Sport and sustainability are inextricably linked and the relationship between the two is a complex one.  

On this course, delivered in partnership with Global Sustainable Sport, you will learn from experienced industry leaders about how sport can make itself a more sustainable proposition, the role it can play to highlight the sustainability agenda and how it can be a catalyst for innovation and behavioural change that can help address current sustainability issues.

This course is for anyone involved in the broad ecosystem of sport.  You will learn practical tools and strategies that can be applied across the industry.  Sustainability is one of the most pressing topics facing the industry today so join us to build your knowledge and skills on this critical subject.

Course curriculum

    1. The seven sustainable pillars of sport with Mike Laflin, CEO and Founder, Global Sustainable Sport

    2. PARTICIPATION: The importance of getting people active. Chris Robb, CEO of Mass Participation World, Damian Hatton, InFocus Consulting, and Mel Berry, founder of Her Spirit

    3. PROFILE: The power of athletes to drive sustainability. Panel session with Ellis Spiezia, Driver, Ellysium Racing and EcoAthletes Champion, Hugo Inglis OLY, former New Zealand Hockey player.

    4. PEOPLE: Engaging fans and communities: Alexandra Rickham, Head of Sustainability World Sailing and Katie Cross, Founder of Pledgeball. Moderated by Mike Laflin

    5. PARTNERSHIPS: The power of partnerships in driving change, Patrick Haslett, Managing Partner, Impact 3Zero, Sarah Wilkin, Fly Green Alliance, David Gilroy, Meath County Council

    6. POWER: The importance of strong governance in the sustainability agenda. Jonny Gray, Senior MD Sport at Ankura and Mhairi Maclennan, founder of Kyniska Advocacy

    7. PLANET: How sport can help address the climate emergency, with Stephane Bazire, Head of Business Sustainability & Partnerships at Silverstone, and Petra Himmel, Sustainable Golf

    8. PROSPERITY: The Business case for sustainability in sport. Boris Davidovski, Corporate Responsibility at Borussia Dortmund, and Steiner Hoen, Meeting Director of The Bislett Games

About this course

  • £199.00
  • 8 lessons
  • 0 hours of video content

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Mike Laflin

Founder, Global Sustainable Sport

Mike is one of the leading authorities on the global sports industry, with a particular focus on delivering better outcomes through sport. Mike has worked in the sports industry for over 30 years working closely with a wide range of sports stakeholders from all over the world. His key skills are in sports news, data and technology. He will focus on helping to drive a more sustainable future for sport.

Alexandra Rickham PLY.

Head of Sustainability at World Sailing

Alexandra recently joined World Sailing from specialist sports sustainability consultancy Earth to Ocean, where she set up SailGP’s sustainability programme and later transitioned into being their Diversity & Impact Manager. Alexandra has also advised a host of other sporting property clients over the course of her time at Earth to Ocean. She is well known in the global sustainability community as a public speaker, appearing regularly on The Sport Ecology Group’s Climate Champions and GreenSports podcasts, as panelist for COPtimism and Sport Positive Summit, working with global sports stakeholders to accelerate climate action. She also serves as Advisory Board Member and Ambassador for EcoAthletes, which brings together athletes, academics, climate scientists, ecopreneurs, green business leaders and journalists. During her sailing career with Niki Birrell, an Olympic class sailor with cerebral palsy, Rickham won two Paralympic Bronze medals, five consecutive World Titles and three World Cups in the SKUD18.

Ellis Spiezia

Driver at Elysium Racing, EcoAthletes Champion

Ellis is a 16-year-old American electric racing driver pacing an unconventional path in the world of racing. He started his racing career in indoor karting and sim racing. After two seasons in competitive electric karting in Europe, this year (2022) Ellis will participate in the world’s first electric junior formula series, ERA Championship. Ellis is an ambassador for a new generation that will redefine education, the economy, environmentalism and equity. Ellis said " I believe that the rewards of being the first far outweigh the risks. I believe electric is the future, for performance and the planet."

Katie Cross

Founder, Pledgeball

Katie is the Founder of Pledgeball which aims to get people in the football community to make a small, easy change to their lifestyle to collectively have a big impact on our planet.

Stephane Bazire

Head of Business Sustainability & Partnerships, Silverstone Circuits

Stephane is an international expert in sustainability and event management with more than 20 years experience, mainly acquired in the sports industry. The first part of his career related to the tennis world (Sanex WTA Tour sponsorship manager, Head of Operations of ATP World Tour Valencia 500 Open, WTA Tour Andalucia Open and FIBA 3x3 World Tour with Octagon). In 2014 Stephane decided to specialise in sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (EOI Master degree) combining his project/event/venue management and sport marketing skills to support organisations in their transformation towards a more sustainable business and operations model. This led him to become Operations Director and Strategy & Sustainability Officer of the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit. Now Head of Business Sustainability and Partnerships at Silverstone Circuit (UK), he is driving change to accelerate Silvertone’s Shift to Zero.

Petra Himmel

Founder, Golf Sustainable

Sustainability issues in golf presented in a journalistic way - with this objective, the German journalist founded Golf Sustainable in 2019 after reporting on international golf events from all over the world for more than 20 years. On-site research, the search for background information and solid journalism are her trademark.

Jonny Gray

Senior Managing Director - Sport, Ankura

Jonny has over two decades of extensive experience working with the sports sector globally. He focuses on all aspects of Ankura’s advice and services to the sport sector, with particular emphasis on risk, integrity, and good governance in sport. In 2019, Jonny went ‘in-house’ to professional tennis for a multiyear project to take forward the recommendations of the 2018 Independent Review of Integrity in Tennis. This included founding and being the first CEO of the legally independent International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), a first for a world sport. In 2023, Jonny was retained by the Council of Europe as an expert advisor on the governance of national and international sports integrity risk. Jonny has spoken at many sports conferences, authored numerous articles, and provided ‘thought leadership’ in webinars, TV broadcasts, and on podcasts. He has worked worldwide, including being based in the U.S. for over a decade. He has supported clients involved in events in Italy, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, Russia, France, the U.S., UK, and the Middle East.

Mel Berry

Co-Founder of Her Spirit

Her Spirit was founded by Holly Woodford and Melanie Berry in 2019, with an ambition to inspire women everywhere to live a healthier, happier life. Their aim is to enable women to take control of their health and wellbeing, by connecting women with each other (‘Together we’ve got this’ is their mantra) virtually (through an app) and locally to achieve individual and group-based physical activity and health goals.

Hugo Inglis OLY.

MD of High Impact Athletes, former New Zealand hockey player

Hugo is a triple Olympian and a veteran of the New Zealand Black Sticks hockey team. He has been considered one of the best hockey players in the world, and vice-captained the NZ team at the Tokyo Olympics. Hugo is an HIA pledger, and after receiving his MBA with distinction from the Heriot-Watt Edinburgh Business School he worked in business development with Lever Room and banking with ANZ, New Zealand’s largest bank. He also has experience with startups, founding a sustainability based company called Borrowed Goods.

Mhairi Maclennan

Founder of Kyniska Advocacy, Board Trustee for Scottish Women in Sport

Mhairi Maclennan is a Scottish long-distance runner from the Highlands of Scotland who’s represented Great Britain at European and World Championships over Cross-Country and Track running. She’s the current British Cross-Country Champion and 3 x Scottish Cross-Country Champion. Mhairi has been a part of gold-winning teams at the 2017 u23 European Cross-Country Championships, where she achieved a top 10 finish, and the 2019 European 10,000m Championships. Off the track, Mhairi campaigns and advocates for a safe and equitable sporting world where athlete welfare is prioritised. Early in 2021 she launched Kyniska Advocacy, a non-profit that campaigns for progressive policies to better protect, respect and celebrate women and girls in sport. Along with Co-Founder and fellow athlete, Kate Seary, the duo have successfully campaigned for lifetime bans for abusive coaches in athletics, run workshops for several organisations, created successful online campaigns around female athlete health and published their report, ‘Stamping out Sexual Violence in Sport’. Mhairi’s passion for creating a sporting world where women have a seat at the table has brought her to sitting on the board for Scottish Women in Sport and the Safeguarding Advisory Panel at UK Athletics where she endeavours to bring the athlete voice to the fore and drive change.

Chris Robb

CEO, Mass Participation World

Chris is a 35 year Mass Participation veteran which has seen him at the helm of events for over 1 million people including the 60,000 runner Singapore Marathon. He is also the author of Mass Participation Sports Events as well as being an international speaker who has spoken in 15 countries.

Boris Davidovski

Corporate Responsibility, Borussia Dortmund

Patrick Haslett

Managing Partner of Impact 3Zero

With over a decade's experience on the commercial side of sport, Patrick helps sports organisations to understand the challenge of 'sustainability'. By putting social, economic and environmental activity at the heart of organisational strategy, sport can play a leading role in tackling the defining challenges of our time. Not only is it the right thing to do, but the commercial opportunity overwhelmingly supports this transition.

Steinar Hoen

Meeting Director Oslo Bislett Games

Steinar Hoen is a retired Norwegian high jumper. He represented IK Tjalve during his senior career. He has been the meeting director for the Bislett Games since 2007, since when he has overseen a transition of the event to one of the most sustainable athletics meetings in the world

Dr. Damian Hatton

Senior Consultant, InFocus Consulting

Damian founded inFocus in 2007. He oversees the inFocus consultancy team and has overseen assignments in 37 countries over the last 13 years. He leads on business development, marketing and provides hands-on quality assurance and project management support to the inFocus team across all complex consultancy and evaluation work. His high-level facilitation, training and strategic planning expertise are applied within a wide variety of client projects, utilising his monitoring, evaluation and research experience across a number of different interest areas. He has particular strong thematic experience in sport for development and peace (S4D), gender equity and equality, child protection, child migration and children in contact with the justice system.