Shaping the Future – Sport and Culture: Capital That Creates Value
First ICSC Stakeholder Forum | Tuesday, 17 November 2026 | MAXXI, Rome

ASCI is proud to announce that our Executive Chairman, Will Mbiakop, will speak at “Shaping the Future”, the first Multistakeholder Forum of the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo e Culturale (ICSC), Italy’s national promotional bank for sport and culture.

About the Forum
Sport and culture are forms of capital. They develop skills, foster inclusion and drive urban regeneration, and they generate economic value, jobs and entrepreneurship. The Forum brings together institutions, businesses, sports and cultural organisations, the financial community and civil society to explore how investment and financing can help projects in sport and culture grow into sustainable initiatives that combine economic value with social impact.

Why it matters

• Italy’s sports economy generates around €30 billion in value added, 1.2% of national GDP (ISTAT, ICSC).
• The cultural and creative industries generated over €100 billion in 2025, 5.7% of GDP (Fondazione Symbola).
• Around 170,000 people under 30 work in the core segments of sport and culture, up 30% since 2021.

Forum objectives

• Recognise sport and culture as strategic capital for growth, competitiveness and social cohesion.
• Identify investment priorities for infrastructure, businesses and value chains.
• Promote collaboration, co-investment and blended finance between institutions, businesses and communities.
• Open a discussion on how specialised public finance can support the transformation of sport and culture.

Will Mbiakop at the Spotlight Stories
Will takes the stage in the Spotlight Stories session (10:50–11:50), a series of TED-style talks sharing first-hand experiences of projects and initiatives. Drawing on ASCI’s work at the intersection of sport, creativity and youth empowerment, he will share how sport and culture can unlock investment, opportunity and lasting value for young people across Africa and beyond.

Programme highlights
09:30 – Welcome & networking
10:00 – Opening remarks by ICSC President Beniamino Quintieri
10:15 – Keynote: “The Role of Culture and Sport in Imagining the Future”
10:40 – Address by Antonella Baldino, CEO of ICSC
10:50 – Spotlight Stories, featuring Will Mbiakop
11:55 – Interactive stakeholder engagement session
12:25 – Wrap-up and launch of the consultation initiatives

We’re grateful to ICSC for championing sport and culture as drivers of a fairer, more sustainable future, and proud to be part of the conversation.