MEET THE TEAM

CESARE TAXIS

SENIOR ANALYST

  • Cesare Taxis is a corporate finance professional specialising in M&A advisory and corporate development within the sports industry. He is a Senior Analyst at IRIS Sport Media, where he is appreciated by his clients on his transaction execution, strategic analysis, and investment-related expertise.

    Previously, Cesare worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Citibank in the Consumer, Retail and Luxury group. Cesare holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Finance from Bocconi University.

EMILIA SANTALIZ

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR, LATAM

  • María Emilia Santaliz is Account Director as part of the LATAM team.  She holds a Marketing degree and is focused on business development and partnership management.

    Maria leads key markets including Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Southern Cone, driving commercial opportunities, regional agreements and sponsorship solutions that enhance brand positioning and growth across the sports ecosystem.

FILIPPO GUIDOLIN

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR

  • Filippo Guidolin has 20+ years of experience managing, optimising, and executing distribution strategies for sports rights holders worldwide. He brings extensive expertise in developing and delivering projects that enhance brand value and unlock new commercial opportunities for rights holders, with a proven track record in rights acquisition and asset commercialisation across volleyball, football, and cycling.

    Previously, Filippo held various senior leadership roles at IMG, including VP and Head of Cycling, VP and Head of Volleyball, and VP Sales Director of Football, following earlier roles in project management and sales finance.

FLORIS WEISZ

MANAGING PARTNER

  • As Managing Partner, Floris Weisz is one of IRIS’ founders and leads the day-to-day media distribution and business development vertical at IRIS, working alongside former colleague Ioris Francini. He brings over two decades of experience including running his own boutique media distribution & advisory agency and working at IMG, where he held senior sales and business development roles across Europe and APAC.

    Working out of the IRIS Amsterdam office, Floris has built a strong network across Europe, Africa, and Asia, including several years in Singapore where he drove the expansion of major projects such as the Asian Golf Tour and the UFC MMA. Floris’ commercial acumen, relationship-driven approach, and ability to offer innovative perspectives helps clients accelerate their development.

FRANCISCO LAPLUMÉ

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, LATAM

  • Francisco Laplumé is a Head of Operations with over 15+ years experience leading operations, growth, and digital transformation across marketing services, media, and sports-focused organisations in Latin America.

    He currently leads operations in Latam, where he drives process optimisation, commercial standardisation and the deployment of digital tools to scale teams, improve efficiency and accelerate business growth. His work has been central to building regional operating models, aligning cross-functional teams and strengthening data-driven decision-making.

    With a background in Business Administration and extensive entrepreneurial experience founding and scaling businesses, Francisco brings to Iris a holistic operational perspective, focused on building scalable structures that connect strategy, people and execution across the global sports and media ecosystem

FREDDIE LONGE

SENIOR ADVISOR

  • Freddie Longe is a senior sports betting and data executive with 18 years of experience at IMG, including six years as President of IMG ARENA. He additionally held a series of senior leadership roles at IMG ARENA and IMG Media, including EVP, and SVP, Head of Gaming.

    Freddie built and led IMG’s global betting vertical, growing the business into a top three global aggregator by EBITDA, and has a strong track record of forming long-term partnerships with rights holders to develop innovative products and business models that stimulate betting demand in emerging markets.

GRAHAM WALLACE

GROUP CHIEF CORPORATE & FINANCIAL OFFICER

  • Graham Wallace joined IRIS following several prominent roles with leading global sports and media organisations. He was most recently Group Chief Corporate and Financial Officer at leading sports investment platform Aser Ventures, and prior roles included serving as CFO of MTV Networks Europe, CFO of IMG Media, COO/CFO of Manchester City, and CEO of Rangers FC.

    Beyond his commercial and financial accomplishments, Graham has a robust track record of delivering successful transactions, including most recently leading roles in the sale of Eleven Sports group to DAZN and the sale of Leeds United FC to a consortium led by the San Francisco 49ers.

GONZALO LOPEZ REGUEIRA

PLANNING MANAGER, LATAM

  • Gonzalo Lopez Regueira has 20 years + experience in planning and commercial strategy. Working in the LATAM team as Commercial Planning Manager he holds a Business Administration degree and has been with Cracks for over two years. One of his main responsibilities is supervising income and expense management, forecasting, and budget control, ensuring the profitability and efficiency of each project.

    Previously, Gonzalo worked for multi-national companies such as Mondelez, Falabella, and Cerámica San Lorenzo.

GOSIA BORKOWSKA

HEAD OF CEE MEDIA SALES AND BUSINESS DEV.

  • Malgorzata (Gosia) Borkowska is a media rights and IP expert with 20+ years of experience in international sports, supported by a broad background in telecommunications, publishing, entertainment, and digital media. She brings deep expertise in sports content sales and acquisitions, digital initiatives including launching D2C platforms, managing complex tender processes, contract negotiations, TV production, and navigating multi‑jurisdictional legal frameworks.

    Before joining IRIS, Gosia served as Media Rights Director at Ekstraklasa SA and its production arm Live Park, and advised rightsholders including the Polish Handball Superliga and KSW MMA. She previously held senior leadership roles at MP&Silva as well as at telecommunications and Pay‑TV operators NETIA and Orange Sport.

GUSTAVO HUERTAS

CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, LATAM

  • With a professional background in advertising and marketing, Gustavo Huertas brings over 30 years of experience in the entertainment and Pay TV industry across Latin America, with extensive expertise in marketing, production, creativity, and advertising sales.

    In 2014, he fully transitioned into the sports industry, joining ESPN, where he worked in the commercial advertising area, developing and creating differentiated opportunities for brands throughout Central America. Since 2021, he has been the Founder and Head of Commercial at Cracks Sport & Media.

    A passionate sports fan and amateur athlete, Gustavo firmly believes that sports represent a unique platform—one that creates opportunities unlike any other content or event—to connect brands with the emotions and passion of sports fans in all its forms.

IORIS FRANCINI

FOUNDING PARTNER

  • Ioris Francini is a world-leading sports and media executive with 20+ years of experience, advising rightsholders and governing bodies on global media rights negotiations which have generated billions of dollars; and with extensive experience building successful commercial ventures such as FC Diez Media and Euroleague Ventures creating revenue streams, and expanding audience reach. In the past five years, Ioris has also been very active in M&A advisory and strategy.

    Ioris is a Founding Partner at IRIS and a Board Member at SURJ Sports Investments and BLAST. He previously held senior leadership roles at IMG and WME-IMG, including President of IMG Media (where he oversaw the creation of IMG ARENA), Co-President of WME-IMG, President of IMG Events and Media, SVP EMEA, and Head of Italy at IMG Media.

JAMIE SWIMMER

HEAD OF STRATEGY

  • Jamie Swimmer is the Head of Strategy at IRIS, bringing nearly a decade of experience leading advisory engagements across the sports, media, and technology sectors in the US and Europe.

    Prior to joining IRIS, Jamie worked at Stax, a boutique strategy consulting firm, and in Accenture’s Strategy practice, where he focused on growth and go-to-market planning, commercial due diligence and international expansion engagements. A proud Chicago native, he has lived in London since 2023 and holds a BA and MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

JULIUS ENGELEN

MEDIA EXECUTIVE

  • Julius Engelen is an emerging professional in the sports media industry, with an interest in media rights, strategy and content acquisition. At IRIS Sport Media, he supports projects involving media distribution, broadcaster partnerships and broader commercial initiatives for premium rights holders.

    Prior to joining IRIS, Julius gained experience in media strategy and content acquisition at beIN Media Group, as well as equity research at Group Nerisa. He holds an MA (Hons) in Business Management and Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews and brings an international perspective, having lived in the Netherlands, Qatar, the USA and the UK.

LARA VANJAK

HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

  • Lara Vanjak has 20+ years of experience across media rights commercialisation, sponsorship sales, business development, and the launch of OTT platforms. She has demonstrated success in advising sports properties in the development and execution of global commercialisation strategies. Before IRIS, Lara held senior executive roles at DAZN, LIVENow, Aser Ventures, MP&Silva, and FC Inter Milan.

    Lara played a key role in MP&Silva’s growth, from inception to a $1.1bn valuation, contributing to partnerships, revenue expansion, and its positioning as a global leader in sports media rights.

LUCA BALDANZA

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

  • Luca Baldanza brings a wealth of experience from 20+ years working in sports, including 12 years at IMG, alongside Ioris and Floris, acting as VP Head of Italy and VP Head of Football Italy. During his time at IMG, he managed relationships with all Serie A clubs, the Italian Rugby Federation and the Giro d’Italia.

    Although well-versed in all sports, Luca has a strong focus and expertise in football. Alongside his work in sports rights distribution, he leads on creators projects for IRIS clients.

MARIANA REIG

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR, LATAM

  • Mariana Reig is Account Director, and is part of the LATAM comercial team driving growth in strategic markets and supporting brands in their development within the sports eco-system. With a background in Business Administration, she has been focused on commercial strategy and sponsorship management across the región for the past four years.

    She leads the commercial management of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the US Hispanic market. Her role combines identifying opportunities, developing strategic proposals and negotiating agreements that create value for both brands and sports properties.

MARTIN AURENCHE

REGION LEAD WESTERN EUROPE

  • Martin Aurenche has over 20 years’ experience in media rights negotiations for sports rights holders. He began his career as a freelance legal counsel before building strong commercial expertise across agencies, pay-TV networks, and rights holders. He played a key role in the international expansion of beIN Media Group, developing relationships with premium rights holders and delivering major media distribution projects.

    Prior to joining IRIS, Martin held senior leadership roles at LFP Media, overseeing domestic and international media rights sales and production. He also worked closely with the CEO to launch Ligue 1+, the league’s DTC platform, leading its digital implementation and distribution strategy.

MICHAEL SHORT

GENERAL COUNSEL

  • Michael Short is a senior legal executive with 15+ years of experience serving as lead legal advisor to rights holders across media rights, betting and data-related matters.  Prior to IRIS, he served as General Counsel at OpenBet/IMG ARENA and before that served as SVP and Associate General Counsel at IMG Media.

    During his tenure at IMG, Michael built and led the legal and compliance functions and devised the legal framework, underpinning the acquisition and sale of IMG Media and IMG ARENA’s rights portfolio. This included rights for the ATP/WTA Tennis Tours, all four of the tennis Grand Slams, PGA Tour, Premier League, FA Cup, NHL, Euroleague Basketball and UFC.

MIKE LYDDON

FINANCE DIRECTOR

  • Mike Lyddon is a senior finance executive with 18+ years of experience at IMG across betting and data, digital, media rights, and production verticals. He brings deep expertise in high-growth sports properties, including business planning, financial analysis, and rights acquisition and M&A activity. Mike also boasts extensive experience structuring JVs and partnership models with rights holders.

    He previously held senior finance leadership roles at IMG ARENA and IMG Media, following earlier experience in audit at Bishop Fleming Chartered Accountants.

MO ABDALLAH

SENIOR PARALEGAL

  • Mohammed (Mo) Abdallah is a legal professional with 4+ years of experience in sports and entertainment, spanning data, media rights and technology. At IRIS, he supports the acquisition and distribution of sports rights, alongside a broad range of legal matters across the business.

    Prior to joining IRIS, Mo worked at IMG, supporting rights acquisition and sales across the IMG Media and IMG ARENA portfolios, including all four tennis Grand Slams, major European football leagues, MLS, UFC and Queensberry Promotions. His role also involved securing 30+ gaming licences for IMG ARENA across the US, Europe and LATAM and ensuring ongoing regulatory compliance. On the corporate and M&A side, he worked on Silver Lake's take-private acquisition of Endeavor and Sportradar's acquisition of IMG ARENA.

MOLLY CHALFONT POLLARD

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AND OFFICE MANAGER

  • Molly Chalfont Pollard is an executive support professional with 4+ years experience. She joined IRIS from Savills, where she supported the EMEA Cross Border Tenant Advisory team; acting as the European POC for all internal enquiries.

    Before joining Savills, Molly was a Business Support Executive at an executive search firm; optimising daily operations for the Founder and wider team.

NOA BENNINGA

MEDIA EXECUTIVE

  • Noa Benninga is a sports media professional with experience across media advisory, football consulting, and account management. At IRIS, he supports various clients across complex media and commercial initiatives. Noa previously worked as a Football Consultant at Rondo Football and as an Account Manager at Peak4. 

    Noa brings a strong football foundation, having spent eight years in AFC Ajax’s youth academy and two years on a football scholarship at the University of Delaware. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics & Business and a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance from the University of Amsterdam.

RODOLFO TRAVERS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LATAM

  • Rodolfo Travers has built a strong career in the global sports industry, with experience across media, business development, and strategic partnerships in the Americas.

    He began his career at ESPN, working in the affiliates department before contributing to several business initiatives focused on Central America. He also played a key role in the creation of FUTV, Costa Rica’s dedicated football channel.

    In late 2021, he co-founded Cracks Sports and serves as CEO, overseeing the company’s business strategy with a focus on partnerships and media rights. He leads relationships with key stakeholders including CONCACAF, MLB, Bundesliga, and other major global players.

    Rodolfo holds a degree in Business Administration and an Executive MBA from IAE Business School.

SANTIAGO SLUZEWSKI MONTI

PARTNER, LATAM

  • Santiago Monti has 20+ years experience leading and managing media rights negotiations for sports rights holders. He brings extensive regional expertise and long-standing relationships across LATAM, including leading DirecTV’s acquisition of sports media rights from premium rights holders.

    Prior to IRIS, Uki held senior leadership roles at Torneos, including Chief Commercial Officer and CEO of Argentina Football Distribution, and served as a board member at Win Sports Colombia. Earlier in his career, Uki worked as a director at TyC Sports, and he spent 16 years as a freelance lawyer advising various sports rightsholders.

TASHA ADAMS

PEOPLE LEAD

  • Natasha Adams is a people and organisational change leader with 20+ years' experience advising leading media, entertainment and professional services companies, spanning high-growth and complex international environments.

    Natasha has led large-scale cultural transformation, operating model redesign, and change programmes for organisations including JCDecaux, the BBC, Channel 5, and WPP, as both an independent consultant and in board-level leadership roles.

TOBY ARUP

BROADCAST SERVICES SENIOR MANAGER

  • Toby Arup is a sports data and betting professional with 4+ years of experience within the commercial function of IMG ARENA. He has strong experience managing relationships with sports betting operators and rights holders, driving growth through partnerships and operational excellence. Toby played a central role in building and scaling IMG ARENA’s account management team.

    Previously, he held a series of commercial and account management roles at IMG ARENA, as well as earlier experience in customer success at GlobalData.

TOM MCCGWIRE

HEAD OF M&A ADVISORY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

  • Tom MccGwire is a corporate finance professional with experience advising on growth capital fundraising, private equity, and strategic financing transactions across the sports ecosystem. He brings a strong history of supporting corporate development initiatives, helping sports organisations and investors navigate complex financing decisions.

    Before joining IRIS, Tom worked on a range of growth capital and private equity investment deals as a senior associate at Oakwell Sports Advisory, and he began his career as an analyst at YPF.  

TRICIA CHUAH

DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RIGHTS & DISTRIBUTION

  • Following an earlier career as a professional squash player, Tricia Chuah has become a distinguished sports media executive with 15+ years of experience developing and executing commercial strategies for rights holders globally. She brings extensive expertise in media rights negotiations, with a particular focus on the APAC region.

    Previously, Tricia held senior APAC regional leadership roles at Spring Media, Athletic Sports Group, and Total Sports Asia.