Josh Akers runs Goalhanger's Commercial division, overseeing all advertising across the UK's biggest independent podcast company, home to the world's biggest shows such as The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Football, The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is Entertainment. 

After six years at LADbible Group, he joined the business in the summer of 2023 to setup Goalhanger's in-house commercial team who now work with some of the world's most well-renowned brands across their portfolio of shows.

Gary is Co-founder of Goalhanger, one of the world’s fastest-growing media and production companies, producing chart-topping, story-first shows across history, politics, sport, business, entertainment, current affairs and audio drama. Its titles include The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, Empire, The Rest Is Entertainment, Leading, Sherlock & Co., The Rest Is Science and We Have Ways of Making You Talk. In 2025 alone, Goalhanger programmes were streamed more than 750 million times.

Gary also hosts the world’s leading football podcast, The Rest Is Football, and will present ITV’s new primetime show, The Box.

Following a professional playing career that included winning the World Cup Golden Boot with England and lifting both the European Cup Winners’ Cup and FA Cup with Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, he went on to host the iconic Match of the Day for 26 years.

He is also well known for his long-running association with Walkers Crisps which, dating back to 1995, remains the UK’s longest uninterrupted celebrity endorsement campaign.

Hollie Heffernan is Head of Brand at Treatwell, Europe’s leading beauty and wellness booking platform. She leads the global brand team, shaping creative strategy, cultural partnerships and campaigns across 15+ markets to position Treatwell as a modern lifestyle brand at the intersection of beauty, culture and self-expression.

With over 12 years’ experience building and scaling brands, Hollie has delivered global campaigns and growth-driven activations across beauty, wellness and tech. Before returning to Treatwell, she spent three years helping define the brand and partnership strategy at ZOE, and previously launched multiple sustainable beauty and wellness brands into the EMEA market. 

While by no means a sports expert, Hollie is a lifelong football fan who returned to playing last year, joining a local team after not having played since her teens. She’s particularly interested in how sport shapes culture, identity and community and what brands can learn from the rituals that bring fans together. 

Patrick is a senior marketer at Entain and heads up brand marketing for Ladbrokes, one of the world’s leading betting and gaming brands. He recently led the brand’s new positioning, relaunching Ladbrokes in 2025. The bold new brand platform, That’s Ladisfaction, was designed to reignite the fame and relevance of one of Britain’s most iconic brands. The work achieved top-tier creative effectiveness scores (System1), helping to restore cultural visibility for the brand and embed a new living business idea across Ladbrokes online and offline touchpoints.

Patrick specialises in brand strategy, integrated campaigns, and leading diverse teams to deliver work that resonates with real people. He has previously held senior marketing roles at Sky, Paddy Power, and Huawei. He began his career agency-side, working on key accounts at Saatchi & Saatchi and VCCP.

Patrick is particularly interested in how brands rebuild relevance and using real human insight to transform businesses.

Alessandra Antonelli is Head of Marketing at Addison Lee, where she leads brand, growth, and omni-channel strategy for one of London’s most recognised transport and business travel services. With 13+ years’ experience across B2B and B2C industries including transportation, events, fashion, publishing, and technology, she has built a track record of driving market growth and creating campaigns that deliver real business results.

Alessandra specialises in building and mentoring high-performing marketing teams, designing integrated campaigns, and balancing creativity with strategic insight. She thrives in fast-moving environments, turning bold ideas into initiatives that engage audiences, strengthen brands, and grow revenue.

Passionate about innovation and collaboration, Alessandra brings a mix of energy, strategic thinking, and a touch of playfulness to everything she does, ensuring marketing is not just effective, but also memorable.

Curt is Head of Product at FotMob and has been instrumental over the past decade in it becoming one of the world's leading and fastest growing football platforms, trusted by over 20 million fans.

An American in Norway and season-ticket holder on both sides of the pond, Curt has extensive expertise both professionally and personally in how fans follow football, in Europe and The States.

Rob Conibear - Managing Director at Jung von Matt LONDON A communications strategist with 20+ years’ experience, he has shaped campaigns and brand platforms for leading sports organisations and brands including Samsung (Youth Olympic Games and World Surf League), Adidas, Team SKY Cycling, Gatorade, HOY Bikes, Shimano, Rapha and Lucozade Sport. Beyond sport, he has worked with Axe/Lynx, Coca-Cola, British Airways, Bumble, BlackRock, Activision and Google.

A creative mind with 9+ years of experience in crafting award-winning brand and communication strategies. 

Fabio loves to operate at the intersection of sports and culture, working with athletes, clubs, federations and global brands including Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s.