S2:E4. Serving Authentic Leadership

Emergency on Planet Sport

After appealing in Episode One for global sport leaders to step forward and speak more openly about environmental awareness, we have our first Chief Executive on the series; the man at the top of the governing body of men's tennis, Massimo Calvelli. As Chief Executive Officer of the ATP, Massimo has a lot of influence on a global scale - among players, tournaments, sponsors and rights holders. Tennis has almost as many stakeholders as it does acronyms! But taking co-ordinated action on sustainability requires positive collaboration; something this series is advocating. And that requires ambitious and authentic leadership. We're delighted to have the chance to welcome such an influential figure onto the series and thank the ATP for being open and honest as they start their journey in this space. By hearing more organisations and leaders address the topic in a refreshing manner, more doors will open and barriers break down. It's to be encouraged! We're also joined by Mark Epps from the ATP Communications team, talking about the development of a carbon tracker app which plans to launch in 2023.

Time Codes:

00:00 Unnecessary but surprising chat about music and mountains with Melissa and Jonathan!

02:30. We need buy in from the very top level of sport, explains Melissa.

04:15. Hello to Massimo Calvelli, the Chief Executive Officer of the ATP, the governing body of men's tennis.

06:00. After outlining the ATP's strategic priorities, Massimo opens up on how they need a mindset change to fulfil expectations on issues that impact society.

07:45. How does he harness support of athletes competing in an individual sport to act collectively on issues such as the future of the planet?

09:30. Tennis players avoid the fear of hypocrisy. It starts with awareness and acceptance, says Massimo, and there is a desire.

10:50. Can more be done to reduce the amount of global travel in tennis, by adjusting the calendar?

12:00. Players can choose not to fly by private jets, as some have, but has the ATP cut back its travel for things like business meetings?

13:45. Massimo talks about the tournament tool kit they've developed so tournaments can learn how to reduce resource consumption.

15:00. Jonathan talks about how important it is to have these open and honest conversations.

16:30. Tennis is played in extreme temperatures in many locations around the world. Where is breaking point?

18:00. Collaboration is so important, particularly in a sport such as tennis with so many governing bodies & Grand Slams.

19:00. Jonathan challenges Massimo to help organise a group of players to talk about sustainability. It has to be authentic, he says.

20:15. Is Massimo committed to ensuring tennis finds a solution towards eliminating single-use plastics?

22:15. What is the biggest challenge ahead? It's all about communication... confidence in talking about shortcomings.

24:00. Jonathan and Melissa reflect on Massimo's interview.

28:30. Melissa makes the point that the three pillars in the ATP strategy are interlinked, and shouldn't be taken in isolation.

32:20. Mark Epps, from the ATP communications team, joins the pod to explain development of the ATP carbon tracker app.

34:15. Why should players want to get involved. Mark's all about incentives...

35:30. Jonathan wants to pick Mark up on the desire to offset carbon emissions. It's not the answer...

37:15. Mark sees it as an opportunity for players rather a problem. Players need to stand for something, reflected in brand popularity.

40:00. More analysis from Melissa.

40:45. The elephant in the room is sport's relationship with offsetting, she says.

www.atptour.com