2024 Speakers
From in-depth masterclasses and technical showcases to groundbreaking keynote sessions, SportsPro Singapore will hear from leading voices in the industry, from influencers to global leaders.
Carlos Alimurung
CEO
Carlos is the CEO of ONE Esports, a global esports media company that delivers world-class content and experiences to millions of gaming and esports fans.
Carlos joined ONE Esports as the former Chief Business Officer of Battlefy, the world’s largest open esports competition platform. Prior to entering esports, Carlos served as Univision’s SVP of Corporate Business Development, and as the Head of Strategy for LG Electronics’ North American consumer electronics business.
Carlos was a McKinsey & Company Fellow during his MBA at MIT Sloan, and he graduated Cum Laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Erica Kerner
Managing Director, Global Head of Sponsorship & Events
Erica Kerner is the MD, Global Head of Sponsorship & Events for Standard Chartered Bank where she overseas all of the institutions partnerships including the Liverpool Football Club. Most recently she was the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of SailGP, the world’s most exciting race on water. It is one of the world’s fastest growing sports, and most exciting, sports media properties.
She was previously SVP, Head of Marketing Strategy & Partnerships at Group ONE (ONE Championship and ONE Esports) – Asia’s largest Sports Media Property. Prior to that she was Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Tiffany & Co. Asia Pacific. In this role, she was responsible for all aspects of Tiffany’s luxury and UHNWI marketing, event and communications planning, strategy and implementation across all retail channels and all Asia Pacific countries. She held a similar position at Ralph Lauren prior to joining Tiffany cementing her as a leading luxury and lifestyle retail and events marketer.
She worked for Adidas as director of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, where she was responsible for all of the company’s marketing, sponsorship, licensing and business development activities. She and her team won China’s first-ever Cannes Gold Lion for the adidas Olympics campaign. Erica held the same role for adidas at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Before joining Adidas, she was Director of Marketing and Communications for Special Olympics China, helping to develop the program from 50,000 to 500,000 participants. In addition, as an account director at J. Walter Thompson Shanghai, she was responsible for creative advertising development, product development and retail marketing for DeBeers and PepsiCo.
James Johnson
CEO
James Johnson is the CEO of Football Australia, the governing body of football in Australia. He has been in the role of CEO since January 2020.
James’ early career began as a professional footballer, playing at youth level for various clubs. He represented Boston University’s football team throughout his time there as an undergraduate, completing his degree in business administration with a minor in finance. He then continued to play at club level for the Brisbane Strikers until 2007. James then decided to pursue a new career in law, graduating with an Honours as a Juris Doctor before completing a legal diploma at the College of Law in Australia. As a lawyer, he practiced in the private sector in corporate governance, industrial relations, and commercial litigation.
In 2011, James was able to combine his love for football with business when he joined the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), as a player relations executive. That same year, he was appointed as the Director of International Relations and development at the Asian Football Confederation in Malaysia, where he oversaw relationships with Asia’s 46 national associations.
He next joined FIFA in 2013 before being appointed as Head of Professional Football two years later. Throughout his time at FIFA, James managed the secretariat of the Football Stakeholders Committee and established strong relationships with international clubs, leagues, and players.
In 2018, he joined the City Football Group in the UK, as senior vice president of external affairs, where he worked until being appointed as CEO for Football Australia.
Since joining the federation, James has evolved the sport across the nation, introducing and developing new strategies such as their “XI Principles for the future of Australian football” and the “Legacy 23’” programme. In February 2024, Football Australia released a comprehensive post-tournament report on the Legacy ‘23 strategy, marking a significant milestone in the journey of Australian football.
James is now leading key initiatives for Australian football including the digital transformation of community football in Australian football; creating new national-level competitions (men and women) and reimagining Australian football products as the game adapts to the evolving habits of football participants; introducing a new player transfer system; continuing to grow the commercial revenues for the sport, and building Australian football’s men’s and women’s national team (Socceroos and Matildas) into global iconic sports brand.
Sarah Walsh
Head of AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Office
Sarah Walsh was appointed Head of AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Office for Football Australia in March 2024, following the announcement that Football Australia would host the Women’s Asian Cup 2026.
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 AFC 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.
Julia Farr
Head of Asia Pacific, International & New Business
Julia Farr is the Head of Asia Pacific for International & New Business Development for Borussia Dortmund. As part of her role, she oversees Borussia Dortmund’s marketing, business development and youth development across the region. Before moving to Borussia Dortmund’s Singapore office, she was based in their headquarters where she gathered valuable experience and expertise in various fields and departments. Julia specializes in new business development, strategic planning, project management, marketing, media, and communication management as well as coaching and youth development.
Nao Okamoto
Executive Officer, International Business
Nao Okamoto is executive officer, International Business, B.League (Japan Professional Basketball League). He is responsible for developing the growth strategy of international business, and general management of B.League.
Takato Hara
CEO & GM
Ng Ming Wei
Content Creator & CEO
Ng Ming Wei, a distinguished Taekwondo martial artist from Singapore, is also a dominant figure on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube in the country. Amassing a combined following of 40 million, his dedication to content creation has resulted in over 20 billion video views and the mentorship of 1000+ brands and creators. Through Boom Digital Media, which he founded, Ming has been pivotal in helping brands soar on social media, particularly on TikTok, setting new benchmarks of success
Guy Port
Head of Asia Pacific
Guy has over 20 years experience working across technology, data and consultancy roles within the global sports business industry. Currently managing WSC Sports business across Asia Pacific, he has overseen the growth of WSC’s AI powered video highlights automation technology to partner with major sporting properties and media companies across the region.
Kevin Parks
Vice President, Global Field Engineering
Kevin Parks is a senior media technology executive with over 20 years of experience developing and deploying solutions for major media companies including Comcast, Disney, Viacom, and others. Parks leads the Zixi Field Engineering team as part of Zixi’s Customer Success organization that maintains best-in-class service for Zixi customers. Prior to joining Zixi, Parks lead sales engineering teams at Comcast Technology Solutions, at Disney Streaming Services, and at Vubiquity