Natacha Schauenburg is the Vice President People & Infrastructure at Infront Sports & Media, the global sports marketing agency headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. The company was named one of the Most Attractive Employers in Sport by a report recently published by iWorkinSport. This is one of five interviews with top recruiters in the industry featured in the publication.
The study surveyed more than 1,600 people from 83 countries representing all continents, with the majority already working in sport, and asked them a simple question: “If you could choose to work anywhere in sport, where would that be?” At first, the respondents chose organisations divided into ten categories and, at the end, they indicated one single preferred choice, overall – the “Employer of their Dreams”.
The publication features rankings of the most attractive employers in sport divided in the following categories: Football Clubs, Sports Teams (other than Football), Sports Teams in the USA, Sports Leagues, Sports Governing Bodies, Event Organisers, Sports Marketing Agencies, Sponsors, Sporting Goods Companies and Sports Tech.
Additionally, the report presents the aspects that candidates rate as most important when deciding where they would like to work.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE.
Interview with Natacha Schauenburg, Vice President People & Infrastructure at Infront Sports & Media
Infront has been a Top Employer in the iWorkinSport Survey for multiple years now. Why do you think it consistently finds itself so highly ranked?
We are very pleased to be seen as a Top Employer in the iWorkinSport survey year after year. For us at Infront, consistency is important in everything we do. This guarantees high quality in our services, products and events as well as ensuring continuous improvement. This culture is something our employees are very proud of and value Infront as an employer.
Moreover, working at Infront offers the unique opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals who are at the forefront of the sports industry and living their passion and dreams.
Our employees are part of a dynamic business that connects a huge number of key players across the sector, driving transformation and innovation.
Our research shows that Infront does well at attracting talent. What strategies do you have in place to ensure you retain your best talent?
For us, it is important to be close to our employees and engage with them. That’s why we conduct regular staff surveys and draw the necessary conclusions from it. It is also why we engage in global employee initiatives like our five-week digital health and wellbeing campaign #AllAboutUs where we invite everyone to participate and make healthy choices in their everyday life – as we want to be happy and healthy. We also have initiatives like our Nations Cup – a sports tournament where we invite colleagues from all our Group Companies across the world to play sports together. This way, we are bringing people together: building strong bonds and being united as a team. We also hold monthly management updates with the CEO to inform the entire Group about news from the Boardroom and upcoming topics. Our CEO also conducts roadshows to all our Group Companies to engage with the teams across the world.
Engagement and passion is key to us and we trust that this is the best “retention strategy”.
Employee's desires and needs are changing. Can you speak to the changing trends you are seeing?
For sure, we observe the ongoing trends of employees when it comes to work time flexibility including home office regulations, working from anywhere in the world or part-time engagements.
We are considerate to making it happen, whilst also balancing all our other needs of team-building, collaboration and (legal) requirements. I am glad that our home office regulation has been well-balanced from the beginning so we don’t have to draw back from it as many companies do these days. We are making working outside an employee’s home country possible, however within certain legal restraints. And of course, part-time work is possible and welcome at Infront as we consider it an enabler for a diverse and inclusive workforce.
In addition, we are mindful of our impact on society. That’s why we also engage in questions of sustainability and environmental topics and how we can continuously improve our efforts to be a responsible player in this field.
The sports industry has become an extremely appealing career choice. As the industry continues to professionalise, what advice do you have to offer those trying to break into the industry?
Trying to get into the sports industry is an attractive career path. As with every job, but obviously even more so when there is a lot of competition, it is important that you understand the strengths you have gained from experiences and how you can best apply them in a future role. Check out the available positions and match your skills against what is requested. Get interested and inform yourself about a potential future employer and be sure and prepared to give it your A-game when you come to an interview. Like in every healthy relationship, it is a mutual thing: As much as we as an employer present ourselves to you as our candidate and want to be attractive to you, we also want you to be eager to join our team!
Can you talk about the importance of ongoing education in the sports world? What do you like to see on the CVs of prospective employees regarding education? And what ongoing education opportunities are you offering your employees?
Education is as important in the sports world as other aspects of your work life, including experience, skills and mindset. When we are recruiting, we are looking for the best package. This is because you are a holistic person, not just a degree or your past work experience. We want to see the passion, the positive mindset and the willingness to succeed next to that. And if you are short in one element, you can make up for it with another element. But of course good education in your field of expertise gives you the tools and baseline for a successful career in the sports world.
At Infront, you can also further improve and learn – on the job, in local trainings or for further education. Depending on the type of learning, we support your efforts with time flexibility and / or in financial terms, because we are convinced that life-long learning is the key to success.