Anna LOCKWOOD

Vice President, International

Anna Lockwood is an experienced media industry executive, and is currently the Head of Global Sales for Telstra Broadcast Services, based in London. She leads a team that works at the convergence of the traditional broadcast industry with leading-edge telecommunication and digital platforms, with a focus on bringing innovative solutions and services to the media and sports business. In addition to her role at Telstra, Anna is a board member of the EGAA (Esports Games Association of Australia), represents Telstra on the Board of Directors of IABM, is an advisory board member and mentor at RISE - a group for women in broadcast, and is active in industry initiatives around sports, innovation and women in technology.

• Evolutions In Production & Content Delivery (OTT, AI & The Cloud)

Neil JOYCE

CEO and Founder

Neil Joyce is CEO and Co-Founder of The CLV Group, the data and insights company for sport, media and entertainment. With 20+ years of experience in global executive positions, including Amazon Advertising, IBM and Acxiom, today Neil leverages data and insights to connect content, passion, engagement, partnerships and audiences. The CLV Group focuses on reaching and engaging the 95% unknown fan audience, using data to create new ways to value and grow relationships. Most recently, Neil authored the Fan Relationship Index™ Report, introducing Fan Moneyball™ (as featured in Reuters and Off The Pitch) highlighting the $bn+ revenue potential for sports teams, leagues, and clubs through content and digital propositions.
He frequently speaks on a broad range of areas from "always focusing on the "Why", to providing informed and unfiltered guidance to leading businesses across the Media, MarTech and AdTech landscapes to broader current issues facing the business community such as building a culture of purpose and inclusivity.

• The Growth Agenda - Powered by Content & Data

Sandrine DURAND

VP Channels Distribution

Sandrine Durand is the Co-Founder of SoFAST, working with television channels, contents and rights owners, and helping them to be part of the FAST channels business.
With more than 30 years of experience in Telecommunications Business, Television Broadcast, Business Development and Direction Management, she held positions in France, Israel and United States.

• OTT, Streaming & FAST Channels

Joanna MERCHIE

Conference Director

• A Fireside Chat with Inter Miami CFModerator

Kelly RATKA

Chief Operating Officer

Former Sports & Entertainment partnerships professional in Las Vegas, Kelly has spent her career dedicated to creating meaningful, immersive experiences between brands and fans. With an extensive background in hospitality, client management, integrated marketing, event sponsorship and production, her colleagues joyfully have deemed her the ‘swiss army knife’ of any team. Kelly is driven by her passion and considers a ‘fan first’ approach to all initiatives.

• Leveraging AI, Data & Analytics in Women's Sports

Jean MACHER

Sr. Director, Global Saas Solutions

Jean Macher is Senior SaaS Solutions Director at Harmonic where he drives the marketing efforts for the company’s SaaS portfolio. Macher brings to Harmonic a wealth of expertise in cloud video and U.S. TV ecosystems, stemming from more than 20 years of experience in solutions and product management, working closely with media companies on the latest streaming innovations. Macher holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Institut Supérieur d'Électronique in Paris.

• Live Sports Streaming at Scale

Imran YUSUF

Editor, SportBusiness Media

Imran Yusuf is a senior reporter for SportBusiness Media, the world's most trusted source of media rights deal data, analysis and intelligence.

• Private Equity Investing in SportsModerator

Bobby SHARMA

Founder & Managing Partner

Bobby Sharma is the Founder & Managing Partner of Bluestone Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on sports, media & entertainment. Sharma was previously SVP, Global Head of Basketball & Strategic Initiatives at IMG; VP & General Counsel of the NBA Development League; Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Electronic Sports Group; Partner at General American Capital Partners; Vice Chairman & CEO of Soccerex; and an attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. He is a graduate of Duke University and Duke Law School.

• Private Equity Investing in Sports

Meghna KRISHNA

CRO

Meghna Krishna is the Chief Revenue Officer at Videoverse. As part of her job she is responsible for revenue maximization along with facilitating strategic partnerships and innovative marketing solutions for the overall growth of the company. Her unique leadership shines through her ability to build passionate teams focused on delivering the best quality services to their clients.
Meghna has a proven track record of over two decades of running successful businesses while building and developing teams from scratch.
Prior to joining hands with the passionate team at Videoverse, Meghna has worked across 3 continents in industries including retail, e-commerce, travel, and SaaS, giving her an extensive understanding of global and national market trends. Given the vast experience, she is able to effectively manage investor and stakeholder relations to supercharge business growth.
Meghna is an MBA holder from INSEAD and currently lives in Delhi with her family. She enjoys traveling and learning about other cultures.

• OTT, Streaming & FAST Channels

Lutz TIGGES

VP, AV Broadcast & OTT

Lutz Tigges is the VP Audiovisual & OTT at Sportradar. He is leading Sportradar’s expansion strategy across OTT and media rights, working closely with top sports and entertainment clients. With over 25 years of experience in sports and entertainment he is a true industry expert. Prior to joining Sportradar in 2016 he worked for the sportsman media group as Senior Director AV and SPORTFIVE as Managing Director Asia and Senior Director Football. He is a graduate of the University of Bayreuth in Germany.

• OTT, Streaming & FAST Channels

Giovanni PUNZO

CEO

Giovanni ‘Gio’ Punzo is a transformational leader with a passion for innovation, with 20 years of experience in the telecom, broadcast, and streaming industry.
He has empowered the internet at Zoom Telephonics, connected global enterprises at Brooktrout Technology, expanded voice recognition networks while at Dialogic, and introduced streaming to all major Broadcasters while at LiveU.
He is the CEO and Co-Founder of Streann Media, the most innovative digital media OTT end-to-end platform. With Streann, content providers can build the next generation Netflix or Paramount + with more than 150 proprietary engagement features and market-first patent-pending Web 3.0 and monetization technologies. Streaming content for its customers from Fifa World Cup, Panamerican Games, Champion League, MGM, Sony and more.

Gio graduated from Boston University, with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations. He has a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) and a Post-Master in Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management. He speaks English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuñol.

• The Future of Sports is Interactive (Soccer World Cup-Streann case studio)

Xavier ASENSI

Chief Business Officer

Xavier Asensi is one of the world’s leading experts in global football business. He has worked for many years at the very top of the field, and has been responsible for designing, negotiating, and executing many of the largest commercial and strategic business deals in the history of the sport. He was hired as Inter Miami CF’s Chief Business Officer in March 2021 and has played an integral role in increasing revenue, brand value, and integrating the team into the South Florida community. Asensi has successfully positioned the Club as the reference point of fútbol in North America, bringing the best fútbol teams in the World to play in DRV PNK Stadium and the Florida Blue Training Center. In 2022, Inter Miami CF hosted the Men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup Champions, the Argentina National Team, La Liga giant, FC Barcelona, the No. 1 and No. 2 Women’s federations, the United States of America and Germany, and more, under Asensi’s stewardship. Asensi is also responsible for signing deals for Inter Miami CF’s first-ever jersey front and sleeve partnerships as well as the Club’s stadium and training center naming rights. Asensi earned his bachelor’s degree in International Business and International Economics at ESCI-UPF. He also earned Executive Education at Stanford University School of Business. Prior to joining Inter Miami CF, Asensi worked at industry juggernaut FC Barcelona for more than a decade, where he served as the Chief Commercial Officer. The Spaniard set the global standard for excellence in football / soccer business. While with the global powerhouse, he was the executive in charge of designing and executing FC Barcelona’s global Commercial Strategy. From 2018 to 2020, under Asensi’s leadership, FC Barcelona set a global record in sports for annual revenue (based on Deloitte Money League ranking). For the year, FC Barcelona brought in total revenues of over $940 million USD. He started his tenure with the club in the position of Managing Director at FC Barcelona’s Asia Pacific Headquarters in Hong Kong, which made him one of the first soccer executives to establish a commercial office in a foreign country. Asensi negotiated and secured lucrative sponsorship deals and partnerships for Barcelona with banks, corporations, and governments in multiple countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, China and Canada. Notably, he helped close the record-breaking kit-sponsorship deal (worth $65 million USD per year to FC Barcelona) with the Japanese retailer Rakuten. This deal was, at the time, the largest jersey naming partnership in global sports. Asensi currently lives in Miami, Florida with his wife and daughters.

• A Fireside Chat with Inter Miami CF