Brian Sims has worked in international motorsport for nearly 40 years, both as a professional race driver and then as the Marketing Director of two Formula 1 teams, Lola-Ferrari and Benetton. He is one of international sports’ most successful and experienced marketing exponents, having personally secured well in excess of £65 million of sponsorship at all levels of sport. This included bringing such blue-chip companies as FedEx, Marconi and Gillette into F1.

The author of two highly acclaimed books on sponsorship acquisition, Brian is also an accomplished broadcaster and speaker. In 1994, he founded the prestigious Motorsport Industry Association.

His current activities include being on the Advisory Board of Oxford Brookes University, as well as a Consultant to the University in respect of its international motorsport industry activities.

Brian also writes a monthly feature for the global motorsport publication “Paddock” and for the sports website “iSportConnect.com”

Dean Gosper was elected President of Ski & Snowboard Australia (SSA) in 2003, after having served as a Director since 1997, and is now Chairman. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWI).

Dean has previously served as member of the FIS Snowboard and FIS Legal & Safety Committees and has chaired the Organising Committee for a number of Freestyle Aerials World Cups at Mt Buller, Australia. He is a self-employed investor, educated and trained as a Lawyer and holds a second degree, Bachelor of Economics. Dean has spent considerable amounts of time living and travelling in North America and Europe.

His commercial experience includes over 11 years in corporate banking with a leading International investment bank providing corporate and financial advice to major corporations. He has also partnered in the establishment of a substantial manufacturing business which today remains a high profile fresh food brand.

Eamonn has over 30 years of experience in the leisure industry and has been involved in managing change in the local authority leisure sector at every level. Starting in operational management Eamonn is now responsible for developing Manchester’s Leisure Strategy.

Having worked through two Olympic Bids and the hugely successful Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002, Eamonn was responsible for the commissioning of the World Class Sporting facilities in post games operation whilst developing a robust Sports Policy, which was at the centre of Manchester’s benefit legacy from the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Geoff Lipshut has played a pivotal role in winter sport development in Australia following a successful career as a competitive freestyle skier.

In 1986 he established Team Buller, the most successful ski club in Australia prior to joining the Australian Ski Institute, now the ‘Olympic Winter Institute of Australia'.

In June 2003 Geoff was awarded the IOC's 2003 "Sporting Excellence" Trophy for his outstanding contribution to the development of winter sports in Australia.

Gordon was educated at Oxford University and from 1973 through to 2007 was at the Manchester Business School where he lectured in Strategic Marketing and directed the International Business Programme. He has lectured extensively for many other leading business schools, and is currently Visiting Professor at Cyprus International Institute of Management.

From 1974 to 1982, he served as European Director of the PIMS programme, a large, multi-company research activity aimed at identifying the relationship between market strategy and profitability.

As well as consulting for a host of impressive multinational companies throughout his career, he is now Director, Academic & Research for the World Academy of Sport. In this role he has developed and delivered many practical and inspiring programmes to various International Sport Federations and Organising Committees.

Ian has held his current position as Director of Development at Badminton World Federation (BWF) since July 2010.

Prior to this, Ian has been Head Coach at Badminton England for almost five years.

Ian has also previously coached the French national team for nearly 10 years.

Jon has been a member of the International Cricket Council’s senior management team since 2006 where he holds a broad role overseeing the ICC’s strategy and support services. Prior to this Jon was responsible for marketing, corporate communications, member relations and education programmes at cricket’s global governing body in London and then Dubai.

Basketball Sport Manager for the 2011 Special Olympics World Games

Lead of the Competition Services Team for the 2007 Euroleague Basketball Final-Four

Deputy Competition Manager for Basketball in Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Member of the Basketball Competition Management Team in Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

Currently Instructor of Sports and Physical Education for the Greek Ministry of Education

Currently also Programme Manager, IPC Observers’ Programme

Mark Todd has over 25 years of experience working as an Access Advisor and TV broadcaster. Having played a key role in the disability movement he became the first Access Officer at Manchester City Council before moving into a career in television presenting programmes addressing disability issues.
 
In 1992 he moved back to Manchester to oversee the access programme which became a key success story of the major regeneration of this post-industrial city.
 
This important contribution to the regeneration of the City was recognized in 1995 when he received The Mancunian of the Year Award from civic leaders. In 2001 he created “access all areas”, his own access advice consultancy and became the Access Advisor to the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
 
He is currently a member of the IPC Accessibility Working Group and has represented the IPC on the jury of the IAKS international architecture prize for sports and leisure facilities.
He has been involved for 7 years as Advisor and later Access and Inclusion Manager for LOCOG, awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2013 Queen’s New Year’s Honours List of his work in this role.
Currently, Mark act as an expert advisor to:
• Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games
• The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games
• Rio 2016 Olympic & Paralympic Games

Mike Miller has over two decades of experience in the media and sports business.

He has worked in newspapers, radio, television and the electronic media, becoming the Head of Sport at Channel 4 UK and then the Controller of Television Sport at the BBC.  At both organisations he was responsible for all sports editorial output and for all sports rights negotiations. He was also a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Sports Group Executive Bureau.

Mike's experience outside sport includes three years as Channel 4's Commissioning Editor for the Big Breakfast (their morning general entertainment and news programme) and three years as Channel 4's Commissioning Editor for the Internet.

Mike is the former Secretary General of the IRB

Peter Clarke is Professor at The Department of Accountancy at University College, Dublin, where he lectures managerial accounting and financial reporting. He has undertaken many overseas lecturing and consulting assignments and has presented papers at many leading international accounting conferences and has also authored a number of books including Managerial Accounting: Costing, Decision Making & Control (2010).

Formerly, Peter was Founding Director for the Diploma in Sports Management at UCD, as well as a founder member and past Chairman of the Irish Accounting and Finance Association, in addition to being the first editor of the Irish Accounting Review.

Richard started his broadcasting career in the U.K. and in 1978 was invited to join the European Broadcast Union in Geneva , where he developed long-term relationships with most International Federations, being responsible for negotiating broadcast rights contracts for the major international sporting events. He was the driving force behind the creation of Eurosport. Richard was awarded the Olympic Order in 2001.

Graduating from Manchester University in 1978 where he took a BA (Honours) degree in Psychology, Steven started his career in the motor industry first with Austin Morris and then Ford Motor Company before taking an MBA at Warwick University specialising in International Marketing and Strategic Planning, graduating in 1982.

There followed progressively senior roles in the Marketing and Commercial departments of Astra Zeneca; United Utilities; Great Universal Stores and MBNA, latterly as Head of Affinity Marketing and Senior Vice President.

In 2001, Steven joined Manchester United as Director of Financial Services. Following the successful planning, launch and development of the MU Finance business promoting a range of club-branded FS products to fans in over 20 countries worldwide Steven was promoted to Director of Marketing & Commercial Services.

In January 2010, Steven launched Star Sports Marketing, a specialist sports marketing consultancy.

Steven is a regular contributor of articles on these subjects to the Marketing press and has worked with the World Academy of Sport for some years now.