Premier League Star and Top Executives Join Our 2025–26 Speaker Line-Up

At the Global Institute of Sport (GIS), students don’t just study sport – they gain unrivalled access to the people shaping it at the highest level. Through our exclusive guest speaker series and Global Sports Summits, students hear directly from leading professionals across football, other sports, and global sport business.

These sessions are designed to provide insider knowledge, real-world case studies, and the chance to ask questions that could shape future careers.

As part of this year’s Orientation Week students will get the chance to hear from a Premier League winning footballer and executives at leading clubs in North America and Europe.

Chris Smalling, Premier League winning defender

Wednesday 24th September, 13:00-14:00pm (UK time) – Online as part of Orientation Week

The decorated English defender has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup and a UEFA Europa League with Manchester United, earned over 30 caps for England – including appearances at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 – and continued his career with AS Roma and now Al-Fayha.

Chris Allan, Vice President of Fan Strategy and Experience at Inter Miami CF

Wednesday 1st October, as part of on-campus teaching in Miami

Chris Allan is Vice President of Fan Strategy and Experience at Inter Miami CF and the club’s longest-serving employee. Originally from London, he moved to Miami in 2011 to work in community engagement before joining Inter Miami’s ownership group, led by Jorge and Jose Mas and David Beckham, in their bid to bring Major League Soccer to the city. After five years helping build the club from concept to launch in 2019, Chris has played a pivotal role in transforming Inter Miami from a start-up into one of the world’s most recognised football brands.

Mike Ridley, Vice President of Integrated Marketing & Fan Engagement at Atlanta United

Thursday 25th September, 19:00-20:00pm (UK time) – Online as part of Orientation Week

Mike is Vice President of Integrated Marketing & Fan Engagement at Atlanta United and former Chief Marketing Officer of the United Soccer League. Previously, he led brand and marketing at Inter Miami CF during the club’s explosive growth and Lionel Messi’s arrival, where his team delivered record merchandise sales, sold-out collaborations, and award-winning campaigns that made Inter Miami one of the most talked-about clubs in global football.

Lina Caccamo, General Manager, Strategy and Innovation at the Rugby League Players’ Association

Monday 22nd September, 10:00-11:00am (UK time) – Online as part of Orientation Week

Previously RLPA General Manager for Women’s Rugby League & International Relations and Player Operations Manager for the NRLW, she has been central to the growth of the women’s pathway and competition operations. Before the RLPA, Lina spent nearly nine years with Rugby Australia across high performance, elite pathways and operations – bringing students deep, end-to-end insight into strategy, operations and stakeholder negotiation in elite sport.

Simon Van Kerckhoven, Managing Director at RAEC Mons

Tuesday 7th October at our Brussels Open Evening at Lotto Park, 5:30pm (CEST) REGISTER NOW

Simon Van Kerckhoven is the Managing Director of Belgian club RAEC Mons and founder of both Zurafa Football Capital and DIAS, two ventures focused on football investment and strategic consultancy. With over a decade advising clubs, federations, and investors across Europe- including a senior roles at City Football Group’s Lommel SK – he combines deep industry knowledge with hands-on business leadership to drive growth and innovation in the global game.

Alongside these high-profile industry leaders, students will also gain insight from three outstanding GIS alumni who have already turned their degrees into successful sports careers. These graduates will share how they used their time at GIS to build networks, seize opportunities, and progress in the global sports industry.

Vilde Ringstad, International Football Business Graduate

Jordan Finley, International Sport Management Graduate

Sem Visser, Football Communications & Digital Marketing Graduate

So far this academic year students who attended our inaugural Global Sports Summit in London experienced first-hand insight from some of the sport industry’s most influential leaders. They heard from Nadia Shahrestani, Business Operations Director at Chelsea FC; Ifem Onuora, Head of Race Equality & Inclusion at the Premier League; and Hayley Carson, Fan Engagement Manager at Brentford FC. Students also engaged with major organisations including The FA, West Ham United, The Hundred, UEFA Euro 2028, Commonwealth Games England and the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, gaining valuable knowledge and connections from those shaping the future of global sport.