The International Sports Convention (ISC) is delighted to reveal the first cohort of the ISC 30 Under Thirty Awards, celebrating young professionals who have demonstrated exceptional talent, innovation, and dedication within the sports, media, and entertainment industries.
We are proud to recognise the following individuals as part of the ISC 30 Under Thirty:
đ Liam Pascoe – Sportradar
Liam has made significant contributions to Sportradarâs growth and performance, demonstrating an exceptional ability to identify growth opportunities and bring these to fruition, creating and leveraging relationships with parties across the entire sporting ecosystem. He played a crucial role in the prototyping of Sportradarâs Innovation Labs, which has resulted in the ideation of new products and services that utilise sports data in innovative and original ways. This accomplishment not only highlights his talent but also his commitment to driving positive change within our industry.
đ Jason Jung – TikTok
Currently, Jason leads the UK sports and ticketing vertical at TikTok, where he drives effective advertising strategies for top-tier clients, including premier league football clubs, governing bodies, leagues and brands. With his deep understanding of intellectual property rights and how to blend media strategies, Jason helps these organizations maximise their impact on TikTok, enabling them to connect meaningfully with audiences.
đ Will Bowyer – Lawrence Stephens Ltd
Will Bowyer is rapidly gaining a reputation amongst elite athletes and entertainment figures as one of the go-to advisors in the field of talent representation, sponsorship and image rights. Will advises international footballers, LIV golfers, elite boxers, A-list TV personalities and prominent racing drivers, together with numerous agencies, rights holders and brands across sports and entertainment. As well as being one of the founding members of the Lawrence Stephens Sports and Entertainment team, Will has recently co-founded an esports and gaming talent management agency.
đ Evan Planchon – Euroleague Basketball
Evan joined Euroleague Basketball in January 2020 as a Digital Marketing Executive. Within six months, he was promoted to Digital Marketing Manager, and by September 2023, he took on full leadership of the department as Head of Digital Marketing. In this role, he oversees a team of six members, working towards the growth of the Leagueâs Digital Ecosystem, Products, Fan Engagement, Data Capture, and Digital revenues.
đ Angelique Richardson – Lawrence Stephens Ltd
AngĂ©lique Richardson is one of the UKâs leading sports lawyers and is one of only a handful of women working in the field.
Supporting and advising a number of elite athletes across multiple sports, AngĂ©lique is recognised as a level-headed, tenacious and trusted advisor who takes a holistic approach to the development of her clientsâ careers. Angeliqueâs practice spans a variety of sports including weightlifting, basketball and football, but her true niche and formidable reputation is in boxingâa sport that is male-dominated both inside and outside the ring. AngĂ©lique has built a reputation as a trusted advocate for boxers, advising on promotional agreements, doping matters, and ancillary commercial contracts. AngĂ©lique has represented both current and former Olympians, guiding them through complex legal frameworks to ensure they can focus on their sport with peace of mind.
đ Brendon Shabani – Rising Ballers / She’s A Baller
Brendonâs story, from a professional footballer who wanted to showcase others like him trying to make it professionally, to the successful founder of a media business turning over seven figures, is nothing short of an inspiring story of resilience and resourcefulness.
A passionate and purpose-led entrepreneur, Brendonâs business drive, and unwavering commitment to providing culture and opportunity for the next wave has seen the RB network grow to amass an impressive 10M+ following across platforms. Brendon, who is still only 23 years-old, founded RB, alongside his older brother Eni, while playing football for Leyton Orient at the age of 14. Like many others he grew up dreaming of becoming a professional footballer and even signed a pro deal on his 17th birthday, going on to play in the Football League. But in his view, the successes of founding Rising Ballers surpass it all.
đ Jamie Pollitt – Rising Ballers / She’s A Baller
Jamie Pollitt is a Founder of, and Director at Rising Ballers (RB), the largest Gen Z football media brand and creative agency in the UK and he is only 27. A driven storyteller and talented director, Jamie has twinned following his passions in film and football with his entrepreneurial flair growing the Rising Ballers network to boast an impressive 10M+ following across platforms.
Alongside being a multi-faceted founder, focused on the growth of the Rising Ballers network, Jamie is also a talented director and producer, having directed and produced almost all of Rising Ballersâ original content. Jamieâs career highlights to date include; directing Skechersâ first ever football film and advert, featuring England captain and household name, Harry Kane, and directing football technology company Playermakerâs collaboration with Manchester City featuring big footballing talent Jack Grealish, Kalvin Philips, RĂșben Dias, and Alex Greenwood. Other notable sports talent and projects Jamie has directed include but are not limited to; Anthony Joshua for EA Sports and Rising Ballers x Adidasâ football clinic working with Premier League stars Luis DĂaz, JuliĂĄn Alvarez and Darwin NĂșñez.
đ Andrew Irving – A&V Sports
As the Head of Sponsorship at leading football agency, A&V Sports, Andrewâs role is to utilise each of their athlete’s profiles and develop the commercial portfolio for their clients. A&V Sports is a global sports agency that manages elite-level talent in women’s football. Players such as 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, Ada Hegerberg, WSL goalscorer Bunny Shaw, USWNT star Alyssa Thompson & Gold Medalist Kadeisha Buchanan.
Over the past 12 months, he has successfully managed more than 200+ individual commercial deals for female talent, partnering with major brands such as Telus, Adidas, Toyota, Puma, Lululemon, Topps, PlayStation, Coca-Cola, Mondelez and EA Sports.
đ Farah Badran – RISE
Despite only having worked in the sports industry for 3.5 years , Farah consistently outperforms, outthinks and outshines those with more than a decadeâs extra experience. Her ability to think critically and creatively, whilst advising some of the regionâs leading brands and rights holders on their sponsorship and commercial strategies has seen her become one of the benchmarks of continued high performance in the RISE SCE business.
Farah has already had a significant impact on the regionâs sports industry in her short career. She has become known as one of the foremost sponsorship and strategy consultants in the region, having worked on, and in many cases led, complex commercial consulting projects with some of the regionâs biggest sports brand sponsors and rights holders.
đ Emily Batten – Layrd Design
Joining Layrd Design in 2022, Emily has blossomed into a commercial interior design specialist within Stadia Design. Her experience across residential, workplace, retail, and hospitality projects provided a strong foundation for her current role as Layrd Design’s Head Stadia Designer, where she thrives in the dynamic world of sports hospitality. Through close collaboration with clients, Emily builds strong relationships, delves into their proposed briefs, stories, and visions, and then injects her design schemes with a burst of creativity.
In summer 2023, Layrd Design were engaged by Ipswich Town Football Club to breathe new life into key areas of the Portman Road Stadium. The ambitious project encompassed the Hall of Fame Lounge & Entrance, West Stand Lobby, Stairwell, and Executive Suites Lobby. The goal? To elevate the matchday experience for fans and enhance space utilisation on non-match days. Building on their previous success, Emily and Layrd returned in 2024 to undertake a series of high- impact projects following the clubâs promotion. Working under tight pre-season deadlines, Emily delivered a range of bespoke turnkey solutions, including the press room, home team changing room, reception area, and multiple hospitality lounges, elevating the overall stadium experience.
đ Vipul Londhe – Luscid
In just a few short years, Vipul has established himself as a trailblazer in the sports industry, working with agencies and rights holders in commercial roles across partnerships, activations, sales and marketing in Europe and APAC. His career so far has been defined by a commitment to driving innovation and accessibility, with a particular focus on widening access for aspiring professionals looking to get into the industry.Â
Vipulâs efforts to break down the barriers to entry are already making the sports world more accessible to talented individuals from all backgrounds.
Vipulâs impact on the sports industry is already profound. Through Future in Sports, 10 Bits Sports and his work with Luscid, he is fostering the next generation of sports professionals and broadening the industryâs reach and for that, he deserves recognition.Â
đ Thomas Rubbens – Royal Belgian Football Association (URBSFA-KBVB)
From intern to campaign coordinator. Thomas started at Kunstmaan to begin his career in the communication world, then moved to an activation agency to work for clients in the sports world, and now at the Belgian Football Association.
Currently, at Belgian FA, he mentors between 16-20 interns per year, sharing his knowledge he gained so far in his career.
Thomas is a guest speaker at UCLL in Leuven, Artevelde Hogeschool in Ghent, Thomas More in Antwerp, and the Belgian Advertising School. He has also been invited to speak at the FBIN. Recently, he became one of the 9 coaches at Belgian Advertising school, guiding the students
These rising stars have made outstanding contributions to their respective fields, demonstrating the qualities of future leaders shaping the business of sport.
