Athletes, Coaches, and Industry Leaders Join the Council to Drive Action-Oriented Solutions to Advance Visibility, Leadership, and Opportunity for Women Across Sport
NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 9, 2026 / SPORT BEACH, the global platform driving business at the intersection of sport, culture, and creativity, today announced the launch of the SPORT BEACH Women's Leadership Council, Fueled by Gatorade. The Council brings together a group of athletes, coaches, creatives, and industry leaders across the sports ecosystem to address key challenges shaping visibility, representation, and leadership opportunities for women across sport.
Designed as a working council, the group will focus on one issue annually and deliver a high-impact recommendation for how brands, leagues, teams, and platforms can drive meaningful progress. In its inaugural year, the Council will focus on elevating female coaches as visible role models and strengthening pathways for women to enter, remain, and advance in coaching across all levels of sport. This is the first in a series of Councils that SPORT BEACH will be launching.
"SPORT BEACH was built on the idea of co-creation between athletes, brands and marketers, and the Women's Leadership Council is a powerful example of that," said Beth Sidhu, CEO of SPORT BEACH. "We want to go beyond talking about growth in women's sport to work on practical strategies that expand opportunity and accelerate women into positions of influence in sport."
The Council reflects a shared commitment from SPORT BEACH and Gatorade to address gaps in representation across the sports industry. It is designed to increase the visibility of diverse role models and help build confidence, drive participation, and ensure women and girls see themselves represented in sport at every stage of life.
"At Gatorade, we see how powerful sport can be in shaping culture and creating connection," said Carolyn Braff, Vice President, Sports & Entertainment, PepsiCo. "This Women's Leadership Council brings together leaders committed to advancing visibility and opportunity for women across sport. As Gatorade continues investing in and learning from women through initiatives like our Body of Science work, we believe those insights can help fuel broader progress across the ecosystem-from athletes to coaches to future leaders. I'm proud to be part of this group and support an effort focused on creating greater representation, access, and pathways for women across sport."
Intentionally composed to reflect a range of perspectives, the Council brings together leaders who reflect the breadth of today's sports ecosystem. Their collective insight will guide the Council's annual focus and inform recommendations that unlock greater opportunity for women across sport. The Council will be co-chaired by Basketball Hall of Famer, Emmy Award-Winning Broadcaster, & Entrepreneur Candace Parker, SPORT BEACH CEO Beth Sidhu, and Jasper Advisors Founder & CEO Julie Andreeff Jensen.
"Throughout my career, I've experienced how important representation and opportunity are at every level of sport," said Candace Parker, Basketball Hall of Famer, Emmy Award-Winning Broadcaster, & Entrepreneur. "The moments when you see women leading and represented can have a lasting impact. I'm excited to be part of a group working to build on that and expand what's possible for women across sport."
2026 Women's Leadership Council Members
Tara August, President, A Type, Inc.
Carolyn Braff, Vice President, Sports & Entertainment, PepsiCo
Jordan Chiles, Renowned Gymnast and Two-Time Olympian
Elle Duncan, Emmy Award-Winning Broadcaster and Lead Host, Netflix
Andrea Fairchild, Senior Vice President, Global Sponsorship Strategy, Visa
Lindsey Harding, Assistant Coach, Los Angeles Lakers and Former WNBA All-Star
Julie Jensen, Founder & CEO, Jasper Advisors
Jennifer King, Offensive Analyst, North Carolina Central University; First Black Female Assistant Coach in NFL
Kelly Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer, Ulta Beauty
Ann Miller, EVP, Global Sports Marketing, NIKE
Candace Parker, Basketball Hall of Famer, Emmy Award-Winning Broadcaster, & Entrepreneur
Sam Rapoport, Flag Football Executive & NFL Consultant
Nadia Rawlinson, Co-owner, Operating Chairman & League Governor, Chicago Sky
Beth Sidhu, CEO, SPORT BEACH
Jess Sims, Peloton Instructor and ESPN Reporter
Madisen Skinner, Three-time NCAA National Champion, 2025 LOVB Finals MVP and Champion
Sarah Spain, Emmy Award-Winning Sports Journalist and Host of Good Game with Sarah Spain, iHeartMedia
About SPORT BEACH
Considered the authoritative voice on sports marketing, SPORT BEACH connects athletes, brands and creatives for curated experiences and conversations that drive growth at the intersection of sport, brand and culture. Launched in 2022 at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity by Stagwell (STGW), SPORT BEACH is now a year-round ecosystem spanning live events, brand activations, thought leadership programming, and a meetings and facilitation practice. Its convenings at the world's most influential cultural and sporting moments serve as incubators for new partnerships, breakthrough creative, and industry-defining conversations. Learn more at sportbeach.com and follow us on Instagram @sportbeachco.
About The Gatorade Portfolio
The Gatorade Portfolio, a division of PepsiCo, is a connected performance and wellness ecosystem built to fuel all athletes and exercisers. Bringing together Gatorade, Propel, Evolve and Muscle Milk, the Gatorade Portfolio is the most complete offering in the category today, with a broad range of personalized solutions at every stage of the active person's journey. This integrated system of brands is built on Gatorade's 61-year history of studying athletes and is fueling the future of athletic performance and wellness by delivering solutions across hydration, protein, energy and all-day nutrition to fuel consumers, no matter how or why they sweat. For more information and a full list of product offerings, please visit www.gatorade.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $94 billion in net revenue in 2025, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and drinks, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that places sustainability at the center of our business strategy, seeking to drive growth and build a stronger, more resilient future for PepsiCo and the communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
Contact
Madi Wick
Madi.wick@sportbeach.com
SOURCE: Stagwell
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/sport-beach-launches-womens-leadership-council-fueled-by-gatorad-1174422
