Paul Barber joined the board of Brighton & Hove Albion FC as Chief Executive in June 2012. He was appointed Deputy Chairman in November 2018.

Prior to joining Brighton, Paul was the first British football executive to lead a club in to Major League Soccer when Vancouver Whitecaps FC entered the league in March 2011. Paul made the move to North America after over half a decade at Tottenham Hotspur FC, where he was the club’s Executive Director. Previously, Paul occupied several senior commercial, marketing and communications roles at The Football Association.

In addition to over 25 years working in professional football, Paul spent more than a decade in senior positions with major international companies such as Barclays Bank, where he was a member of the retail board, Inchcape, the international motor distribution group, and Ogilvy & Mather, the US-based advertising and communications group, where he was Chief Executive for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Paul is the non-executive chair of charity Football Beyond Borders which uses football to work with young people from areas of socio-economic disadvantage who are disengaged at school, and has been a non-executive director of Women in Football since 2020. Paul has served as a member of The FA Council and Professional Game Board since 2018, and sits on various Premier League and Football Association committees.

Paul was made an OBE in HM The King’s first New Year’s Honour’s List in 2023 for services to football, and received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sussex in the same year. Paul was named Chief Executive of the Year at The Football Business Awards in 2013 and 2023, and European Sports Executive at the Stadium Business Awards in 2016. Paul is a guest lecturer for FIFA’s Diploma in Club Management, and for the PFA Business School.

Harrogate born, Sarah began her career in media advertising within the Yorkshire Post group before moving into Commercial radio which was the start of a varied management career across North and West Yorkshire working with the Guardian Media Group (GMG), Radio Investments, The Local Radio Company (TLRC) and the UKRD Group Ltd as Managing Director of Harrogate’s Stray FM which went on to become the most successful commercial radio stations of its size in the UK.

Multi award-winning, Stray FM and the UKRD group were ranked No 1 Best Company to work for in the Sunday Times Best Companies Top 100 list, in four consecutive years.

In September 2021, Sarah joined Harrogate Town AFC as CEO. Harrogate Town AFC competes in the fourth tier of English football (EFL League 2) having been promoted from the National League in the 2019-20 season.

Jenny has always remained close to her Liverpool roots, obtaining a degree in Mathematics with Finance from the University of Liverpool and then joining KPMG Liverpool in 2004 as an Audit Assistant.

She qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2007. During her time in audit, she worked with a diverse client base, and it was her role as Assistant Audit Manager of the Club which led to an opportunity to take a position as Financial Analyst at LFC in 2009.

Jenny has worked within the Finance team at LFC for over 16 years and in 2024 was promoted to Chief Financial Officer.

Jenny oversees the financial health of the Club as it continues to navigate its way through an evolving landscape of financial regulation across industry.

She is also responsible for Club Strategy as well as People and Culture.

Roger has been the Chief Financial Officer at Manchester United since May 2024, having previously held the position of CFO at various INEOS businesses from January 2001 which included being the CFO of INEOS Sport. As INEOS Sport CFO, he manged the financial analysis for both the acquisition of INEOS’ shareholdings in the Mercedes Formula 1 team and Manchester United Plc.

During his INEOS career, he also spent time as the Head of M&A and Head of Treasury. First headquartered in the United Kingdom, followed by the United States, he then moved to the INEOS Switzerland headquarters in December 2010. He returned to the UK in 2020 before retiring from INEOS in January 2024.

Richard was appointed Chief Executive of the League Managers Association in January 2008. Richard is a prominent character in the world of sport and business with a strong track record of devising and achieving strategic visions, implementing long-term business plans and growing sports organisations nationally and internationally across different cultures.

He joined the Professional Cricketers’ Association in 1996 & became Chief Executive in 2001 to 2007, developing the profile and business of the organisation to becoming a major player in world of cricket. Richard was also a founding Director of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations.

Richard has been a Trustee of the Team England Player Partnership since 2002 which provides contractual, financial, commercial representation to all England Cricket players. He also represents the LMA as a member of the Professional Players’ Federation, the umbrella body for all players’ associations.

Richard was also appointed Chairman of The board of The Caribbean Premier Cricket League (CPL) in November 2013. Within two years the CPL has been confirmed as the number one sports event in the Caribbean, second only to the IPL in International T20 Cricket. CPL has an economic impact in the Caribbean of US167m.

Sanjay has a range of roles in Sports Governance. In football, Sanjay is Chair of Kick It Out, English football’s leading inclusion and anti-discrimination charity. He is a frequent public commentator and recognised thought leader on online abuse and football governance. He is a member of the FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board.

Sanjay is also Chair of Athletic Ventures, a unique partnership between UK Athletics, London Marathon and Great Run Company. Athletic Ventures is leading the UK’s bid to host the World Athletics and Para-Athletics Championships in 2029.

Sanjay is also Chair of Super League Basketball, the leading professional league in British basketball. He also acts as a Board adviser to a number of small companies supporting them on their growth journeys.

Outside of sport Sanjay is Chair of the Satellite Applications Catapult which is a hub for innovation in the UK space technology industry.

Sanjay was previously a litigation lawyer then a Partner at business consultancy EY and enjoyed a 30 year career in law, technology and innovation.

Matt became Commercial Director of the Professional Football Association in June 2024, having come from leading the commercial team at the Invictus Games Foundation.

At the PFA he leads on and implements a strategy focused on delivering commercial partnerships that grow reach, impact, revenue and most importantly provide benefit to more than 55,000 past and present professional players across the English football leagues.

Matt’s prior background has been focused on purpose-driven commercial growth across a number of sports-led organisations and non-profits, including Cancer Research UK, Young Enterprise and Big Change.

Andrew Cullen is the CEO of Portsmouth Football Club. Andrew joined Pompey in June 2021 from MK Dons where he spent 12 ½ years as Executive Director.

Prior to his time at Stadium MK, Andrew was Director of Sales and Marketing at Norwich City from 1997-2008.

Andrew served on the EFL Board from 2014-16 and is currently a member of the EFL Regulations Committee.

Before working in football, Andrew worked in various sales and marketing roles at Bass the brewing and pub retailing company.

With over 20 years in professional football, Mark is one of the most experienced and long standing CEO’s in English Football, having been CEO at Swindon Town, QPR, Brentford and Huddersfield Town AFC .

From 2011-2018, Mark oversaw the rise of Brentford from a mid-table League One club, to a financially stable, Championship club challenging at the top of the League. Mark was also involved in the development and planning for the new Brentford Community Stadium which opened earlier this year.
Devlin enjoyed a spell in The Republic of Ireland, with the Champions, Dundalk, in 2019. During his time, Dundalk not only retained their title, but also included experience of both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, before returning to England to take on the CEO role at Huddersfield Town in January 2020.
Mark was also a member of the EFL Commercial Committee between 2014-2018 as one of three Championship representatives.

Neil Doncaster is the Group Chief Executive of the Scottish Professional Football League (“SPFL”). He has been involved in professional football in a series of senior roles for over 25 years, after qualifying as a solicitor in 1995. He joined Norwich City FC in 1997 as Company Secretary and, four years later at the age of 31, became their Chief Executive. In his twelve years at City, the Club re-built its reputation with supporters, with season ticket numbers trebling over the period to 20,000 and the Club receiving a number of awards for community, business development and innovation.

While with Norwich, Neil was elected to the Board of the English Football League and subsequently to that of the English Football Association. Neil joined the Scottish Premier League in 2009 and, following the merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League in 2013, Neil became the first Chief Executive of the SPFL. Neil is the only person ever to have sat on the Boards of both The FA and The Scottish FA.

The SPFL recently announced new long-term and record-breaking live broadcast rights contracts with Sky Sports, Premier Sports, Infront and the BBC, and a title sponsorship contract with William Hill, resulting in record turnover and club payments last season. In summer 2022, the senior women’s leagues were brought into the SPFL’s governance structure, with the creation of the Scottish Women’s Premier League.

In 2024, Neil was re-elected to the Board of the European Leagues and is also a member of UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body.

Hannah is Senior Advisor at Bay Collective.

Hannah was CEO of Everton FC Women, where she oversaw the teams move into Goodison Park, and lead ambitious growth plans both on and off the pitch.

Prior to joining Everton Women, Hannah was COO at The Jockey Club, leading the Central Operations functions and providing the Racecourse teams with strategic expertise and support across a range of disciplines. Hannah also spent over a decade at Liverpool Football Club as Vice President, Operations leading both the Strategy team and the Central Operations departments including operational oversight of all overseas activity. Hannah is a Chartered Accountant, and sat on the Committee of Women in Football during her time at LFC

Jim Frevola is currently the President of Business Operations for AFC Bournemouth, a Premier League Football (Soccer) franchise in England owned by Black Knight Football Club, under the leadership of Bill Foley. Since joining the club in late 2022, Jim is manages all the day-to-day business operations of the club, including Finance, HR, IT, Facility Operations, Commercial, Ticketing, Hospitality, Marketing, Community Engagement, Content and Communications and more.

Frevola previously served as Chief Commercial Officer of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vinik Sports Group (VSG). In this role, Jim was responsible for managing the organization’s commercial revenue departments, including Corporate Partnerships, Premium Suites & Service, Ticket Sales & Service and Strategy and Analytics. During Jim’s tenure, the Lightning achieved their highest single game playoff and regular season ticket revenue goals.

A multi-award-winning sports industry executive, Yvonne was appointed as the CEO of Women in Football in 2022 where she has led the team to significant growth in commercial revenue, membership, influence and impact. Yvonne was featured in Telegraph Sports 50 most influential women in sport list, 2024, as well as being awarded the title of Women’s Football Champion at the prestigious Women’s Football Awards, 2024 to add to a list of previous accolades, including the Northwest Institute of Directors, Director of the Year for Public and Third Sector.

From grassroots participation to the boardroom, equality is a huge passion for Yvonne – whose previous achievements have helped to make a difference to people’s lives through sport and physical activity.

Prior to her role with Women in Football, Yvonne established her own sports consultancy, Stryve, worked as Managing Director of Project 92, the business of former Manchester United stars, ‘the Class of 92’, and was Chief Executive at GreaterSport, a Charity changing people’s lives across Greater Manchester.

In addition to her role current role, Yvonne is involved with a number of organisations in a Non-Executive Director capacity, as an Executive Coach/Mentor and as Chair of Trustees for the Class of 92’s charity, Foundation 92.

Simon King is a seasoned professional with 18 years of extensive experience in the football industry, demonstrating a profound passion for the sport and a commitment to driving commercial success. Simon began his career in football in 2007 as the Commercial Manager at Stockport County, where he developed his expertise in commercial strategy and stakeholder engagement.

Following his time at Stockport County, Simon spent eight impactful years at Hull City, where he played a crucial role in enhancing the club’s commercial operations and fan engagement initiatives. His career continued to progress with five-year tenure at West Bromwich Albion, culminating in the position of Chief Commercial Officer.

Currently, Simon serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Stoke City, a position he has held for the past three and a half years. In this capacity, he oversees the club’s operational and commercial strategies, ensuring that Stoke City continues grow off the pitch. Additionally, Simon is also on the Commercial Committee for the English Football League (EFL).

Alistair Mackintosh joined Fulham Football Club as Chief Executive in the summer of 2008.  He was previously Chief Executive at Manchester City Football Club and over a ten year period saw the Club travel from the Second Division back to the Premier League and from its Maine Road home to the City of Manchester Stadium.

Having trained as a Chartered Accountant with PWC, Alistair spent a number of years working for Sony before entering the football business.  He has also held Board positions at a radio station, a museum, a leisure centre group and a charity.

Andrew is the Chief Executive of Heart of Midlothian FC and won the Football Business Awards Scottish CEO of the year in 2022 and 2024. A lawyer by profession, prior to working at Hearts, Andrew also spent 6 years at the Scottish FA ultimately becoming the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive.

As a member of the leadership team at St George’s Park, Paul is responsible for strategy and team operations across all England Men’s National Teams from Seniors down to Under 15s.

As Equality Adviser to the board of the Premier League, he wrote the No Room for Racism Action Plan and chaired the independent panel which assesses clubs on progress against the Premier League Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Standard.

Outside football, Paul was previously a partner at PwC, the global professional services firm, where he served on the management boards of the firms in UK and Africa. He also held several non-executive board roles including at Metropolitan Police and Guy’s & St Thomas NHS Trust. He was awarded the OBE in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List for services to diversity and inclusion in business.

Maggie Murphy was appointed Managing Director of Aston Villa Women FC in September 2025. A respected leader in sports business and strategy, she specialises in governance, fan engagement, brand growth, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and the commercial development of women’s sport.

Previously CEO of Lewes FC, Maggie oversaw record attendances, significant commercial expansion, and award-winning fan engagement initiatives, cementing the club’s reputation as a pioneer in purpose and equality.

Beyond her club roles, she co-founded and hosted the Expected Goals podcast, serves as a Non-Executive Director for Women in Football, and sat on the Premier League’s EDI Standard Panel. Recognised on BBC Woman’s Hour’s Power List of the most influential women in UK sport, Maggie is also co-founder of Equal Playing Field and a Guinness World Record holder for organising and playing in the highest-altitude football match ever played.

A former England and Super League netball player, Charlotte previously held key positions at British Swimming, the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games and Rugby World Cup, before joining Manchester City Football Club in 2015.

As Director of Operations and Development, Charlotte oversaw the strategic direction and delivery of operations and people development programmes at Manchester City’s Boys’ Academy. Charlotte then took on the role of Interim Academy Director of the boys’ academy before moving to become Managing Director of Manchester City Women in December 2023.

In her first year at the helm, she oversaw several major signings, announced the development of a £10 million bespoke training facility for the women’s first team, and saw the team return to UEFA Women’s Champions League football. During the 2024/25 season Charlotte secured ex-Swedish international Therese Sjögran as the team’s Director of Football and also announced Hannah Dingley, the first and only woman to have overseen a professional men’s team in English football, as the Head of the Girls Academy.

Iffy is Head of Race Equality & Inclusion at The Premier League, having been appointed in April 2021. Amongst his duties, he’s Chair of the PL’s Black Participants Advisory Group (BPAG), and leads on the PL’s No Room For Racism action plan, and the flagship Player to Executive Pathways Scheme (PEPS).

Prior to this he’d spent nine years working for the Players Union (the PFA), in a joint role as Coach Educator and Equalities Executive. As part of his role there, he was also a Trustee of the anti-racism organisation, Kick It Out, and sat on the FA Council as part of the FA’s Inclusion and Advisory board.

Before joining the PFA in 2013, he’d taken several Coaching roles as an Assistant Head Coach and Head Coach both in the UK and abroad, and all this after a fifteen-year playing career spanning three decades.

Ben joined Walsall Football Club in June 2024 and has since served on the Board of Directors in his role as CEO.

Previously CEO at Morecambe Football Club and General Manager at Harrogate Town AFC, Ben has spent his career to date within professional football and has worked at various levels of the game, from the National League North right through to EFL League One.

Omar joined Arsenal in 2023 as Partnerships Development Director, before becoming the club’s Global Partnerships and Ventures Director in July 2024.

In this role, Omar oversees our partnership development and services, as well as other revenue ventures including international tours and friendlies, football development, digital media and player image rights across Men’s and Women’s Football.

Since joining the club, he has been instrumental in building new opportunities to connect with our supporters around the world – through our international presence and a family of world-class partners that share our values and support our ambition to win major trophies.

Omar also serves as a Non-Executive Advisor to UNICEF UK, supporting its mission to inspire and empower children worldwide through the power of sport.

Jon has a track record of working in professional sport, specialising in recent years in commercial partnerships and media rights. He is a long-term Bees fan.

Jon grew up in the south-west London area, attending Teddington School and Richmond upon Thames College. He started his working life at The Rugby Football Union in Twickenham. In the mid-1990’s he managed Coca-Cola’s football sponsorships including the EFL Cup, SFL Cup and their involvement in UEFA Euro ‘96.

Spending nine years at Premiership Rugby before this, Jon was responsible for the organisation’s income streams including broadcast revenue, merchandising, match income and key sponsorship deals. He then went on to be a founding partner of Pitch International Commercial, working with football, rugby and cricket federations to develop commercial strategies. While at Pitch International he also managed the commercial rights of the Brazil
Global Tour, a series of high-profile international matches for the Brazilian national football team.

Jon became Chief Executive at Brentford FC in 2019 and has guided the Club through the pandemic, a stadium move and their return to top-flight football in the Premier League. He was voted CEO of the Year in 2021 at the Football Business Awards.

Chief Commercial Officer at Crystal Palace Football Club. An experienced Sports, Entertainment and Venue Executive empowering high performance results. With over 20 years of demonstrated history of delivering against steep revenue targets and driving growth for some of the most respected rights holders in the world of Tennis, Sports Entertainment and Football.

Zoe is the Executive Director at Norwich City FC. She has worked in the football industry for over 25 years and has gained a broad level of experience working at both clubs and governing bodies. Alongside sitting on the Board of Norwich City, Zoe is also a non-executive director of the EFL and Women in Football, as well as a member of FA Council, and various FA Committees. She is a trustee of a number of charities, including the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation.

Xavier Wiggins is a Sport for Good leader, co-founder of Dons Local Action Group (DLAG) and founder of Sport Local Action. He works at the intersection of football, community impact and social value, and became the first person to walk the 92 grounds in 92 days to shine a light on football’s role in communities.

Michael Williamson was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Wrexham AFC in May 2024, having most recently worked with Miami FC.

An accomplished and experienced football executive, Michael also counts DC United and Inter Milan among his former Clubs.

Michael has performed a number of roles across his career, not least at Inter where he served in various functions including as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, and where he was involved in the planning and design of a new training centre, the redevelopment of the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, the digitisation of the club, as well as the creation of a sports analysis system.

Michael also operated as Corporate Director and was joint CEO of MI-Stadio Srl. the joint-venture between Inter Milan and AC Milan focused on managing the San Siro stadium.