Collective Visibility

Collective Visibility works to strengthen women’s representation in sport by increasing the visibility of women speakers and thought leaders in the global sports ecosystem. The initiative provides a directory that supports conference organizers, journalists, researchers, and sports industry professionals in identifying women experts in sport. 

1,064+ women in speaker directory

Collective Visibility

Collective Visibility is a collaboration between the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. The initiative is dedicated to amplifying women’s voices in sports business and academia. 

 

Through an international network of academics, executives, and athletes, the project aims to increase the visibility of women in sport and diversify speakers and thought leadership at conferences, summits, and in media.

 

A central component of the initiative is a shared directory that profiles women experts in sport. The directory is used by event organizers, journalists, academic institutions, and the wider sports community. 

History

Collective Visibility was founded in 2023 by Vanessa Åsell Tsuruga with the aim of ensuring that women’s perspectives are represented in sports thought leadership. The initiative began as a LinkedIn list that grew organically through self-nominations and peer recommendations. 

 

The original goal was to gather 1,000 women speakers from 100 countries before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The milestone was reached 282 days ahead of schedule. 

Directory

To improve accessibility for conference organizers and media professionals, a team at the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics later developed the initiative into a more comprehensive and searchable directory.

 

Women working in sport can now create profiles by entering personal and professional information. 

 

Searchable fields include: 

  • Name and professional affiliation 

  • Languages spoken 

  • Area of expertise within sport (for example, athlete, legal and compliance, or media and broadcasting) 

  • Social media accounts 

  • Short professional biography 

  • Speaking topics 

  • Preferred speaking formats such as keynote addresses, roundtables, or panel discussions 

  • Links to previous speaking engagements 

The directory increases visibility for women speakers and improves access to diverse expertise for sports conferences and events worldwide. 

Launch event and collaborations

In March 2024, the first Collective Visibility event was held at the Stockholm School of Economics, with approximately 300 guests attending. The event, titled Collective Visibility – Leveraging the Power of Women in Sports, included keynote remarks by Anna Iwarsson, president of the Swedish Sports Confederation, and a panel discussion on how Swedish sport can contribute to the initiative. 

 

The event concluded with a networking reception in the SSE atrium. 

 

In 2024, a collaboration was also announced between Collective Visibility, the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University to further expand the initiative internationally. 

Collaboration and engagement

The initiative encourages organizations and individuals to contribute to strengthening women’s visibility in sport through several forms of engagement. 

 

Share 
Raise awareness of Collective Visibility by sharing information with colleagues, professional networks, and sports organizations. 

 

Connect 
Engage with the initiative through LinkedIn and by participating in Collective Visibility events.

 

Join 
Women working in sports are invited to join the directory of speakers and thought leaders. 

 

Report 
Journalists and media producers can use the directory to identify women experts for interviews, podcasts, and other media productions. 

 

Present 
Event organizers can use the directory to identify diverse speakers for conferences, panels, and roundtable discussions.