Sport Industry Nextgen Alumni Coaches Named
CAA’s Abi Carpenter and Dan Smith, who left Nike last week to become a director at Summus Sports Group, have been selected as “alumni” coaches for the new cohort of Sport Industry NextGen Leaders.
The pair, who completed the programme last year, will join fellow coaches including Alastair Campbell, David Grevemberg, Jennie Price, Rene Carayol and Kate Robertson in offering mentorship and guidance to the new intake, who kick off their journey this week.
The announcement was made ahead of Thursday’s Sport Industry NextGen Unlocked event at Village Underground in Shoreditch, when alumni from the previous three years of the programme will join high-profile industry guests to toast the 30 new Leaders for 2019.
The event will focus on the theme of “What’s Next?”, looking ahead to emerging trends in sport and business.
This year, a significant proportion of the content will be curated by the Sport Industry NextGen Leaders, with Chevaune Halewood (2018) of adidas, Patrick McMeekin (2017) of SeatServe and Clare Barrell (2016) of UK Sport among those challenging the industry to think differently and embrace change.
Guests will also be able to take part in a panel discussion looking ahead to the future of women’s team sport – a sector that looks set to reach a commercial tipping point this summer.
20-year-old Scotland and Chelsea sensation Erin Cuthbert, tipped to be among the breakthrough stars of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, will be joined by England and West Ham’s Claire Rafferty to explore “what’s next” for the women’s game.
The evening will conclude in the company of former WBA and IBF world boxing champion Carl Frampton – the only Northern Irish fighter to have won world titles at two different weights – who will be interviewed on-stage by Raj Mannick of Yahoo! Sports, himself a Sport Industry Next Gen Leader in 2016.
“What’s Next for Carl Frampton” will be a question many are keen to hear answered, following the star’s fight against England’s Josh Warrington in Manchester in December.
The Sport Industry NextGen programme is aimed at industry professionals aged 30 and younger. It is designed to better equip emerging talent for leadership roles within sport – and in turn to ensure the industry itself is fit to face the challenges of the future at a time of rapid change.
Successful applicants benefit from a year-long Leadership Package which includes money-can’t-buy training, personal development and networking opportunities, in addition to the powerful, lifelong network the Leaders form together.
