Meet the Talent Team

As part of a Two Circles series celebrating brilliant Two Circlers around the world, meet our in-house talent team, Kat McCreadie, Emily Court and Francesca Powell.

What first attracted you to sports recruitment?

Kat: When I was in my mid-twenties working in financial services marketing, I had an epiphany. Why work in financial services when I could work in sport? Actually, at that point, specifically football. My great love.

I got my break at Fulham FC, before moving to sports brand Mitre, and then my dream job at as Head of Brand at Chelsea. I’d just had my second son and wanted more flexibility than the club could provide, so I left football for sports recruitment. And honestly, I’ve never looked back. It suits every facet of my personality.

Emily: I have always loved all kinds of sports, but it never occurred to me that I could pursue a career in the industry until I had a conversation with Kat [McCreadie]. She opened my eyes to recruitment and genuinely changed my life! The reason I love my job is the people-to-people aspect, and now, to be able to combine it with an industry I love is simply the best meet-cute!

Francesca: It was never previously a dream of mine or even on my radar to get into sports recruitment, but I’m so glad I did. For me, it has always been sport; I haven’t ever thought about ending up in any other industry. With sports recruitment, I get to pair my love for sport alongside pursuing my second passion, DEI. I am driven to increasing diversity in sport, ensuring the industry is a place where all kinds of people feel like they belong and have equal opportunities.

What qualities and skills make a good recruiter in sports?

Kat: Recruiters get a bad rep but to do it well, over a long period of time, takes a huge amount of skill, energy, and drive. We’re emotionally intelligent, intuitive, great readers of people. We have loads of resilience and we are resourceful. And mostly we are kind. Or at least the good ones are.

Francesca: You have to be an active listener. Not just hear, but actually listen to people’s stories and what they are looking for. You need to know what questions are going to help you dive below the surface and connect with people.

Emily: Ride the waves! When you work purely with people, sometimes it’s hard to manage the full spectrum of emotions you feel in different situations. By being empathetic, compassionate and understanding, you’re already a giant step ahead in recruitment. I think being at Two Circles specifically, you just end up working with some incredible people who you want to do the best job for, and the ability to let that be the driver to your day-to-day is rare.

What advice would you give to women wanting to break into sports industry?

Francesca: There probably hasn’t been a more exciting time than now for women to enter the industry. The respect women’s sport is getting on the pitch is replicating itself in business. We are welcome and wanted in sport – whether it’s behind a camera, creating content, selling rights, creating strategies, you name it, there’s no reason you can’t do it.

Kat: Sometimes women will say to me ‘I don’t know that much about sport, but I love the sound of Two Circles, does it matter? Here’s the thing, it’s not a question of sport – we’re not going to ask you who won the 1985 FA Cup Final. I mean, you don’t say to someone working in FMCG, you must love baked beans.

Just think about the values that allow sports teams and athletes to succeed: ambition, vision, work ethic, desire, energy, focus. Think about the size of the sector and the opportunity for further growth. The list of reasons to work in sport is endless. And gender is irrelevant. Throughout my years in the sport industry, I’ve never viewed my gender as a factor in my successes or failures.

Emily: You deserve to be here. Sport isn’t there to divide, it’s to connect. It’s not supported by just men, or just women; it’s supported by all. Once you grasp the idea that it’s crucial for the people working in the sports industry to reflect the diverse community of sports lovers it serves, the idea doesn’t seem as scary.

What have you learned about yourself since working in sports recruitment?

Emily: Connections with people are such a vital part of lives, and I think being in sport compounds that. In our position, it’s a privilege to introduce game-changers to work directly in sport and being able to influence sport moving forward.

Francesca: Since starting in sports recruitment at Two Circles, I feel more energised than ever. I genuinely believe I can make a meaningful contribution to the industry.

Kat: I’ve had a wonderful 20-year career in sport, but I’ve learned most about people, business and the sports sector since I became a recruiter. Every new candidate you meet, every new client, every new brief, teaches you something new.

As recruiters, genuinely, we’re so lucky that we are exposed to so many fascinating conversations and people. It’s something we don’t take lightly!

Check out the latest opportunities to join Two Circles here. https://twocircles.com/gb-en/vacancies/