Adam is the CEO of First Artist Mission and a fully-qualified agent in several sports. After a career as an officer in the Army, Adam was the original co-founder of Mission Sports Management with Sir Ian Botham more than fifteen years ago.
Growing the business from a start-up, with a detailed understanding of image rights, player representation, sponsorship, and licensing, Adam has negotiated multi-million pound deals across a number of different sports and sectors, with brands, rights holders, clubs and sporting bodies. Adam is rightly considered one of the leading authorities on commercial sponsorship and sports representation, and has expectedly guided the careers of many of the world’s most successful sportsmen and women. Away from the office, Adam played first-class rugby, represented Great Britain at Bobsleigh and also holds a commercial pilot’s licence.

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Jon is one of the world’s most well-respected football agents, having been at the forefront of the industry for more than 30 years. Jon launched the world-famous First Artist agency in 1986, with the England football team and Diego Maradona as his first clients and has gone on to guide the careers of many of the nation’s most celebrated players and managers.
He created the initial concept of 'Team England', which is still used now by the FA, and introduced product placement to football. Jon has masterminded many of the world’s biggest transfers and, alongside Sky Sports, was part of the team which helped create the Premier League. Jon was also the first commercial representative of the England Cricket team and the first promoter of all the North American sports in the UK, including the major early NFL games at Wembley. His autobiography, The Deal, was published in September 2016 by Little Brown / Hachette

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One of the most experienced agents in world football, Phil was a former co-owner of First Artist and is widely considered one of the most well-connected people in the industry. In a career spanning more than thirty years, Phil has been involved in countless multi-million pound transfers and remains one of the most-trusted names in the sport, by players, managers and owners alike. Phil prides himself in knowing everything about his clients and their needs, and works closely with them in all aspects of their development. Aside from football player representation, Phil is highly experienced in all forms of football consultancy and also specialises in other services such as arranging friendlies, tournaments and pre-season tours. Phil started his career in the music industry and was Head of Promotion of several agencies, before launching his own label, Double Impact, where he worked regularly with the likes of Simon Cowell and Pete Waterman.

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Nick brings a wealth of sponsorship, marketing, PR and brand activation experience to First Artist Mission, having previously held the position of Head of PR at Mission Sports Management and prior to that, several years in marketing and communications at sports agency Fast Track.
At Mission, he negotiated commercial partnerships and TV contracts on behalf of their clients, and managed the PR/media strategy of the entire roster of clients. Nick has worked with a number of global brands and governing bodies, including British Athletics, where he was responsible for coordinating and delivering the marketing and communications strategy for the internationally-televised Aviva Series events.
He was part of the LOCOG Live Production team at London 2012 and coordinated the award-winning publicity for four-time World Champion boxer Ricky Hatton in the lead-up to and post his comeback bout.

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Burt is a licensed FA intermediary and represents a number of the finest young footballing talent in the country. With decades of experience in the sports and entertainment industries under his belt, and his son Josh, a player himself for Hartlepool, Burt combines his knowledge and expertise in the sport, with his understanding of the importance of player welfare and development. Burt has experience in guiding youngsters all the way through age-group football, to scholar level, to becoming fully-fledged internationals, and has extensive contacts throughout all levels of the football league. Burt works closely with the player’s family to ensure all aspects of the player’s progression is well looked after and ensures no small detail in their development is overlooked.

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Kevin is a registered FA Intermediary and has years of football talent scouting and management to his name. He previously spent more than 25 years working for some of the biggest media houses in both the UK and the USA, and previously managed a team of agents across 15countries. Another ofFirst Artist Mission’s team with children in sport, Kevin’s pro-footballer and US-based tennis player sons ensure he’s fully equipped to understand the complexities of a young sports person’s development and, as is First Artist Mission’s mantra, ensures a player’s family is fully included in the journey wherever possible.

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Kerry is the PA to Adam Wheatley and manages the day-to-day running of the office. She offers a friendly and professional approach, which makes her the best contact when checking the availability of First Artist Mission staff and clients. Originally from Harare, Zimbabwe, Kerry has always been a keen sportswoman. Growing up, she played a number of different sports including swimming, water polo and tennis. She was also a strong hockey player, having represented her local area, before competing for her country in triathlon. Since moving to England in 2012, Kerry has spent much of her time passing on her sporting skills to youngsters, before joining the team at First Artist Mission.

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Having spent a decade in the financial industry in her native China, Zheng graduated from Exeter University in MSC Finance and Investment in 2010 and has since worked at several global organisations both in the UK and abroad. Most recently, she managed the Financial department of China Beijing Bioengineering & Pharmaceutical Industrial Park (CBP), a State-owned company in China, and before that at BDO over here in the UK. She started her career at fashion outlet Uniqlo, after graduating from Renmin University of China in accounting, before taking up the role at Bensa Ltd in the accounting department. Zheng is in charge of all First Artist Mission’s accounts and invoicing.

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