American City Business Journals, parent company of SportsBusiness Journal/Daily, acquired a 50% stake in Executive Sport Ltd., the int'l sports business-to-business event and networking business "operating under the brand name Leaders," according to SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Terms of ACBJ’s investment in ESL "were not disclosed." Leaders "produces five events in New York, London and Lisbon, Portugal, that bring together senior executives across the sports business and performance communities." The company "also launched its Insights unit to develop additional content." ESL Founder & CEO James Worrall and COO Simon Lau, owners of the London-based company, "will spearhead the continued international expansion of Leaders as well as create events across other industry sectors under the Leaders brand name." ACBJ "sees Leaders as a natural fit with its current business platforms." ACBJ President & CEO Whitney Shaw said, “We’re excited about the opportunity to help Leaders grow, and I am especially pleased that this is the first true step beyond the U.S. for our sports business group. Because of our ownership of SportsBusiness Journal, SportsBusiness Daily, our Global edition and our own sports conference group, we knew firsthand of Leaders. What we loved most about the company was the strength and flexibility of its brand, the international reputation of its events and the fact that the business has shown year-on-year growth in a competitive sector every year from its start seven years ago" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/11 issue).
