Hayley Wood has over 15 years experience in commercial roles in the sports and entertainment industries spanning sales, marketing, business development and event management in world leading venues and at global events. Most recently she held the role of Head of Premium Sales at The O2 Arena before moving into consultancy, including working directly for and with The PBSL. Over the course of her career Hayley has built many relationships across the industry, built and managed teams and navigated a number of changing circumstances. She is looking forward to working with members of the PBSL who are looking to build their confidence, improve their skills and navigate their next move.
How do you think you will be able to help others as a PBSL mentor?
I followed a very self-determined career path across a variety of permanent, contract and consulting roles until the last 12 months when the pandemic led me to redundancy and I had to consider a whole new way of working. I think I can bring a sense of understanding and direction to those who may be navigating a difficult time at the moment in addition to using tips and techniques that I’ve picked up from my own coaching and my direct experience working in commercial environments.
What type of knowledge and experience are you looking forward to sharing?
My major strengths lie in building resilience, navigating change, creating and utilising a network and ultimately helping others becoming their own champion. I look forward to working with people looking to develop their careers who can benefit from this expertise.
What were the key things you learnt from the mentor training?
Coaching and mentoring are not the same thing and it is important to understand when and how to use each skill and I took away some key models and methodology that I can use to engage and develop conversations. Also an understanding of boundaries and ownership of responsibility in the relationship between a coach / mentor and the person they are working with.
How do you think your career would have benefitted if had a mentor when first starting out in the sports industry?
I didn’t receive coaching or mentoring until I became a Head of Department and working with someone externally really helped me develop my self-awareness, my confidence and my ability to coach and manage others. If I’d had access to this sort of resource earlier in my career I have no doubt that I would have spoken up more, made bolder decisions and been more confident. I also followed a very linear career path until the last 12 months and I think a mentor would have helped me think more broadly and potentially looked into other avenues of work earlier.