Alumnus Barney Francis shares insights into decades-long career in broadcasting
Barney Francis, Executive Vice President of Global Production IMG, delivered an engaging leadership talk, sharing industry tips, advice and insights from his 30-year career in broadcasting and content on Friday, 18 October 2024. Barney attended the University of Liverpool from 1990 to 1993 and completed a degree in Economic History.
The event was part of Liverpool Leaders, a new series featuring alumni in high-profile roles, and was predominantly attended by students from the MSc Sports Business Management and Football Industries MBA.
Barney talked through his leadership journey, beginning from a 1-week internship with Richard & Judy, working over two decades at Sky, as well as spells at BBC and ITV, to becoming an Executive Vice President at IMG.
In his talk, Barney spoke about the need to stay agile in today’s changing and competitive industry and how finding a job one will love likely leads to success and career fulfilment.
When asked for advice on how to get into the industry, he stressed the significance of building work experiences, researching the industry, creating valuable content that resonates with the audience and doing something different to stand out from the crowd.
Apart from gaining a closer glimpse of Barney’s leadership journey and style, the students had the opportunity to network with their peers.
In a LinkedIn post, Barney reflected on the experience: “Honoured and privileged to return to the University of Liverpool yesterday, 31 years after graduation, to talk to a fabulous next generation of media, broadcast and sports industry candidates. Great questions on everything from immersive content to piracy, to the huge opportunities for women’s sport.”
Interested in joining our upcoming talks from notable alumni and other exciting events? To find out more, visit https://alumni.liv.ac.uk/events/.