What can Lawrence do?
Give a quick overview of your work experience (jobs, internships, volunteering)?
5 years working in sales in a mix of Account Manager roles.
My experience spans both New Zealand (home for me) and recently Australia for the past 2.5 years.
I've been with L'Oreal my whole career, joining as a graduate in 2021, and looked after a number of major retailers during my time (including Kmart, Myer, Coles in Australia).
Do you have a track record of delivering measurable outcomes or KPIs?
As an Account Manager I am constantly working towards sales targets and other KPIs such as promotional performance, ROI on discretionary spend and delivering on Joint Business Plans with external stakeholders.
Key recent wins include: - Negotiating an exclusive product pre-launch with a customer, worth $1.9m in annual retail sales
Delivering +11% sales growth in the year to October across my customer portfolios, equating to +14% in net profit
Achieving market share growth 4 x the market across my product portfolio in the year to October
What technical or industry-specific skills do you bring?
Stakeholder management (external & internal)
Negotiation (of multiple high value, complex deals)
Campaign planning and execution
New business identification and development
Communication (at all levels of management, in small groups and to larger audiences)
Being the external face of the company & organisation (representing and embodying company values when dealing with stakeholders)
What tools/platforms/software are they proficient in?
Microsoft Excel
Powerpoint
Power BI
What qualifications, certifications, or degrees do you hold?
Bachelor of Laws & Arts from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
I have also completed my Professional Legal Studies and am an Admitted Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.
Taking a punt on me is a calculated risk and in return you'll get dedication, commitment and a hard working Kiwi on a relentless pursuit of excellence in the role.
Regardless of whether it's shampoo, mascara, a sponsorship opportunity, or global sporting event - what I bring is experience selling a product to achieve commercial success. I've spent five years honing stakeholder management skills, negotiating high value deals, ensuring contractual fulfillment and bringing brands to life through major activations and product launches. I'm hungry to learn and ready to stamp my mark on the Australian sporting landscape.
What steps has Lawrence taken to break into the sport industry?
Reaching out to people I know in the industry for advice on which areas or roles my skills are best suited for.
I've begun to apply for jobs, with a small number of interviews so far, which I've used as an opportunity to connect with professionals and seek advice and feedback when I have not been successful in a role.
Joining SportsGrad is a large step forward towards chasing my short term goal of breaking into the sports industry.
Lawrence’s interest in sport all started whilst watching cricket on the banks of the Basin Reserve in Wellington
Engrossed in domestic and international cricket. It's sitting in the stands of Westpac Stadium, watching the Hurricanes in bitterly cold Wellington southerlies with howling wind. I also spent a large majority of weekends away at rowing regattas and camps, where I formed friendships and bonds which are so central to my life today. My passion for sport has followed me my whole life, is part of the reason I migrated to Melbourne from New Zealand and why I'm chasing it as my profession today. My enthusiasm to enter the world of sport comes from not just being an avid player of a number of sports throughout my life (cricket, tennis, rugby, rowing), and a fan, but also a genuine passion and interest for what lies off the court, field or track. This includes the commercial elements that deliver incredible sporting products to the masses. At the end of the day, it is the people who create the success, and that is something I am driven to be a part of. Additionally, I love how sport unites societies and people regardless of social, geographical and economic background. I want to be at the forefront of driving the role sport plays in society, whether it be contributing to growing participation, interest or viewership of a game.
Where does Lawrence want to go?
Next six-12 months | Next 5-10 years |
|---|---|
Moving into the sports industry in a commercial role and quickly being able to stamp my mark on the organisation which takes a chance on me. I want to get up to speed quickly through asking questions and learning, applying my creative thinking and transferrable skills into a new role. I want to prove myself, constantly seek feedback with the goal of working towards progression with 12-18 months of a new role. | Begin to people manage within the shorter term so I can start to impart the knowledge and personal skills I have learned in my career so far. After that I want to lead small teams so I can foster a great working environment where people are encouraged to speak up, use their voice and question. I want to inspire people to be their best every day, as that is my professional approach. Longer term, I want to take on bigger leadership responsibilities and take ownership of high value, complex relationships which have the ability to materially benefit the commercial success of an organisation. |
What sporting problem keeps Lawrence up at night, and how would they solve it?
I'm passionate about one day improving fan experience of New Zealand sports. I believe other markets (such as Australia & America) have fantastic fan engagement and experience, however New Zealand has fallen behind in this aspect. Attendance, viewership and participation for multiple sports is continuiously dwindling and needs significant investment and support to improve this.A very long term goal of my career would be potentially returning to New Zealand (affter spending a lot of time working across other global sporting markets) and imparting key learnings to help improve the fan experience (which existed somewhat when I was growing up).
What is Lawrence like?
What kind of environment do you thrive in?
Somewhere where all people are made to feel empowered based on their own experience and what they have to offer in a team.
I value flexibility and trust in relationships and believe the best decisions get made when multiple perspectives are explored, incorporated and understood.
I work well autonomously and will often try and tackle a problem myself, asking questions along the way where needed. Environments which allow constant questioning, learning, and development is where I'll thrive.
When have you had to show resilience in your life or career?
Professionally, in a recent role I endured a period in which an external stakeholder was incredibly challenging to deal with. This included being hard to contact, them making decisions with no context given or right of reply (including decisions which made no commercial sense). This continued for a period of approx 6 months. It was difficult to navigate and made professional life unmotivating. I was able to navigate this through building relationships with people who worked around them, seeing where I could continue to push my commercial agenda from other avenues. When this person saw I was effectively creating relationships around them, they begun to be more responsive and collaborative.
Personally, this year (2025) I've navigated some personal challenges which has involved making tough sacrifices, very much testing my mental resilience. I've navigated this through seeking support where appropriate, staying grounded to my personal values, and making positive changes to my life to ensure I'm surrounded by a good network of people.
What about Lawrence’s interests outside of work?
What are your interests outside of work?
I love my fitness and outdoors - recently I completed my first marathon (in Melbourne) and I'm always searching for a way to push myself physically that also helps bring a strong sense of personal achievement.
I'm an avid reader, mainly autobiographies, as I believe it gives you so much perspective on life and how other people navigate the ups and downs that get thrown at you.
Part of moving to Australia is my enjoyment of travel, and I'm slowly ticking off what AUS has to offer. I'm currently planning a trip to Uluru and beyond that want to explore WA's lower east coast.
What is your favourite sporting moment?
New Zealand Blackcaps v South Africa in the 2015 Cricket World Cup semi-final. Grant Elliot hit a 6 of the second to last ball sending New Zealand to the final. I've never experienced the level of euphoria which I did at that moment . I still get goosebumps watching a replay today. That tournament captivated the whole country and arguably saw cricket peak in New Zealand. As a fan who had been through all ups and down of the team growing up, that was such a fulfilling experience and became an instant icon moment in the country's sporting history.
What’s your ideal holiday?
Somewhere which has a rich history, unique gastronomy and the ability to combine both exploration and relaxation.
Greece and Japan are two countries I have travelled which tick these boxes. Next on my list are New York and Sri Lanka (on my bucket list is a safari).
If you had 30 minutes to pick the brain of anyone, who would it be and why?
Winston Churchill - he was someone who overcame a great deal of personal and professional adversity to be the famous version people know of today. I'd like to know more about how he navigated this adversity, what drove his confidence and resilience. He was a person who appeared to back his decisions with a great deal of conviction. I'd want to pick his brain on how he was successfully able to convince those around him (especially those who disagreed with him) to back his strategy and thinking.
What’s book or podcast that’s helped your career you recommend?
Podcast: Habits of High Performer: James Laughlin on Mindset & Success (Dom Harvey podcast). This is a singular episode where I took away one specific method of approaching professional problems which I apply every day. It's the 10-10-10 method. What's going to matter in 10 hours, 10 days or 10 years? When faced with a problem, deadline, challenging stakeholder at work I will often ask myself the 10-10-10 question. This gives me important persepctive on problems (that ar eoften not as large or dramatic as made out to be), and it's a very effective way of being able to prioritise your workload.
Additional details
Where in the world are you located, and where are you open to work?
Melbourne, Australia
What is the most important consideration for you in your next role?
As it will be my first step into the sporting industry, ideally a supportive environment that advocates for learning and development.
I'm looking for an opportunity where an employer is willing to take a chance on me based on my skillset and experience, not specific to the sporting industry.
As I've been working for nearly 5 years now, salary is also important for me, but not the deciding factor in any role.
Somewhere that offers professional development and progression is a bonus.
What others say about Lawrence
Lawrence brings grit and determination in tough times. He's not afraid to challenge the status quo and push outside of his comfort zone, having tough conversations to achieve the best outcome. He has become comfortable being uncomfortable in pushing his agenda, whilst always doing so in a professional, courteous way. (Current Manager)
Lawrence's style of creative thinking has served him well in his career so far. He's not afraid to push the boundaries and make his voice heard in different forums, including to Senior Management. He has strong communication and presenting skills, along with growing confidence, which give him great credibility in the business. (Previous Manager)
What questions does Lawrence have for employers?
With revenue & commercial growth increasingly coming from diverse streams (and not traditional broadcast rights/deals) what are you doing to be agile to the sporting market? How do you futureproof your organisation in this regard?
In a cost of living crisis, have you seen an impact on the way people participate in and engage with sport? Either through things such as attendance at matches, subscriptions to streaming platforms or basic participation with their local clubs?
What role does AI play for commercial teams within sporting organisations? How is your organisation embracing AI in the day to day?
With fans demanding access to content, players and products more than ever, does this change the type of partnerships/sponsorships you look for?
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