10 epic Meetup Panellists you have to meet
Come to a SportsGrad event to meet these legends
Hello friends,
The ✨ SportsGrad Newsletter ✨ is back!
We hope you’re settling into the new year, feeling rested, and smashing goals.
This year the newsletter is coming to you from a new voice, me, Acacia Quinn!
I may have met some of you before, but Reubs & Ryan recently hired me as the new FT Community & Content Coordinator!
I’ll have the pleasure of sending you the newsletter each week. Strap in.
This year we want to make the newsletter as useful as possible for you, so each week you can expect:
Epic people sharing how they’ve grown their career in sport
Upcoming networking events to connect with industry people
Latest sports job opportunities coming through our network
Here at HQ, we’re getting ready to charge into the biggest year of Meetups yet, and we are more than keen to get going.
Connecting and learning from others is the cheapest and easiest education you’ll ever get. Hearing journeys, knowing how people do their jobs, and where others learn from can catapult your progress.
That’s why we showcase a couple of experts at every Meetup.
IRL Meetups are coming up fast, so today we thought we’d let you in on the types of people you can expect to meet.
10 of our favourite SportsGrad Meetup Panellists 🤩
Sarah Burt, Journalist/Presenter
Journalism, MCing, presenting, commentating… Sarah does it all! An absolute jack of all trades, with past experience at the likes of ESPN and 7NEWS, Sarah is now freelancing in the sports media and broadcasting space specialising in AFLW - and absolutely killing it.
Aaron Cross - CEO, Champion Data
Aaron is leading the data supply for the largest sports in the country - think AFL and netball, to name a couple. Champion Data is a leading sports technology, analytics, data distribution, digital, and broadcasting company.
Tom Hickey - Director of Corporate Development and Commercial Legal Affairs, Brisbane 2032 Olympic Committee
From the NFL, to the International Olympic Committee, to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Committee, Tom Hickey is no stranger to sport on a huuuuggee scale. He is currently the Director of Corporate Development and Commercial Legal Affairs to one of the biggest events in Australian history
James Gellert - Global Partnerships Manager, UFC
Talk about a cool gig??!! With over 10 years of professional experience in the industry, he is incredibly skilled in commercial development, sponsorship management, sales, marketing and event and media relations.
Francesca Teh - World Cup Legacy Manager, Football Australia
Extremely passionate about the growth and development of Women’s Sport, Franny was right in the thick of the Matilda’s 2023 success, and has some epic stories from it - not to mention, an incredible previous employment stint at Cricket Australia and Football Victoria!
Katie Staniforth - Senior Event Director, Cricket Australia
With a plethora of experience at Rugby WA, the Rugby League World Cup, and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Katie has been a part of Cricket Australia for the past 5 years. She is now the Senior Event Director for International Cricket, responsible for leading all of the international events held in Aus (no big deal).
James Ceely - Head of Participation and International, AFL
James is taking the growth of AFL participation internationally, managing the movement as Head of the department. This includes leading 11 international affiliates, and 1000+ staff across 58 countries, with extensive prior leadership experience from the Australian Sports Commission and the AFL. James came along to the first ever London Meetup, and was an incredible guest.
Hayley Hamp - Marketing and Broadcast Lead, Netball Australia
Hayley has been with Netball Australia for almost two years, where she has been killing it! She has worked on some epic campaigns for the Australian Diamonds, and previously worked with Collingwood FC in their Marketing and Product team.
Shaun Anderson - Head of Communications and PR, Sports Entertainment Network
With over 17 years of experience in strategic communication roles, Shaun brought his expertise on the matter to a Melbourne meetup - he has an impressive resume under his belt, with organisations such as Tabcorp, Australian Olympic Committee, Sportsbet, and more.
Hiam Katrib - Head of Workforce, FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
Hiam is an event management and workforce consultant, with some (lowkey) clients, such as the Paris 2024 Olympics and the Invictus Games Australia. She also was the Head of Workforce for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, specialising in the planning, training and operations of staff.
If sports media is more your thing, look no further than Michelle and her awesome role - leading the Swan’s social media and PR strategy at the club. She has over a decade of experience, across both the AFL and AFLW, as well as Cricket Tasmania.
Kate Cullen - General Manager of People and Business Operations, Brisbane Broncos
She joined us at the Feb 2023 Brisbane Meetup, and spoke to the nature of operations roles and leadership - she has been in HR and operation roles at the Broncos for three years, in the sector for over ten, and is an absolute truck-load of knowledge!
Nic Laube - Brand and Content Manager, Queensland Cricket/Brisbane Heat
He started as a media intern with Queensland Cricket in 2015, and has been smashing it ever since. He is skilled in a range of sectors, including brand and campaign management, and content strategy and production.
So, what are you waiting for? This is your chance to rub shoulders, listen to, and network with some of the best industry professionals in the industry!
Meetups are hitting 5 different cities across Australia:
Melbourne - Friday Feb 9 at The Commons, Cremorne
Perth - Tuesday Feb 13 at The Wembley Hotel
Adelaide - Tuesday Feb 13 at The Stag
Brisbane - Wednesday Feb 14 at The Precinct, Fortitude Valley
Sydney - Thursday Feb 15 at The Commons, George St
P.S. Brisbanites, we promise your partner does want to spend Valentine’s Day at the SG meetup 💗
Upcoming Member Events 💛
Members, to join an event, RSVP via Discord.
Pro Member Events:
🤝 Pro Speed Networking - January 24th 7pm AEDT
🫡 Leadership Masterclass with Gav Mahoney - Feb 2nd 12pm AEDT
⚖️ Sports Law Masterclass with Michael Bricknell - Feb 29th 12pm AEDT
🤝 Pro Speed Networking - March 14th 7pm AEDT
Rookie Member Events:
🤝 Rookie Speed Networking - January 29th 7pm AEDT
💬 Q&A with Kyle Whittingham (Marketing at Sail GP USA) - Feb 5th 3pm AEDT
🤝 Rookie Speed Networking - Feb 26th 7pm AEDT
That’s all from me!
Looking forward to being in your inbox each week, and seeing you at the meetup!
Acacia 💛
Community and Content Coordinator