Agnes Hau - Senior Product Manager at Infront X
“Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and just learn from experiences”
After forging an early career on a passion for Tennis, Agnes is now supporting global sports clients in bringing game-changing digital products and experiences to life with Infront X.
Introduce yourself!
Hi, I'm Agnes, also known as Aggie. I'm currently a Senior Product Manager at Infront X, looking after several clients across our European Business unit. I am a big sports fan and love to play tennis, padel and golf.
Tell us a little bit about Infront X and what your role is there.
At Infront X, I work with a huge variety of sports and entertainment clients who either would like new digital products and/or existing digital products improving. It's my job to work closely with clients to bring to life their product vision. This is through thorough requirements gathering directly with the client as well market research and analysis of the industry. From here, I then work with an internal project and development team to build out the requirements, always taking into account the end user/fan.
Did you take on any higher education courses (university etc?) and if so, how does that relate to what you do now?
I studied Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University. Although the course was very diverse, I came out of my degree knowing that I wanted to work in sport within biomechanics or marketing as these were the topics I enjoyed studying the most. I was lucky enough to have my dissertation paper published in the Journal of Sports Sciences as well (shameless plug for my paper but if you're interested in reading here is the link)!
“Sport brings people together and has the power to lift a nation as well as change mindsets for the better”
What does your career history look like and how did you get into working in sport?
My very first job as a teenager was as a tennis coach, tennis has been prominent throughout my entire life so it was really natural for me to fall into this role. After university I knew I wanted a more traditional office job and dreamt of working in tennis still, so I quickly moved to London to work at the LTA at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. I started off as a receptionist and stayed at the LTA for 5 and a half years working across 4 different roles with my last role being Digital Product Lead. I then moved onto a Digital Product and Business Manager at IMG Media working predominantly across Euroleague Basketball before starting my current role at Infront X.
What do you enjoy most about working in the sport industry?
I love working in an industry which I already am so passionate about. It makes coming into work (or I guess working from home nowadays) so much more enjoyable as I am surrounded by clients and colleagues who are also on the same wavelength.
Name one thing that excites you about the future of sport that you have learned from your role?
Sport brings people together and has the power to lift a nation as well as change mindsets for the better. We've seen many times across different international events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup how powerful sport can be and the potential of this really excites me. I have really learnt throughout my career that nothing is impossible! (Or in the eyes of Adolf Dassler (Adidas) 'Impossible is nothing)
“ Getting stuck into roles within the sports industry whether that's a volunteer job, internship or paid role will help you figure out your career path”
Share your favourite experience that has come as a result of your work in sport.
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to get invited through the LTA to take part in a meet and greet sponsored by Nike with Roger Federer and Kyle Edmund. We got to play tennis with both of these international stars and it was probably one of the best days of my life as Roger Federer is my idol! Another favourite experience of mine is having a tennis lesson from Nick Weal, Nick is one of GB's Men's coaches and has worked with incredible players such as Andy and Jamie Murray. I won the lesson in a christmas raffle at the LTA and it really was a money can't buy experience!
If someone reading this is wondering how they take their first steps towards a career in sports, what would be your advice?
My best advice would be to try and learn about as many roles you are interested in as possible so you can learn what you like and dislike - this will really guide you into a career which you will enjoy. Also don't be afraid to take chances and ask people for help - when I first started looking into a career in sport, I got in touch with friends, family and acquaintances who could help me understand some roles which I was interested in. You'll find that most people are willing to help and some will even give you job opportunities. When I was at university and also immediately after university, I found that shadowing people and also doing internships helped steer me into what I love to do today.
How could someone try to elevate their chances of securing a job in sport?
Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and just learn from experiences. Getting stuck into roles within the sports industry whether that's a volunteer job, internship or paid role will help you figure out your career path.
What is your one rule for success when it comes to developing a career in sports?
“I've grown most not from victories, but setbacks” - this is a quote from Serena Williams and I think this sums up my advice really well - work hard, never give up and keep learning (even if it's from failures).
Want to connect with Agnes or learn more about Infront X?
You can connect with Agnes via LinkedIn, and learn more about Infront X via their website and LinkedIn page