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The Most Important Skill in the Sports Industry

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(It Hasn’t Changed in 20+ Years) I’ve been working in the sports industry for over two decades now, and there’s one question I’ve been asked consistently, across countries, roles, generations, and formats: “What is the most important skill one needs to succeed in the sports industry?” My answer in the early 2000s was simple: Communication skills. And here we are in 2026 and my answer is still exactly the same. If anything, it has only become more important. The only evolution I’d make today is this: Spoken communication skills. In a world where AI can write emails, decks, proposals, strategies, and even speeches, what truly differentiates people is their ability to express , engage , and connect , in real time, as a human being. I’m talking about: • The ability to clearly articulate an idea, opportunity, or vision • The ability to engage one person or an entire room • The ability to listen deeply, remember what was said, and reflect it back meaningfully • The ability to delive...
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Our Little Trophy!

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A very personal update, with an unexpected connection to sport They say it’s a cliché, but clichés exist for a reason. When I held our daughter in my arms for the first time, I fell in love. That part was expected. What I didn’t expect was what happened after . Over the next few days, every time my wife and I looked at our daughter, we would just… smile. Not the polite, Instagram kind. The kind that comes from somewhere deep inside. A quiet, goofy, uncontrollable smile. As if we had achieved something monumental. As if she was our trophy. And suddenly, without trying, my mind went back to sport. Back to my younger days in the US, playing elite-level football (soccer), lucky enough to be part of a really good club team. We won a few championships back then. And after every win, the trophy would sit proudly in the clubhouse. It wasn’t a particularly fancy object. Some metal. Some engraving. Nothing magical about it on its own. But every time we looked at it, something happened. We felt ...
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India, Sports & Me: A Dream in Motion

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"Dreams are not fixed things—they are living, breathing forces that evolve as we grow, learn, and change." When I moved to India in 2009, I carried one dream in my heart: to help India qualify for the FIFA World Cup. It didn’t take long—just a few meetings, conferences, and conversations with stakeholders—for me to realize something crucial: while World Cup qualification would be an extraordinary achievement, serving as a catalytic moment for Indian football, it wasn’t the most urgent dream to be chasing at the time. The soil wasn’t quite ready for that seed to bloom. And so the dream evolved. I began focusing on helping to build a sustainable, thriving Indian football ecosystem—one that could, over time, make World Cup qualification not just possible, but inevitable. Through my work with Dentsu, Libero Sports, and DSK Shivajians–Liverpool FC, I began to see the dream taking shape. Not just in strategy decks or sponsorship deals, but in the eyes of young players, fans, and pr...
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The Indian Sports Management Association Conference – Being Part of Something New…All Over Again

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When I first arrived in India and began working in the sports industry, the concept of sports conferences was still relatively new. Major organizations like FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) and CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) were just starting to host events with names like ‘Turf’ and ‘Scorecard’. I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time—not only attending these conferences but also serving as an organizer. Having spent the early part of my career in North America’s sports industry, where events were meticulously planned and executed with the highest levels of professionalism, I found these initial conferences in India to be a stark contrast. The budgets were tight, speakers often confirmed at the last minute, panel sessions felt disjointed, and programming frequently ran late. Organizers were scrambling to fill seats, and things often felt a bit chaotic. But despite the challenges, the events went on. And at the end of e...
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GISB - Premier League Study Trip to London

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I just returned to India after the annual GISB-Premier League study trip to the United Kingdom, and I’m filled with immense gratitude, inspiration, and excitement for the future of the sports industry. In 2018, Gaurav Modwel and I set out to create a world-class sports education institute with a vision to bridge the gap between the east and west in the world of sports. Our aim was simple yet ambitious: to provide aspiring sports professionals with unparalleled access to industry leaders, best practices, and hands-on learning opportunities that go beyond classrooms—immersing them in engaging real-world situations where students can explore platforms, products, concepts and strategies that further the industry and connect the world. Seven years later, the institute has grown into something far greater than we had imagined. This past week’s trip showcased exactly why GISB exists. Thanks to The Premier League, its clubs, and its partners, our students had the opportunity to: Deepen their u...
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Same, But Different

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Fifteen years. I recently celebrated my fifteenth year living in India. It’s a milestone that feels… tricky to define. Is it an achievement? A feat of endurance? A happy accident? Or simply what happens when you keep waking up, showing up, and living your life? I suppose it depends on who you ask—and perhaps how much coffee you’ve had before answering. For me, these 15 years represent clarity, courage, resilience, and alignment. But weirdly, it doesn’t feel like something I’ve “accomplished.” I didn’t arrive here with a master plan, definitive timeline or India bucket list. I moved because it felt right—like a calling to shift my life to this country and contribute to the growth of sport. The plan was… well, there wasn’t one. Just a vague hope that I’d survive, make some friends, have some unique experiences and maybe—just maybe—leave a positive mark. When I arrived in late October 2009, everything felt new. Every day was a first. The streets were loud, the possibilities endless, and t...
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Dreams Do Come True - International Book Tour

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It was March 2020 when I started writing a book about my eventful career journey and the philosophy I chose to apply as I made decisions along my professional pathway. It was the early days of the pandemic, and my wife and I were staying at a friend’s beautiful farmhouse in Lonavala – a quaint hill station two hours’ drive from Mumbai. During those days, I would wake up early, exercise, chant while walking in nature, make a cup of coffee, sit in one of the comfy chairs facing a nearby mountain, pull out my laptop, put on my headphones, turn on my favourite tunes and start typing.  I relished the process of taking the memories, beliefs, insights and lived wisdom that resided in my head and heart and excitedly placing them onto the Microsoft Word document. It was therapeutic, exhilarating and addicting – creating something that did not exist before. Thanks to the online Masterclass course on how to write non-fiction led by renown author Malcolm Gladwell that my wife purchased for me ...
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