Kylie Watson-Wheeler is the Senior Vice President & Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand and the Head of Sports Network ESPN for Asia-Pacific.

Kylie is responsible for The Walt Disney Company in Australia and New Zealand across Film, TV, live events, digital, content distribution and streaming services. She manages a portfolio of content and products across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, ABC Studios (US), 20th Century Fox and National Geographic. She also has regional responsibility for ESPN across the Asia Pacific Region.

Kylie has 20+ years of entertainment industry experience and has led multiple areas of the business across The Walt Disney Company including content, marketing, sales, consumer products, theatrical distribution and local production. She has held responsibility for the Publishing business across the region including India, South East Asia and Korea.

Before joining Disney, Kylie was the Global head of Marketing for Hallmark Inc., based in Kansas City, USA, where she oversaw and managed the marketing function for Hallmark’s US$4 billion business.

She previously held roles at Coca-Cola Amatil and Penguin Books. She is also the President of AFL Club, The Western Bulldogs and is a Non-Executive Director at Tennis Australia and The Australian Ballet.

She resides in Melbourne with her husband Mark and their two children Finn and Lexi.

Tom Mottram is the Chief Events Officer at the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, where he leads the delivery of two of Australia’s largest annual global sporting events: the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix and the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Tom oversees a broad portfolio including infrastructure and event build, venue operations, customer operations, motorsport, catering, and capital projects. He leads a diverse team and an extensive supplier network, managing a wide range of subject matter expertise.

Tom has nearly 15 years of experience with the Corporation and has previously held senior roles at TGI Sport—where he served as Senior Account Manager for Cricket Australia—and at the Victoria Racing Club (VRC). He also contributes to the broader sporting community as a Director on the Board of Regional Sport Victoria.

Tom is responsible for delivering one of the most complex and dynamic sporting events in the country, including:

· Capital investment in infrastructure to support the growing demands of hosting a Formula 1 event in a public park,

· Venue design and operations for Australia’s largest pop-up event, accommodating over 465,000 fans across four days, and

· Track scheduling for one of the busiest calendars on the F1 circuit, featuring Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, and leading Australian motorsport categories such as Supercars and Porsche Carrera Cup.

Tom is passionate about people leadership and is committed to fostering a united, high-performing, and enjoyable culture within his team and the wider organisation.

Sarah Walsh is a former Australian international athlete with 70 caps and 35 international goals for the Matildas. She has a decorated career including appearances in the 2004 Olympics and 2007 FIFA World Cup. She clinched victory at the 2010 Women’s Asian Cup.

Since then, Sarah has evolved into an accomplished sports executive, Logie-nominated commentator, and compelling public speaker. Her firsthand experience in high-performance sports has translated into advocating for pay equity and inclusion, spearheading innovation in governance and policy driving social change at all levels of football.

Notably, as Head of Women’s Football for Football Australia, she influenced the strategy that generated a staggering $398M for football’s World Cup leveraging strategy through government and commercial investment, with an additional $200M earmarked to improve community infrastructure for women and girls across all sports. As hosts of the most commercial FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Matildas shattered attendance and viewership records, drawing over 11 million viewers during the semi-final against England, making it the single highest rating TV program of all time.

Recently ranked 22nd on News Corps’ list of 100 most influential women in sport, Sarah’s illustrious playing and professional career converge in this pivotal moment.

Today she serves as the Head of AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Office at Football Australia, charged with delivering the most prominent Women’s Asian Football Tournament to our shores.

Dan Taylor is a strategic leader with extensive experience in driving growth and innovation in the Australian media landscape. As Executive Director of Stan, Dan oversees the strategic direction of the business, including entertainment and sports content, platform experience, business development and growth as well as a range of operational functions. Under his leadership, Stan has cemented its position as Australia’s only locally owned and operated streaming service, becoming a key player in transforming the media and sports landscape.

Dan’s vision for Stan extends beyond simply delivering content – he is deeply committed to shaping the future of sports media by building a platform that serves fans and supports the growth of key sports codes. This is underpinned by his leadership philosophy which focuses on creating long term value by fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration and agility. He believes in the power of cross-functional alignment to drive meaningful results and in relentlessly pursuing continuous improvement in technology and product to meet the ever-evolving needs of consumers. This approach has enabled Stan to become one of only a small number of profitable, single-territory subscription streaming platforms globally, and has positioned the company as a standout in consumer experience, achieving international recognition and fostering lasting connections with audiences.

A trusted advisor to C-suite executives and boards, Dan’s career has spanned investment banking, corporate development and business strategy, leading strategic transformation and major M&A transactions and rights deals, including the recent transaction with Optus Sport. His ability to balance ambition with strategic foresight continues to reinforce Stan’s reputation as a leading force in both the sports and entertainment sectors.

At the Business of Sport Summit, Dan will delve into the importance of partnerships, innovation, and fan-first strategies in driving the future of sports in Australia. He will highlight how Stan is shaping the landscape through its commitment to long-term growth and its unique approach to supporting codes like nobody else can.

Rachael has had a diverse career spanning senior roles in government, major event, and tourism agencies through to being co-owner of an entrepreneurial sport and music promotional company. Rachael has developed major event and tourism strategies for cities, led successful government major event bids and executed host city planning for major events, including the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and the New Zealand 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Prior to TEG, Rachael was the Director and CEO of Duco Events, leading the creation and delivery of multiple international major sporting events, overseeing the acquisition and growth of live content as well as working in the intriguing world of international boxing promotion. As Managing Director, TEG Sport, Rachael is responsible for the growth of TEG’s global sport content

Amanda Del Prete is the Director of Product & Customer Experience at Tennis Australia, where she leads the strategic vision behind fan engagement, innovation and product design across one of the world’s most iconic sporting events — the Australian Open. Since joining in 2023, Amanda has played a leadership role in delivering the record-breaking-event, which welcomed more than 1.2 million fans in 2025 and set new global benchmarks for live entertainment, experience design and audience growth.
With a career spanning global executive roles in product development, marketing, and commercial leadership, Amanda brings a blend of creativity, customer insight, and operational excellence. Prior to Tennis Australia, she held senior positions at Hallmark Cards across Australia, the UK, and the US where she led large-scale transformation and innovation across diverse markets.
As a lifelong spectator and player of sport, Amanda is passionate about the intersection of sport, culture, and human connection.

Misha Zelinsky is a leading expert on the rise of global authoritarianism.

A Fulbright Scholar, economist, lawyer, and author, Misha spent 2022 and 2023 covering Russia’s invasion from inside Ukraine as a war correspondent for The Australian Financial Review. For this work, Misha is personally sanctioned by the Putin regime.

A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, he is an expert associate at Australia’s National Security College. Misha is a director of AustralianSuper, an industry superannuation fund with over $300 billion under management. He is currently the Executive General Manager of Corporate Affairs at the National Rugby League.

Thanks to his time leading the Australian Workers’ Union— Australia’s oldest blue-collar trade union — Misha has been a senior political figure with a reputation for expertise in supply chain sovereignty, national security, industrial policy, countering foreign interference, international trade and energy security.

Misha is a regular columnist for The Australian Financial Review, writing on the future of democracy, Australian domestic policy, national security and geopolitics. As a contributor to MSNBC, BBC, and ABC, Misha’s work features in Australian and international print publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, Foreign Policy and The Times.

Misha’s book The Sun Will Rise, detailing the events of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine was released in December 2023.

With a background in journalism, Loretta has been at the forefront of driving digital content innovation within the sports industry. Her career includes roles as a sports reporter for 3AW and Sky News Australia, where she covered some of Australia’s most significant sporting, political, and news events. She then transitioned to sports administration, initially as Media Manager at the Carlton Football Club, before joining the executive team at the Sydney Swans in 2016.

At the Sydney Swans, Loretta has overseen the growth and transformation of the club’s digital presence, leading creative strategies to engage fans and position the Swans as a leader in sports media and communication. Under her guidance, the Swans have embraced new technologies like virtual reality, live streaming, and innovative digital storytelling to bring fans closer to the action, both on and off the field.

Beyond her work in media and content, Loretta is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion. She serves on the Sydney Swans’ Reconciliation Action Plan and Diversity Action Plan committees, championing initiatives that promote inclusivity within the club and the wider community.