I met with f1 in London. After that, I undertook an online numerical test and prepared for the interview before actually meeting with T.E.A.M., the dedicated marketing partner for UEFA. f1 supported me throughout the process with industry intelligence, preparatory material, regular updates and logistics information.
Moving sector seemed a logical step. One the one hand I have always been interested in many sports (basketball, cycling, tennis, athletics), not only football, and I have always managed to dedicate part of my free time to follow sport results and news. On the other hand, working in banking allowed me to develop solid technical/analytical and presentation skills, and attention to details that I believe are useful across a wide range of sectors.
The role at TEAM was and is very attractive because it fits my interest in sport, particularly football, as well as the financial/valuation/commercial aspects inherent in a sport marketing agency. Factors such as the young and nice working environment, the competitive salary and benefits and the nice location, Lucerne (Switzerland), made it an extremely compelling case.
In my current position, I work on a variety of projects, including the financial valuation and scenario analysis of UEFA’s sponsorship packages; standardisation and update of the budget structures; intelligence on technology and other developments in the sport industry; preparation of meeting notes, sales policies and commercial concepts documents and support to the sponsorship sales department in searching and delivering high quality presentations.
The most important trends impacting the sport sponsorship and TV marketing business are likely, I think, to be virtual advertising, the entrance of new, unconventional bidders for premium sport rights and the development of own properties and content by global brands.
My tip for someone wanting to change sector, as I did, is: conduct as much intelligence as possible on the sector and its key drivers/dynamics/trends, in order to arrive prepared at the interview. Being clear about your objectives/motivations/reasons for applying to that specific firm and position is equally important, as well as emphasizing (without exaggerating) the skills that you have that make you suitable for that position. As for the numerical test, it is only a matter of practice.