Courtesy of Phil de Winter
Phil de Winter
Head of Business Development, Americas, FanHub Media
Age: 28
Born: Melbourne, Australia
Education: Monash University, Bachelor of Commerce, finance and economics
About you
Most common misperception of your generation: A lot of them are probably true — we’re often impatient and spend too much money on avocado toast and coffee! Having said that, I think some people often forget that just because it’s a generalization doesn’t mean it rings true for everybody and that each individual should be judged on their merits.
Go-to person when you need help: Inside FanHub, a lot of the team have been with the business for a long time, so there’s no shortage of people who I can run something past.
In 10 years I hope to be … : Making an impact in whatever I am doing and to still be enjoying life and work as much as I am now!
There’s nothing like a friend telling you how much they love a new product for their favorite sport — only for them to find out it’s a product that we have built.
In the industry
Biggest surprise at career’s start: The fixed deadlines. It might sound obvious but the sports season starts when it’s scheduled and if you’re not ready, no one is going to wait for you! There’s much less flexibility in that sense compared to other industries.
Questions for networking: I kind of cringe at the word “networking,” because as soon as you view it that way people see straight through it. Just build genuine and honest relationships with people and the rest takes care of itself. Be as helpful as you can for others and who knows when they will return the favor.
How should sports address social issues? Sport already does an incredible job leading the way on a lot of social issues. Sports brings people together. No doubt we could do a better job. One issue we can look to take more leadership on is the significant pay gap between male and female athletes that currently exists.
Sports industry needs to do a better job of … : Sharing information between organizations. So many of us are trying to solve the same problems.
