With a combined legacy across parkrun, badminton, Premier League, WSL, table tennis, NFL, IPL, Tour de France, F1, and FIM Speedway, this is a powerhouse of pioneers, innovators, and commercial visionaries. From building global leagues to creating breakthrough brands and events, they bring unmatched expertise – and a shared mission to grow the next generation of racquet sports through creativity, connection, and impact.
John Postlethwaite is the founder and Chief Executive of Racquetsphere International. He brings more than 30 years of commercial sports experience, as well as a unique perspective on brand and marketing from his days at Pepsi and Nabisco prior to moving into sport. John started his sports career as Commercial Director of…
…Benetton’s Formula One team where he generated significant funding for the team during its period of unparalleled success with World Champion, Michael Schumacher.
He went on to create the sports marketing agency Benfield Sports Limited where he acquired and grew the FIM World Speedway Championships into the fastest-growing motorcycling series in the world. Staging new races around the world at huge international stadiums such as the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, Ullevi in Sweden, the VELTINS arena in Germany and the Olympic stadium in Sydney gave him a fantastic understanding on how to stage, and then profitably grow, new events, whilst televising them to a global audience.
After the sale of BSI to IMG, John returned to the sports world and founded Female Sports Group where he has spent the last 10 years attracting significant global commercial partners to parkrun – which is now the largest mass-participation event in the world.
He has plans to use innovation and commercial experience in the sports of Padel tennis and Pickleball.
Louise is an experienced commercial sports lawyer who has acted for some of the largest clients in the sector on some of their most groundbreaking deals. She has particular expertise in all aspects of rights around sporting events, clubs, and competitions, including tenders, hosting arrangements, media, and sponsorship agreements, as well as the…
…development of coherent media and commercial strategies. Louise has acted both for rights holders and acquirers as well as brands and individuals across many sports.
Louise has been recognised in the Legal 500 and Chambers in Sports and Media as ‘one of the best broadcasting lawyers around’ and ‘smart and hardworking… she can produce quality work quickly.’
Before joining Northridge, Louise took a career break to enjoy some time bringing up her children and, prior to that, was a partner at Olswang, Hammonds and, most recently, Littons.
Peter Griffiths has worked in the business of sport for more than 35 years – first with International Management Group (IMG), then the National Football League (NFL) and, since the start of 2019, through his own agency, Nine Feat. While at IMG, he was a key part of the core group that helped the…
…BCCI to create the Indian Premier League (IPL) and, from 2010 to 2015, led the IMG team that managed and developed all aspects of the IPL, now globally recognized as the world’s gold standard cricket league and the model on which most Indian sports leagues have been based.
As the Chief Operating Officer of the NFL’s international division, he was responsible for the League’s business and operations in Mexico and China as well as overseeing its international sponsorship and licensing businesses.
He is the only executive to have worked for both the NFL and the IPL – reportedly the only two professional leagues in world sport where every team, every season, is profitable – giving him a particular insight into the factors necessary to develop a successful sports business.
Nick is a founder, CEO and consultant across multiple industries – sport, fitness, health, and non-profit. He has been responsible for getting millions of people active and healthy and raising more than £150 million for good causes. Nick launched his own company, Human Race, focused on mass participation sport, which he later sold to ASO (owners of the Tour de France), where…
Adrian is an innovative and visionary individual with more than 30 years of experience in sport, including 20 years as a Chief Executive. With extensive expertise spanning national governing bodies, government agencies, funding partners, international federations, broadcasters, and major event stakeholders, he brings an ability to unite diverse partners behind a shared vision.
He has led and contributed to the development of major strategies for governing bodies of sport, national partners, government, and international federations and held positions on European and International committees. Adrian has also had overall responsibility for teams at five Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games, and multiple European and World Championships.
Adrian brings a deep knowledge of the British sporting system, including the funding landscape, the ability to create thriving sporting bodies and the staging of competition from grass roots through to world-class level, where he led the staging of annual international events and successfully bid to bring a number of major Championships to the UK including European and world-level competitions.
As CEO of Badminton England, Adrian steered the organisation to national acclaim, culminating in the award of National Governing Body of the Year at the Sports Industry Awards and his personal contribution was formally recognised with the award of an MBE in the 2025 New Year Honours.
…parkrun, the health charity now responsible for more than 2,700 weekly events around the world that sees more than 450,000 participants every week.
Russ is passionate about the power of sport to support health and happiness, and is expert in growing brands, driving revenue, and building high-performing teams in grassroots physical activity and elite sport.
JJ is the Head of Sales at Racquetsphere, leading commercial growth and brand partnerships across the business. With a background in sports marketing and partnership development, most recently at West Ham United Women, JJ brings a proven track record of building impactful collaborations that blend commercial success with cultural relevance.
Throughout his career, JJ has built a diverse network across the FMCG, health, beauty, lifestyle, and sports sectors, helping to connect purposeful brands with fast-growing, values-led platforms. JJ’s approach to sales is rooted in storytelling, innovation, and strategic alignment – whether through dynamic content campaigns, high-impact events, or community-driven initiatives.
At Racquetsphere, JJ is focused on driving revenue while shaping partnerships that not only elevate the brand but also create meaningful impact within sport and wellness. His work is guided by a commitment to inclusion, representation, and long-term value for all stakeholders.
A lifelong sports fan and passionate advocate for diversity in business, JJ brings energy, creativity, and a commercial mindset to every conversation.
…across business development and has worked extensively on several pitches for parkrun including Kenco, Ubeleve and Runna who have all become significant partners for parkrun.
At RSI, Georgia has been responsible for the development of the agency concept, carrying out significant research into the sector and examining the competitive space as well as helping with the brand positioning of the agency including the name, logo, and website development, and preparing all the social media handles. She helped create the rights package for FULFIL and will be the Account Executive on this account helping them utilise their rights in Padel tennis.
Georgia is also focussing on the event development of RSI’s new event concepts and works closely to support the sales team with ongoing business development.
