Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Managing Director operating in the Sports space. If you think a Managing Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Gary Davey
Managing Director of Content of Sky UK
Gary was appointed Managing Director, Content in January 2015. In this role, he has responsibility for Sky’s entertainment, movies and news channels in the UK and Ireland as well as the entire entertainment offering of Sky Deutschland where he has been Executive Vice President Programming since 2011. For the majority of his career, Gary has worked as a senior executive in the international pay TV industry holding senior roles in Europe, Asia and the US. Before joining Sky Deutschland in June 2010, Gary held a senior role at Sky Italia, where he was responsible for launching its terrestrial TV network, cielo. He has also worked as Managing Director of BSkyB in England and CEO of STAR TV in Hong Kong among his other roles.
Follow Gary Davey:
About Sky UK: Sky is an entertainment company, serving 22 million customers across satellite, OTT, and broadband in five countries.
Sebastian Gray
Managing Director of Dugout
Sebastian began his career with Quest Software working in their Microsoft sales team, leaving after a number of years to establish his own company developing mobile apps. This progressed into user interactions and digital media and led him to create Sport Digital, a digital media company that specialises in the management and commercialisation of the digital landscape for athletes, actors, musicians and celebrities. Two years after its founding, Sport Digital now looks after over 300 athletes, including Gareth Bale, Anthony Joshua, and Adam Lallana, utilising and developing their digital and social media footprint with the long-term objective of optimising their digital media value.
Follow Sebastian Gray:
About Dugout: Dugout is an innovative new digital football platform.
David Lampitt
Managing Director Group Operations of Sportradar
David Lampitt is Managing Director Group Operations for Sportradar AG. Initially joining the Board of Sportradar AG in August 2012 in a non-executive capacity, David brought over a decade of in-depth experience of working in the sports industry at senior levels. In 2013, he took on an executive role as Sportradar’s Managing Director Group Operations, where he has responsibility for shaping Sportradar’s organisational structures. His remit also includes a number of group functions such as legal, compliance, marketing, communications, as well as strategically significant group projects such as e-sports. Prior to joining Sportradar, David worked at the English Football Association, he was a member of UEFA’s Club Licensing Committee and spent two years as CEO of Portsmouth Football Club.David also worked as CEO of Supporters Direct, a not-for-profit organisation promoting good governance in sport. He holds a degree in Modern Languages from Bristol University and is an ACA Chartered Accountant. David is based in London, United Kingdom.
Follow David Lampitt:
About Sportradar: Sportradar is a supplier of sports and betting-related live data, odds solutions and fraud detection services.
Ken Friar
Club Secretary & Managing Director of Arsenal Football Club
Arsenal Football Club’s longest-serving director, Ken Friar OBE has been a mainstay of the Club for more than 60 years. During this time, Mr Friar, as he is affectionately known by all, has done just about every job at the Club including working as Club Secretary and Managing Director. He was a driving force behind the Gunners’ move from Highbury to Emirates Stadium and continues to lead the Club’s activities in the property sector.
Follow Ken Friar:
About Arsenal Football Club: Arsenal Football Club is a multi media production company representing a diverse & exciting international talent roster including Director.
Ben Ladkin
Managing Director, MLB Europe of Major League Baseball
Follow Ben Ladkin:
About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball is a professional baseball organization.
Ben Crossing
Managing Director of Hawk-Eye Innovations
Ben is currently instrumental in further establishing Hawk-Eye’s operations across Asia from Japan. Previously worked as commercial manager in cricket managing projects such as the ICC World Twenty20, Indian Premier Leagues and the Big Bash. Ben will oversee the project delivery, contractual obligations and operational elements in Japan.
Follow Ben Crossing:
About Hawk-Eye Innovations: Hawk-Eye is a British company that develops vision-processing, video replay, and creative graphical technologies for sports.
Sam Cooke
Managing Director and Co-Founder of Esports Insider
Sam Cooke heads up Esports Insider, an esports business news platform and events company based in London. Esports Insider is a part of SBC Global and runs B2B events including the ESI Forum Series, the ESI Super Forum and the Betting on Esports Conference
Follow Sam Cooke:
About Esports Insider: Esports Insider is a platform which covers all news that is of interest to the industry.
Matthew Entwistle
Group Managing Director of Two Circles
Matthew’s twenty-year career includes senior roles in strategy consulting, marketing and commercial operations. His business passion is understanding customers and using that insight to drive tangible commercial results. He has worked across consumer and retail businesses in the UK, Europe, US and Asia, including time as Tesco’s Non-food Marketing Director and Tesco.com’s International Director. As Group Managing Director at Two Circles, he is responsible for delivering great client results in every country in which we work. As a fervent football fan, Matthew has been supporting Manchester City for the past 34 years from Maine Road to the Etihad Stadium. Having played football in his younger years he continues to keep fit and is now a keen gym-goer.
Follow Matthew Entwistle:
About Two Circles: Two Circles is a sports marketing agency based in London.
Kos Gkortsilas
Managing Director of Footy Addicts
Follow Kos Gkortsilas:
About Footy Addicts: Footy Addicts is a social platform that enables football players and enthusiasts to discover, organize, and join football games in the UK.
Jasper Kain
Managing Director of Football Beyond Borders (FBB)
Jasper Kain and Jack Reynolds founded Football Beyond Borders in 2013, since which Jasper has been serving as its managing director.
Follow Jasper Kain:
About Football Beyond Borders (FBB): Football Beyond Borders an education and social inclusion charity that uses young people’s passion for football to educate .
Jack Reynolds
Managing Director of Football Beyond Borders (FBB)
Jack Reynolds and Jasper Kain founded Football Beyond Borders in 2013, since which Jack has been serving as its managing director.
Follow Jack Reynolds:
About Football Beyond Borders (FBB): Football Beyond Borders an education and social inclusion charity that uses young people’s passion for football to educate .
Dane Streeter
Managing Director of SharpStream
Dane Streeter is co-founder and Managing Director of SharpStream, one of the worlds leading audio streaming service and technology companies. For over a decade, Dane has provided media enterprises with service for the largest, era-defining audio streaming technologies and is responsible for the delivery of over 15 billion annual hours of digital audio content to over 35 million individuals throughout the world. Dane’s passion for audio streaming came in 2004, at the age of 16, listening to early internet broadcasts of live gigs from popular locations such as Ministry of Sound London, and A State of Trance in Holland.
Follow Dane Streeter:
About SharpStream: SharpStream is the leading streaming platform for smart streamers…
Mark Mulligan
Managing Director and Analyst of MIDiA Research
Follow Mark Mulligan:
About MIDiA Research: MIDiA Research is a media and technology analysis company that offers consulting and syndicated research services.
Garry Adamson
Managing Director/Founder of 4Sight Sport & Leisure
Garry is a leading CRM expert with over 20 years’ experience including 12 years in the sports industry. He is the founder of the concept of Fan Relationship Marketing (FRM) recognising the perfect fit between CRM and sport with an understanding of the unique characteristics of its customers. He has worked with a number of sports organisations such as Manchester City, The ECB, The FA, Reading FC, Arsenal FC, AS Monaco and Silverstone. Garry has an MBA (Distinction) from the University of Liverpool.
Follow Garry Adamson:
About 4Sight Sport & Leisure: 4Sight Sport & Leisure a specialist CRM & Data Marketing Agency.
Nick Meacham
Managing Director of SportsPro Media
Nick Meacham is a Managing Director at SportsPro Media.
Follow Nick Meacham:
About SportsPro Media: SportsPro is the global leading B2B sports media source targeting specifically industry decision-makers, rights holders & senior executives
Philip Bingham
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Velo Vixen
Follow Philip Bingham:
About Velo Vixen: The UK’s Leading Specialist in Women’s Cycling Kit
Samantha Oxford
Managing Director of Boulder Hut
Follow Samantha Oxford:
About Boulder Hut: Boulder Hut is an indoor climbing brand.
Scott Morgan
Managing Director of Nutrivend
Follow Scott Morgan:
About Nutrivend: Nutrivend is a sports nutrition company.
