Leading voices from across the ecosystem
World Football Summit brings together the leaders defining where the industry is heading, from club presidents and league executives to investors, innovators, and voices from beyond football who bring fresh perspectives to the business of the game.
Adwa
Al Arifi
Assistant Minister for Sport Affairs
Adwa
Al Arifi
For more than 15 years, Adwa has led dozens of initiatives to help drive and develop the sport sector as well as playing a key role in mass participation across the Kingdom. Her early work included helping to establish the Kingdom’s first women’s football team in 2007 and founding the Riyadh Women’s Football League in 2008. Her continued to support the growth of football becoming the first ever female board member of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in 2019.
Hammad
Albalawi
Head of the Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup™ 2034 bid unit at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation – Saudi Arabian Football Federation
Hammad
Albalawi
Hammad Albalawi leads Saudi Arabia’s FIFA World Cup 2034 bid, aiming to host the first 48-team tournament in a single nation under the slogan “Growing. Together.” Previously, he was Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Planning & Investment at the Ministry of Sport, overseeing the National Sports and Football Strategies. He also led the privatization of state-owned sports assets, boosting investment appeal and managing IP projects like the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
H.E. Bader
Alkadi
Vice Minister of Sport
H.E. Bader
Alkadi
His Excellency Mr. Bader bin Abdulrahman Alkadi holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the College of Business at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, specializing in Financial Management, and a master’s degree in Sports Management and Entertainment from ISDE University in Spain. He began his professional career 20 years ago at HSBC Bank in London, then returned to the Kingdom and transitioned to the trade and retail sector, where he worked for 10 years at Procter & Gamble.
Anita
Asante
Player Advisory Council Member – World Sevens Football & BBC Sport pundit
Anita
Asante
Anita Asante is a former England international with 71 caps and a 19-year career spanning top clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and FC Rosengård. A Champions League winner and 2012 Olympian, she now coaches England’s U23s, works in media, and advocates for diversity in sport. Inducted into the WSL Hall of Fame in 2023, she remains a powerful voice for social change and talent development.
Lisa
Baird
Commissioner- NWSL.
Lisa
Baird
“Lisa Baird was named commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League in February 2020. Most recently, she served as the chief marketing officer for New York Public Radio, a position she had held since 2018. Prior to her time with WNYC, Baird spent nearly a decade as the chief marketing officer of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. From 2005-2007, Baird served as senior vice president of marketing and consumer products for the National Football League.”
Fabio
Capello
Former Professional Manager
Fabio
Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian former professional football manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus. He played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which lasted over 15 years.
Giorgio
Chiellini
Head of Football Institutional Relations – Juventus Football Club
Giorgio
Chiellini
I’m a professional former football player, transitioning now in the management position. Part of Common Goal and other social initiatives.
Pierluigi
Collina
Chairman – FIFA Referees Committee
Pierluigi
Collina
Legendary referee Pierluigi Collina, FIFA Referees Committee Chairman since 2017, holds a degree in Economics & Business. A globally recognized icon and six-time “Best Referee” awardee, he advises on leadership and pressure performance, and supports brands and humanitarian causes outside football.
Chris
Davis
Chief Marketing Officer – New Balance
Chris
Davis
In his role as Brand President and CMO, Chris Davis is responsible for New Balance’s product and demand creation initiatives around the globe to maximize the brand’s impact with a consumer first vision through elevated branding vision, world-class partnerships and articulated product distribution strategies. Chris Davis is recognized by Forbes as one of the Most Influential CMO, ranking 12th in 2023, 8th in 2024, and 2nd in 2025.
Katie
Ellis
Head of Partnerships – LFC Foundation
Katie
Ellis
With 7+ years at the LFC Foundation, Katie leads commercial partnerships, international delivery, research and impact, EDI, and safeguarding. She has extensive experience across sport, leisure, and charity sectors, specializing in women in sport, inclusion, volunteer management, and programme evaluation. Passionate about sport as a tool for social change, she is committed to driving healthier lives and greater opportunities.
Mark
Fenwick
President & Founder – Fenwick Iribarren Architects (FIA)
Mark
Fenwick
Mark Fenwick is President and founder of Fenwick Iribarren Architects, now part of Egis. With 35+ years of experience, he has led over 50 stadium projects worldwide. A pioneer in sports architecture, his work includes Stadium 974 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He co-authored UEFA’s stadium guidelines and is a frequent global speaker, driving innovation in sustainable, cutting-edge sports design.
Rio
Ferdinand
Director & Ambassador- New Era Ingenious
Rio
Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand OBE is an English former professional footballer turned leading TV presenter, pundit, and media personality. During his playing career, Rio played for West Ham, Leeds United, and Manchester United, where he served as captain, winning six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. One of the most decorated English players of all time, he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2023.
Miguel Ángel
Gil Marín
CEO – Atlético de Madrid
Miguel Ángel
Gil Marín
Mariana
Gutiérrez
Directora General – Liga MX Femenil
Mariana
Gutiérrez
Mariana is General Director of LIGA MX Femenil and leads Inclusion and Diversity efforts in LIGA MX. With nearly 15 years in women’s football, she co-founded Mexico’s 7-a-side women’s tournament in 2009 and has driven growth in both FMF and LIGA MX. She holds a degree in Textile Design, a coaching license, two Master’s degrees, and a Global Executive MBA from IE Business School.
Emily
Heath
Global Brand Director – Rexona
Emily
Heath
Gianni
Infantino
President – FIFA
Gianni
Infantino
Before being elected FIFA President, Gianni Infantino was the UEFA General Secretary since October 2009, having joined the organisation in 2000. He led a team of over 400 staff which has helped further strengthen both national team and club football in Europe and UEFA’s role as a respected and credible international governing body.
Nadine
Kessler
Director of Women’s Football – UEFA
Nadine
Kessler
Nadine Kessler is the current Director of Women’s Football at UEFA. in this role Nadine leads that strategic direction of women’s football through Unstoppable 2025-30 and is the main contact for all football and non-football stakeholders. She uses her role to pass on her knowledge for the good
of the women’s game and aims to further develop the sport in all corners of Europe, as well as to take UEFA’s women’s competitions to new heights.
Lise
Klaveness
Football President – Norwegian Football Association
Lise
Klaveness
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).
Tim
Leiweke
Co-Founder and CEO-Oak View Group
Tim
Leiweke
Tim Leiweke is a leader and veteran in the sports and entertainment industry with more than 35 years experience spanning multiple teams, leagues, and facility developments around the world. No one else has been recognized on both the Billboard Top 100 People in the Music Business and the Most Influential Sports Executives by the Sports Business Journal in the same year.
Pablo
Longoria
President – Olympique de Marseille
Pablo
Longoria
Rafael
Louzán
President – Real Federación Española de Fútbol
Rafael
Louzán
Rafael Louzán Abal has been President of the RFEF since December 2024, after a decade leading the Royal Galician Football Federation. Known for his expertise in sports management, he drove the modernization and digital transformation of the Galician federation, significantly increasing its asset value. Earlier in his career, Louzán worked in public administration, bringing governance experience to his leadership in Spanish football.
Mauricio
Macri
President of the FIFA Foundation – FIFA
Mauricio
Macri
Mauricio Macri, former President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019, who also served two terms as Mayor of Buenos Aires and President of Boca Juniors Club on three occasions, is the Executive Chairman at the FIFA Foundation. In his current capacity, Macri is dedicated to leveraging the unifying power of football and the educational opportunities it presents to empower youth, foster positive change, and pave the way for a promising future on a global scale.
Charlie
Marshall
Managing Director- European Club Association- ECA
Charlie
Marshall
In his role as Managing Director of ECA, Charlie Marshall manages the daily operations of ECA and together with the leadership team works hand in hand with ECA’s members and key stakeholders on a wide range of strategic, commercial and political matters. He joined the organisation in November 2018 with a background of high-level international executive experience at the intersection of sports, media and technology.
Juan
Mata
Football Legend & Co-Founder at Common Goal
Juan
Mata
Juan Mata, an adidas athlete, co-founded Common Goal in 2017 with a call for other professionals to join him in forming a Common Goal XI – since then the movement has grown year after year to now include well over 100 members. Juan has achieved considerable success in his illustrious career and played for some of the world’s biggest clubs. He has won the World Cup and two European Championships on the international stage and the Champions League at the club level.
Víctor
Montigliani
President of CONCACAF & Vice President of the FIFA Council.
Víctor
Montigliani
Victor Montagliani is a Canadian businessman who is the current president of CONCACAF. He is also a vice president of the FIFA Council. He is a former player of Columbus F.C. In his professional career, he was a manager at Hogan & Cox Insurance Adjusters in Maple Ridge before being transferred to Vancouver in 2003. He was the president of the British Columbia Soccer Association in 2005. He was voted in as president of the Canadian Soccer Association in May 2012.
Peter
Moore
Owner – Santa Barbara Sky Football club
Peter
Moore
Currently the Owner of Santa Barbara Sky Football Club, Peter Moore brings his vast experience from many leadership roles in major sports and entertainment brands like Liverpool FC, EA Sports, etc to the local football scene. His passion now lies in building a successful and community-focused club.
Ronaldo
Nazário
Chairman – Real Valladolid C.F.
Ronaldo
Nazário
Ronaldo Nazário de Lima has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Real Valladolid since 28th of September, 2018. In his sporting career, he won The World Football Championship with Brazil, in 1994 and 2002. He also was awarded three times with the FIFA World Player, and another two times with the Golden Ball.
Alexis
Ohanian
Founder – Seven Seven Six
Alexis
Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian is a tech founder and venture capitalist. He’s written a national bestselling book, Without Their Permission, and co-founded Reddit, one of the largest websites in the U.S. currently valued at more than $10B. In 2020 he founded Seven Seven Six, a new firm built like a technology company that deploys venture capital with over $750M assets under management.
Stephen
Pagliuca
Co-Chairman – Atalanta B.C.
Stephen
Pagliuca
Mr. Pagliuca is a Principal Owner and Co-Chairman of Atalanta B.C.. Under his stewardship, Atalanta captured its first major title in more than 60 years by winning the Europa League in May 2024.
In U.S. sports, Steve partnered with the Grousbeck family in 2003 to acquire the Boston Celtics, where he served as a Managing General Partner, Co-Owner, and a member of the NBA Board of Governors. Under his leadership, the Celtics won NBA Championships in 2008 and 2024.
Cindy
Parlow-Cone
President – US Soccer Federation
Cindy
Parlow-Cone
The first female President of U.S. Soccer, Cindy Parlow Cone was re-elected to a four-year term on March 5, 2022, and is currently one of only seven female Federation presidents across FIFA’s 211 member associations.
Heidi
Pellarano
Chief Commercial Officer – CONCACAF
Heidi
Pellarano
Responsible for leading the Commercial division. In this capacity, Pellerano is responsible for developing and managing strategic partnerships to maximize the commercial opportunities of the organization. She has direct oversight of the departments of Strategy, Business Development, Partnership Marketing, Digital and Emerging Technologies, Media Distribution, and Broadcast Productions. She is also a member of the executive leadership of the Confederation.
George
Pyne
Founder & CEO – Bruin Capital
George
Pyne
Elma
Saiz Delgado
Ministra – Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones
Elma
Saiz Delgado
Licenciada en Derecho y Máster en Asesoría Fiscal por la Universidad de
Navarra.
Inició su trayectoria profesional en 1999 como socia-directora de IMEL,
Consultoría Jurídico Tributaria, S.L, empresa especializada en la consultoría tributaria y asesoramiento jurídico a empresas y particulares.
En el ámbito académico, fue colaboradora en el Máster Universitario en Derecho de Empresa y en el Máster Universitario en Asesoría Fiscal de la Universidad de Navarra, así como en la Escuela de Práctica Jurídica.
Sir Martin
Sorrell
Executive Chairman – S4 Capital
Sir Martin
Sorrell
«WPP-founder Sir Martin is a global leader in the marketing and communications industry and his talk will be one of the must-see events at this year’s summit.
Sir Martin turned WPP into the world’s largest advertising and marketing services company in a remarkable 33-year stint at the helm of the company before moving on to launch S4 Capital in 2018.
Javier
Tebas
President – LALIGA
Javier
Tebas
Javier Tebas Medrano (San Jose, Costa Rica, 1962), of Spanish nationality, holds a degree in Law from the University of Zaragoza. He has been a practising lawyer since 1987 and founded his own legal firm, specialising in Company Law and, subsequently, in sports and bankruptcy law. Tebas’s direct involvement in football began in 1993, when he was named president of Sociedad Deportiva Huesca, a position he held until 1998 (a period during which the club competed in Spain’s Tercera Division and Segunda Division B).
Muhammad
Yunus
Peace Nobel Laureate 2006 & Chairman – Yunus Sports Hub
Muhammad
Yunus
Recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, Professor Muhammad Yunus is the founder of the first institution who offered microcredits, and the father of the social business movement – two concepts that have now been replicated in most of the countries around the world. Over the last 40 years, Muhammad Yunus has created a large network of experts, now present in over 150 countries, helping to solve social issues and improving the lives of millions of people through social business in all the major industries.
Adwa
Al Arifi
Adwa
Al Arifi
For more than 15 years, Adwa has led dozens of initiatives to help drive and develop the sport sector as well as playing a key role in mass participation across the Kingdom. Her early work included helping to establish the Kingdom’s first women’s football team in 2007 and founding the Riyadh Women’s Football League in 2008. Her continued to support the growth of football becoming the first ever female board member of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in 2019.
Hammad
Albalawi
Hammad
Albalawi
Hammad Albalawi leads Saudi Arabia’s FIFA World Cup 2034 bid, aiming to host the first 48-team tournament in a single nation under the slogan “Growing. Together.” Previously, he was Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Planning & Investment at the Ministry of Sport, overseeing the National Sports and Football Strategies. He also led the privatization of state-owned sports assets, boosting investment appeal and managing IP projects like the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
H.E. Bader
Alkadi
H.E. Bader
Alkadi
His Excellency Mr. Bader bin Abdulrahman Alkadi holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the College of Business at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, specializing in Financial Management, and a master’s degree in Sports Management and Entertainment from ISDE University in Spain. He began his professional career 20 years ago at HSBC Bank in London, then returned to the Kingdom and transitioned to the trade and retail sector, where he worked for 10 years at Procter & Gamble.
Anita
Asante
Anita
Asante
Anita Asante is a former England international with 71 caps and a 19-year career spanning top clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and FC Rosengård. A Champions League winner and 2012 Olympian, she now coaches England’s U23s, works in media, and advocates for diversity in sport. Inducted into the WSL Hall of Fame in 2023, she remains a powerful voice for social change and talent development.
Lisa
Baird
Lisa
Baird
“Lisa Baird was named commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League in February 2020. Most recently, she served as the chief marketing officer for New York Public Radio, a position she had held since 2018. Prior to her time with WNYC, Baird spent nearly a decade as the chief marketing officer of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. From 2005-2007, Baird served as senior vice president of marketing and consumer products for the National Football League.”
Fabio
Capello
Fabio
Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian former professional football manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus. He played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which lasted over 15 years.
Giorgio
Chiellini
Giorgio
Chiellini
I’m a professional former football player, transitioning now in the management position. Part of Common Goal and other social initiatives.
Pierluigi
Collina
Pierluigi
Collina
Legendary referee Pierluigi Collina, FIFA Referees Committee Chairman since 2017, holds a degree in Economics & Business. A globally recognized icon and six-time “Best Referee” awardee, he advises on leadership and pressure performance, and supports brands and humanitarian causes outside football.
Chris
Davis
Chris
Davis
In his role as Brand President and CMO, Chris Davis is responsible for New Balance’s product and demand creation initiatives around the globe to maximize the brand’s impact with a consumer first vision through elevated branding vision, world-class partnerships and articulated product distribution strategies. Chris Davis is recognized by Forbes as one of the Most Influential CMO, ranking 12th in 2023, 8th in 2024, and 2nd in 2025.
Katie
Ellis
Katie
Ellis
With 7+ years at the LFC Foundation, Katie leads commercial partnerships, international delivery, research and impact, EDI, and safeguarding. She has extensive experience across sport, leisure, and charity sectors, specializing in women in sport, inclusion, volunteer management, and programme evaluation. Passionate about sport as a tool for social change, she is committed to driving healthier lives and greater opportunities.
Mark
Fenwick
Mark
Fenwick
Mark Fenwick is President and founder of Fenwick Iribarren Architects, now part of Egis. With 35+ years of experience, he has led over 50 stadium projects worldwide. A pioneer in sports architecture, his work includes Stadium 974 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He co-authored UEFA’s stadium guidelines and is a frequent global speaker, driving innovation in sustainable, cutting-edge sports design.
Rio
Ferdinand
Rio
Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand OBE is an English former professional footballer turned leading TV presenter, pundit, and media personality. During his playing career, Rio played for West Ham, Leeds United, and Manchester United, where he served as captain, winning six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. One of the most decorated English players of all time, he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2023.
Strategic Debates
Strategic
Debates
WFS Speakers On stage
