plymouth Argyle Football Club – notably achieving planning permission and completing the build for Crystal Palace Football Club’s new Cat 1 Academy in Beckenham in 2021 and last week leading the team which accomplished a unanimous vote at planning committee, for CPFC’s new £100M Main Stand.

“I don’t think I am a perfectionist but without exception I assemble the strongest most appropriate team for each project and I cannot accept less than 100% effort from everyone – I am driven to challenge the accepted norm and I pride myself in achieving the best result for the clients we serve.”

Mark Langhammer is Vice-Chair of Crusaders FC in Belfast, has been a Board Director since 2009 and a supporter since 1967. At Crusaders, Mark is responsible for the club’s overall strategy and club promotion and plays a strong role in club’s business development and facility development.
Crusaders FC is a small, fan-run club in a strongly working class and disadvantaged part of the city. In the past 10 years, though, Crusaders have won 3 Irish League championships, 3 Irish Cups, qualified for European football in 8 out of 10 seasons and won the All-Island Setanta Cup (one of only two clubs in Northern Ireland to have done so).

The club have a strong education and community programme, a large girls and boys academy and are widening business streams from match-day focus to a every-day café/sports bar, a growing event-management business, an outdoor event catering wing and aiming to provide rental business space through future stadia development. The location of a major campus of Ulster University within a mile of the stadium has also provided an impetus to connect with the University strategically, and with its student body.

Mark’s 2017 book “We’re Red, we’re Black” tells the Crusaders FC ten-year journey from near liquidation to rude and vital health.
Mark is also a Trustee of Monkstown Amateur Boxing Club and, in professional life, leads the National Education Union in Northern Ireland

Jim is a Director in our UK Sustainability and Physics team, based in the Manchester office.

An advocate of performance-based design, he is passionate about helping clients understand what performance means to them, setting measurable goals that can be achieved in the design, construction and operation of buildings.
Jim is a multidisciplinary and collaborative leader, delivering projects with ambitions sustainability goals. He focuses on the production of high-quality internal environments that operate with optimal energy efficiency.
Jim’s project expertise lie in the Sports and Entertainment and Cultural sectors, where he has worked on multiple iconic stadia and venues worldwide, in the UK, Europe and Middle East. He has also spent a significant portion of his engineering career in the USA and holds dual nationality.

Jonathan Hamp is the founder, and owner of Thermapply Ltd, and an expert in the field of pre-formed thermoplastics having worked in the industry for over 20 years. Jonathan’s company initially specialised in the manufacture and installation of anti-slip playground markings and surface signage for schools, becoming a UK leader with installation in over 3,000 schools throughout the UK and Europe.The company has continued to develop its thermoplastic materials, expanding these for in the industrial, public and leisure sectors, working with national and internal leading brands throughout the UK, Europe, and USA.

In 2013 Jonathan developed an anti-slip, DDA, thermoplastic solution for use initially on stadium steps and aligned with the Green Guide’ recommendations. The product was further developed for public and leisure usage, British and Europe patented Thermagrip enables the inclusion of safety and community messaging, numbers, branding, advertising, and sponsorship directly into the anti-slip surface. SATRA tested to a minimum of 1 million footfalls. Jonathan and his company are true pioneers in the creation, development, and use of anti-slip surfaces to create safer work and public environments.

Rodrigo is the Architect and Project Manager of Club Atlético River Plate, one of the most important football clubs in South America. Since 2016, he has been in charge of designing and directing the construction works of the institution that not only include the stadium, but also cover a series of non-sports aspects, such as education, social activity and hospitality.

Andy Simons jointly founded the multi award-winning AJ100 architecture and design practice KSS over thirty years ago. Andy provides strategic design direction on our major projects ensuring the clients’ needs are met and guides the management of the consultant team. With his main focus on stadia and training centre projects both in the UK and abroad he brings analytical depth and experience to every project he is involved in, believing in the power of sport as a force for good.

Alex is passionate about beer, and has worked in the beer industry for over 20 years, focusing on Innovation, customer experience and brewery fresh beer. He joined the founder of Tankbeer at inception stage almost 10 years ago, and they now proudly serve beer at its best through tanks across the world, with offices in England , Scotland , Spain and Germany.

“Michael has been in the Audio Visual for approaching 20 years and in that time has served clients from all levels of the supply chain from Manufacturing, distribution and integrator. Michael now works exclusively with enterprise global clients on large one-off capital projects or multi-region standards-based deployments.

Taking the mantle as the overall owner of the client relationship, Michael also has the responsibility for project delivery and success within his organisation. Michael brokers new relationships between clients and technology vendors to make sure that his clients achieve or exceed their expected outcomes.”

I have enjoyed over 18 years with Hoare Lea having gained design experience across multiple sectors, both in the UK and internationally, and have a passion to deliver sustainable and energy-efficient designs grounded in sound engineering principles.  As Director managing our Plymouth office I oversee and lead our MEP and Specialist teams, delivering technically-challenging projects. My Sports portfolio includes a variety of interesting projects, including refurbishments and new build projects – the most prestigious being the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium in Qatar, a unique open oculus stadium fully-cooled to maintain required match-play conditions for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.  

Based Oxford; Allan is a chartered Supply Chain Manager with a BA in Management and a MSc in Façade Engineering. For the past 22 years he has managed the supply and specification of specialist materials used in the construction industry in the UK and Middle East.

Now responsible for the specification and supply of the Kuraray Trosifol PVB and SentryGlas interlayer business in the North of Europe for use in laminated architectural glass with a strong focus on new technologies and innovations underlining the Kuraray commitment towards serving the ever changing demands of the global glass industry through innovation and leadership.

Ben Da Costa is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Bendac Group, the UK’s leading provider of full turnkey LED display solutions. Whilst overseeing the organisations key projects, Ben has been critical in the digital transformation at Stamford Bridge during the past 24 months which has seen a considerable boost to the fan experience through the innovative use and integration of industry leading LED display technology. Outside of this, Ben has been developing Bendac’s key design concepts for LED display integration, which are already becoming increasingly popular amongst the design community.

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.

Adam is a Director at Ramboll specialising in building performance and carbon efficient solutions across the sports, leisure and entertainment sector. He is passionate that if designed and engineered with care and attention to detail, buildings can positively affect the community and society they are meant to serve. Key projects that Adam is currently involved with include Selhurst Park Stadium, The Racecourse Ground Stadium, The Avicii Arena in Stockholm and Valencia Basketball Arena. Adam pushes the Ramboll ‘Sustainable Venues’ campaign with a focus on opening venues up to the local community and delivering low carbon solutions.

Oliver has a master in electronics, focusing on acoustics and communication technology he spent more than 25 years in the professional audio industry. He worked several years as system design support engineer for a global system integrator and later as sales director and regional tech support manager for fixed installed sound systems. Working for Bosch Communications Systems since 2006 he leads now a global team of 30 engineers for system design, application support and technical training of sound system solutions using products of the brands Bosch, Dynacord and Electro-Voice in the segments ProSound, Public Address Voice Alarm and Conference Systems.

Andy Rigler, Project development lead in EMEA, has more than 30 years’ experience within pro audio via a varied career which has spanned live performance, music composition, sound recording, pro audio system sales and integration. Following a career change decision in the late 1990s, Andy worked within the financial sector for 7 years, mainly working with corporate clients and retains Chartered Institute of Bankers qualifications.
After returning to pro AV, via a spell at Stage Electrics, Andy joined the Bose Corporation in 2006, to launch the then new L1 Personalised Amplification and Loudspeaker System onto the UK/IRL MI and Pro markets. This business grew significantly and, in 2014, Andy transitioned to become the country manager for Bose Professional in the UK and Ireland. Since then, the Bose team has been involved in many large major projects, such as audio for stadia and arenas, alongside steady business within the retail, corporate and hospitality sectors. Like Eddie, Andy is a member of the industry recognised ISCVE.

Jakub Rachfalik – Forum by Nowy Styl Managing Director, a brand that produces seats designed for stadiums, concert and lecture halls, cinemas and theatres, and telescopic grandstands. Managing large-scale projects, including providing 95.000 seats for two stadiums in France or over 60.000 seats and rails to Puskas Arena in Hungary.

Head of global brand development. Works closely with Nowy Styl’s European branches and manages several dozen employees. Responsible for the partnership and its development with Coastal Qatar. As a result, Forum seats filled six stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Lisa has led the media and communications team for the Bristol Sport Group since she joined 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 team and the associated community foundations. Lisa is also a board director of Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol Flyers, Bristol Bears Women, Bristol City Women and the Robins Community Foundation.

In June, Ashton Gate Stadium submitted planning for the next phase of its redevelopment – a £130m Sporting Quarter and new home for the Bristol Flyers.

Prior to joining the group, Lisa worked for Sky News as a presenter with 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.

John has over 18 years’ experience and has first class planning and coordination skills.
John has led several Stadia projects for Portview, including the first ever stadia fit-out of WM Club at the Emirates Stadium. Over the past few years, the relationship has grown from strength to strength which has paved the way for several additional projects within the stadia sector including Wembley, Queen Elizabeth stadium, Twickenham, and Ascot to name a few. Additionally, John advises the company on its commercial strategy as a member of the Board of Directors.

Steve is a highly motivated and committed engineer with over 33 years’ experience in the design and realisation of award-winning sports and entertainment facilities. Steve is a Director and sports sector specialist who leads integrated design approaches on complex projects.

Steve’s experience in other sectors include cultural, healthcare, education and residential; many as part of mixed used redevelopments that are well suited to complex schemes. He uses his knowledge to great effect when considering the merits of community energy strategies as part of a site wide sustainable approach.
Steve’s project portfolio includes significant involvement in the design of major sports and entertainment venues including: Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in London; Turin’s Palasport Lingotto and Beijing’s Olympic Speed Skating Ovals; Sochi’s Central Stadium for Winter Olympics 2014; Everton Football Club in Liverpool; Bristol Arena and Roundhouse Theatre; Lord’s Cricket Ground Redevelopment and Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire.

Marko Hurme, CEO of The Nokia Arena, the Finland’s most popular music and sports arena. As CEO, Marko heads up the Leadership team at The Nokia Arena and is fully accountable for arena management, including overseeing venue strategy, sustainability, improving the experience for customers, development projects in the arena, facilities management and driving continued commercial growth. Arena ecosystem includes several companies, forming a complex ecosystem. The customer journey and the digitalization that support the arena operations need to be managed in full cooperation with all the involved ecosystem partners.

Jonathan graduated from Loughborough University and worked for both Coca Cola and PepsiCo in Sports Marketing roles.  He joined Puma as Head of Team-Sports before joining Wembley Stadium as Commercial & Marketing Director in 2005. At Wembley Stadium he oversaw all commercial, sponsorship, marketing and PR elements of the stadium project.  He also held the position of Director of Partnerships for The FA’s World Cup bid and has worked for both Fulham F.C and Leicester F.C. in the English Premier League as Commercial Director.

More recently he has worked for adidas as Worlds Cup Director in Russia, before joining the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) as CCO, overseeing their F1 relationship and delivery of the Bahrain Gulf Air Grand Prix and the Sakhir Sport City Project.  In 2020 he joined The Goodwood Group as Group Commercial Director overseeing all key revenues that come into the estate.

Harald Fux, born 1971, is CEO of RAUMKUNST LLC. In Vienna, Austria and specialised in sports and event architecture.

He started his career as project architect for the New Innsbruck stadium, then for Salzburg, now Red Bull Arena. He then worked on stadiums for the UEFA championship 2008 in Innsbruck, Salzburg and Klagenfurt.

In 2019, RAUMKUNST won the competition for the New LASK ARENA in Linz, which is now under construction and will be opened in February 2023.

Harald is president of the IAKS International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities Austrian Section and Member of the UIA United International Architects Sports and Leisure Group. He was lecturerer at various Universities in Vienna and Munich.

Following a successful career working on several major projects, he workedwith industry leaders such as James Longley & Company, WS Atkins and Synergy Construction Consultants. Having project managed the refurbishment and extension of the Pavilion at The Oval in the early 1990’s,

Robert was invited by Maurice de Rohan to join the Estates committee at MCC in 2004. Elected a Member of the MCC in 1994, Robert was later appointed Estates Director in April 2014 leading million pound ground development projects.

Paul Burns oversees the operations of Waterloo United and BVB International Academy Waterloo. His role consists of Club operations, policy creation and implementation, organizational and business development as well as strategic planning. Paul has been with the Club for almost 5 years and was previously with Ontario Soccer and Burlington Soccer Club. Paul has over 18 years of experience within the football industry in Ontario, Canada.

Hannah has been in the Football Industry for over 20 years, she heads up facilities in the Women’s Professional Game.  The role seeks to continuously drive-up standards across the game both on and off the field as the women’s game thrives on the back of the Women’s Euros victory.

Hannah has secured over £100 million investment in a range of Football Facilities across the country. She previously led a capital investment programme at the Football Foundation, delivering the first Football hubs in London and played a key role in the development and delivery of the FA’s flagship venue, St Georges Park.

Matthew leads Buro Happold’s Global Sport and Entertainment Sector, working with a team that engineers the performance of the world’s finest venues.

His first degree was in General Engineering at Cambridge University, but also has experience of advanced engineering analytics, integrated building design, and architecture through further study at Newcastle University. Matthew became involved in longspan lightweight structural design shortly after graduation, and immediately seized the opportunity to combine his interests in architecture, engineering and advanced analytics as a holistic designer in this field.
Upon joining Buro Happold in 2006, his work shifted into the Sports Sector where he led the engineering team responsible for the design of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium. Other extraordinary projects followed, including leading our work on the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Stadium, Up @ O2, and the Emirates Air Line.
Matthew became a Partner in 2013 and was appointed Global Sports & Entertainment Sector Director in 2015. Since then Matthew has worked on the conversion of the London Olympic Stadium into a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue, the design of Tottenham Hotspur’s new football ground, and the Education City Stadium for the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Matthew’s team is currently working for several sport governing bodies and leading professional clubs around the world. Using outcome-driven design to link operational, constructional and commercial opportunities, he delivers world-leading performance on and off the field of play for our clients.

Nick Anastasiou has been working in stadia and events for over 15 years, yet his experience in vending and beverage systems goes back much further. After designing and manufacturing the first automatic ice coffee machine, which was commissioned by McDonalds, Nick went on to create what is widely viewed as one of the fastest coffee machines for Café Nescafe, capable of dispensing 4 coffees in 15 seconds. All of this was achieved alongside a 36 year part time role in the Police.

Today, Nick heads up Gorilla Carts and Kiosks, which is far more than the name suggests, having become a one stop shop for Stadia development, providing a range of services from Design and Refurbishment of Buffet areas, through to Changing Room installation and the supply of innovative compostable food and drink containers.

Rob is a Partner and highly experienced structural engineer who has been with Buro Happold since graduating from the University of Bath in 1995.

Rob leads the UK Sport and Entertainment sector for Buro Happold and is responsible for the delivery of venues across the UK. He has also delivered designs and led teams for numerous sport and entertainment projects both in the UK and internationally. These include; Hampshire Cricket Club’s new ground in Southampton, Astana and Sochi Stadiums in Kazakhstan and Russia respectively, and the New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Rob believes that engineering is a key enabler in the design of stadia and developing a design is always an exciting and rewarding challenge for a project team. He applies this wealth of experience to all he does, whether this is coming up with new concepts for a long-span stadium roof, ensuring designs are fully integrated with all engineering disciplines to support the architectural design, developing new approaches to crowd dynamics to allow innovative seating bowl solutions to drive increased revenue generation, or developing detailed construction techniques for efficient site delivery.

Roy Westwood founded Forward Associates in 2015 following a 20-year career working for some of the hospitality industry’s biggest players. Bringing this wealth of experience to bear, Forward Associates is responsible for the Strategic, commercial and creative direction of many of the world’s most prestigious venues and events, including The O2, The Wimbledon Championships the new stadium for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and the new Everton Stadium

“Setting up on my own was a direct response to the fast-moving nature of the industry. Forward Associates, with its handpicked team of industry experts, allows us to act much quicker on market intelligence and ultimately makes us much more effective at achieving our end goal of improving guest experiences.”

Now with over 20 associates and offices in Helsinki and Chicago, forward associates continue to play a key role in the developments of next generation venues and fan experience.

Forward Associates continues to work on several high-profile retail destinations.

Ben Veenbrink, founder and managing director of The Stadium Consultancy, is a recognised international stadium expert with nearly 25 years of experience in the venue industry. Building on his experience as a member of the management team of the Amsterdam Arena (nowadays Johan Cruyff Arena), Europe’s first multifunctional stadium (52,000 capacity), he started The Stadium Consultancy in 2006.

The Stadium Consultancy is a boutique consultancy and project management company for the sports & entertainment venue industry. During the last 16 years The Stadium Consultancy successfully realised more than 100 projects and assignments under his leadership, including several venues for major tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA EURO tournament.

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 has been involved in the development of various stadium standards, guidelines, and good practices, most notably the UEFA / CAFE “Access for All, Good Practice Guide” for inclusive design and the new FIFA Stadium Guidelines, 2022. He has been a regular speaker on international stadium conferences.

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.

Rita is a highly experienced sports and leisure architect, with a distinguished track record in delivering large-scale, multipurpose venues, stadiums and arenas, both in the UK and internationally.

Rita has worked on some of Sport’s most prestigeous projects, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™’s 80,000 capacity Lusail Stadium, and the award-winning 45,000 capacity Ashgabat Olympic Stadium – Rita also recently designed and led the delivery of the award-winning Brentford Community Stadium in London.

Rita is a regular guest lecturer in Architecture at Salford University, and was shortlisted for Building Design’s inaugural Female Architectural Leader of the Year Award in 2019

Andy joined Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in 2012. Taking on full P&L responsibility to successfully deliver the commercial strategy required for the wider Stadium Campus – Venue Hire, Memberships (Premium & Public), Catering, Conference & Events and Visitor Attractions. Delivering the design, development and implementation of the stadium interiors and the operational event day delivery.

Responsible for re-writing a best-in-class fan experience, as well as overseeing the business transition from White Hart Lane stadium sales and operations to Tottenham’s new home as the overall event lead on delivery and commercialisation of the new stadium as the Venue Sales Director.

With a career in the stadium industry spanning 18 years, Andy was previously Vice President for IMG’s European Stadium Business. Securing, selling, managing, and delivering commercial properties for a host of world class venues, events, and rights holders. As part of this team, Andy was responsible for delivering the commercial strategies for several IMG events and new stadiums, including Wembley National Stadium, delivering $1 Billion in Premium Sales income through Club Wembley, a global first.

Henk Markerink (1955) has been CEO of the Amsterdam ArenA (now Johan Cruijff ArenA) the Netherlands, from 1995 till 2022. Before Markerink was the projectmanager for the design and construction of the ArenA from 1991 till 1995. Besides he has been actively involved in the development of the ArenA Boulevard Area into a new destination for Sports, Leisure and Entertainment. Markerink graduated from the Eindhoven Technical University and earned a Masters degree in Architecture and Structural Engineering. After his graduation he worked for Arcadis Building Consultancy and Twijnstra Gudde Management Consultants.

In 2000 Markerink founded Amsterdam ArenA Advisory. With this company he worked on various stadium projects around the world, like the Allianz Arena in Munchen, the Berlin Olympic Stadium and the Beijing Olympic Stadium. Later on he was involved in the design and management of the Brasil stadiums of Gremio in Porto Alegre and the World Cup 2014 stadiums of Natal and Salvador de Bahia. From 2012 till 2016 Markerink has been involved in the planning of the World Cup stadiums for Qatar 2022.

In 2010 Markerink started the ArenA Energy Program that made the ArenA self-supporting in energy supply in 2015 with the installation of 7000m2 of solar panals on the roof, a windmill connection and a 3.5 MW battery.
In 2015 he settled the ArenA Innovation Center to focus, together with various partners on the development of digital applications for stadium operations.At the moment Markerink is Chairman of VNO-NCW (the employers association) in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, Chairman of the supervisory board of Sport Stad Heerenveen, member of the supervisory board of Zadelhoff Property in Amsterdam, and member of the board of the Amsterdam Museum.

Markerink has a passion for sports, traveling and reading. He still plays tennis and has been playing in the national Volleybal Team in 1979-1980.

Mannarelli just finished a year-long tour in NEOM, Saudi Arabia serving as an Executive Director – THE LINE Proponent or “client representative” managing the delivery of THE LINE, a 170-kilometer-long cognitive and sustainable city at the heart of NEOM that will redefine conventional urbanism to address global challenges.

A licensed German architect, Mannarelli has worked on some of the largest urban planning projects as well as sports and live entertainment venues around the world. Prior to joining NEOM, he served as the Director of Real Estate at FC Barcelona for seven years, where, as part of the Construction and Facility Management Department, he was responsible for the Espai Barça, a EUR 1 billion project to transform FC Barcelona facilities.

Before his time at FC Barcelona, Mannarelli spent almost 10 years with ICON Venue Group, an industry-leading owner’s representative and strategic management consulting firm for public and private sports and entertainment, first as a Project Manager and then as Vice President overseeing ICON’s European operations. During this time, he was responsible for ICON’s engagements in Hamburg, Bern, Helsinki, Yekaterinburg, Geneva, Lausanne, Seoul, Barcelona, Fribourg and Dubai. Regionally, Mannarelli worked on the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre Project Development Plan.

Mannarelli began his career in the sport and entertainment business as a Design Manager with Anschutz Entertainment Group, a world leading owner and operator of entertainment venues. While at AEG, he oversaw the development of O2 World in Berlin.

Considered an expert in his field, Mannarelli often speaks at industry events around the world, offering key insights into the urban planning, architecture and construction markets. He has lectured at Georgetown University in Washington, University of Nebraska in Lincoln and Johan Cryuff Institute in Barcelona.
Mannarelli holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in architecture from Princeton University, both in the United States.

Suzanne is an Associate Director at Keppie. She has 15+ years experience in large-scale architectural, Masterplanning and urban design projects.

A personal area of expertise is in commercial architecture with a focus on leisure, entertainment and sports. Suzanne is passionate about live entertainment and designing inspirational places that draw people together.

Most notably, Suzanne played a pivotal role in the delivery of the Event Complex Aberdeen, including the 15,000 capacity P&J Live arena. Other recent roles include the Hampden Vision project, the Scottish Event Campus expansion plan, Aberdeen Beachfront Masterplan, and various initiatives for improvements to Ibrox Stadium for Rangers Football Club.

Kirsten Lees is Managing Partner of Grimshaw’s 300-strong London studio. She has over 25 years’ experience in architecture, strategic planning and urban design. Notable projects include the Wimbledon Master Plan, No1 court redevelopment, Curragh Racecourse Grandstand, a new stadium for Bath Rugby, SUEZ Energy-from-Waste Facility in Suffolk and Koç Contemporary Art Museum in Istanbul. She is also a passionate advocate for gender equality in architecture.

Jamie Pearson, Architect, Grimshaw
Jamie Pearson is an architect at Grimshaw. He has significant experience across many sectors, specialising in cultural and sports projects, including the Wimbledon Master Plan, the redevelopment of Leinster Rugby Angelsea Stand and the new stadium for Bath Rubyy. Jamie has worked on projects at all stages from large-scale urban developments in London to sensitive work in Conservation Areas. He is particularly interested in digital tools that can contribute to the design, prototyping and construction process.

David Keirle founded KSS thirty years ago with the commission to transform Stamford Bridge and its surrounding masterplan for Chelsea FC. Today the multi award-winning AJ100 architecture and design practice still counts the Premier League club as a longstanding client alongside Liverpool FC, Brighton & Hove Albion and three national sports venues Twickenham, Wimbledon and Wembley. As Chairman, David is the driving force behind the practice, building its international reputation in the design of arenas, stadia and training centres. He has an instinct for understanding clients’ needs, and as an avid sports fan enjoys the challenge of creating memorable venues for spectators and sports stars alike.

An established sports industry CEO for over ten years now, Daniel Gidney launched the first ever cricket bond as part of an innovative £12m fundraising to develop and operate a new 150 bedroom Hilton hotel, which will open summer 2017. Daniel’s time at LCCC has generated record profits and the securing of the largest ever naming rights in First Class Cricket, with Emirates. He also secured ECB International matches, including an Ashes Test and a World Cup semi-final in 2019. Daniel was also the 2011 Midlands Business Person of the Year, and the 2014 Trafford Business Person of the Year.

Donna Davidson is a master at building and nurturing creative partnerships. Based in the United Kingdom, with 25+ years of experience developing award-winning branded destinations and cultural attractions, she has an in-depth understanding of the process and relationships required to produce an enduring, profitable destination. She excels at studying the unique blend of culture, location, and theme of a project and then assembling a strong team of professionals to execute it. Donna holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles and has worked with BRC at their offices in both the US and UK.

Stephanie Bax is Managing Director of European Operations for CAA ICON. Stephanie is leading CAA ICON’s expanding European division, managing a team of 10 regional experts based in London and Milan, and has been developing business and activating projects in Europe with a focus on the UK and Italy. Stephanie is a LEED Accredited Professional with 15+ years of project management experience. She’s currently serving as Project Executive for Co-op Live, a 23,500-seat multipurpose arena in Manchester, and previously served as Co-Project Executive for Stadio della Roma, providing project management services through preconstruction, prior to the sale of the team.

Nick joined the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority as Chief Executive Officer in June 2022.

Nick’s previous role as Executive General Manager Commercial Operations with the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) saw him oversee all commercial revenue streams and strategic planning for the annual Melbourne Cup Carnival, negotiation of the Melbourne Cup naming rights sponsorship (Lexus) and the Melbourne Cup Carnival domestic media rights with Network Ten. Nick has extensive experience across a variety of roles within the sports marketing and entertainment business.

About Adelaide Oval if room permits
Adelaide Oval is a world-class, iconic, 50-thousand seat stadium which hosts Australian Rules Football, Domestic and International Cricket, rugby, football and major concerts. Adelaide Oval has an award winning RoofClimb and the Oval Hotel – a 138 room premium boutique hotel which is the first hotel directly attached to a stadium in Australia

From August 1972 until 31st 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

Martin is a Director and the Global Sports Sector Lead at Ramboll and has an excellent track record in the sport and entertainment sector having worked on a number of national and international stadia and arena projects. Through delivering such projects, Martin understands how the requirements of different disciplines need to be integrated together driving a well-coordinated and high value solution. As a director Martin is responsible for delivering multi-disciplinary projects and leading teams. He strives to understand in detail the client and stakeholder key drivers so he can use his experience to add value to projects where it matters most.

Ian Nuttall is the owner and founder of TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development 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 industry news, 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.