Kate Beavan co-option as member of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) Council was unanimously approved by the members, on the SIGA’s General Assembly, virtually held on January 31.
The co-option follows the Alliance’s commitment to making gender equity a key component of its reform agenda and is in line with the introduction of a Gender Parity rule in the composition of all SIGA internal organs. Two more women leaders in sport will be co-opted, following a public process to be launched soon.
Originally trained and practising as a commercial lawyer, Kate Beavan moved into the world of sport, first with Tom Walkinshaw – working on his interests in Rugby and Formula 1 – and then, in 2003, was recruited by Bernie Ecclestone, whom she worked with on many commercial projects, from intellectual property rights to brand licensing, sponsorship, to CSR with the F1 in Schools programme and eventually heading up the Global Hospitality and Experiences division under Liberty Media.
Kate introduced a raft of new initiatives to the Hospitality business including the hugely successful F1 Experiences brand, the Pirelli Hot Laps programme, the Expert Host programme as well as partnerships with RM Sotheby’s and Disney’s “Cars” franchise. She left Formula 1 in 2021 to pursue her own advisory business and has been active in bringing new commercial entrants into sport and advising any entity with the imagination and ambition to want to succeed in getting the very best out of an investment in sport.
Check her ideas on Sport Integrity, reading the first interview as SIGA Council member.
What does co-option to join the SIGA council mean to you?
It is a pleasure, an honour and a huge responsibility to be co-opted onto the SIGA Council. The work of SIGA is critical in drawing a line in the sand where Sport collectively decides to honour and protect its privileged status and role in the world.
There are few people in the world who do not follow one sport or another and this gives sport a very significant influence in people’s lives. With this influence comes the responsibility among those who run, participate, fund and regulate sport to exercise that influence wisely.
I have worked for 25 years on the commercial side of sport and I hope to help SIGA with a ‘call to arms’ to mobilise the funders of sport, whether they be private companies or state institutions, to join SIGA and actively promote its objectives.
Among SIGA’s key objectives, which one do you most identify with?
This is like asking a parent to choose their favourite child!
I do however believe that it all begins with Good Governance. Without that, any sport is building upon a foundation of sand.
Gender equity in sport involves promoting the ascension of women to leadership positions. Do you feel that the paradigm shift is coming?
I hope so!
The world around us is changing rapidly and fundamentally in sport and entertainment as in business and politics. It is simply no longer acceptable to have an organisation that does not reflect the diversity of its audience. It is no longer something that needs to be planned and aspired to. It is something that needs to be done. For any organisation, this is not just an issue of equity. It is also commercial common sense, and is a very fundamental part of the pact that Sport must have with its global fanbase. We must never forget – they can always switch off!
Your vast experience in the Sports World, specifically in Formula 1, is an asset in the fight for integrity. Considering that, what would you urgently change in the world sports organisation?
Transparency is, I think, the key to achieving most of the objectives that we have set ourselves. This means transparency across the regulation of sport, the commercial deal-making as well as open reporting on diversity and inclusion data and youth protection issues. Sport should not be shy in opening itself up to scrutiny. In fact, it is in danger if it does not do so. There is no single entity in the world who can make this change. But those entities who fund sport can, at the very least, demand it.
I would like to see all the entities who fund sport, from brands to broadcasters and governments, as well as the athletes who inspire us, to unite in demanding full transparency across any sport that they are involved with.
During the Sport Integrity Week 2021, you spoke with great interest and knowledge about regulation in sport. Is SIRVS the answer to today’s big questions?
We all know the old saying that you cannot manage what you don’t measure and I believe that the SIRVS system is a critical component in the work of SIGA in setting an independent set of standards that every organisation involved in sport should adhere to and should be very proud to adhere to. Again, there is both a moral and a commercial imperative here. The moral case is obvious but there is also a good deal of commercial sense in ensuring that the organisations who partner with and promote sport continue to do so.
Why is the work of SIGA so important now?
We all know that the world is not perfect and that there will never be a time when the work of SIGA is fully done. But I believe that all the stakeholders in global sport can play a part in protecting the rare and powerful influence that sport has in people’s lives. Technology has allowed our fans to become more connected, more active, and more vocal than they have ever been in the past and we must be pro-active in responding to this. If we don’t then sport may lose its influence and relevance in people’s lives.
Watch out for the application process for the last two co-opted SIGA Council places.
ABOUT SIGA
SIGA is the world´s largest coalition in the field of sport´s governance and integrity. Supported by more than 100 international multi-industry supporters, SIGA is an independent and neutral organisation whose mission is to bring about meaningful reforms and enhance the integrity of all sports through a set of universal standards operated by an independent and neutral body. SIGA is the only organisation to bring together sport, governments, academia, international organisations, sponsors, business, rights holders, NGOs and professional services companies, from every region in the world, around a common cause of fostering greater integrity throughout sport.
Click on the hyperlinks for the list of SIGA Members and Committed Supporters and SIGA Partners.
For more information on SIGA, including its vision, mission and reform agenda, please refer to the website: www.siga-sport.com.
To contact SIGA, please email: comms@siga-sport.com.