We have started the publication of the Sport for Business PwC 30 Under 30 for 2026.
Nominations have been flowing in from friends and colleagues of those they believe deserve this recognition.
This is the tenth full year in which we have recognised young talent coming through in and around the business of sport. Over the coming weeks, this year’s new faces will add to an ‘alumni’ of 300 who have gone before them, many of whom have since risen through the ranks, and some are now CEOs working within the sector.
With this being the tenth year we have ambitious plans to bring as many together as we can later in the year, and throughout the naming of this year’s cohort, to update a selection of those who have gone before.
Enya Hand 2022
Enya Hand was on the sponsorship and events team at KPMG when nominated for the list in 2022. After taking a year out to travel around the world she returned in November 2024 to take up a position as a senior consultant with Deloitte, helping to manage the firm’s sponsorship portfolio.
Sarah Louise Maloney 2022
Sarah Louise Maloney was the Operations and Communications Coordinator with Vision Sports Ireland when nominated in 2022. In July 2023 she moved onto the agency side and is now an account Manager with Titan Experience where she has been a key mover behind the Sport Ireland Her Moves campaign.
Rory Traynor 2022
Rory Traynor was a Client relationship manager with Future Ticketing back in 2022. Having previously worked as a marketing manager with Copper Face Jacks, it was perhaps on the cards that his next move would be to the GAA where he moved in November 2023 and is now working on the Sponsorship team.
Rachel Cummins 2024
Rachel Cummins was a Commercial and Sponsorship manager at the GAA when she was named on the list in 2024. After three years in the role, she moved over to London in August 2025 to take up a position as Commercial partnerships Manager with England Rugby.
Mark Loughman 2024
Mark was preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics as a eCRM Executive with the British Olympic Association when he was named on the list in 2024. After the games, in February 2025, he returned to Dublin to take up a position as CRM and Marketing Manager with Six Nations Rugby, and is probably enjoying a well earned rest this week.
Meabh McGovern 2024
Meabh was an Account Manager with Thp when she was also named on the list in 2024. After taking a four month career break at the end of last year she has recently started in a new role as Operations Lead for Hospitality with Fulham Football Club in the English Premier League.
Nominations for 2026
So, who do you work with that has shone over the past twelve months or more and is deserving of recognition as they rise through their career?
It could be someone you work alongside, or in another area that you have admired or been impressed by.
Now is your chance to do something special for them.
Criteria
The criteria for submission is that the person should be working within the sports industry, or in a sponsorship or agency capacity that is bringing sport to life, and that they should be born in or after 1996.
You are invited to submit names and a short summary of why an individual deserves to be recognised below.
Our ambition from the start has been to create a network of people making a real difference within our industry.
Who should we be looking to for the next wave of excellence?
Over the coming weeks we will feature a run of interviews with those who have gone before, and we will continue to highlight some of those that have taken on a new role in the past year or two.
On March 18th we will start to name the 2026 intake.
Then in June we will gather once more in the offices of PwC to meet in person, share experience and forge connections that will be of real value.
And we will also be looking at additional ways in which we can help those nominated to enhance their career and build strong friendships across the sector, particularly in this the tenth year of the list.
If you, like PwC, would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible.
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