The International Sports Convention (ISC) is delighted to introduce the first cohort of the 2026/2027 ISC 30 Under Thirty, recognising the rising talent shaping the future of the global sports, media and entertainment industries.
This year’s cohort brings together an exceptional group of emerging leaders, innovators and changemakers who are already making a meaningful impact across the industry. From driving new ideas and transforming fan experiences to advancing commercial growth and creating positive change, these individuals represent the next generation of sports business talent.
We are proud to celebrate and recognise the outstanding individuals selected for the ISC 30 Under Thirty 2026/2027:
Amy Wickham – Pitch International
Amy joined Pitch International in January 2024 as an intern within the Commercial Team and within three months was offered a full-time position playing a key role on one of the agency’s highest profile accounts – Qatar Airways. Amy was quickly promoted to Senior Client Manager within her first year at the agency. She now oversees a team of 35 match managers working across Europe to deliver activations on behalf of Qatar Airways at UEFA Champions League matches. Despite having worked full-time within the sporting industry for less than 3 years, Amy has built up a body of work and experience that far exceeds those with significantly more years of industry experience.
Ben Williams – BLAST Esports Limited
At 29, Ben has already become one of the standout young digital leaders in esports, gaming and competitive entertainment. In under three years at BLAST, he has grown from Senior Creator Manager to Head of Digital, moving from a one-person creator function to leading a team across BLAST’s wider digital output. His impact has been clear: record-breaking audiences, stronger commercial campaigns, new business growth and a creator strategy that has changed how BLAST delivers major events.
Elisha New –Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
Elisha New has built an impressive career across some of the UK’s leading sports organisations, including Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, England Rugby, and Swindon Town FC. Throughout her career, she has developed and activated high-value partnerships and delivered innovative commercial campaigns, which has contributed to the growth of men’s and women’s commercial programmes across domestic and international markets.
Elliot Glass – Prospect
Elliot joined Prospect in April 2021 as the company’s first hire, alongside co-founders Gordon Hamilton-Fairley and James Tozer, and has played a central role in building the business from its earliest stage into a 30-person sports analytics company working with some of the leading organisations in global sport, including Ticketmaster, Formula 1, England Rugby, Chelsea, Fanatics, CVC, World Rugby, Saracens and the United Rugby Championship.
Emil Canonica – Hockey Club Lugano
Emil was forced to retire from professional hockey at 20 due to a failed surgery, returned to the club in 2024 and single-handedly built a complete digital fan ecosystem from scratch — including a unified fan database (MyHCL) with nearly 8,000 profiles, the official HCL app with GPS-verified loyalty rewards and a sponsor community hub, and the “5a Linea” membership program, which drew about 2,000 activations and sold out its rewards catalogue within months, all while overcoming internal institutional resistance without any dedicated budget, project manager, or technical support.
Gopal Suri – Publicis Sport & Entertainment
Gopal Suri joined Publicis Sport & Entertainment as a data analyst. Today, he’s built the tools and models that some of the biggest brands in sport use to decide where their money goes. His client roster speaks for itself: UEFA, the International Olympic Committee, AB InBev, Ralph Lauren, MotoGP, Stellantis. His remit covers sponsorship valuation, audience analytics, and commercial insight.
Hanesh Patel – ELLVEE
His career in sport strategy now brings him to ELLVEE, a specialist sports strategy and commercial advisory based in Dubai, where he now advises public bodies, sponsors and rightsholders across the Middle East. His work includes supporting Saudi Motorsport Company on the planned transition of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from Jeddah to Qiddiya City, a flagship international IP that has attracted millions of tourists to the Kingdom and supports efforts to advance Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic diversification agenda. He has also advised Qiddiya, Saudi Arabia’s flagship sports and entertainment giga-project, on their sports IP strategy ahead of hosting the 2034 Asian Games and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Julie Galle – Sportwerk Vlaanderen
A Strategic Project Coordinator in the Flemish sports sector led the development and launch of a digital platform designed to connect sports organisations with talent and career opportunities, addressing a clear gap between organisations struggling to find qualified staff and professionals unsure how to navigate career paths in sport. Taking the project from concept through stakeholder consultation, coordination, and launch, she helped build a platform that within months attracted over 700 registered users, more than 100 vacancies, and 83 active organisations. Her success has been driven largely by her ability to form partnerships — collaborating with employment, volunteering, and development-focused organisations, and now exploring cross-border partnerships in the Netherlands — combined with a rare mix of strategic vision and hands-on project delivery, from budget management to stakeholder alignment.
Kristina Sokic – Bolt6 Ltd
Kristina has worked her way from coordinating logistics into operations engineering and her current role as Volleyball Operations Manager. She is responsible for keeping volleyball operations running day to day, while also being a regular voice in product meetings, sitting across both the operational reality on the ground and the conversations about what gets built next. A remote officiating hub now runs out of Poland, and the Mojo system has come online, with Kristina playing a role in both by pushing the work forward, flagging what’s actually needed in live conditions, and making sure product and operations are building toward the same thing
Marc McLaughlin – Bolt6 Ltd
Marc has been one of the standout performers at Bolt6 over the past period, and it’s not down to any single big moment – it’s the consistency. He stays composed and in control when several events are running at once, treats every issue as something to learn from, and has a genuine feel for the commercial side of the job. He’s also pushed Bolt6 to get better structurally, championing the “Black Box” review meetings. Where Marc really separates himself, though, is in how he turns what he sees in the field into something the product team can actually act on.
Raj Taprial – Nielsen Sports
Raj Taprial joined Nielsen Sports in 2022, and over the last 4 years he has worked within the business to amplify Nielsen’s offerings in the UK market while also helping clients understand how to maximise their partnerships. Raj has worked with brands and rightsholders in the sports & entertainment industry, supporting them with commercial value and driving impact using gold-standard data to help clients make their partnerships more efficient and more visible, but also generate impact through their partnerships.
Tal Cohen – Maccabi Haifa FC
Joining Maccabi Haifa FC at the young age of 21, Tal has spent the last 9 years transforming the club’s entire digital and commercial ecosystem. Today, under his leadership, Maccabi Haifa FC stands as the undisputed #1 sports club in digital media in Israel by a massive margin. At under 30 years old, Tal is not just a digital manager; he is an integral part of the club’s senior decision-making process, a pioneer in sports marketing, and an academic department head shaping the future generation of media professionals.
These rising leaders have already delivered significant impact within their sectors, demonstrating the ambition, innovation and leadership that will define the next chapter of the sports industry.
Winners will be presented with their trophy at the ISC International Sports Awards on March 23rd in London taking place at the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden.
More about the ISC International Sports Awards: Awards Archive – International Sports Convention
events@internationalsportsconvention.com