Panelists

Dawn Hudson

Vice Chairman, The Parthenon Group; Former CEO Pepsi Cola NA

Ms. Hudson is Vice Chairman of the Parthenon Group. She has extensive experience in executive leadership spanning consumer goods, foodservice and communication companies. Her focus has been on strategic analysis and vision setting, share growth through brand building and industry-leading innovation, and negotiating sports and customer deals. She recently completed an 11-year stint at PepsiCo as the CEO of the $6 Billion North American beverage business. Previously, she spent 13 years in the marketing, advertising and branding strategy arena with leadership positions at major agencies such as DMDB (D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles) and Omnicom. She has been on the board of the LPGA for seven years and is the current Chairman of the Board, leading their global expansion strategy. Her other board positions include Lowe’s Home Improvement Company and Allergan Inc. Ms. Hudson is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

Jackie MacMullan

Sportswriter, ESPN

Jackie MacMullan is an analyst for ESPN and author of the book “When the Game was Ours”.  She also serves as a contributor to Channel 7 in Boston, Comcast Sports and WEEI radio. Prior to ESPN, Jackie was a writer and columnist at the Boston Globe (1982-1995, 2002-2006) and an NBA writer for Sports Illustrated (1995-2000).

 

 

Lawrence Norman

Vice President of Global Basketball, adidas

Lawrence Norman holds the position of Vice President, Global Basketball for adidas. A 14 year veteran of the company, he has held positions in Global Brand Strategy, Country Marketing Management, Global Communications, Licensing /New Business Development and International Basketball Scouting and Grassroots Development.  

His current responsibility overseeing adidas' global basketball business also includes management of the 11 year partnership between adidas and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Based in Portland, Oregon, Lawrence has also worked for adidas in Israel, Spain, Germany and The Netherlands.

A basketball fanatic and former professional basketball player in Israel, there is rarely a day in which he is not on a basketball court, either working on his left-to-right crossover, speaking with athletes or testing the newest innovations of adidas basketball products. Norman recently returned from Israel where he helped capture a Silver Medal as a member of the USA Masters basketball team at the Maccabiah Games.

Lawrence holds both BA and MBA degrees in Marketing from Clark University in Worcester, MA where he also serves as a Board Member of the Graduate School of Management. He is also a Board Member of Maccabi USA and is on the Board of Directors for PeacePlayers International (PPI), a global organization that uses sport to unite and educate young people in divided communities.

Phil de Picciotto

President, Octagon

Octagon President Phil de Picciotto has been at the forefront of the sports and entertainment marketing industry for more than 25 years. In that time, he has guided Octagon into the global leadership position in a multi-billion dollar industry and has earned the respect of his peers for his global vision and human approach. de Picciotto's steady leadership and forward-thinking mindset has guided Octagon's success and growth over the years which has been recognized with many awards and honors including being named the inaugural winner of the Sports Agency of the Year by the Sports Business Journal.
 
Other accolades de Picciotto has regularly collected include Advertising Age: "The Marketing 100", as one of the world's top marketing professionals; The Sporting News: "Top 100 Most Powerful People in Sports;" and Sports Business Journal: "20 Most Influential People: Sports Agents" and "Top 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business." 

Phil was also the co-founder of Octagon's predecessor, Advantage International. In his early days with the firm, de Picciotto was lauded for his diligent work to remove tobacco sponsorship from women's professional tennis and the globalization of sports beyond U.S. borders.   

He is a frequent guest panelist at the industry's leading shows and regularly offers his in-depth knowledge and perspective for news media outlets including Business Week, CBS, CNBC, Fox Business, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post among others. A Magma Cum Laude graduate of Amherst College, de Picciotto went on to earn his JD from the University of Pennsylvania. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance and on the U.S. Board of Right to Play. 

Michael Spillane

President & CEO, Converse

Michael brings 25 years of hands-on financial, textile and apparel experience to Converse.  He joined Converse in 2007 as President of North American Footwear.  In less than a year he was asked to lead growth around the apparel business, as President, North America and Global Product.

 

Previously, Michael held CEO positions at Polartec and Malden Mills as well as senior positions at Tommy Hilfiger and Jockey.

Moderator

Mike Gorman

Play-by-Play Announcer, Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics fans have been blessed with a fabulous tradition on the court and that excellence has trickled through to the broadcasting booth where Mike Gorman, an incisive play-by-play man with a wealth of basketball knowledge, begins his 23rd year with the Celtics. The critically acclaimed Gorman, a native of Dorchester, MA, has the enviable background of watching the dynasty-laden teams of the 60s.

His experience in broadcasting is extensive. Formerly, the Sports Director at WPRI-TV in Providence, Gorman also served as the voice of the University of Rhode Island on WPRO. Gorman later handled the play-by-play duties on television for the Providence College Friars.

During the 1980s, Mike was the primary announcer for ESPN's Big East Game of the Week. He has done college basketball for CBS, the 1992 Summer Olympics for NBC, and most recently the NBA Playoffs for TNT.

Mike's wife Teri is the Senior Coordinating Producer for NBA Entertainment and Vice President of Broadcasting for the WNBA, and they live with their daughter Kristen in New York City.