OPENING REMARKS

Show Me the Money

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) today enjoys the most explosive growth story in the sports & entertainment sector. Five years ago, in a bold and disruptive move, WWE launched its own network. Today, the company is inking billion dollar deals with major networks as cord-cutting trends and the rise of streaming media platforms have put a premium on already valuable live-sports broadcasts. In this special session, the CEO and co-founder of WWE will discuss how his organization is changing the face of sports entertainment by attracting top leaders with a variety of skills sets and non-traditional backgrounds.

Long Live the Gamer!

For more than 30 years, Activision has been changing the way people play. Candy Crush, Call of Duty, Overwatch – you name the game, Activision is behind it. In the process, they have built the world’s most successful standalone interactive entertainment company in the world. But great entertainment starts with great people. In this in-depth session, the company’s CEO will discuss convergence, cross-over talent and why his company is one of this year’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ as ranked by Fortune. This presentation is a fascinating look at the changing face of media as it streams, digitizes, and goes global.

Recruiting 21st Century Global Talent

For today’s panel discussion, we have assembled a prominent group of executive recruiters and top professionals from the sports sector to participate in a lively exchange on how talent acquisition is altering the face of three converging sectors.

Winning

Professional sports teams operate like most conventional businesses – and they require a constant inflow of talent to make their respective organizations tick. The CEO of one of the most recognized sports brands anywhere in the world will discuss what he looks for when recruiting for the organization from top to bottom. It is an exclusive look inside the hiring practices of one of football’s most winning teams.

Harnessing the Power of People

Managing talent acquisition on a broad scale has always been a major task for CEOs of large companies. But for professional sports leagues this has been particularly challenging as a host of disruptive human capital issues has pushed aggressively into the C-suite. Globalization, digital transformation and balancing a diverse workforce have been the domain of this Commissioner for the past 12 years. In this special afternoon keynote presentation, Roger Goodell discusses his responsibilities to protect the integrity of the game by harnessing the power of people.

A Beacon of Inspiration

“Sport has the power to change the world,” Nelson Mandela famously said addressing the first Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony in Monaco nearly 20 years ago. The apartheid prisoner turned president of South Africa understood that sport is not just an industry, but it serves as a beacon to all races, creeds and genders that look to it for inspiration. Today, there are more people of color, women and LBGT participating in sports than ever before. So why is diversity hiring not keeping pace? Here to discuss his perspective is a leading expert who once served on the outside as an executive recruiter and now serves on the inside as a corporate diversity thought leader.

Closing Remarks