What can Brendan do?
Give a quick overview of your work experience (jobs, internships, volunteering)?
Since I was 18, I’ve worked for Champion Data delivering performance data services across 150+ AFL, AFLW and secondary competitions over 7 seasons at 9 major stadiums, ensuring accurate data for analysis and reporting by customers that include governing bodies, professional clubs, media partners and digital platforms for the general public.
Concurrently, I work for TripleSdata, delivering data and technology services across 250+ race days annually for 60+ national and international racing clubs ensuring services conform with Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Earlier in my career, I completed an AusCycling internship where I assisted the planning and delivery of 6 State and National cycling events, each involving 20+ clubs, 500+ athletes, 20+ volunteers, 5+ vendors and sponsors. I also volunteered for Goalball NSW, supporting event delivery, including logistics, across 45 matches.
Do you have a track record of delivering measurable outcomes or KPIs?
In my sport service delivery roles, I’ve followed Service Level Agreements when delivering data and technology services to quality standards and within agreed timeframes. I’m a planner and a goal-oriented person, so I find KPIs useful to track my own performance and reassess my progress.
While I haven’t worked to formal KPIs in my sports industry experience, in my previous hospitality role, I was promoted a supervisory position with responsibility for sales KPIs, operational KPIs and customer NPS surveys, where I contributed to a 25% improvement in audit results which were sustained over four consecutive quarters.
What technical or industry-specific skills do you bring?
Stakeholder Engagement:
At TripleSdata, across 250+ race days annually, I engage with media partners and 300+ volunteers at 60+ racing clubs to keep them informed, and proactively collaborate with them to conduct system checks that ensure race-day systems are operational.
At AusCycling, I was recognised by my manager for my empathetic and prompt stakeholder communications when planning and coordinating logistics with vendors, sponsors and volunteers.
Customer Service:
I have excelled when delivering customer service in face-to-face, phone and online environments.
In my hospitality role, I maintained customer service standards in a $35k per week restaurant. I used active listening and empathy to understand customer needs and resolve concerns, to ensure strong company brand NPS scores.
At TripleSdata, across 60+ racing clubs, I maintain compliance with Service Level Agreements to ensure customer satisfaction. This can include resolving service issues promptly within agreed timeframes and standards.
Operations and Service Delivery:
At AusCycling, I produced event planning resources including checklists, run sheets and risk assessments to support the delivery of 6 NSW State and National cycling events involving 20+ clubs, 500+ athletes and event volunteers.
At TripleSdata, I manage 20 equipment kits with 1,000+ GPS devices for 60+ racing clubs as well as coordinating 5+ equipment shipments per week to ensure asset availability prior to race days.
Market Research and Data Visualisation:
During my Bachelor of Business degree, I completed a Fan Engagement research project for the Parramatta Eels. I designed surveys, conducted interviews, and analysed results of 120 participants, then presented insights to Parramatta Eels GM of Communications, Josh Drayton, and Former NSW Minister of Sport, Geoff Lee.
In my Business Analytics and Visualisation Course, I cleaned and analysed two datasets containing 400+ financial data records using Microsoft Excel. I also built dashboards in Tableau and presented the insights in PowerPoint.
Sports Data Collection (manual and automated):
At Champion Data, I’ve collected match statistics across 150+ games over 7 seasons. During each game, I identify and resolve data discrepancies and ensure data accuracy using my strong visual memory and attention to detail skills.
At TripleSdata, when generating performance data for 250+ race days, I assure quality with proactive system checks and I control quality by validating race performance reports against agreed reporting standards before distribution to 60+ racing clubs and media partners.
Service Improvement. At TripleSdata, I developed tools, checklists and operating guides that supported service expansion from 30 to 60 clubs.
In my Hospitality role, my staff training and quality checks substantially contributed to a 25% improvement in store audit results across 40 compliance criteria. Then these improvements were sustained for four consecutive quarters.
Leadership:
During my 3-years hospitality experience, while studying, I was promoted to a supervisory role, managing a team of 6+ members in a $35k per week revenue restaurant.
At TripleSdata, I have trained 15+ new operators during events, while maintaining SLAs.
At Champion Data I have trained 10+ new hires while ensuring consistent data quality standards.
What tools/platforms/software are they proficient in?
Database, Data Analysis and Visualisation tools - Tableau, Microsoft Access, SPSS, Canva, Grafana, Qualtrics, Google Forms, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint (Intermediate): used for data analysis, visualisation and presentations.
Multiple custom-built software applications (Advanced): used at TripleSdata, AusCycling and Champion Data.
POS customer-facing operations (Advanced): during my hospitality role.
Jira (Intermediate): used at TripleSdata to report and resolve 80+ software and hardware issues incidents per month for service delivery.
TidyHQ platform (Intermediate): used at AusCycling to support membership administration and stakeholder engagement.
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel, Confluence and SharePoint (Intermediate to Advanced): used for creating documentation and reports.
Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Slack, Edgility (Advanced): used for internal team and club communication.
What qualifications, certifications, or degrees do you hold?
Bachelor of Business (Sport Management), Western Sydney University, completed in 2023.
Business Analytics and Visualisation Short Course, RMIT Online, completed in 2024.
Sport Ethics and Ethical Decision Making, Sport Integrity Australia eLearning Hub, completed in 2022.
Working with Children Check (Volunteer) is current, expiring 2027.
I am a fast learner and can contribute quickly to the organisation.
I enjoy being challenged and I’m curious to learn and improve. I seek feedback in the workplace regularly so I can continuously improve my contribution and maximise the value I can provide.
I take pride in the work I do and my approach is to make sure my work is completed to a high standard that others can rely on.
I listen to understand others’ perspectives and collaborate as part of a team. I build strong working relationships based on mutual trust and respect.
What steps has Brendan taken to break into the sport industry?
When I was 18, to secure my first job in the sports industry, I reached out to companies to ask about potential part-time or casual opportunities while studying. Champion Data said they weren’t hiring at the time, but still put me through their aptitude testing process, then they offered me a job due to my strong results.
For my internship, I also reached out to sporting organisations. AusCycling had an internship opportunity in their event team and offered me a six-month role.
After my Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management, I continued to develop my professional skills with data by completing a Business Analytics and Visualisation short course at RMIT Online in 2024.
I joined SportsGrad in early 2024 to meet people already working in the sports industry and learn from their experiences. As a result, I’ve been proactively networking using coffee catch-ups with individuals from World Rugby, Tennis NSW, Fox Sports, just to name a few.
On LinkedIn, I post monthly to share personal work experiences and read the LinkedIn feed to stay connected with the sports community. I also regularly seek feedback from mentors, colleagues and other contacts.
Brendan’s interest in the social importance of sport started at a young age…
Since I was young, I’ve been drawn to sport because of the emotion and connection it creates for many people.
After the Sydney Swans won the 2012 AFL Grand Final, I found myself wondering why relatively unengaged supporters suddenly felt connected to the club and jumped on the bandwagon. So, understanding how people form connections with sport and what shapes their experience drives my curiosity.
My interest in customer behaviour grew when I learned that my grandfather owned a market research business. Then, during my Bachelor of Business (Sport Management) degree, I conducted a research project analysing NRLW fan engagement for the Parramatta Eels. At the end of the project, I presented the insights to Parramatta Eels General Manager of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Josh Drayton, and Former NSW Minister of Sport, Geoff Lee. That experience highlighted the business value of purposeful research to support insights and decision-making.
While I am still early in my career, I’m working towards helping organisations better understand their customers and how data can be used to improve experiences with sport.
Where does Brendan want to go?
Next six-12 months | Next 5-10 years |
|---|---|
My goal is to step into a full-time role in the sports industry where I can apply my experience in service delivery, data and stakeholder coordination while continuing to learn from experienced professionals. I’m particularly interested in roles that allow me to build experience interacting with customers and teammates to develop my skills. | Over time, I want to be recognised as a trusted professional who contributes to sporting organisations using my business data and technology skills to improve how sport is experienced and delivered. I would be interested to take on roles with increasing responsibility. |
What sporting problem keeps Brendan up at night, and how would they solve it?
One problem I’m curious about is why more sporting organisations don’t use data to better understand their customers so they can make more informed decisions. This could include identifying untapped customer potential, improving fan engagement, encouraging participation and adding value to sporting experiences.
It may not keep me up at night, but I often wonder how to create better sport experiences that will help achieve financial and strategic goals.
What is Brendan like?
What kind of environment do you thrive in?
A positive, supportive environment with constructive feedback.
A team culture with collaborative discussions, where people enjoy what they do, where successes are celebrated and with social gatherings outside of work.
A successful organisation where I can learn from others so I can become an increasingly valuable employee.
When have you had to show resilience in your life or career?
Growing up with Verbal Dyspraxia, I encountered quite significant challenges in my early years. I attended speech therapy weekly until I was 13, which taught me the importance of resilience and persistence.
What about Brendan’s interests outside of work?
What are your interests outside of work?
Rock climbing (bouldering) with friends
Trivia nights with friends and extended family
Photography
Reading about and watching sport
Participating in fantasy competitions
Listening to successful individuals from sport and business
What is your favourite sporting moment?
Working for Champion Data at the SCG when Lance Franklin kicked his 1000th AFL goal. Watching thousands of fans flood the field in celebration was an unforgettable experience for many people that may never happen again, and it reminded me why I love working in sport.
What’s your ideal holiday?
Travelling to see a major sporting event.
If you had 30 minutes to pick the brain of anyone, who would it be and why?
Ross Oakley to learn about the circumstances and key decisions about when the VFL decided to grow Australian Rules Football nationally and how the organisation made the most of the opportunities.
What’s book or podcast that’s helped your career you recommend?
Listening to 'The Mentor with Mark Bouris' has helped me develop self-awareness by reflecting on my strengths and skill gaps, as well as understanding other points of view.
Additional details
Where in the world are you located, and where are you open to work?
Living in Sydney, open to work anywhere in Australia
What is the most important consideration for you in your next role?
Uses my existing personal, technical and industry skills while being challenged with opportunities for professional development.
What others say about Brendan
“Brendan was a fantastic addition to our events team. Brendan had a number of strengths that were demonstrated including patience and empathy, attention to detail, ability to learn on the job and a willingness to take on any challenge or task.” - Kipp Kaufmann, AusCycling (Executive General Manager - Sport)
“Working with Brendan was always a plus. He had a great attitude and a real talent for helping others.” - Steve Tsagarakis, TripleSdata (Former Senior Colleague)
One of Brendan’s standout qualities is his remarkable attention to detail”. “He has a natural ability to stay focused and maintain a high level of quality”. “He’s always looking for ways to expand his knowledge and refine his skills”. “Brendan’s ability to adapt and learn quickly sets him apart, making him an incredibly coachable team member”. - John Watson, Champion Data (Venue Operations)
What questions does Brendan have for employers?
How do the different roles within the team collaborate with each other?
How is success defined for the team and how is it measured?
What emerging trends do you predict will have an impact on your organisation and what are the implications?
What values or qualities does your organisation look for in employees?
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