Francine Hetherington Raveney is an expert in the fields of: sport policy, gender equality, diversity, project management, script analysis, audiovisual co-productions, and communication, amongst others. She obtained a Masters Degree in English and French Literature at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1992-1996), a Masters Degree in Women’s Studies at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1996-1997) and then carried out doctoral studies in France in politics and literature at Strasbourg University (1997-1998).

Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently an Honorary Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.

Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and partner organisations to ensure that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating gender-based violence in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively.

Born in Dublin in Ireland, Glen Killane was educated at Trinity College Dublin where he gained a degree in English Literature and he holds a Masters degree in Journalism from Dublin City University. 

Glen began his career as a sports journalist working in editorial positions for RTE and for ITV in London where he was editor of live football. He was Group Head of Sport for RTE from 2004 until 2010 and was elected as Vice Chair of the EBU Sport Committee.

Before joining the EBU, Glen became Managing Director of Eir Sport and Eir TV, owned by Irish Telco Eir, where he led the launch of their OTT pay sports business and ran the company’s IPTV platform.

He was Managing Director of RTE Television from 2010 until 2016, during which time he was elected Chair of the EBU Television Committee.

Glen took over the role of Executive Director of Eurovision Sport in June 2020, stepping up from the position of Deputy Director of Eurovision Sport, a role he held since August 2018.

Nelson Monfort is a French sports journalist, linguist and television host. After his studies at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Monfort began his career as a sports journalist by commenting figure skating events. A Frenchman of American heritage, he is fluent in English in addition to his native French, and can also speak Spanish, Italian and German, which helped him in his career as he was able to interview various international athletes. Among his most famous interviews are that of Martina Navratilova in 1987, Carl Lewis, Bill Clinton at Roland Garros in 2001 and sprinter Michael Johnson during the Olympic Games in Atlanta. He hosted sports TV show Le Journal des Sports during the 1980s and 1990s on FR3, then Les Mélodies de Nelson on Radio Classique, and wrote for newspaper Le Figaro. In September 2008, he became a columnist of Le Club Sports on Europe 1. In parallel, he regularly appeared on France Télévisions, interviewing top sportspersons about their performances.

Anne-Laure Bonnet is a French sports journalist and communications consultant, known in France and internationally for her expertise in football and her mastery of several languages.

She is fluent in five languages (French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian), has a good knowledge of German and Russian and has started learning classical Arabic.

She has worked in Brazil, Spain and Italy as well as covering international sports and automobile events for Anglo-Saxon productions.

For a long time the face of football on beIN SPORTS France, she now helps players, football clubs and equipment manufacturers with their communication campaigns, offering media training and global communication strategy plans. She is also editor-in-chief and host of Sport Etc, a programme she created for the Public Sénat channel.

She also takes part in international conferences and events linked to sport and journalism, as a moderator or speaker, to share her experience and expertise.

Anna Thompson has been a sports journalist for nearly 30 years and is the women’s sport lead and an executive producer at BBC Sport.

She has been championing women working in sport and amplifying women’s sport covering across all BBC platforms, namely television, radio and online for more than a decade.

Through award-winning original journalism – including global studies into sports prizemoney and elite sportswomen surveys – she has shone a light on issues and helped move the dial on improving all aspects of women’s sport.

Professor Toni Bruce is a former sports reporter and columnist who has been researching media representations of sportswomen for over 25 years. A professor at the University of Auckland, she has over 80 research publications. She has led international teams of researchers, given talks around the world, and published 2 edited books and over 20 research articles specifically focused on media coverage of women’s sport. She was a Foundation Board member of Women in Sport Aotearoa and serves on the extended Board of WomenSport International.

John Palfrey lived and studied (Business School and Postgraduate in Media) in 3 different continents. His first professional experience was creating his own communication and marketing agency, which he closed after 12 years to launch the first ESPN Channel in Europe. Since then, he has worked in Paris, London and Madrid in the sport TV industry for nearly 25 years. In parallel, he collaborated with many multimedia encyclopaedias, specialising in sport entries. He also wrote 4 books (all related to sport), 2 of which with his wife.

In 2015, he co-created the Alice Milliat Foundation, to promote gender equity in sport. European Foundation solely dedicated to women’s sport through local and international initiatives, this Foundation organises annual Trophies rewarding companies, media and organisations promoting women’s sport, co-produced a documentary, published books, created an exhibit and educational tool kits. Next event will be the 4^th edition of “Les Sportives en Lumière”, the unique Film Festival dedicated to Women’s sport, in January 2025.

Elsa Arapi was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She studied philosophy, theatre and scriptwriting and recently completed a graduate degree in International Relations at Harvard University. She is a Senior Sports Rights Manager managing a portfolio of summer sports properties. Elsa is also the lead of the EBU Women’s Sport Initiative, building a business case for gender equality in sport on- and off-screen. She is the author of “Reimagining Sport – Pathways to gender-balanced media coverage” which has been included in the Olympic Library. 

Chief of Women’s Rugby at World Rugby, leading the acceleration of the development of women and girls’ rugby. An expert in the professional and commercial development of women’s sport, Sally has worked internationally on major projects in women's football, tennis, and netball over the past 15 years. Sally understands first-hand how to create and develop professional leagues, major events, and commercial partnerships. She is sensitive to the complexity of working across different cultures to grow sport for girls and women.

Filippo Veglio is Head of Social & Environmental Sustainability at UEFA, European football’s governing body. He works in partnership with Europe's national associations, leagues, and clubs to roll out the targeted measures and investments set out in UEFA's Football Sustainability Strategy 2030. Prior to joining UEFA in September 2021, Filippo spent 16 years at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led community of 200 of the world's leading companies, where he was part of the senior management team.

Annamarie Phelps currently serves as the Co-Chair of the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport. Annamarie has had a distinguished career as a rower. She competed in the women’s eight event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She also won a World Championship title in the women’s lightweight coxless four. She served as Chairman of British Rowing from 2013 to 2018, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of the organization. In 2017, she became Vice-Chairman of the British Olympic Association, contributing to the governance and strategic planning of British Olympic sports. Annamarie was appointed Chair of the British Horseracing Authority in June 2019, a position she held until June 2022. Annamarie serves as the President of European Rowing, advocating for the sport at a continental level. She is a member of the Olympic Gender Equality Commission, working towards gender equality in sports globally. IWG is a global network dedicated to advancing gender equality and promoting women’s participation in sports. Established in 1994, the IWG works to create a sustainable sporting culture that embraces diversity and inclusivity. It conducts and disseminates research on issues related to women in sports, providing valuable insights and data to inform policy and practice. The IWG organizes the World Conference on Women and Sport every four years, bringing together stakeholders from around the world to share knowledge, experiences, and strategies. It fosters collaboration among governments, sports organizations, educational institutions, and other stakeholders to drive systemic change. The

IWG’s work is guided by the Brighton Plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration, which outlines principles and actions to promote gender equality in sports.

Francine Hetherington Raveney is an expert in the fields of: sport policy, gender equality, diversity, project management, script analysis, audiovisual co-productions, and communication, amongst others. She obtained a Masters Degree in English and French Literature at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1992-1996), a Masters Degree in Women’s Studies at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1996-1997) and then carried out doctoral studies in France in politics and literature at Strasbourg University (1997-1998).

Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently an Honorary Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.

Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and partner organisations to ensure that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating gender-based violence in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively.

The first female reporter to cover the international F1 circuitfor Brazilian TV.

A sports reporter since she was 17 years old.

From 1995 to 2020 she worked as a sports reporter forBrazilian TV GLOBO, the largest broadcasting company in Latin America, and from 2009 to 2020 she was also an international correspondent in other news areas.

As well as sports, she covered important events, including the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Europe, done investigative reporting, covered film festivals, and interviewed actors and directors.

The fact that she speaks 5 languages is a great asset, as it  helps her to get more spontaneous responses from her interviewees in the F1 circuit.

Continuing to cover F1, she changed from Globo TV to Band TV.

She raced the toughest Brazilian off-road rally in 1999, 2000 and 2001, showing the Brazilian audiences the action inside the car.

The first reporter to film and report from a racing boat during the 8th edition of The Volvo Ocean Race in 2002.

She sailed the Labrador Coast and the western coast of Greenland up to the North Pole doing a special report both as camerawoman and reporter. 

She has written a book of chronicles titled “Não Inventa, Mariana” , with stories of her travels around the world for 16 years and family life.

She continues to cover F1 live and through special reports and up to the moment is based in Monaco.

Joanna Camilleri is a sport journalist and physical education graduate with a multifaceted career in the world of sports. She works at the National Sports School in Malta. With a background as a former judo champion, Joanna brings firsthand competitive experience and a profound understanding of athletic dedication. Over the past few years, she became one of the recognized voices on the Maltese TV National Station where she produces and presents Sports Panorama discussing a number of sports Live in studio. She became the first female to commentate Waterpolo matches, athletics, football, basketball and more.

A special focus on Premier League football during the weekend Joanna contributes expert pre-match discussions, blending tactical analysis with guests and tactical commentator live on the pitch. Joanna is also one of the main sports newscasters for Television Malta. Currently investing more in Leadership and management at the University of Malta.

I have been deeply involved in skiing throughout my life, with a particular focus on ski jumping and Nordic combined since the late 1980s. My experience spans various roles at local, national, and international levels, including leader, host, judge, obman, and technical delegate. While studying media and communication, I was offered the to become a ski jumping commentator for Eurosport Sweden in 1995. I continued there until 2022, also covering Nordic combined. In 2022, I joined VIAPLAY as a ski jumping commentator since they bought the broadcasting rights in Sweden, and since 2023, I have been an expert commentator for Nordic combined at Eurosport UK.

In addition to broadcasting, I have experience as a journalist and media manager. Since 2003, I have also worked as a lecturer at Dalarna University, teaching media and communication, sports and health studies, pedagogy, and education. Since August 2023 I am a senior lecturer at Örebro university in media and communication studies. I am based in Falun, Sweden, where I live with my husband and I travel frequently for work and leisure.

Dr Lombe Mwambwa, PhD is the Research Director at the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport and a member of the University of Lausanne (UNIL) Institute of Sport Sciences. For about 20 years, she has worked with leaders of sport organisations and sport policy makers in Africa, Asia, and Europe. She is an Alum of the University of Zambia, the University of Zimbabwe, and the University of Chichester, UK. Dr Mwambwa is also Secretary General at the National Organisation for Women in Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation (NOWSPAR) in Zambia. She currently leads the work of the Global Observatory to establish a knowledge pool and repository to facilitate monitoring of progress on women, physical education, physical activity, and sport. 

Charlotte Groppo has over 10 years of experience in the field of gender equality and intersectionality. She had the opportunity to work on anti-discrimination and gender equality policies at local, national, European and International level. As former Vice-president of UN Women France and former gender advisor to the Ministry in charge of gender equality, diversity and equal opportunities, she developed gender mainstreaming programmes and supported the implementation and monitoring of public policies aiming at eradicating gender based violence, promoting sexual and reproductive heath rights and deconstructing gender stereotypes.

Claudia is an International Safeguarding Specialist & Consultant with experiences working with International Sport Federations and National Governing Bodies to develop and implement safeguarding best practices. Claudia is currently covering the role of Head of Safeguarding at the Centre for Sport & Human Rights and is part of the Council of Europe pool of International Experts on Safe Sport as well as the International Safeguards for Children in Sport working group.

As former Head of Safeguarding for Commonwealth Sport, Claudia has driven the Commonwealth Sport Movement’ Safeguarding Agenda, developing their first ever Global Safeguarding Policy and Commonwealth-wide safeguarding training programme. In this role, Claudia has led the development and implementation of the Safeguarding Framework for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Trinidad & Tobago 2023 Youth Games using a multi-agency approach that sees local and international organisations embedded in the response mechanisms.

Claudia's safeguarding approach has been shaped by over a decade of leading services to support children who were trafficked and suffered abuse and exploitation. Working closely with Local Governments, Law Enforcement Agencies, Health and Education, Claudia covered strategic advisory roles for Safeguarding Children Partnerships where she has been able to influence and support the development of local governments’ policies and procedures on child sexual abuse and exploitation, including criminal exploitation.

Claudia is also a recognised humanitarian sector expert; leading and developing support services for refugees and asylum seekers at both the UN Migration Agency (IOM) and British Red Cross where she still volunteers as a member of the Psychosocial Support Team to support people in crisis. Her passion and dedication in this field has been recognised with the Queen’s Award.

Elsa Arapi was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She studied philosophy, theatre and scriptwriting and recently completed a graduate degree in International Relations at Harvard University. She is a Senior Sports Rights Manager managing a portfolio of summer sports properties. Elsa is also the lead of the EBU Women’s Sport Initiative, building a business case for gender equality in sport on- and off-screen. She is the author of “Reimagining Sport – Pathways to gender-balanced media coverage” which has been included in the Olympic Library. 

Sophie Kwasny is the Head of the Sport Division of the Council of Europe (international organisation based in France). She is responsible for the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) and for the promotion and implementation of ground-breaking legal instruments upholding the integrity and values of sport. Combating doping and the manipulation of sport competitions, and promoting an integrated safety, security and service approach at sports events are the key aims of the three Council of Europe Sport Conventions. She is a graduate of the Strasbourg Law University and has been working for the Council of Europe for 25 years on a variety of topics ranging from data protection to prisons’ reforms, or from the independence of the judiciary to nationality law. Her sole objective: Championing human rights in and through sport!