Sarah O'Connor Email & Phone Number

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Ireland

Work as part of a team of 10 incredibly talented professionals specialising in all things sport sponsorship and marketing. Our work is underpinned by the belief in the power of sport as a force for good. We are one of five specialised teams at leading Irish PR company, Wilson Hartnell, part of the Ogilvy network. At Wilson Hartnell our aim is to be a partner for growth to our clients. We are lucky to work alongside many of Ireland's leading domestic and international brands forming strong client/agency teams that consistently delivers work to make their brands matter to existing and potential customers.

Belfield

I lectured sports law on the BSc in Sports Management to undergraduate students for two years from 2008 - 2010. Since 2010 I have co-ordinated and lectured onteh Sports & Rugby Law Modules on the Masters in Sport & Exercise Management. I am assisted in delivering the programme by a wide range of my sports law colleagues both in Ireland and overseas. This allows for a varied module for the students giving them an oversight into some of the many ways in which law impacts on the business of sport.

National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin

I serve on the Board that is charged with the development of Ireland's National Sports Campus at Blanchardstown. Facilities at the Campus now include Irish Sport HQ which houses about 20 different sports bodies including the Federation of Irish Sport, the FAI's HQ, the National Horse Sport Arena, an Indoor Diving Centre, the Irish Institute of Sport, the National Aquatic Centre, as well as community all weather pitches. More recently a contract has been signed facilitating the construction of the National Indoor Training Centre which will house the National Gymnastics Training Centre, and indoor athletics track and an multi-purpose sports hall. Both the GAA & FAI arecurrently building training facilities at the Campus.

Irish Sport Hq, National Sports Campus

Established Just Sport Ireland in October 2007 as part of my role with the Federation. JSI is a specialised dispute resolution facility for Irish Sport offering mediation and arbitration. Ongoing responsibilities include liaising with the volunteer board, arbitration and mediation panel members and members of the sports community wishing to use the service. More than 40 sports now provide for Just Sport Ireland within their rules and we run an average of 8-10 arbitrations & mediations each year. It was included within the 2011 Programme for Government that all sports bodies should be encouraged to make provision for JSI within their rules.

Irish Sport Hq, National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown

My role at the Federation was to ensure that we provide a dynamic and effective voice for Irish Sport, promoting the value of sport to Ireland whilst providing first class representation and services to our 104 member organisations. The assistance of the team of 3 in the office together with our voluntary board many of whom are drawn from leadership positions within Irish Sport is integral to making this happen. Over time we grew the Federation from a start up to a prominent stakeholder within Irish Sport. Wins include sport being included in the Global Economic Forum for the first time in October 2013; the reversal of a proposed 8% cut in funding for Irish Sport in 2014 to 2%; securing an additional €1 million to assist with Olympic & Paralympic preparations in 2015; obtaining a commitment from Government to develop an overall vision or master-plan for Irish Sport and to establish a working group to examine a potential tax relief on donations to sporting bodies; and being part of the Working Group for Ireland's first National Physical Activity Plan.

Commenced as a trainee solicitor where I successfully rotated through each of the firm’s major departments gaining exposure and insight to the areas/teams within Corporate/Commercial, Financial Services, Insolvency, Property and Litigation. On qualification, I spent three years in the commercial property/financial services sector providing advice and guidance to a range of clients and intermediaries on all aspects of commercial lending, the acquisition, disposal and letting of commercial property and practical/business issues relating to property finance. I also frequently assisted colleagues with a range of significant property/banking aspects within commercial transactions in order to complete client transactions.

Master'S Degree, Management: Governance: Marketing: Economics: Accounting, Public Relations: Real Estate, A-: Honorary Distinction

I was part of the first class comprised of students from 10 different countries worldwide to graduate from IE's Masters in Sports.

Ll.M, Masters Of Law, 2:1

Activities and Societies: Awarded Cambridge Blue for Hockey competing in the 100th Varsity match against the University of Oxford.

Ll.B, Law, 2:1

Activities and Societies: Dublin University Ladies Hockey Club - Captain 1st XI 1998/1999, Committee Member 1997/1998 The Law Society I.