E03 How I Became Chief Brand & Communications Officer Of The Paralympics | Craig Spence - podcast episode cover

E03 How I Became Chief Brand & Communications Officer Of The Paralympics | Craig Spence

Jul 13, 20221 hr 33 min
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Episode description

Planning the worlds 3rd largest sporting event during a global pandemic is no easy task. That's just one of the many crisis situations Craig and his team have had to manage.

After the success of London 2012, the Paralympic movement and it's mission of changing the world through sport, was at risk of losing all its progress. Rio 2016 was close to collapsing...  With only 150k tickets sold with just weeks to go, the whole organisation could go bankrupt. Craig and his team got to work, the rallied the UK advertising and press industry, and vocalised the challenges along with promoting the event.   

They sold over 2 million tickets...   


The crisis don't end there, Craig and his team have had to manage the comms for the banning of Russian athletes after the Russian doping Scandal of 2016 and more recently, Russia entering Ukraine during the Olympic Truce, which calls for peace during the Summer and Winter games.  Craig also shares openly, the personal and professional challenges he faced when he heard the news that Oscar Pistorius had shot and killed his wife Reeva Steenkamp.


Topics discussed: 

  • Growing up in Leeds
  • Overcoming life threatening surgery aged 8 years old
  • The importance of leaving a company you love in order to progress in your career
  • Explaining to your boss why you need a pay rise + Leaving friends, family and network in the UK to start a new life in Germany with no contacts
  • How to transition from a Director role to a C-Level role
  • The difference between being a Director and a Chief
  • How he dealt personally and professionally with the news that Oscar Pistorius had shot and killed his wife
  • How to deal with being the main spokesperson for the biggest news story in the world
  •  Overcoming the prospect of cancelling the Rio 2016 Paralympics, with only 150k of 2 million tickets sold just weeks before
  • The Russian doping scandal
  • Dealing with the isolation of the lockdown and the mental health impact of being away from family and friends
  • Hosting a winter paralympics during the pandemic
  • The #WeThe15 mission
  • What it's like to work with an organisation with a mission to change the world for the better


Chapters:

(00:00:00) A Life-Changing Surgery

(00:10:28) The Importance of Inclusion and Overcoming Discrimination

(00:30:43) Finding a New Job Opportunity

(00:41:04) The Beginning of the Crisis

(00:50:57) Facing Media Backlash

(01:01:22) The Impact of the Paralympic Games on Changing Attitudes

(01:11:40) The Challenges of Planning the Third Biggest Sport Event

(01:22:29) Clearing Your Head Before Bed


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Links:

Craig Spence LinkedIn

Craig Spence Instagram 

Paralympics Instagram 


Episode Sponsor:

Gray Matters


Email: [email protected]

This is a UNIFY Podcast. Produced by Unity & Motion


Credits:

Director: Charles Parkinson

Poet & VO Artist: Ashley Samuels-McKenzie

Sound Recordist: Paolo Neri

Editor: Paolo Neri

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