Ben nichols
Socials:
@thepadelpr
Biography
Ben Nichols is one of the most influential figures in global padel - an entrepreneur, advisor and industry builder who has spent four years taking the sport to audiences and markets that didn’t yet know the sport existed.
He advises brands, operators and investors navigating the padel industry - from market entry and partnership strategy to positioning and introductions. He co-founded the Anglo American Padel Cup, widely known as ‘the Ryder Cup of Padel’, and founded Insider 22, a global membership community for padel business leaders. He is On-Screen Contributor and Executive Producer of Travel Racket, the first mainstream production to feature padel, set to launch on a major global streaming platform, and the founder of The 22 - a media and advisory platform covering the business of what he has coined ‘the New Padel World’, including The 22 Newsletter and the Emerging podcast (launching Summer 2026).
His work has been recognised with the Padel Ambassador of the Year Award at the British Padel Awards 2026, and with his company Padel 22 named as finalist at the 25th Sport Industry Awards - the first time a padel company had ever been included. He has introduced the sport to media including Forbes, the FT, the New York Times, CNN International and BBC.
Before padel, he led global media relations for WADA during the Russian Doping Crisis - widely called the biggest sports story of the 21st century - and was featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary Icarus.