Stadium Experience is pleased to introduce our voluntary Leadership Team. The team comprises a selection of representatives from our member venues and covers a mix of sports and sized venues, experience and areas of expertise, both catering partners and in-house, and geographical locations too. Please click to read more about each member of the team.
Debbie Rigney
Debbie first joined the Stadium Experience team in 2013 as Marketing & PR Manager, and became Company Director in 2025. She is the primary contact for the association, and is not linked to any particular club. Debbie has grown the association to include over 70 member venues across the UK. Her role is to run the business of Stadium Experience, co-ordinate the activities of the association, and seek out new opportunities for football, rugby and cricket stadium venues, as well as organise the annual Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards.
Debbie brings over 20 years marketing and PR experience to the team, which includes 10 years working for BAA at Southampton Airport. She obtained her BA(Hons) degree in Tourism Management at Bournemouth University, and went on to further study a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).
Collette Salmon
Collette has always had a background in Hospitality Sales and started her career in the hotel industry working for Mount Charlotte Thistle who had a port folio of 129 hotels at that time across UK, her hotel career took her to various sales roles within De Vere & Village hotels too.
In 2000 she moved over to be a Head of Non Matchday Sales at the JJB Stadium progressing to Sales Director (now known as the DW Stadium).
In 2010 she took a position with Liverpool FC as a Sales Manager for Meetings and Events and now sells across Match Day, Seasonal, Non Matchday and Concerts for Anfield.
David Timms
Henry Crane
Henry is the Public Catering Manager at MKM Stadium, home of Hull City and Hull FC, and is the voluntary Public Catering Chair for Stadium Experience.
Henry began his career with thirteen years in a national recruitment agency, overseeing head office functions, national accounts, contracts, and team leadership. He then transitioned into the charity sector, spending three years in fundraising roles for various national and international organisations.
Fourteen years ago, Henry accepted what was meant to be a one-time opportunity assisting the matchday hospitality team at the then KC Stadium. His enthusiasm and talent quickly stood out, leading to a permanent role as Deputy General Manager. He later found his true passion in his current role as Public Catering Manager.
Henry has since led a team that continuously challenges the status quo in stadium catering—introducing street food concepts on concourses, building a strong social media presence, and consistently delivering high-street quality food to fans. His team’s innovative approach has earned industry acclaim, including two Best Retail Catering wins at The Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards.
Kelly Englefield
Kelly started her hospitality career at 17 years old working as a matchday waitress at Barnsley Football club and continued to work through a variety of hospitality roles gaining on the job experience whilst learning.
Over the last 20 years she has worked alongside, supported, and led 18 Football, Rugby and Cricket grounds, covering a variety of departments including Operations, Sales, and Business Development.
Kelly joined Sodexo Live! in 2018 as the Head of Business Development for Headingley Stadium in Leeds. In October 2023, she transitioned to a new role as Head of Sales for Stadia. As part of the UK Senior Sales Leadership team, her role and responsibilities include taking the lead drive to drive forward the proactive direction and activity across all stadia and racecourse venues in the UK.
Today, Kelly works in Group C&E Sales for Levy, covering multiple UK sporting venues.
Angela Sanders
Angela has spent the last 20 years in the conference and events industry, working with top hotel brands like Hilton, IHG, and Copthorne, as well as venues such as etc.venues and Gloucester Rugby. Now, as Head of Sales & Revenue Conference, Events & Hotel at Edgbaston Stadium—home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club, Birmingham Bears, and Birmingham Phoenix—she is passionate about creating exceptional event experiences. Working closely with Edgbaston’s catering partner, Compass, Angela ensures that events not only deliver outstanding service but also offer high-quality experiences.
With a deep passion for revenue, data, and industry trends, Angela is committed to helping stadia understand the value of revenue optimization and how data-driven decisions can drive success.
Marc Lee
John Rennie
John is the National Business Development Manager at Sodexo Live!, where he is responsible for driving commercial growth, developing agency partnerships, and identifying new business opportunities across the UK’s leading sports, leisure, and live entertainment venues. In his role, John works closely with venue partners and event organisers to deliver innovative hospitality, enhance guest experiences and generate long-term commercial value. Prior to his current position, John held the role of Regional Business Development Manager for Sodexo Live! leading venues sales at Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, and The Brick Community Stadium.
Before joining Sodexo Live!, John spent over six years with The Jockey Club and Chester Race Company, where he led hospitality sales, partnership growth, and corporate client engagement across some of the UK’s most iconic racecourses. Earlier in his career, John held commercial roles with Manchester City Football Club and Manchester United, building a strong foundation in premium sports hospitality, business development, and customer experience within two of the world’s leading football organisations.
With more than 15 years of experience across sport, hospitality, and live events, John has developed a reputation for building lasting client relationships, driving revenue growth, and delivering exceptional experiences for customers and partners alike.
Rebecca Pickard
Rebecca is an experienced commercial leader with more than 22 years in hospitality, events, and venue sales. Beginning her career with Hilton Hotels, where she spent a decade progressing into leadership roles, she built a strong foundation in customer experience, commercial strategy, and team development before moving into the sports and cultural venue sector. Today, as Director of Conferences & Events at Manchester City Football Club, Rebecca leads the commercial strategy for non-matchday events, driving revenue growth and helping position the Etihad Campus as a year-round destination. Throughout her career, she has successfully launched new departments, led organisational change, built high-performing sales teams, and delivered sustained commercial growth across a diverse portfolio of venues, including Manchester City Football Club, Watford Football Club, Manchester Art Gallery, and Hilton Hotels. Known for her collaborative leadership style and strategic commercial approach, Rebecca is passionate about creating exceptional customer experiences, developing long-term partnerships, and unlocking new opportunities for business growth.
Jessica Luther
Jessica Luther is Head of Premium Sales & Account Management at Newcastle United Football Club, responsible for leading premium sales, account management, client retention and revenue growth across the club’s hospitality and premium experience portfolio.
With over 13 years’ experience in sports hospitality and venue sales, Jessica has worked across commercial, sales and operational functions, helping to develop high-performing teams, enhance customer experiences and deliver sustainable revenue growth. Her expertise spans hospitality sales strategy, CRM optimisation, dynamic pricing, business club development, client retention and operational excellence.
Jessica is passionate about innovation within the venue sector, particularly the role of technology and AI in improving sales performance, customer engagement and commercial decision-making. She is proud to be part of the Stadium Experience Leadership Team and looks forward to contributing to the continued growth and development of the industry.
Jordan Howlett
Jordan is a Business Development professional with over seven years of experience across sales, hospitality and events. Having worked at Southampton Football Club for over two years, he is responsible for driving commercial growth across the club’s Conferences & Events offering, building strong relationships with local and regional businesses, event agents and industry partners to create new opportunities and deliver memorable experiences.
With a passion for innovation and continuous improvement, Jordan is known for bringing fresh ideas to the table, developing new event concepts, marketing initiatives and creative ways to engage clients. He thrives on building meaningful relationships, challenging the norm and finding new opportunities that add value to both customers and the wider organisation.
Jordan has gained extensive experience across the wider stadium events industry, having worked across matchday hospitality, conferences, exhibitions, concerts and special events. This well rounded background gives him a strong understanding of the commercial and operational challenges faced by modern venues, and the importance of creating exceptional experiences across every event type.
As a member of the Stadium Experience Leadership Team, Jordan is passionate about collaboration, sharing ideas and supporting the continued growth and success of the stadium and events industry. He brings energy, creativity and a practical, hands-on perspective, with a genuine enthusiasm for connecting people, driving innovation and helping venues maximise their potential.
