MEET THE SPEAKERS FOR BE INSPIRED 2026

Faye Carruthers

Broadcaster and journalist

Faye Carruthers is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster specialising in live football and is talkSPORT's England correspondent, covering the men's and women's teams around the world. She hosts the Guardian's Women's Football Weekly Podcast and interviews incredible guests on the Seaman Says Podcast with former England goalkeeper David Seaman. An accomplished events host, her clients include the Premier League, FA, and PGMOL; she’s also narrated various sports documentaries for FIFA and UEFA. Faye additionally runs a media training and speaker coaching business for individuals, athletes and corporate clients. She’s an avid Luton Town fan and passionate about using her platform to make football accessible for everyone.

Jill Ellis

Chief Football Officer, FIFA

Globally accomplished, respected, and renowned women’s football coach, club president, and executive, Jill Ellis serves as FIFA’s Chief Football Officer.

Appointed in December 2024, Ellis is a member of FIFA’s executive management team and leads the development and implementation of FIFA’s global football strategy. She previously chaired FIFA’s Technical Advisory Group for Women in 2021 and currently represents FIFA on the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

Ellis is the only coach in history to win back-to-back FIFA Women’s World Cup titles, leading the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) to victory in 2015 and 2019. A two-time recipient of The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award, she remains the most successful coach in USWNT history with a record of 106 wins, 7 losses, and 19 ties. As an assistant coach, she also helped lead the team to Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.

Ellis began her coaching career in the collegiate ranks in the late 1980s, holding assistant roles at NC State, the University of Maryland, and the University of Virginia. Ellis later served as head coach at the University of Illinois and then UCLA, where she built one of the most successful programs in the history of collegiate soccer. During her 12-season tenure at UCLA, she led the Bruins to eight College Cup appearances – seven consecutively – and six straight Pac-10 Conference championships between 2003 and 2008.

In the professional game, following her decorated coaching career, Ellis served as President of San Diego Wave Fútbol Club, an NWSL franchise that launched in 2022. Under her leadership, the team made history as the first expansion club to reach the NWSL Playoffs in its inaugural season, broke league attendance records (surpassing 32,000 fans), and captured the NWSL Championship in just its second year.

Born in Portsmouth, England, Ellis moved to the US at age 15. She earned a BA in Literature and Composition from the College of William & Mary, where she was a Division I All-American forward and later honoured with a place in the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2016 and received the Alumni Medallion—the university’s highest alumni award – in 2018.

A trailblazer on and off the pitch, Ellis was also the first woman to earn the U.S. Soccer Federation Professional Coaching License and is a Fellow of the Fellowship of Elite Coaches at Loughborough University in the UK.

In recognition of her career achievements, Ellis was inducted into the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2023. She was further celebrated in 2024 with her inclusion in both the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. 

Paul Barber OBE

Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman, Brighton & Hove Albion FC; Women in Football director

Paul's career in professional football has spanned more than 25 years, during which time he has held senior positions at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC and The Football Association. Since joining Albion, Paul has been elected to various representative roles for the Premier League, The EFL, and The FA. He is currently a member of The FA Council and Professional Game Board. Paul also serves as one of The FA’s international ambassadors, and sits on numerous Premier League committees.

Paul was awarded an OBE in 2022 for services to association football, and has since received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sussex. Paul was named Overall Chief Executive of the Year at the Football Business Awards in both 2022 and 2013, and European Sports Executive of the Year at the Stadium Business Awards in 2016.