ESA’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) strategy enters new phase after successful event in London

• Expert speakers discuss evidence of differential treatment based on ethnicity of sponsorship professionals
• ESA will now support members in implementation of Organisational Culture Self-Assessment Tool
• Ethnicity is first protected characteristic to be a focal point for ESA's EDI workstream

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has kickstarted the implementation of its Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) strategy by hosting a panel discussion between industry experts in London.

Entitled Evidence. Action. Change, the ESA Breakfast on 15 April attracted almost 100 guests in London and online, with a panel comprising experienced professional leaders from a business-to-consumer brand, a recruitment company and a leading agency. The speakers each provided personal reflections based on their own lived experience and commented on the results of an ESA Survey that revealed some stark findings.

The survey, released in December 2025, had found that 71% of ethnic-minority professionals felt treated differently at work because of their ethnicity, compared to 44% of white respondents, while 17% of ethnic-minority professionals felt isolated in the industry - compared to 5% of white colleagues.

As a next step, ESA has published an online resource entitled Organisational Culture Self-Assessment Tool (2026) - which can be viewed by clicking here. Authored by Alex Marshall of Spot The Gap, it is designed to help organisations reflect on how inclusion shows up in their culture, and to stimulate discussion on how the culture could be adjusted to improve the experience of all colleagues.

An open webinar will be held on 6 May to help members of the sponsorship community implement the Tool to its full potential.

The panel session on 15 April was moderated by Amar Singh, Senior Vice-President, Content & Creative at MKTG Sports + Entertainment, who commented: "It was a really great discussion with two brilliant panellists with different perspectives on these challenges facing our industry.

"It's really encouraging that we had guests from so many different organisations: brands and rights holders, agencies, data-driven organisations and suppliers, all of them clearly engaged in this subject, understanding the challenges and acknowledging that is this is indeed a wake-up call for the industry.

"I think it's really important that we double down on building on ESA's research findings, monitoring progress in the future and making sure that we turn something that feels like a negative moment into a catalyst for positive, collaborative action that ensures we drive more inclusion in this industry."

Jessica Markowski, Director - London at Deliveroo,said: "It was a privilege to be part of an ESA Breakfast that genuinely felt like the start of a journey. The survey conducted by ESA has raised questions that may feel uncomfortable, but it's vital to start the conversation that way.

"Some of the data punches hard - for example, 71% of ethnic minority professionals feel treated differently because of their ethnicity - and I have experienced that sort of differentiation in my career. That should be a wake-up call, and it's great that ESA has already created a toolkit to help organisations evaluate where there might be gaps in their workplace culture, and then consider how to respond."

Eddie Koppoe, Senior Consultant at Executives in Sport Group, added: "I believe ESA's report is an accurate reflection of the industry. We know that work is going in at the top of the funnel, and we know several organisations that now have an EDI director, but when it comes down to making people feel comfortable at every level of an organisation, there is still a gap, and the evidence collected by ESA bears that out.

"Every organisation needs diversity of thought within their workforce, and that comes from cultural diversity. If you're thinking about EDI only at the point of recruiting for a role, you've missed the point. It's about broadening the talent pool across sponsorship, and if we can achieve that, it should improve the lived experience of all professionals working in the industry."

Sophie Morris, ESA Chair, commented: "In our industry, we are masters of storytelling and engagement. But when it comes to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, stories aren't enough. We need the data to understand where we're falling short, and the courage to take the actions that lead to genuine, systemic change.

"EDI is not a checkbox on a policy document. It is not just about numbers. It is about the experience of the people in our industry. Our industry needs to reflect the diverse communities and audiences it serves, and provide the environment they need to thrive.

"We are committed to leading this change, not just by talking about the 'Inclusion Challenge' but by providing our community with the tools to solve it."

Martin Prendergast, ESA Board Director and EDI Lead, commented: "I'm really grateful to Amar, Jess and Eddie for giving their time and expertise to an event that has moved us into an exciting new phase of ESA's EDI strategy. We are focusing on ethnicity as a first priority and I'm so pleased that we've begun this journey. We're really looking forward to tackling this important issue with our colleagues in the industry."

-ENDS-

For media queries, please contact:

Jonathan Coates | ESA Marketing, Communications and Events Manager

[email protected]