There are six new names set to participate in the third edition of the Thinking Football Summit, the major football summit taking place from September 12 to 14 at the Super Bock Arena in Porto.

From club offices to the communication and entertainment sectors, and even the world of motorsports, this new roster includes Aidan Lyons, CEO of FanCapital and former Chief Growth Officer of Williams Racing & Dorilton Motorsports, Alan Záruba, Digital Content Coordinator at Livesport, Jenny Gower, Head of Ticketing and Fan Services at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, Michael Cohen, founder of Disruptive Play and former CEO of Whistle Sports, Mário Fernández, CEO of Team Dux Gaming, and Sudarshan Gopaladesikan, Director of Football Intelligence at Atalanta BC. This selection aligns with the summit’s goal of being a central event for discussing the present and future of the sports industry as a whole, seeking synergies and learning across its different areas.

Aidan Lyons is the CEO of FanCapital and former Chief Growth Officer of Williams Racing & Dorilton Motorsports. With two decades of experience, Aidan has led data-driven marketing teams and developed innovative strategies in marketing, advertising, e-commerce, events, and public relations. His career spans the sports, entertainment, apparel, retail, and print industries, and he is recognized for his ability to create and lead multifunctional teams and drive significant growth.

With nearly 30 years of experience in graphic design, visual communication, and multimedia content production, Alan Záruba is currently the Digital Content Coordinator at Livesport (Flashscore News). Since 2021, he has established an international network of editorial teams covering sports news for Flashscore, reaching nearly 20 million users by mid-2023. Alan recently launched a high-tech center at Livesport focused on data-driven multimedia content production optimized by AI. He also teaches at UMPRUM in Prague and is a member of the Type Directors Club (TDC) and the Art Directors Club (ADC).

Jenny Gower is the Head of Ticketing and Fan Services at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club in the Premier League. With 24 years of experience in football, Jenny started her career at Fulham FC in 2001 and joined Brighton & Hove Albion 10 years ago, significantly contributing to the club’s growth. Under her leadership, the club’s stadium capacity has increased to 32,000 seats, and the membership and season ticket holder base has surpassed 60,000. Jenny is passionate about technology and innovation and has pioneered a fully digital approach to ticketing.

Michael Cohen is the founder of Disruptive Play and former CEO of Whistle Sports, where he led the company from its early stages to nearly $100 million in diversified revenue. With a multifaceted career including founding startups, consulting in innovation and strategy, and roles in private equity and investment banking, Michael has significantly transformed the intersection of social platforms, streaming, entertainment, and sports.

Mário Fernández was born in 1985 in Asturias, Spain. After seven years at Electronic Arts, the company responsible for developing EA SPORTS FC, where he served as the Communications Director for Spain and Portugal, he moved to DUX, assuming the role of CEO. For the past five years, Mário has been entirely dedicated to the development of DUX, a sports innovation platform that integrates the values of traditional sports, esports, technology, content creation, and audiovisual productions in entertainment and sports. DUX is owned by athletes such as Marc Gasol, Borja Iglesias, and Thibaut Courtois, as well as the famous YouTuber DjMaRiiO. The organization generates about 1 million views per day on its own channels, reaching a global audience of more than 80 million people. DUX also collaborates with some of the world's largest brands, including VISA, PlayStation, Puma, EA, MediaMarkt, and Heineken.

Sudarshan Gopaladesikan is a sports executive known for his innovative approach that combines data analysis and human performance to optimize squad management and player development. With five years of experience at SL Benfica, he specialized in sports data science and performance analysis. Currently at Atalanta BC, Sudarshan focuses on transfer market management and strategic squad planning with an emphasis on financial sustainability. His greatest achievement to date was winning the Europa League in the 2023/2024 season.

Tickets for the Thinking Football Summit 2024 are now available for purchase HERE.