2025 Speakers

Janelle PRIETO

Chief Marketing & Community Officer

Janelle Prieto is a seasoned branding and communications professional with 16+ years of experience across the U.S., Latin America, and Europe in non-profits, sports, and corporate sectors. As Chief Marketing & Community Officer for the FIFA World Cup 26 Miami Host Committee, she leads strategic marketing and community engagement. Previously, she directed communications and social responsibility at Concacaf and played a key role in the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee' s marketing efforts. She also led Diageo' s global Learning for Life program and held leadership roles at Jackson Memorial Hospital Foundation. A proud daughter of Cuban immigrants, Janelle resides in Miami, FL.

Nicolas GARCIA HEMME

VP Strategy & Business Development

Nicolás is a sports and media executive currently serving as VP of Strategy and Business Development of LaLiga North America, a joint venture between Relevent Sports Group, a multinational media, sports and entertainment group, and LaLiga, Spain’s top-flight soccer competition and professional association. LaLiga North America was founded in 2018 as a first-of-a-kind partnership featuring the world’s best soccer league with internationally recognized clubs and players that aims to cultivate soccer culture in the U.S. and drive the league’s growth in the region.

Previously, Nicolás served as the Head of LaLiga Global Network - a multicultural international project composed of 50 people spread across 44 countries, the first endeavor of its kind at this scale in the sports industry. In this position, he was responsible for launching the project and selecting and developing all talent. Once established, he managed the team and its budget in order to develop opportunities and projects as well as spearhead actions to promote LaLiga abroad. Since its inception, the Global Network has improved LaLiga’s international brand value and created commercial opportunities to increase media rights globally.

Esmeralda NEGRON

Co-CEO

Esmeralda is DAZN’s Co-CEO, Women’s Sports. She joined in August 2023 after co-founding ata football, a streaming platform and community for women’s football fans. She led the growth of the business from its inception in September 2020 to its acquisition by DAZN, managing all media rights, premium broadcaster partnerships, product development, and strategic growth partnerships with professional clubs, leagues, and federations. Prior to that, Esmeralda worked at Relevent Sports Group under RSE Ventures directing the Women’s International Champions Cup, a competition that brings the four best women’s teams together from Europe and the US each year.  She brings a wealth of expertise and network within the women’s football market having played professionally in Europe and for the U21 USWNT, followed by eight years of coaching at the DI collegiate level in the US.

Dom HAYES

Commercial Director USA Operations

Dom has been with World Rugby for over two years overseeing global media rights distribution for Rugby World Cups as well as World Rugby’s other owned and operated properties including HSBC SVNS, Pacific Nations Cup, WXV, U20s World Cup and Nations Cup Challenger Series . He also leads the implementation of World Rugby’s growth strategy in the United States ahead of the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups including the annual calendar of US based events, the commercial rights program and strategic project development.

Before joining World Rugby he was Managing Director at sports marketing agency River Media, working across media rights, sponsorship, data and streaming rights and event delivery with rights holders including Formula 1, World Rugby, EPCR, E1 Powerboats, Tour of Britan Cycling, LTA & UK Pro League Tennis.

Between 2012 and 2020 Dom oversaw the commercial operation of Premiership Rugby, more than doubling broadcast revenues, establishing the competition’s first ever live free tv deal, taking games to the USA and creating the blueprint for the company’s big data solution. He was part of the team that delivered the major investment from private equity house, CVC, to drive the future growth of the competition.

Prior to that he spent 11 years at WWE heading up the international business of the sports and entertainment powerhouse. He also worked at the FA on international marketing having started his career on the FMCG giant, Procter & Gamble’s management training programme.

David LABRUNE

International Media Rights Director

As LFP Media International Media Rights Director, David Labrune oversees the international development and media rights sales for French Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and Trophée des Champions. Since joining LFP Media, he has driven a fourfold increase in international revenues, a 35% rise in audience, and has fueled Ligue 1’s expansion on social media, reaching the milestone of 50 million fans, 85% of whom are based abroad. In 2024, he led the launch of an international OTT platform, the Ligue 1 Pass, in key international markets.

With past experiences at CANAL+, Roland-Garros and Lagardère Sports, he has over 15 years of expertise in media rights, growth strategies, brand expansion and audience development across TV and digital platforms.

Shifa GARG

Chief Business Officer

Shifa is a founding member of Spectatr.ai, a pioneering platform that's revolutionizing sports content creation through AI-powered highlight generation and intelligent metadata tagging. Drawing from her Goldman Sachs background, she helps sports organizations unlock the full potential of their content archives and streamline production workflows. At Spectatr.ai, she's spearheading the development of an AI agent ecosystem that builds upon their core automation technology, enabling sports brands to create, manage, and distribute compelling content at scale.

Ethan PODELL

Head of Sales, North America

Ethan is Head of Sales, North America at Greenfly. He is the senior sales and partnerships lead in region, and also manages Greenfly's global sales operation across its three major verticals: Sports, Entertainment & Brands. Prior to Greenfly, Ethan was in the talent representation space at both United Talent Agency (UTA) and Fullscreen where he managed the digital business of top influencers, creators and traditional celebrities.

Greg MARATEA

Director, Global Client Solutions

Gregory Maratea joined Iron Mountain Media and Archive Services in 2015, bringing expertise from post-production in DI/Finishing, film remastering, and digital restoration. He leads the team in creating innovative solutions for migrating end-of-life media assets, integrating cloud technologies, and advancing system virtualization to meet evolving client needs.

Giovanni AQUILANTI

Sales and Sponsorship Agent

With more than 15 years of international experience in Marketing, Sales and Procurement at Procter & Gamble and Philip Morris International, across Consumer Goods, Sports and Technology, Giovanni Aquilanti is now fully dedicated to the sports industry, with multiple engagements which started in Motorsport and brought him to SPORTEL Sales and Business Development. A fast learner, Giovanni is eager to engage in innovative action plans as well as connecting people and organisations with a view to promoting meaningful and high value added commercial interactions.

Lowell CONN

President

President & Co-founder of PROTOCOL SPORTS MARKETING and President of satellite/internet transmission provider TV2GO INTERNATIONAL - Lowell Conn is an expert in media rights distribution, content delivery and live sports production. Over the past decade, Protocol has licensed tens of thousands of hours of sports programming to broadcasters around the world. As traditional broadcast is being gradually displaced by digital and streaming, Conn and his team have pioneered creative approaches to leverage new platforms to enhance revenue for traditional sports properties, and to launch/monetize emerging sports.

Ken KERSCHBAUMER

Editorial Director

Ken Kerschbaumer is co-executive director of editorial services for the Sports Video Group and SVG Europe. He has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991. In 2000, he joined Broadcasting & Cable magazine as senior editor of technology where he covered technology for the broadcast industry. He helped launch SVG and SVG Europe in 2006 and today the company holds events for sports production professionals around the world.

Yannick RAMCKE

General Manager OTT

Yannick Manuel Ramcke is General Manager OTT at OneFootball (joined in 2019), a leading digital football platform including 200M+ monthly users around the world. He oversees the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming business, reimagining the distribution/monetization of video content to the ultimate benefit of the football ecosystem. Yannick also shares his thoughts on OFFTHEFIELDBUSINESS.de covering digital business models and trends at the intersection of sports, media, technology, and empowered end consumers. Previous work experience includes roles in investment banking (Commerzbank), private equity (Deutsche Private Equity), as well as sports media and entertainment (ProSiebenSat.1).

Mathew RATNER

Director, Sports & Entertainment

Mathew Ratner serves as the Director of Sports and Entertainment Tourism at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB). With over a decade of experience at the GMCVB, and over 20 years in the sports industry, he has been instrumental in securing major events for Greater Miami and Miami Beach, including the FIFA World Cup, the World Baseball Classic, and the College Football Playoff National Championship. In his role, Ratner focuses on attracting, promoting, and retaining major sporting events, conferences, conventions, and film and television productions, contributing to Miami-Dade County’s economic development by increasing visitor stays and enhancing the region’s global reputation.

A proud resident of Miami, Ratner holds a master’s degree in recreation and sport management from Florida International University and a bachelor’s degree in communication and leadership studies from the University of South Florida. He is passionate about showcasing Greater Miami and Miami Beach as premier destinations for world-class events while fostering growth and positive impact for the local community.

Jonathan REST

Global News Reporter

Jon Rest is the Global News Reporter at SportBusiness, the world’s most trusted source of global sports media rights intelligence. For the past 15 years he has been on top of the biggest deals, developments and trends shaping the industry around the world.

Vikash SAMOTA

CEO

Mr. Vikash Samota is the founder and CEO of MultiTV Tech Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a leading Video SaaS company transforming online video streaming. With a career rooted in technology and entrepreneurship, he worked at Aricent in the US before launching his first successful software solutions venture in 2012. He founded MultiTV in 2014, growing it into a global leader with 100+ engineers and Fortune 500 clients. Under his leadership, MultiTV delivers cutting-edge solutions in live streaming, virtual events, and OTT platforms, serving top brands like Sony Liv, Fancode, and Times. Known for his strategic vision and team-focused approach, Mr. Samota continues to drive innovation in the video tech industry.