Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast cover art

Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast

Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast

Written by: Leaders
Listen for free

About this listen

The biggest names in the global business of sport sit down with Leaders Editorial Director, James Emmett, and Content Director, David Cushnan.Copyright 2026 Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast Economics Management Management & Leadership Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Parkrun CEO Elizabeth Duggan on the magic of the model underpinning the participation sensation
    Feb 25 2026

    Elizabeth Duggan is approaching one year in the role of CEO at Parkrun, the volunteer-led running organisation that is held up as a blueprint for sports participation in the UK.

    Duggan and her team do a lot with a little. What started 21 years ago as one man - Paul Sinton-Hewitt - looking for company on a 5km run around Bushy Park in London has blossomed into a global community of 'fun-runners'. Parkrun welcomed its 12 millionth registrant recently and now operates weekend events - 5km runs and walks, as well as 2km runs for children - in 23 countries around the world.

    In the next few years, Duggan anticipates reaching 800,000 weekly runners taking part. In this conversation, she explains the principles that have driven the charity's success.

    For more detail and analysis, subscribe for free to the weekly Leaders Worth Knowing newsletter at leadersinsport.com/newsletters/

    ------

    Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We’ll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek

    Show More Show Less
    1 min
  • What would a tennis merger achieve? And what now for Wasserman?
    Feb 19 2026

    The proposed merger between the ATP and WTA remains on the table, but as James Emmett and David Cushnan discuss, the time it's taking to finalise tells its own story.

    On this week's show, there's reflections on conversations with Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, the commercial arm of the WTA, and Eno Polo, the new CEO at the ATP - and the challenges tennis faces with calendar congestion, balancing the demands of tournaments of various sizes, and player influence.

    There's also time to discuss Casey Wasserman's decision to sell his stake in his agency, and the possible forms the sale could take, and as the NFL hires TMRW Sports to operate its planned new flag football league, how and where rights holders can create new IP, to make a greater footprint, expand geographically or fuel player development.

    ----

    Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We’ll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek.

    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Addressing critical needs: WTA Ventures CEO Marina Storti
    Feb 18 2026

    WTA Ventures CEO Marina Storti joins the podcast to review a transformative year for women's tennis.

    She takes us inside the process of landing Mercedes-Benz as a new headline partner, in what is being widely reported as the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of women's sport.

    She details the gains the tour has made across its digital output and in its internal structure.

    And she explains the rationale behind the new PIF WTA Maternity Fund programme, an industry-leading scheme that provides WTA players up to 12 months of paid leave.

    This episode is part of a series exploring PIF’s growing sports sponsorship portfolio, detailing how it is striving to help solve societal and sporting challenges across its portfolio.

    Listen to episode 1, with PIF Director and Head of Events and Sponsorship Alanoud Althonayan, here.

    -----

    Leaders Week London is moving to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. We’ll see you on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October. For more details visit leadersinsport.com/leadersweek.

    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
No reviews yet