Best pitch presenter you’ve ever seen:
Not a pitch presenter but Amanda Gorman is unreal. Her voice and pace are hypnotic, and her words are super powerful.
Best sports marketing campaign (that wasn’t yours):
Nike (Cycle)Sync workout collection. For too long the industry has ignore the physical needs of female athletes. Nike is helping to challenge taboos around periods and is helping women to use their menstrual cycle to their advantage as athletes.
Best agency (that isn’t yours):
4Creative. “We’re the Superhumans” for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is still a favourite of mine.
Best young industry talent:
Eni Shabani, founder of Rising Ballers, a youth focused grassroots football community that have gone from being a social community to an established football academy which seeks to support emerging football talent. He’s totally switched on and is very entrepreneurial.
Best sporting event attended:
The homecoming of the Croatian national team after they lost the 2018 World Cup Final. The sense of celebration on the streets of Zadar was unreal!
Best sporting event on TV:
The Olympics. The diversity in entertainment that’s on offer is unmatched.
Best brand ambassador:
Marcus Rashford. It’s evident through his brand work that he is genuinely trying to create positive change for young people beyond being the face of a brand or cause. As well as being a world class footballer, his work in social justice is truly resonating with young people all over the world.
Best industry event or conference:
I attended the Sports Industry Awards in 2019 and I have to say the scale of the event, the quality of work championed and the level of elite athletes backing the awards was impressive. They throw a good party too!
Best film containing a scene depicting the sports business:
Battle of the Sexes.
Best book recommendation:
This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
Best bar or pub:
Bowland Brewery Holmes Mill in Clitheroe, Lancashire especially at Christmas!
Best restaurant:
Bloom Brasserie in Dublin, a small, down to earth restaurant with a suburb contemporary Irish menu.
Best holiday resort:
You can’t beat Barcelona for a city break and beach holiday!
Best box set:
Ozark
Best influence on your career:
My husband. He’s backed me for the last 10 years and guided me through career choices that have worked out brilliantly!
Best dinner companions (min 4, max 6):
Marcus Rashford
LeBron James
Jameela Jamil
Mark Wahlberg
David Attenborough
Best job in the sports biz:
Sports Journalist. They have the power to represent so many voices in the industry from athletes to fans to industry stakeholders.
Best professional regret:
Not joining the sport industry sooner. I chose to do a PhD and lecture for a year before joining the industry.
Best skill you most covet:
Patience
Best trait you admire in others:
Transparency. Having the confidence in yourself to be open and transparent with other people.
Best overrated virtue:
Empathy and kindness. Now more than ever we need this in our lives.
Best ambition:
For my work in sport and Fan Intelligence to impact young people and empower them to change their lives for the better. I want to work with any brand – big or small – who shares that ambition.