Leaders in Conversation: The FA's Kelly Simmons x Sky Sports' Jo Osborne x Fearless Women’s Sue Anstiss

Sue Anstiss leads a discussion with two female leaders in sport.

Leaders in Conversation is a series that puts you in the room, fly-on-the-wall style, for a discussion between the most influential leaders in sports and media. Our second episode is with Jo Osborne and Kelly Simmons in a moderated conversation led by Sue Anstiss.

Jo Osborne has worked in television production for two decades, the entirety of which she has spent at Sky Sports. She assumed the role of Executive Producer in June 2021, and throughout the duration of her career has been committed to increasing the visibility of women’s sport.

Kelly Simmons took up the new role of Director of the Women’s Professional Game in September 2018 to help deliver and transform professional women’s football in England. Simmons was previously The FA Director of Participation and Development, overseeing the implementation of a £200m four year investment programme into children’s and grassroots football.

Sue Anstiss worked in sports marketing and sports PR for over 30 years, delivering highly successful campaigns to get more women and girls talking part in sport and physical activity. In 2020, Anstiss established Fearless Women, a company with powerful ambition to drive positive change for women’s sport.

In this discussion recorded as part of October’s Leaders Week London as a session titled ‘To What Extent Should Women’s Sport Replicate The Men’s Sports Commercial And Broadcasting Template?’, the three leaders discuss finding and targeting new fans for women’s sport, building new formats, and the importance of criticism as part of broadcast coverage. The session coincided with the launch of our Special Report, which was produced in partnership with Sky and centered around the women’s sports landscape in the post-pandemic era. To download the report, visit http://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-special-report-womens-sport-bouncing-back-from-the-pandemic

On 16th and 17th March, we are partnering with Abu Dhabi Sports Council to bring you The Leaders Sport Business Summit Abu Dhabi. To find out more and register your interest, http://www.leadersinsport.com/AD2022