Olivia comes to NTB with a history and career already bursting at the seams with incredible stories and experience. Olivia opted out of the University path and started as a wedding planner, she moved to the Big Smoke, travelled for a year to follow her surf passion and then found a way to make her love of sport and fitness pay the bills by becoming a PT, where in Saudi she even trained the Royal Family and saw the country relax its rules on women exercising and actively got more of them into it. The next part is the stuff of NTB dreams – she wanted to stay in sport but leave coaching and after watching a video about sports sponsorship, contacted the presenter which led to her current role in Sports Marketing and Sponsorship at Fuse. Olivia’s boundless energy, drive and enthusiasm is such a testament to finding career success in unexpected places, she’s a fabuloius addition.

Tell us a bit about your career to date, your experience and your key skills.  Why did you decide on a career in sports marketing? How did you break into the sector?

I probably haven’t had the most typical of career paths, however one thing I always knew is that I wanted to work in the sport’s industry.

I didn’t go to university and went straight into work after finishing school. I worked as a wedding and event’s organiser for 3 years, which taught me a lot of the skills which I have utilised throughout my career to date.

I then went on to follow my love for all things health and fitness working as a personal trainer which took me across the globe to Saudi Arabia. I was involved in working at one of the first ever female Boxing & Spinning gyms in Riyadh, transforming the lives of women and girls in the community and contributing towards increasing the number of women-only gyms in Saudi Arabia (into what is now becoming a thriving sector). I was also responsible for training the Wife of the Saudi Crown Prince and other members of the Saudi Royal Family.

After coming back to London, I realised that I wanted to combine the skills and experiences which I had gained throughout my various roles and start a new career in the sports industry. I discovered InSport Education, an online sport’s business course, which upon completing I found a fantastic mentor (Andy Sutherden) who helped me explore and identify where I wanted to be in the industry.

I’m delighted to now be working as an Account Executive at Fuse.

What do you most love about your work?  Can you give an example of a project you are currently working on and your role in it?

I love the variety of my work and I’m very lucky to be working across two great accounts (Vodafone & FedEx). Currently, I am working on a fantastic campaign – Vodafone’s Lions Legacy Tour – an initiative spanning the UK and Ireland that aims to re-boot grassroots rugby, connect communities back to their clubs and help these clubs become more financially sustainable following a tough few years of Covid.

Something I’m very passionate about is using the power of sport/physical activity to create positive societal change, so the chance to be a part of this campaign is extremely rewarding.

What more do you think needs to be done to level the playing field for people from more diverse backgrounds in sports marketing?

Firstly, I think organisations need to combat recruiting and hiring from a talent pool that lacks diversity – they need to think outside the box more and expand where they are looking for those candidates. 

Secondly, making more entry-level roles and apprenticeship schemes available. Having un-paid internships and work experience programmes can be a big barrier for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, which takes us back to square one: less diverse talent coming through the ranks. However, we also need to make the younger generation, school leavers and graduates aware of the various roles that are out there in the sports industry to start with. I only learnt this recently, and I’m 30 years old!

Lastly, making the sports industry truly aware of the benefits that diversity within a company can bring; a diversity of thought generally produces more effective organisations. If we don’t have diverse representation within the industry, we leave out a whole spectrum of views, opinions, and diverse storytelling. When it comes down to speaking to our audience, sport in general has been highly influenced by different cultures, so it’s imperative that we have organisations that resemble those consumers. This way, we can achieve campaign messaging that is authentic and offers real value to real people.

What is your one piece of advice to young people looking at a career in the sports marketing industry?

Don’t be afraid to take new risks, taking risks is how you learn new skills.

Be curious, ask questions and always be your authentic true self.

What projects in diversity and inclusion are you currently working on? What success have these projects had so far and why?

I’m currently on the Gender Equality Committee at Fuse and recently initiated a “Spotlight on Women’s Sport” news section in Fuse’s internal weekly newsletter to champion and celebrate women’s achievements in sport. I’m also looking at setting up a couple of mixed-gender sport’s leagues and mixed-gender sports coaching sessions for the company. And of course, I’m very excited to be an ambassador for NoTurningBack2020!

What are your personal ambitions in the sector?

My personal ambition in the sector is to help drive and open up more opportunities for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and improve representation of diverse groups across senior leadership positions. I also aspire to be on the board of a sporting organisation in the future.

Apply for Job