Meet the Team – Sales Leads

As part of a Two Circles series celebrating brilliant Two Circlers around the world, meet Kathryn Wilson and Claire Somerset, Sales Leads in the Rights Management team, based in London.

What was it that led you to pursuing a career in sales?

KW: “At uni I had a couple of ‘field-marketing’ jobs, working for the likes of Vodafone handing out free-sim cards and Lexmark as a “printer specialist” in PC World. Despite it being about as glamorous as it sounds, it helped me discover that it was the interactivity with people that I really enjoyed. Although I wasn’t super passionate about selling printers (read: didn’t care at all) I loved listening to people, finding out what they wanted from their printer, and advising accordingly.  When I moved into Media Sales post-university, the role offered me the same level consultation, it’s just that “how can I help you print” becomes “what do you want to achieve with this campaign.”

CS: “I have always been interested in the commercial side of sport, particularly in driving commercial growth within women’s sport. I was excited by the opportunity for forward-thinking brands to accelerate this journey through sponsorship and activation, and to help realise the full potential of underserved and undervalued sports properties.

“Our sales team at Two Circles is increasingly focused on creating and delivering value across our clients’ entire commercial programmes (beyond sponsorship), so this current role has given me extensive exposure across the industry.”

Speaking of your current role, what exactly is a Sales Lead responsible for?

CS: “Sales Leads take ownership of delivering the end-to-end sponsorship sales process for a client within our Rights Management capability. The process includes leading a Two Circles team across Sales, Insights, Operations, and Design to ultimately create and articulate the value of sponsorship to brands, and deliver revenue to rightsholders.

“Sales Leads also own the client relationship, sharing weekly reporting against key deliverables, and managing key communications around both the sales process and the client agreement with Two Circles. I have led this process for New Zealand Rugby, World Rugby’s Women’s programme and the Billie Jean King Cup, and loved every minute.”

How and why did you get into working in sport? 

CS: “I’ve always wanted to translate my passion as a sports player and fan into a career, so I reached out to Two Circles after several years working as a Management Consultant. Kat, in the recruitment team, gave me an amazing overview of the industry, and explained the possible avenues across agencies, rightsholders and governing bodies. Two Circles felt like a perfect fit given my prior consulting experience, and my appetite to gain exposure across a range of roles, sports and rightsholders.”

KW: “Having worked in advertising for close to 13 years, I wanted to push myself to work in a different environment. I could have done my role with my eyes closed but no longer felt excited by having the same conversations. I wanted to apply my skills and experiences I had developed along the way in a new space, where emotions run high (the brain is much more receptive this way!) and nothing compares to that sense of excitement that sport can provide!”

What advice would you give women considering a career in sport? 

KW: “Don’t think twice. Why wouldn’t a women consider a career in sport? Whatever job, in whatever industry, we have permission to be everything.”

CS: “Sport is an evolving industry and will continue to benefit hugely from the diversity of thought and experiences that women can bring. Some of the most impressive people I’ve ever worked with are female leaders within the sports industry, and I continue to be inspired by the significant impact these leaders are having on the industry.

“It’s been an incredibly welcoming industry for me, and I’ve been overwhelmed by everyone’s appetite to support and develop young female talent, be it internally or through initiatives like our Diversity in Sports programme. I would encourage others to build a strong network of female leaders as mentors, and to embrace the opportunities that the sports industry offers when they arise.”

What have you learned about yourself and the industry in the time you have worked in it? 

KW: “All the success I’ve experienced in the past two and a half years has been learned by being a bit crap along the way, something that didn’t previously sit comfortably with me.

“When I felt like I was so far from mastering a new challenge, I had to really lean on teammates, as well as experiences where I did feel more of an expert at the time. I’ve been taught humility and reminded to always be kind. Leave your ego at the door, open yourself up to learning and mistakes, and I genuinely believe the rewards will come.”

Describe your time at Two Circles in three words? 

CS: “Immersive, challenging, rewarding”

KW: “Couldn’t have said it better myself, but also…Steep. Learning. Curve!”