OUR TEAM
Ioris Francini
Founding Partner
Ioris founded IRIS Sport Media following a 20-year career with WME|IMG/Endeavor, where he served in a number of senior positions, including Co-President of WME|IMG, and President and Chairman of IMG Media.
At IRIS, Ioris uses his years of experience and his deep global network to connect his clients to the partners that can help them deliver their vision, all in service of the fans.
More than anything else, he is someone who is driven by finding the right solution to the problem at hand (and the one around the corner).
Depending on the client and their situation, that solution could be built from a diverse set of initiatives, including, but not limited to, developing new competition formats, finding new investors, building new revenue streams, and opening new markets.
Sport stands alone in its ability to generate unique emotional experiences. Capturing the value of these experiences and taking fan engagement to the next level are the two main themes for the coming decade. We think we are in the perfect position to help our clients master both.
Ioris Francini, Founding Partner, IRIS
Floris Weisz
Managing Partner
Floris joined his former IMG colleague, Ioris, to spearhead the firm’s media distribution and development services. During his ten years at IMG, Floris held a variety of sales and business development roles, including at VP level, with responsibilities including IMG’s global cycling portfolio and the UFC.
Now based in his native Amsterdam, Floris has a well-developed international network from his experience of creating partnerships across Europe, Africa and Asia; with IMG, he spent several years based in Singapore, driving the expansion of high profile projects, including golf’s Asian Tour and the UFC, across SE Asia.
His clients appreciate his commercial acumen, his easy-going style, and his ability to build strong relationships in service of their goals. He enjoys sharing innovative perspectives on how they can push their development forwards, at pace.
Sport is at a crossroads. Media rights, sponsorship, ticketing, and hospitality will always be important, but the range of opportunities now for a rightsholder is almost boundless. It takes vision and determination to see the right move and make it happen. As we have shown many times, we have what it takes to make ambition a reality.
Floris Weisz, Managing Partner, IRIS
Graham Wallace
Chief Corporate and Financial Officer
Graham joined IRIS following a number of 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).
IRIS clients benefit from his multiple perspectives on what is needed to build and operate global sports businesses, drawing on his extensive experience as a rightsholder, broadcaster, and investor. His ability to help clients develop and communicate a compelling vision for their businesses is matched by the operational experience he is able to draw on, to help them make that vision a reality.
The accelerating convergence of sport, media and entertainment, coupled with rapidly developing technology-enabled fan engagement creates a constantly evolving environment of opportunity for rights holders, investors and consumers. Our approach is to be dynamic and creative in understanding current and future trends and opportunities so that we can provide superior solutions to our global clients.
Graham Wallace, Chief Corporate and Financial Officer
Luca Baldanza
Business Development Director
Luca brings a wealth of experience from more than 20 years working in sports, including 12 years at IMG, with Ioris and Floris, acting as VP Head of Italy and VP Head of Football Italy. During this time, he managed relationships with all of the Serie A clubs, the Italian Rugby Federation and the Giro d’Italia.
Although he is well-versed in all sports, Luca has a strong focus and expertise in football. Alongside his work in sports rights distribution, he leads on technology projects for IRIS clients.
When it comes to the next decade in sport, Luca is particularly excited about the role that data will play, from athlete performance and recovery data, to content consumption and ecommerce analytics.
Sport is an electric connection between strangers, from all countries and all walks of life. I follow how that electricity is channelled and want to contribute to amplifying the joy of sports.
Luca Baldanza, Business Development Director
Tom MccGwire
Head of Corporate Development & Strategy
Tom joined IRIS from Oakwell Sports Advisory, where he worked on a number of growth capital and private equity investment deals, as well as advising on corporate development and financing opportunities.
At IRIS, Tom helps his clients plot the way forwards and identify their financing and corporate development needs, at each step along the way. One of his key roles is bridging the gap between sports and finance, helping these different worlds come together in support of his clients.
Tom is a keen participant and spectator across a variety of team and endurance sports.
When working with high-profile clients, remaining under the radar is crucial. In this industry, strong opinions are common and the tangle of alignments and motivations can make progress seem impossible. But by keeping level-headed, and fixing our focus on the outcome, we make sure we close the right deal for our clients.
Tom MccGwire, Head of Corporate Development & Strategy
Katie Dore
Senior Analyst, Corporate Development
Katie joins the Corporate Development team at IRIS from Angular Advisory, where she was an M&A analyst, with a focus on the FinTech and gaming sectors.
She began her career with HSBC as part of its global banking and markets transformation services graduate programme, following which she moved to Kroll, where she worked in valuation services.
Data has revolutionised the sports industry, offering deeper insights into performance, on and off the field. This has added a new dimension to the valuation of sports businesses and increased the number of pathways to growth, across the sector.
Katie Dore, Senior Analyst, Corporate Development
Sahil Oberoi
Director Media Distribution and Sales
Sahil is a senior member of the sales and business development team at IRIS, having previously straddled the sport, media, and technology sectors, in roles at GlobeCast, WWE, Red Bull Media House and Two Circles.
He played cricket from an early age, growing up in India, and supports the Delhi Capitals in the IPL and the India national team (in person, when he can).
Whilst the appetite for Test and ODI cricket is still strong in select territories (we have seen the global sports streaming record repeatedly broken during the 2023 Cricket World Cup), the governing body, cricket boards and rights holders need to preserve the delicate balance between protecting the international game, embracing franchise cricket, looking after the workload of cricketers and appeasing the demand of fans.
Sahil Oberoi, Director Media Distribution and Sales
Patrick Odling
Senior Manager Media Distribution and Sales
Before IRIS, Patrick held positions in sales and business development at BLAST Esports, NBCUniversal and SportBusiness.
He brings considerable experience in media distribution, licensing, and subscription models, to the team, across esports and traditional sports.
The rapid rise of athletes leveraging themselves as brands and the surge of influencers headlining events has caused a paradigm shift in the sports media landscape. They have been able to reach and engage fans in ways that traditional sports media has not been able to, providing a wealth of new opportunities and opening up lucrative revenue streams.
Patrick Odling, Senior Manager Media Distribution and Sales
Jamie Swimmer
Senior Strategy Manager
Jamie joined IRIS from Stax Inc., the global strategy consulting firm, where he focused on growth strategy and commercial due diligence for private equity and corporate clients.
Prior to this, he was a consultant at Accenture Strategy, with a focus on go-to-market strategy and international expansion. He has also spent several years writing on sports business topics for Horrow Sports Ventures.
Sport is a foundation for experience and connection, but it is also a unique and valuable asset class. I am passionate about finding the most sustainable, impactful ways to enable fans around the world to foster those incredibly strong connections with their favourite players, teams and brands.
Jamie Swimmer, Senior Strategy Manager
Tom Barnes
Broadcast Services Director
Prior to IRIS, Tom spent 20 years at IMG, starting in the sales and marketing department of IMG Media Archive.
He rose through the organisation to the position of Vice President, with worldwide commercial responsibility for IMG Replay, the world’s largest sports video archive. During his time at IMG, he rowed across the Atlantic and, in his spare time, he is a volunteer cycle ride leader and a Rugby Union coach for his son’s team.
The fusion of traditional broadcasting with digital platforms is ushering in a new era for sports media. It's about crafting engaging stories that resonate on a global scale, bridging the gap between generations of fans and introducing immersive ways to experience sports.
Tom Barnes, Broadcast Services Director
Molly Chalfont Pollard
Office Manager and Executive Assistant
Molly joined IRIS from Savills, where she worked with the bids, marketing and creative teams as European Tenant Rep Manager.
Before joining Savills, Molly held a number of administrative, marketing, and customer service positions in professional services and hospitality.
Sports is for all; it unites people from all backgrounds, embracing a community of players and spectators, bringing excitement and joy. There is work still to be done, but the industry has made great progress recognising intersectionality and working to ensure that diversity empowers rather than hinders sport.
Molly Chalfont Pollard, Office Manager and Executive Assistant