Protecting the Game: Cybersecurity Leaders Join the International Sports Summit 2025
Panel Speakers Day 1
Booz Allen to power Day 1 discussions as global experts address the rising cyber threat landscape in elite sport
The International Sports Summit 2025 will open with a flagship panel dedicated to one of the defining issues for modern sport - cybersecurity.
Titled “Protecting the Game: The Emerging Cyber Threat Landscape in Elite Sport,” the session will examine how leading organisations are confronting escalating digital threats and strengthening resilience across their operations. The discussion will be powered by Booz Allen, with Darren Bartlett, Director at Booz Allen, moderating.
Taking place at Duke University on 12-13 November 2025, the panel will bring together senior security and technology executives from across the NFL and major league sport:
Jack Thompson, Director of Information Security, Risk and Compliance, Indianapolis Colts
Charles Harris Jr., PhD, Vice President of Technology, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Madison Slater, Director of Cybersecurity, Tepper Sports & Entertainment (Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC, Bank of America Stadium)
Examining modern cyber risk in professional sport
The sports industry’s rapid digitalisation has created new exposures across data, infrastructure, and connected fan platforms. The panel will assess how elite organisations are mitigating risk while ensuring that innovation - from analytics and biometrics to AI applications - remains secure and compliant.
Jack Thompson will discuss the operational realities of protecting high-value data environments within elite teams, drawing on his experience with the Indianapolis Colts and his background in U.S. Air Force cyber defence.
Charles Harris Jr., PhD will focus on aligning enterprise IT strategy with performance outcomes. As Vice President of Technology for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has led large-scale digital transformation and governance initiatives across one of the NFL’s most data-intensive operations.
Madison Slater will share her experience overseeing cybersecurity for Tepper Sports & Entertainment. Her perspective on incident response and risk management within multi-team environments provides an essential case study for venue operators and league executives alike.
Leadership, trust, and operational resilience
Moderated by Darren Bartlett of Booz Allen, the conversation will move beyond technical frameworks to explore executive-level decision-making in times of crisis. Bartlett will guide panellists through the critical link between cyber resilience and organisational trust — a theme that continues throughout the Summit’s technology and governance agenda.
The session will also introduce practical takeaways for leaders overseeing data protection, compliance, and stakeholder communications. With high-profile breaches becoming more frequent across global sport, the emphasis is on readiness, response, and recovery — key areas where strategy and technology must converge.
Preparing decision-makers for real-world challenges
Following the panel, attendees will take part in “BREACHED! The Leadership Wargame,” a live simulation designed to test executive response to a cyber-incident scenario. Participants will make real-time decisions on crisis coordination, communications, and remediation - reflecting the demands faced by sports organisations under pressure.
Together, the panel and wargame form a central part of the Summit’s Day 1 programme, aimed at giving industry leaders a clear understanding of how to protect competitive, commercial, and fan-data assets in an age of increasing digital exposure.
A defining conversation for sport’s digital future
The International Sports Summit 2025, hosted by Premier Sports Network, will gather global executives, technologists, and policymakers to explore the evolution of high-performance sport in the digital era. The Protecting the Game panel sets the tone — establishing cybersecurity not as a back-office concern but as a core pillar of operational excellence.
About the International Sports Summit
The International Sports Summit (ISS) brings together senior leaders from across the global sports industry—including major leagues, federations, governing bodies, clubs, and commercial partners—for two days of keynotes, panel discussions, and private, invite-only networking at Duke University on 12–13 November 2025.