About

Emilie Montané has an impressive diversity of past experiences, having begun her career in the automobile industry dealing with intellectual property matters followed by multiple roles with Universal Studios Channels where her final position was as head of legal and HR. Her role with media-giants did not end there, she progressed to legal director of NBC Universal Global Networks France where she mediated intellectual property, lobbying, PR and relations with institutional bodies and data privacy authorities in France. These past experiences have stood Montané in good stead for her work at the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT); however instead of buying the rights she is now on the other side selling them to roughly 200 million broadcasters worldwide. Leading a five-strong legal team, Montané juggles hospitality tenders, image and author rights and the brand trademark, all while communicating with journalists and negotiating with betting institutions. While at the FFT she has been praised for consolidating the department by extending its role in the strategic commercial activities of the company: ‘Compared to an external lawyer, we have a real perspective on strategy and we don’t make decisions the same way. Having in-house personnel even for small companies is advised and should not be seen as a cost’. Working with the senior commercial team they have successfully lobbied to change the ticketing environment that was drastically plagued by the black market, a strategy that is still on-going. Montané is in a position to create change for the better, be it tax or sporting regulations or the infrastructure in which events take place. At the end of 2015 Montané has shifted focus to define the business strategies and dedicate her expertise to the selling of media rights: ‘I think the way I see my role within the company is to be in the strategy helping to find solutions instead of saying this is the law, we can’t do it’.