Hammad Albalawi is an experienced leader in the sports and tourism sectors committed to serving Saudi Arabia’s remarkable transformation as part of Vision 2030. He currently heads up the Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup™ 2034 bid unit at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). He leads a team across all functions set out to achieve Saudi Arabia’s dreams of hosting the largest-ever edition of a 48-team FIFA World Cup™ held in a single nation. The bid recently revealed details of its ambition to host the iconic global football event, held under the slogan ‘Growing. Together.’ Albalawi previously held the role of Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Planning & Investment at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport. He oversaw both the strategy and investment departments at a time of incredible development for the sports sector. He led a team that helped formulate the Kingdom’s ambitious National Sports Strategy, built on three core pillars – mass participation, talent development and elite performance. The role also included working closely with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Saudi Pro League to develop the National Football Strategy, a long-term transformative approach to all areas of the Saudi game. On the investment side, Hammad led the privatization initiative of state-owned sports assets for the very first time, which included implementing regulatory and policy changes aimed at making the sector more attractive to local and foreign investors. The project also included helping support realizing a return on investment for numerous sports federation’s intellectual property (IP), such as the Formula 1® Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while assisting on engagement with the private sector, including the sale of naming rights and establishing new commercial opportunities.

I’m a professional former football player, transitioning now in the management position. Part of Common Goal and other social initiatives.

Emily Heath, Global Brand Director at Rexona (also known as Sure, Degree or Shield depending on where you are in the world), has 18 years of experience in public relations, social media, innovation and engagement with Unilever’s top brands. Before Unilever, she worked in brand marketing at a major pharmaceuticals company.
In her role, Emily emphasises the transformative power of sport through Rexona’s partnerships and communications. Her focus includes women’s football and creating inclusive environments at the grassroots level.
Emily plays a crucial role in the Breaking Limits Programme, a social impact initiative that challenges narrow views on who can be active. The programme trains coaches, mentors, and teachers from NGO partners and schools, covering disability inclusion, gender equality, anti-bias, and mental wellbeing. This training supports inclusive activities that build confidence and inspire young people, highlighting the broader benefits of physical activity.

Maheta Molango is the Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the trade union for footballers in England. A former professional, he began his football career at Atletico Madrid before moving to England to sign with Brighton and Hove Albion in 2004. This was followed by spells at Lincoln City, Oldham Athletic and Wrexham. Following the end of his playing career, he became a labour lawyer and worked on representation agreements, contract and transfer negotiations for global stars such as Antoine Griezmann and Mesut Özil. Fluent in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German, Maheta was twice named one of the best sports lawyers in Spain by international rankings company Chambers and Partners. In 2016, Maheta was appointed as CEO of RCD Mallorca following a takeover by former NBA player Steve Nash, and Phoenix Suns’ owner, Robert Sarver. He was appointed CEO of the PFA in July 2021.

Toni Nadal is a spanish tennis coach. He started working at the Manacor Tennis Club as Head Coach, where he led many of his pupils to the first places in the Spanish ranking.He has been Rafa Nadal’s mentor and coach for 27 years. As a coach, he has the best track records in the history of tennis. He believes a sportsman should develop three main aspects: technical skills, character and the right set of values. At present, Toni Nadal combines his work as Head Coach at the Rafa Nadal Academy with his job as a speaker for sport coaches, universities and companies.

Gaia Pretner joined ECA in May 2023 as Head of Sustainability and launched ECA’s first sustainability strategy in April 2024. She is a sustainability management expert with experience in different sectors from major events, MNCs, Federations and trade associations. Before joining ECA she worked as Sustainable Procurement Manager for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, Sustainability and Circular Economy researcher and consultant for Bocconi University and as Sustainability expert for EXPO Milano 2015 and UNI.

Licenciada en Derecho y Máster en Asesoría Fiscal por la Universidad de Navarra. Inició su trayectoria profesional en 1999 como socia-directora de IMEL, Consultoría Jurídico Tributaria, S.L, empresa especializada en la consultoría tributaria y asesoramiento jurídico a empresas y particulares. En el ámbito académico, fue colaboradora en el Máster Universitario en Derecho de Empresa y en el Máster Universitario en Asesoría Fiscal de la Universidad de Navarra, así como en la Escuela de Práctica Jurídica y en la titulación de Derecho del mismo centro universitario. También, participó como docente en el Máster en Asesoramiento Fiscal, Laboral y Contable en la Universidad Pública de Navarra y ha impartido diversos certificados de profesionalidad.

Javier Tebas Medrano (San Jose, Costa Rica, 1962), of Spanish nationality, holds a degree in Law from the University of Zaragoza. He has been a practising lawyer since 1987 and founded his own legal firm, specialising in Company Law and, subsequently, in sports and bankruptcy law.

Tebas’s direct involvement in football began in 1993, when he was named president of Sociedad Deportiva Huesca, a position he held until 1998 (a period during which the club competed in Spain’s Tercera Division and Segunda Division B). He later served as a board member at C.D. Badajoz S.A.D. and C.D. Toledo S.A.D. before being elected vice-president of LaLiga in 2001. In 2003 he headed up the G-30, a group representing 30 small LaLiga clubs that was set up to collectively negotiate their audiovisual rights. He has been LALIGA president since 2013 and was re-elected in 2016 and again for a further four-year term in 2019. In 2021 he was appointed as representative of European Leagues on the UEFA Executive Committee.
Tebas’s tenure as LALIGA president has revolved around three core areas; the introduction of a financial controls system which has enabled the clubs to restructure their finances; the collective sale of audiovisual rights which boosts the clubs’ revenue in a balanced way, and the league’s internationalisation strategy, which has seen LALIGA and its member clubs establish themselves as a benchmark reference on the global stage, not just on the field but in the entertainment industry as a whole. In addition, Boost LALIGA, the strategic project of LALIGA and CVC Capital Partners, was recently created to promote growth and consolidation in the areas of technology, innovation, internationalisation and the sporting sphere.