Brian Barwick Media & Sport

Brian appointed me to the role of FA Director of Communications and he was a tremendous person to work for. He has a wonderful open and personable leadership style which inspires people to work hard in a confident, creative way. Brian is a natural leader and outstanding manager, who thrives in a pressured environment. Brian has a great team ethic, was always accessible and ensured the work place was an enjoyable place to be – whatever the demanding challenges we faced.

I have had many business dealings with Brian invariably around television contracts and I have always found him a shrewd operator, a good negotiator and somebody with a sense of perspective and, most importantly a real sense of fun.

Brian was my boss at BBC, then ITV Sport for nine long years and yet we are still friends! He is a thorough, thoughtful and enthusiastic hands-on team leader. His skill is in knowing his audience or market, and having the clarity of mind and purpose to reach it without unnecessarily complicating the process. He knows his mind and doesn’t mess about. He has an executive CV, but possesses a common touch. He communicates his priorities and ideas in a straightforward manner – that’ll be a northerner then! And he has recently learnt to use a knife and fork.

Brian’s experience in key media roles together with his service as Chief Executive of the Football Association gives him a unique insight into areas where sport & commerce come together. This combined with his public persona will be of great value to many organisations.

I signed my first contract in England after meeting Brian.

I have known Brian for twelve years and he was my boss for the first seven years of that time. Brian took me on a great journey in my career and gave me huge faith in what I could achieve. His management style enabled me to grow as a broadcaster with creativity and confidence. Under his leadership and direction I became the first woman to host a live football match on British terrestrial TV. I always felt he was as proud as I was of that small step in helping to change attitudes towards women in sport. After all he took the maverick step of employing me in the first place!

Brian Barwick is steeped in the world of sport and media and his experience is second to none. I have no hesitation in recommending him as a person to deal with- and his company for their services.

Had Brian been a footballer, he’d have been the intelligent type (Sheringham), but with an infectious enthusiasm (Gascoigne). He’d have led from the front (Gerrard), but with an enormous amount of skill and expertise (Giggs). As it is, I had the pleasure of working with Brian at ITV, and he displayed all these characteristics to the benefit of the company and his team. He’s a winner and I’d always want him on my side.

I worked for Brian in his role as CEO to the FA for a number of years whilst The FA’s Group Commercial Director. I found Brian’s management style to be open, inclusive and decisive when needed. In managing a huge and disparate range of stakeholders connected to The FA (including the notorious English media!), Brian demonstrated a calm and determined manner, coupled with an ability to engage with people at all levels. He was a top man to work for.

Few people in the world of television and sport come close to Brian in terms  of the unique blend of experience and presence he brings into a business environment. The impact on the team at MTC was immediate as was his ability to see the bigger picture for this agency with the added benefits of a contact base second to none which has and will deliver significant value to MTC. His work with our sport and entertainment roster plus the development of our Olympic offer will give us a key edge in the competitive environment we operate within.

Moving from behind the steering wheel of a Formula One car to in front of the TV camera was challenging. Brian Barwick was head of ITV Sport through my early years as an F1 TV commentator and his advice and guidance was invaluable. Brian knows sport and he knows television. He excels at sport on television. With his unique blend of ‘stick and carrot’ he’s great motivator too.

If you want good, sensible advice from someone who knows the sports market inside out as a result of decades of experience at the sharp end as both a rights holder and a rights buyer, then Brian Barwick is your man.

I’ve worked with Brian for more than 15 years – in his roles with the BBC, ITV and at the FA – and he’s always worked the same way. Straight-talking, hard bargaining, smart, fair and a terrific people person. He’s also a genuinely creative soul and it’s no coincidence that during his time at ITV we had such success with ITV’s Formula One coverage.

Larger than life and a great bloke.

Brian Barwick was a friend of my late husband Bobby Moore OBE and last year I was delighted when Brian became an Ambassador of the Bobby Moore Fund, the charity I founded in Bobby’s memory to raise awareness and funds for vital world class research into bowel cancer the disease that claimed Bobby’s life so young and which even today, is the UK’s second highest killing cancer. With Brian’s wealth of experience, energy and enthusiasm his invaluable remit is to support our commitment to raise significant funds and further engage the business and sporting community in our work.