Gavin Roth here with another episode of the Influencers of Sponsorship Marketing, sponsored by The Programme, your guide to finding and watching women's sports online and on television. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter at https://theprogramme.substack.com/ Spend a few minutes in Alyson Walker’s orbit and you can’t help but be impressed. If I were to distill her many hallmarks down, I’d say Drive, Tenacity, Courage and Smarts. So it should come as no surprise that she has ascended to the Chief Commercial Officer seat at one of the gaming industries most dynamic organizations. Her journey has been full of cool twists and turns, including a stint in the travel sector, and stops at CHUM, the 2010 Olympic Media Consortium, the COC and MLSE. We were colleagues on the 2010 games where I often relied on Alyson to help sell through digital content integration opportunities to the likes of Bell, McDonald’s, GM, Purolator and more. We cover lots of ground in our chat, including: How Alyson landed a role with the 2010 Olympic Media Consortium and how she was part of a dynamic team that drove innovation in digital content and sponsor integration. Her mentors – shoutout to Chris Overholt, Maryann Turke and Stacey Allaster (great story btw of how she pursued Stacey for mentorship). Deep dive into her move to OverActive, her mandate and the opportunity to grow and learn around IPOs and new venues. Insights into some of their partnerships with the likes of Bell, Red Bull and TD. What excites Alyson about the future, including emergence of women in the esports world and industry consolidation. We even touch on her days playing Ultimate Frisbee at the highest levels (trust me… google her) and how she was able to blend elite athleticism with her natural leadership skills. And talks of maybe coming out of retirement for a final run? Plus her role with WISE – a group aiming to help women in the sport and event sector reach the senior executive ranks. And a masterclass on professional development, including the importance of storytelling and how women should stop saying “sorry” in the workplace. You’ll leave informed and inspired. I hope you enjoy! And for more episodes of the Influencers of Sponsorship Marketing, follow me on LinkedIn, visit Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud… or check out rothrevenue.com