ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Marylandian -- Worldwide Speakers Group (WWSG) is proud to announce that former Chief Executive Officer of Barstool Sports, Erika Ayers Badan (formerly Nardini) has joined their roster of global thought leaders. WWSG will facilitate Ayers Badan's global speaking engagements exclusively.

"Erika represents the best of a new generation of leaders. She is fearless and bold, and yet very accessible. She runs toward the impossible and creates opportunities for everyone around her. Our customers around the world will benefit from the insights and reflections of such an accomplished CEO," said WWSG President, Dan Sims.

Erika Ayers Badan is ranked one of the most influential executives in digital innovation, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle media. During her tenure at Barstool Sports from 2016 to 2024, Erika transformed the organization from a regional blog to a national powerhouse operation leading to a 5,000% increase in overall revenue, making it one of the most innovative and successful internet media brands. Before joining Barstool, Ayers Badan held several leadership positions in media and technology at Microsoft, AOL, Demand Media, and Yahoo. She has been extensively recognized for her innovation in the industry, including being named one of Forbes' Most Powerful Women in Sports amongst other achievements. Erika is about to publish her first book, Nobody Cares About Your Career: Why Failure Is Good, the Great Ones Play Hurt, and Other Hard Truths with St. Martin's Press this June.

More on Marylandian

• International Society of Medical AI Convenes Global Faculty in Florence for ISMAI 2026
• Boston Industrial Solutions Introduces Personalized Printing Training
• Chesapeake Health Care Welcomes Dr. Encarnita Santos-Tecson to Adult Medicine Team
• Century Fasteners de Mexico Exhibiting at the 2026 Automotive & Aerospace Nearshoring Summit
• Retell AI White Label Platform for Agencies Launched by VoiceAIWrapper, With Branded Client Portals and No Per-Minute Markup

Ayers Badan's public and keynote speaking topics include Nobody Cares About Your Career, a spinoff of her upcoming book offering relevant career advice in today's complex work environment; scaling a business; women in leadership; branding; and other topics tailored to the objectives of global audiences.

The accomplished businesswoman joins several other high-profile thought leaders to sign with WWSG, including Niall Ferguson (Renowned historian, author, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker), Mike Pence (48^th Vice President of the United States), Annie Leibovitz (Iconic American photographer), Paul Nicklen (Renowned National Geographic Photographer and conservation hero), Chris Miller (Award-winning author), Scott Gottlieb (Physician and former FDA Commissioner), Sanjay Gupta (Neurosurgeon and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent), David Frum (High-profile political analyst, writer for The Atlantic), Lloyd Blankfein (http://www.wwsg.com/speakers/lloyd-blankfein) (Senior Chairman of Goldman Sachs), Sean Bratches (http://www.wwsg.com/speakers/sean-bratches) (Former Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ESPN), Sara Fischer (http://www.wwsg.com/speakers/sara-fischer) (Founding member of Axios & media expert), and many more.

More on Marylandian

• Maryland: PUBLIC NOTICE: Unscheduled Mosquito Control Activity in Prince George's County Planned for September 16
• PUBLIC NOTICE: Maryland Department of Agriculture to Treat Regions of Dorchester County for Mosquitos through Aerial Spraying on September 15
• FOCUS Names Mark Phillips Senior Vice President of Business Development
• Get The Led Out Bring an Outstanding Tribute to Led Zeppelin to the Weinberg Center
• Notaron Expands Online Notarization Access Following Wisconsin Approval

Worldwide Speakers Group operates on six continents representing an elite roster of global thought leaders, working with multinational financial services and healthcare organizations, trade associations, colleges and universities, and public lecture series to skillfully connect them with the world's top speakers. For more information, visit wwsg.com (https://www.wwsg.com/) or call (703) 373-WWSG (9974).