Barney Francis joined IMG as Executive Vice President, Head of Global Production, in November 2021. He oversees the production of thousands of hours of content on behalf of more than 200 federations, associations and events to help them reach new and existing fans in creative and compelling ways. Widely-respected as one of the leading sports executives in the world, Francis was largely responsible for establishing Sky Sports as the leading UK sport broadcaster during his 20-year spell with the organization. As Managing Director, he grew the channel offering from 5 channels to 11, adding premium sports such as Formula 1, the Masters, The Open and NBA to the portfolio while also increasing the number of Premier League matches shown on Sky. He also oversaw continued technological innovation with developments in 3D, Ultra HD, virtual reality and the continued growth of Sky Sports’ digital, social and online presence. Prior to his role as Managing Director, Francis was Sky Sports’ Executive Producer for Football and Cricket, producing a range of live coverage, support programming and sport news content. His production credits include the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, the ICC Cricket World Cup and Test cricket.

Melissa Lawton is responsible for Live Sports Production Strategy at Facebook. She’s charged with helping Facebook’s partners redefine the live sports viewing experience to foster deeper and more meaningful connections between fans and the broadcasters, teams, leagues and athletes they follow. In this role, Melissa will design production strategies that inspire partners to fully leverage the interactive and social potential of video on Facebook. She’ll also work closely with the Facebook product team to develop the tools partners need to deliver sports broadcasts for the next generation of fans.

Melissa joined Facebook after five years as the Head of Live Content at Red Bull Media House, working specifically on the creation and expansion of Red Bull’s media network, Red Bull TV. In this capacity, she oversaw a global production team that produced premium, live third-party sports, music and culture events and many ‘beyond the ordinary’ Red Bull competitions across the globe.

With a background in political communication, I started my sports journey working for Public Content Partnerships at Facebook in 2011, helping shape the strategy for the top tier sports, media, politics and entertainment clients in the EMEA region across the company’s family of platforms – including Instagram and the Mentions app. Then, I moved to UEFA in 2015, leading social media and digital partnerships, with the scope to drive new business revenue and audience growth for European Football, followed by working for Google Search, leading strategic content partnerships and actions integrations for Media & Sports in EMEA. I joined DFL in 2020, being the first female director across the group. In my current role I am overseeing all B2C activities on the Bundesliga’s owned-and-operated digital channels and across various languages. DFL Digital Sports GmbH is a fully owned subsidiary of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, responsible for the distribution of the Bundesliga’s digital content. I also serve as member of its executive board.

Tom has worked in the sports broadcast industry for over 18 years and is currently SVP of Product at DAZN. Before moving to DAZN, Tom was Global Head of Digital at Eleven Sports where he was responsible for the strategy and development of the OTT product globally. He oversaw launches in new markets and drove platform innovations like the Sports Pro OTT award-winning Watch Together tool. Tom was also previously Head of Video at Sky Sports.

Zehra Betul Ayranci is a Director, Business & Legal Affairs at FOX Sports, overseeing remote operations for the production of global sporting events in soccer, football, baseball, motorsports, rugby, basketball, and more. Prior to her current role, Betul served as the sole legal counsel and main point of contact to FOX’s sports rights acquisitions in Europe, Middle East and Africa, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Native of Turkey, Betul has over 12 years of practice experience, as an award-wining lawyer, board member, public speaker, and published author, across five continents, in sports, tech, and scripted and non-scripted entertainment industries. Holding an LL.M. degree with Fulbright Scholarship, Betul is currently pursuing a PhD degree at University of California Berkeley Law with a dissertation on the intersection of law, economics, and policy in the content industries in the digital streaming era.

Gabrielle Guedj is the Director of Commercial Rights Sales & New Business Development at ATP Media, previously at IMG and its subsidiary SNTV for 22 years as Senior Vice President in Media looking after various territories in Europe and  MENA.

A sociologist by formation, Gabrielle has lived in France, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco in her formative  years . She has studied in the Czech republic ( and is a fluent  Czech speaker ) and lived in her native France before relocating to the UK where she has been based for most of her professional life.

Bhavesh Patel is currently the Chief Digital Officer at beIN Media Group based in Paris. He is working on building their next generation global OTT platform and driving innovation across the group. Prior, Bhavesh was an OTT strategy advisor for CBS Studios International and Verizon Go90, headed up Betfair’s US horserace wagering business, and led the launch of FOX Soccer 2 Go and NBA International League Pass.

Julie Souza leads the Global Sports Practice for AWS Professional Services, driving innovation in sports data (tracking, AI/ML/CV), virtualized production, direct-to-consumer interactivity and monetization, fan data and analytics, and smart venue solutions. Prior to joining AWS, Julie led Strategy and Business Development for Second Spectrum, the official data analytics partner of the NBA, EPL, MLS, and others. She held similar roles leading business development and driving strategy for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and CBS Sports Network. Julie holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Harvard Business School.