Over the past six years, psd has proudly sponsored Sports Podge, a unique event that celebrates the passion and personalities in sport. We asked Kit Taylor, Global Head of psd Sport, about this year’s event which focussed on ‘First Women’ – pioneers who changed the sporting landscape.

What is Sports Podge and why do psd support this event?

Sports podge is an annual highlight in the sporting calendar, which brings together sporting personalities and business leaders in the sports industry.  The event always has a different theme but is always relaxed, fun and enjoyable. Of the 250 attendees this year over 100 were women, which Sports Podge hopes to increase to 50/50 next year.  Through our partnership with Sports Podge we have been privileged to meet a range of people; candidates who we have helped into outstanding careers across a wide spectrum of functions and specialist capabilities, and clients who have benefited from our unique matrix structure, which enables us to identify the most suitable and best qualified candidates for key roles from within a vast range of industry sectors.

What were the highlights of this year’s event?

This year celebrated First Women, the women who were trail blazers in the world of sports, such as Nadia Comaneci, who in 1976 was the first gymnast in Olympic history to score a perfect 10. Or Babe Zaharias, the first female PGA competitor, she also won Olympic medals in hurdles, javelin and high jump. Or more recently, Nicola Adams who was the first woman to win Olympic boxing gold and defend her title.

A special guest this year was Kiko Matthews, who in 2014 rowed solo across the Atlantic (shaving a week off the world record), a challenge she took on after she was diagnosed with Cushings Disease, a rare and life threatening condition. This year she will cycle 7200km around the UK, cleaning up beaches for her KikPlastic campaign.

What key successes has psd sport seen since 2018 podge?

We have delivered on numerous significant projects with a number of women securing Board level and senior management level roles, with a wide range of businesses including British Cycling, England Boxing, and England Rugby. We are proud to recruit for many of the biggest names in football, rugby, motor sport, tennis, horse racing, e-sports, and many others.

What trends do you expect to see in sports recruitment in 2019?

There’s never been a more dynamic time in the innovative Sports sector, it continues to evolve rapidly and it’s fantastic to see many more women being appointed to executive roles across the sector.  As technology unlocks new business models and revenue streams across the world of sport, many organisations are increasingly operating at a global level, and so an effective approach to management recruitment in the sports sector is critical. There are unprecedented opportunities presented by fan engagement in the Audience Age, and psd’s Sport and Technology practices are working in unison to meet the increasing demand from a broad range of clients to meet their recruitment needs.

About psd Sport

psd offers sports management recruitment services for Main (Executive & Non-Executive) and Management Board positions, Venue Operations, Sales & Event Management, Partnership Acquisition & Retention, Marketing & Digital Transformation, Consumer Insight & Analytics, Finance, PR, Media & Communications, as well as many other specialist functions.