Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
My journey into sponsorship began in an extraordinary setting — the Sahara Desert — where I worked on the Festival au Désert near Timbuktu, a music festival centred around the Tuareg tribe. My role there was to secure sponsorship for the music production, and then heading onsite to film the festival. I then went onto work in big PR events, working on projects like Vodafone Lifesavers and HSBC Startup Stars, which further deepened my exposure to sponsorship.
At just 26, I joined Vodafone’s global sponsorship team, working on partnerships with Ferrari, Manchester United, and later McLaren F1 and UEFA Champions League. It was an incredible experience, activating across 100 markets and working with one of the world’s biggest brands.
From there, I moved to RBS, expecting a major sponsorship role — only to arrive during the financial crisis! It was a rollercoaster moment, but also the most informative 18 months of my career. In times of crisis, like the financial crash or COVID, you learn a lot on how to navigate through disruption. It was challenging but exciting.
Finally, in 2010, David Pinnington, the founder of Fuse, gave me a call and said that he had set up a sports division and asked if I fancied a challenge. I said yes — and here I am now!
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Disruptive doesn’t always have to equal groundbreaking. A successful business leader is one that can authentically leverage untapped opportunities to do better and be better. For example, we always think global — how can we make a difference and disrupt the sports marketing industry in other regions? We are currently expanding our international remit to countries where there is huge potential for brands to capitalise on the growing sport sponsorship market. Having just launched in Spain, India and Brazil, we have our sights set on new offices across the globe.
As a business we are also developing more sophisticated measurement tools to help brands and rights holders understand the true effectiveness and value of sport sponsorship. Over the last couple of years, we have worked closely with creative effectiveness agency System1 to coin a new term that we call the ‘Sport Dividend.’ This is best described as a rigorous set of principles that can help brands unlock growth amongst both sport and broad audiences. If done properly, sport sponsorship can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best advertising.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Every single human being makes mistakes — they’re inevitable. But they really allow for opportunities for growth and learning. I believe that when you make a mistake, you have got to acknowledge it and own it and then move forward from it as quickly as possible. The quicker you can learn from it and adapt, the more resilient you become.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
It’s no secret that the most successful individuals have had support along the way — I strongly believe in the value of mentors and the guidance they provide.
One of my first mentors was David Pinnington, who was an incredible boss and friend. As a female within this industry, he instilled in me this steadfast belief that I could do anything I set my mind to. His total confidence in my abilities was so refreshing and his positive attitude and ability to see the best in any situation made you feel like you could conquer the world. When people tell me I can’t do something, I channel my inner ‘David Pinnington’ and the belief that you can achieve anything.
Philippa Brown was someone I also saw as a mentor and had a significant influence on my career. She helped shift my mindset from being a director of sponsorship to thinking like a true business woman and leader. Philippa taught me that it’s not just about sports; it’s about business. She encouraged me to develop the gravitas and strategic mindset that are essential for women in leadership roles.
Finally, my brother has been an incredibly important figure throughout my life. His entrepreneurial spirit and pragmatic approach have always helped me navigate challenges. He taught me how to approach complex issues by breaking them down and simplifying them which has changed the way I view and solve problems.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
The phrase often goes: “be disruptive or be disrupted.” But, despite this mantra, disruption can still carry a negative connotation, particularly it if evokes feelings of chaos and uncertainty, alienates people, or fails to address an essential industry challenge.
Innovation is often a word used alongside disruption. But while innovation makes mere improvements to a product or service, disruption fundamentally changes how an industry operates. And it isn’t just about a quirky piece of creative that is plastered loud and proud online to generate a short-lived buzz, disruption can be quiet. It sits at the heart of culture and makes a difference over the long-term.
The female sports landscape has seen some disruption already from brands, sports clubs and media. For example, the WNBA agreed a ground-breaking $2.2 billion broadcast deal over 11 years with NBC, Disney and Amazon which is worth more than three times its previous cycle. Barclays has recently made history in the UK with their record investment in women’s domestic football. The investment gives a greater platform to the sport with an inevitable knock-on effect on fandom.
But the female sports market is still ripe for disruption — in terms of how it’s marketed, sponsored, invested in and broadcast, but also in terms of its overarching narrative — moving beyond the parity story into creative storytelling.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Throughout my career, I was always told the cricket expression, ‘Play everything with a straight bat’. I’ve always found this to be so powerful and implement this within my personal and professional life. It means to approach things with honesty and decency. People always appreciate transparency and authenticity, and I’ve found it builds long-lasting trust with my clients and team.
Another piece of advice I’ve received is to always trust your intuition. Our gut instinct is an incredibly powerful tool. In my experience, 9 times out of 10, that inner voice is right. Listening to it has consistently guided me to make better, more confident decisions. It’s about trusting that you have the insight and capability to navigate challenges and seize opportunities with that true belief in yourself.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Fuse is driving global expansion rapidly, with numerous new markets set to open in the coming years. This growth represents an incredible opportunity for us to and deepen our impact across the globe and really stay ahead of the curve within our industry. With the launch of our new global proposition, ‘Culturally Connected, Seriously Effective’, we’re committed to making it a driving force to ensure our clients feel more connected to culture than ever and further enhancing our capabilities to ensure we generate effective results for our clients. Alongside this, Fuse Ignite will be launched, which will be our future-facing, modern consultancy for rightsholders, with transparency at the heart of it — ensuring clarity and trust in every step of the process.
On a personal note, I’m also working on an exciting project focused on women’s health — a cause that is incredibly important to me. So, watch this space!
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
It’s no secret that female leaders still face bias in the workplace, among a myriad of other stereotypes — from leadership style to women’s health. Starting with a career in finance and then becoming one of few female CEOs in the sports marketing industry, tackling some of these has been a real challenge for me.
One of the oldest and most persistent gender stereotypes is that women are too emotional. They are perceived as less fit to make disruptive decisions because these are more likely to be irrational and emotion driven. When compared to men, female leaders are said to be less comfortable in asserting their authority, rebelling or inciting long-term change.
But he who shouts the loudest shouldn’t just be heard. Disruption isn’t about being bossy and bold, it’s about being smart. It’s about being collaborative with your team and the industry in which you sit in. And because women are socialised to put others’ needs before their own, they are more likely to be thinking strategically with emotional awareness — two key ingredients for successful disruption.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
One book that resonated with me is Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership by Nancy Koehn.
I feel like as a leader, I’ve dealt with a period of turbulence — from Covid to the geopolitical issues in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. In today’s world, leadership requires you to constantly adapt, not only within the business world but also on a broader, macro-geographical scale. While the leaders in the book may come from a different time, there’s learnings in there that are still so relevant today; how to show up for your people, manage crises, and communicate with clarity and integrity.
As we move forward, yes, we ourselves as leaders should be disruptive, but we will face disruption constantly, and so this book made me think about how we need to adapt our leadership approaches to stay agile and resilient in the face of constant change.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
As a female leader, one core thing for me is ensuring equal pay for women across all sectors. The gender pay gap is a systemic issue that continues to go on and I truly believe it’s essential that we tackle it comprehensively — not just at the senior leadership level, but across all roles. Women should feel values for their contributions and unfortunately, this is an issue that often gets de-prioritised, particularly by government bodies but this needs more focus and requires serious conversations about how to close the gender pay gap once and for all.
I also feel that women’s health often gets sidelined, and I would like to raise awareness about our health issues and its impact, not just later in life, but at every stage of it. By having these conversations and driving real change, we can empower women to take charge of their health, feel supported in their careers, and ensure equality across all areas of life.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Just one word — ‘Onwards.’
This was David Pinnington’s response to any news — whether good or bad. This approach is deep-rooted within our heritage and our ethos and has shaped our values. It taught me to always look forward and embrace what was ahead with positivity. Resilience in the face of adversity.
This is at the heart of our agency and is key to achieving continued growth and success.
