Tomorrow’s Game, Today’s Essence: Europe's central role in innovating football

Grace Ahrens is the Executive Director of Women in Soccer, an organization committed to creating opportunities for women and people with underrepresented gender identities who work (or want to work) in soccer. Growing up in Mexico and with over 10 years of experience in workforce development, branding and media, she brings a deep understanding of diversity and expertise in driving inclusive solutions.

Greg Bettinelli is a Partner at TCG, investing in sports, media, and passion-led brands. Formerly at Upfront Ventures, he backed companies like GOAT and ThredUp. He was CMO at HauteLook (acquired by Nordstrom), held executive roles at Live Nation, and led StubHub’s acquisition while at eBay. He sits on several boards and holds a BA from the University of San Diego and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Ricardo Fort is one of the most respected names in the global sponsorship business. As the only executive to lead the Global Sponsorship Departments of two FIFA and IOC sponsors – Visa and Coca-Cola – he successfully negotiated billions of dollars in sponsorship contracts with the International Olympic Committee, FIFA, UEFA, athletes, the NFL, Formula 1 and Formula 1 teams, and many other worldwide sports and entertainment properties.

During a 14-year professional career, Lise Klaveness earned 73 caps for Norway and finished as a runner-up at UEFA Women’s EURO 2005. She also helped Swedish club Umeå FC reach the 2007 UEFA Women’s Cup final. While playing, she earned a master’s degree in law, subsequently working as an assistant judge in the Oslo district court and as a special adviser to Norway’s central bank.A return to football came in 2018 when Klaveness was named technical director at the Football Association of Norway (NFF).

Oscar is CMO at PRISA Media, the largest Spanish-language media group. With a degree from CUNEF and a Master in Marketing Strategy from the University of Sydney, he built his career at Diageo, becoming Marketing Director for Johnnie Walker in Europe. He later served as CEO of FCB&FiRe and co-founded a TV documentary company. He’s also President and Co-founder of Best Buddies Spain, supporting youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

I am the founder and CEO of a sports communications agency called Empower Sports. We advise athletes, coaches, clubs, sports organisations and brands on communications, PR and digital content. I currently also work with ELEVEN in Portugal, as a presenter and executive producer of content. Before starting my own business, I worked in the sporting industry for 20 years as a journalist, broadcaster and communications director, mostly with CNN and UEFA respectively.