To celebrate International Women’s Day, ESA spoke to four women at different stages of their careers to understand the successes and challenges they’ve experienced so far, the help they’ve received from others and what advice they’d share themselves.
Sophie Morris, ESA Board Director and Director of Millharbour Marketing, was asking the questions and with her were:
Claire Ritchie – Founder and CEO, SQN
Established in 2001, SQN has been around for almost 20 years thereby being one of the longest standing independent sponsorship agencies in the UK. Prior to setting up SQN, Claire spent 15 years in the IT and telco industry where she was in-house sponsorship manager looking after the relationship with Williams in F1 and Nortel’s participation in BT Global Challenge.
Since setting up SQN, Claire has led the agency to retain an enviable roster of clients such as Hyundai, Toyota, Tata Communications and NetApp to name but a few, and despite the disruption of the pandemic, continued the strong growth trajectory, doubling the size of the agency in the last few years. In 2022, the company is just as focussed on the vision that Claire had when she established the agency in 2001 which was not to be the biggest but to be the best and to offer a level of service and quality second to none.
Marijn Luchtman – Global Head of Sponsorships, Just Eat Takewaway.com
Following the integration of Just Eat and Takeaway.com, Marijn’s team are now responsible for Global Sponsorships, with the sponsorship of UEFA EURO 2020 as the first big event.
She is also responsible for the global sponsorship strategy, deal making and in-market execution of these sponsorships/partnerships.
Lorna Danaher – Sponsorship Manager, Energia
Lorna has been involved in the wider marketing mix for over 10 years but honed in on sponsorship six years ago. She’s worked across all sponsorship categories from grassroots to national teams, music and sports festivals to cultural celebrations. In her current role she oversees a diverse portfolio including Get Ireland Growing, Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby and Seachtain na Gaeilge – the international Irish language festival.
Nobandile Mutseyekwa – Sponsorship Coordinator, Pitch Direct UK and ESA Diploma student
As a recent graduate, Nobandile has been involved in sponsorship for the past four months as a Sponsorship Coordinator for Pitch Direct, a sports marketing agency that specialises in sport partnerships. Her current role sees her primarily involved in facilitating strategic partnerships and sport partnerships between African brands and global rights holders as well as helping brands fulfil their global expansion initiatives through sport partnerships in Africa. To help grow her sponsorship journey, Nobandile enrolled on this year’s ESA Diploma and was the recipient of the inaugural ESA Diploma scholarship.
Sophie: Welcome to you all. Thanks for being a part of ESA’s International Women’s Day celebration. Let’s get straight into the discussion.
What’s the best experience you’ve had in your sponsorship career so far?
Claire: It’s difficult to pick one as there have been many over the years. I love to create clever partnerships and feel that I am earning my money by advising my clients in the right way. Any time I create a sponsorship that really resonates and achieves the brand’s objectives it gives me a real sense of satisfaction.
Doing the deal with Ducati and Dorna for SanDisk, seeing the opportunity to create a fully blown partnership for Lexar in WRC on the simple request for some usb drives and most recently advising Algorand Foundation to go with Envision Racing in Formula E have all be highlights of my career as CEO of SQN.
Marijn: Definitely delivering the Euros as a first time sponsor, with great results… in the midst of a pandemic and a huge merger with Takeaway.com and Just Eat!
Lorna: The pandemic was such a struggle for the sponsorship industry, and naturally a stressful time. With consistent uncertainty looming, it really pushed me to focus on being flexible and viewing plans from all angles. Energia is title sponsor of the AIL (a grassroots rugby league) which was celebrating its 30th anniversary, but in a year where the league couldn’t actually take place due to it’s restrictions.
I decided to make a documentary to mark the occasion and over the course of the year we got to travel around Ireland (in between stricter lockdowns) and interviewed over 40 people from retired players, to coaches, to volunteers to Ireland and provincial professional players. Seeing that project come to life on the silver screen, knowing all the obstacles which were overcome to get it there, was the best experience I think I’ve had in my career.
Nobandile: I think the best experience in my sponsorship career so far has simply been just starting it. I can say I’ve only been in it for the past four months now, but within those four months, I’ve tried to get as immersed as I can and have been fortunate to have been given ample opportunities to do so. The most recent being, getting awarded the ESA Diploma scholarship which has enabled me to learn so much about the industry and grow within the field which has been amazing.
Sophie: What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
Marijn: In fact, that would also be the Euros… It was extremely challenging as we didn’t have any processes in place before we started, we couldn’t meet new colleagues, everything was changing the whole time due to Covid etc. So definitely the Euros.
Lorna: I think one of the biggest challenges faced personally was learning to work remotely and to manage partner relationships through the shift to all ‘meetings’ being virtual. You rely so much on partner relationships in the sponsorship industry and I think ensuring those relationships still developed and didn’t suffer unnecessarily was a big challenge.
Claire: Deciding to invest all my savings to keep the company afloat in 2006. A client decided to use an ‘out’ in a sponsorship contract to terminate their deal which means with two weeks’ notice we lost all our following years revenue, my dad had passed away suddenly and, as a one man band, I just didn’t have the energy to go out and sell myself or the company.
I had interviewed for a job just so I could earn some money and get back on my feet again when a former client called out of the blue and said they wanted me to find them a sponsorship deal. That was the first of our lives saved. The second was in 2010 after the recession and we went from being a team of 10 back to being a team of three. Once again, savings were used to keep us afloat but we did it and out of the ashes in 2011 we won Hyundai WRC and were hired as an agency by the President before they even had any staff.
Sophie: Have you felt you’ve been able to be 100% yourself whilst working within the sponsorship industry? And if not, what did you feel you had to change?
Lorna: I’ve certainly had to adjust elements in the past, but less so now as I’ve grown in confidence. I can’t say for sure if it was the industry or the personalities I had encountered in the past which were the driving factors behind the (subconscious) changes. The different facets of the sponsorship industry also have their own unique challenges eg sport, music, culture.
Nobandile: I would say that I have been able to be 70% myself within the industry. From what I’ve encountered, the sponsorship industry is so multifaceted. There are many agencies, brands, rights holders who may be in different fields and industries, but collaborate together for a common goal or based on similar values for the purpose of building strong partnerships.
I think because there are so many different players within the industry, be it from sports, entertainment, corporate etc, it’s an industry that gives you the freedom to operate freely as yourself because authenticity is what sells and what builds the strong long lasting partnerships.
So in both my role at Pitch direct, and as a student of the ESA Diploma, I’ve felt the freedom to demonstrate and implement my strengths as well as the freedom to be content with my limitations in terms of knowledge or skills because, one its an opportunity to learn and develop and two, because it allows for the opportunity to form those relationships and collaborations with those who may have certain contacts or skills. And so, I think we all have our part and it works well. I’ve felt that within my experiences in the industry as a whole thus far, which has allowed me to be comfortable in being myself.
The remaining 30%, I haven’t shown because it’s still under construction. I’m still figuring out the in’s and out’s of the industry and what interests me as well as the next step in my career so I can plant my feet and give that 100% towards whatever I’m working on and the industry as a whole.
Claire: Yes, I’ve been fortunate to say that I have been able to be my authentic self throughout my time running the company. Maybe had I been younger at the time I started it my answer would not be the same because many times in corporate life before I started the agency, I felt the need to prove myself, to be successful in a male dominated environment and to be one of the lads!
I started my career at HP in the labs where I was maybe one of 20 women among 200 men. I spent 15 years in the IT industry in that type of environment and then went into motorsport which is equally dominated by men. Fortunately, belief in myself, authenticity, treating people including executives and the rich and famous as human beings and the same as the next person has been my hallmark and has fuelled my success.
Marijn: I think that if I wouldn’t have been able to be myself for 100%, then I would have left the industry right away. I think it’s always key to be yourself, in whatever job you are.
Sophie: Who has really helped you in your career so far and what is it they did that benefited you?
Nobandile: I could list so many people actually who have either helped me get to where I am or paved the way for me to get there. But I would like to give a special mention to my boss, Nicolette Parkwood-Clover. She is the founder of Pitch Direct, the sport marketing agency where I am currently working. I was a bit of a lost puppy after I finished uni and she literally took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. She didn’t just give me a job, she invested in me as a person in terms of my career goals and just me in general.
She would take active steps to ensure that I was learning, growing, networking, using and developing my skills in big and little ways. If she had a meeting with a brand or rights holder that I wasn’t working on or had nothing to contribute towards, she would still make sure that I was in the room, even just as an observer, because sometimes just being in the room, listening and observing can bring about so much. So having those different experiences, and the constructive criticism and someone who has loads of experience in the industry on hand has been an opportunity that I don’t take for granted. In essence, I don’t feel like I work for her, but with her, and the rest of our team which then allows me to confidently bring what I have to the table.
Claire: Maybe what rather than who but ESA was an amazing source for me as I started SQN. It provided great insights, opportunities and networking. To this day I remember the first ever ESA seminar that I went to at which the great late Toby Hester was presenting about his work with O2. Matt Rogan at the time was with MTV and presented the case study of Sex and the City and Baileys. Matt and I went on to do a deal together for Imation who became a partner of MTV at the Movies which was a great success and involved prize winning trips to the Move Awards in LA and huge parties at the Cannes Film Festival.
Before sponsorship, in my corporate career, my first boss at HP hired me despite me being massively over qualified for the role but he knew I could do what he needed doing and after 6 months he helped me to find my way into marketing which is what I really wanted to do.
I never hesitate to meet with someone or see what I can do to help them because you never know where it might lead them. Even if I can’t help them, I’m always happy to make introductions or to use my network to help them get ahead. Many people gave me a helping hand throughout my career without which I would not be where I am now, so I’m always happy to do the same.
Lorna: Over the past 3 years I’ve gotten to work with Daragh Persse from the Brand Fans. Watching how he approaches sponsorships from both practical and analytical perspectives has been greatly beneficial and educational. Crucially, he never makes you feel stupid for asking a question – even if it might be the most obvious answer.
Sophie: What advice would you give to the next generation of women entering sponsorship that you wish you had received yourself?
Claire: It’s not advice that I didn’t have but I would encourage every woman to be yourself, be authentic, be kind, be generous and good things will come your way. In terms of education, there wasn’t much around when I started in the industry in the late 90’s but now I would highly recommend the ESA Diploma which would stand you in good stead for any job in the industry.
Marijn: Maybe, that you don’t have to work in sponsorship for your entire career; you can learn the different aspects of sponsorship also through other jobs in for example: media, PR, and content.
Lorna: Read. Sign up for newsletters. Look up case studies. Connect with others in the industry. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice, no-one ever minds giving it. Read more.
Nobandile: Haha, I feel like I’m already part of that generation. But I will share two bits of advice that have really helped my journey thus far and transformed the way I view my sponsorship journey.
The first is a quote by Victor E. Frankl, the author of ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’. I recently read this book and I couldn’t have come across the quote at a more opportune time in my career. It came at a point in time when I was trying to figure out all the steps I could take to ensure that I was successful in the industry. But it stopped me dead in my tracks.
Essentially, it says “Don’t aim at success – the more you make it your target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue as an unintended side effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater than oneself.” I think particularly within the sponsorship industry, this quote could not be more applicable.
The most successful and long-lasting partnerships are ones built on purpose and aligned values and causes far greater than just the financial implications. So instead of focusing on and worrying about how to attain success or make it in the industry, I’ve redirected my efforts to figuring out what purpose within the industry and society I want to dedicate myself to and, if success comes as a by-product of my efforts, then that’s just the cherry on the top. In the meantime, I’m continuing to work, grow and build without the stress of attaining success or results because I’m working with purpose in mind. In both my personal career and the partnerships I formulate.
Secondly, it’s natural to feel inadequate sometimes, especially when you are entering a new industry with so many others who have gone before you and had a lot more experience. But embrace the constraints! One thing I’ve noticed is that in this industry, people are always willing to help. Ask for it, accept it, learn from it and share it. It’s an industry built on relationships, so form them, grow them and nurture them, because in turn you are also equipping yourself.
Sophie: Which other woman or women in sponsorship do you admire and why?
Lorna: Anne O’Leary from Vodafone and Paula Murphy from Bank Of Ireland – both are engaged with rugby sponsorships (like myself) and I think have been top class in their executions of the sponsorships.
Nobandile: Katarina Johnson-Thompson. I don’t know if this is purely because I’m a big athletics fan or because I’ve been heavily invested in her journey, but I admire her in many ways, particularly her approach to failure, success and unforeseen obstacles or difficulties.
Because, one certainty in life is that difficulties will come and you may not always overcome them in the way you think or wish.
I guess as a fan, I have watched her navigate the highs and lows of her career with the added pressure of not wanting to let so many people down. I think she resonates with me because failing and letting people down has until recently been one of my biggest fears. And although I don’t know the whole story or the behind the scenes, through her journey, I’ve managed to learn that it’s important to keep working towards your goals with yourself in mind. Not in a selfish or self-centred way, but in a way that will allow you to identify environments in which you flourish, how to build on your strengths and knowing how you cope with situations where life just decides to slap you in the face, unprovoked.
It’s important to know thyself, and I think Kat took active measures to ensure that she figured that out, then continued pursuing her goals. And so she is a big inspiration to me and I’m sure to many other young women. There are countless other women who I admire. Some that I know personally and others whose stories have successfully been told, but both consist of women who are forces of nature, cause that’s what we are.
Claire: Women that inspired me to do what I’m doing today were Katja Heim, Founder of KHP Consulting which was my agency when I was at Nortel and Sally Hancock who was running Red Mandarin at the time. Both were female agency owners that I felt were doing a great job.
Sophie: And finally, if you could fix one thing within the sponsorship industry to benefit women, what would it be?
Nobandile: I think the best way to get more women in the sponsorship industry is to get more women to know that it’s an option, especially in regards to the next generation of women. They say knowledge is power, and so providing more opportunities to meet young women where they are at, in schools and universities, where there are lots of young women who are on the journey of trying to navigate their lives.
I think having a structure that will allow women from all levels of the sponsorship industry to share their stories and what it involves will sometimes simply just give a lot of young women a lot to think about and may ignite an unknown interest. I’ve had so many conversations recently where I shared that I work in sponsorship and 80% of the time it’s met by “Umm what’s that?” and then “Huh, I didn’t know that that was a thing”. So I think more should be done to invest in the next generation of women in sponsorship.
Claire: Get rid of the old boys club! There is still so much of that that goes on and as a result, talented capable women-led agencies miss out.
Marijn: I would edit all job descriptions and make them more attractive for women, because sometimes we get the comments that “women just don’t apply”, but I think this has more to do with how it’s being said and where it’s being advertised.
Sophie: That just about brings us to time. Thank you so much Nobandile, Lorna, Marijn and Claire for sharing your experiences and advice. I think there’s a lot here that we can all learn from and ideas for how we can change. Thank you also for being part of ESA’s celebration of women in sponsorship, for International Women’s Day!