DLD Sports
September 5, 2026 • Valencia, Spain
DLD Sports Valencia brings together the minds shaping the future of health & human performance, AI in sports, and sports as an asset class.
Join us to meet founders, athletes, scientists, investors, creatives, and cultural operators shaping the frontier of sports innovation.
New terrain. New players. Unexpected conversations.
Contents
Speakers
Speaker Selection
Speaker Company
Merel van Dongen
Merel van Dongen is an Olympian and former professional footballer turned multi-disciplinary voice in women’s football. Over a career spanning the Netherlands, Spain, and Mexico, she earned 63 international caps for the Netherlands, competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and played in three World Cups. She now works as a TV analyst and commentator.
Speaker ProfileNils Giese
Nils Giese is CEO of Edelman in Germany. He also oversees the agency’s healthcare marketing strategy across the EMEA region and previously led Edelman’s healthcare division for nearly four years. Over the course of his 20+ year career, he has worked across a broad range of industries. His teams have received numerous awards for excellence in marketing and communications.
Speaker ProfilePatrick May
Dr. Patrick May is the Co-Founder of Board11, a company focused on optimizing player transfers and strategic decision-making in professional football. He specializes in applying advanced risk models and predictive methodologies to help clubs better identify, structure, and manage uncertainty.
Speaker ProfilePaulius Motiejunas
Paulius Motiejunas is the Director of BC Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania’s most successful professional basketball team. During his leadership, the club not only overcame financial challenges but also established itself among the elite EuroLeague organizations, standing out through ticket sales, fan experience, and infrastructure development.
Speaker ProfileRoald van Buuren
Roald van Buuren is Co-Founder of ELO, where he works at the intersection of gaming communities and technology. Previously, as an early hire at FACEIT, he helped grow one of gaming’s largest platforms on its path to a $1.5B acquisition, and helped bring esports to mainstream US audiences through partnerships with ESPN, Turner Sports and NBC Universal.
Speaker ProfileSteffi Czerny
Steffi Czerny is co-founder and co-CEO of the DLD Conference as well as its global spin-offs, establishing DLD as “one of Europe’s most important innovation conferences”, according to The Economist. An accomplished leader, Steffi Czerny has repeatedly been ranked amongst the 100 Most Influential Women in German Business by Manager Magazin as well as the daily business paper Handelsblatt.
Speaker ProfileThomas Ehemann
As Head of Digital & Innovation at FC Bayern Munich, Thomas “Tom” Ehemann is responsible for the club’s digitalization program. Previously he worked for key players such as Deloitte and the German Football Association (DFB). He is also is a member of the Bitkom ESMT Management Club.
Speaker ProfileVictor Wilhelmi
Victor Wilhelmi is Managing Director of Buchinger Wilhelmi clinics in Marbella. He is passionate about longevity, tech, green gastronomy and creating healing spaces. Victor received his Bachelor’s degree from the internationally renowned École Hôtelière de Lausanne and holds an MBA from the IESE BusinessSchool University of Navarra.
Speaker Profile
More
This list continues to grow while we’re adding more speakers.
Agenda
Saturday, September 5
Location
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Partners
