About Alex

Alex has built a career based on a passion for solving problems and telling stories through the power of sport.

He has significant experience building commercial strategies for brands and rights holders, including the Queensland Maroons, and delivering results across business development, account management and insight-driven decision making.

As part of the Business Development team at Brisbane 2032, he has lead the development of new commercial assets that provide a foundation for the acquisition and delivery of value to partners of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Why did you volunteer to be a mentor?

I have previously spent time catching up with a number of Old Boys at different stages of their career, to share my experiences and opinions on working in sport. I volunteered to be a mentor formally through the program to try and create more regular opportunities to connect, and so that people knew I was always available and ready if they had questions.

How would you have benefited from this experience if you had the opportunity to be a mentee early in your career?

One of them would be completing my MBA on the other side of the world, surrounded by people with shared values and shared career interests.

That experience, and the Oregon network, helped define my career path and has put me on a track to help deliver the Olympic and Paralympic Games in our own backyard.

As someone born and raised in Brisbane, working in sport, that will also rank pretty high on the list of achievements.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone starting in your industry?

Passion for sport is a useful trait, but is not unique and is usually not enough to get you in the door. You need to have a clear view of what your strengths are, and the value you can bring to an organisation. Your passion for sport helps to make the hard work worth it, but you still need to be ready to work.

What do you hope to gain from this experience?

I would love to help more people solve the challenge of what they want out of their career. If that happens to be a career related to sport, then hopefully I can help people be better prepared for that journey, which in turn makes us all work smarter and harder.

What inspires or motivates you?

I am motived by the power of sport, to put a smile on someone's face as they learn a new skill or watch their favourite team in the stands. The universal connector, bringing people from diverse walks of life together to celebrate that feeling.

I was lucky to have that experience at Churchie, and have spent my career trying to ensure others get to do the same.

What is the most important thing you learnt from a mentor?

Work is a means to an end, to enjoy the rest of what life has to offer. Your career goals should be linked to what you are good at (and if you are lucky, what you enjoy), because that gives you the best chance at success; more time for what matters.