Kate Reid, Lucy Jamil and Sally Jarvis on career growth, flexibility and making ambition work alongside family life.
Overview
- Kate Reid, Lucy Jamil and Sally Jarvis lead Talent Acquisition, Marketing Analytics and Customer Marketing at Sportsbet.
- Lucy and Sally have each built their careers at Sportsbet over eight years, while Kate joined 18 months ago after more than 15 years in talent acquisition.
- All three point to flexibility, trust and tailored development, including Women in Leadership programs and 1:1 coaching, as key to their growth.
- Lucy speaks openly about the guilt many mothers feel about ambition, and why she believes motherhood and career strengthen each other.
Sportsbet is one of Australia’s best-known brands headquartered in Melbourne and it operates in a fast-moving, highly regulated industry. Among its senior leaders are Kate Reid, Lucy Jamil and Sally Jarvis, who each took a different path to get there. Two grew their careers from within. One brought years of global experience from outside.
Start where you are, then keep stepping up
Lucy came to Sportsbet with a commercial background across energy, FMCG and finance. She joined the Financial Planning & Analysis team and has since moved through a number of leadership roles across Finance, Commercial Analytics and Marketing. Today she’s Head of Marketing Analytics.
“My favourite part of my role is solving ambiguous business problems with data, especially when the answer actually changes what the business does. Every day, I feel fortunate to work alongside people who are incredibly smart, ambitious and authentic. Rarely does a week go by when I’m not challenged or developing new skills.”
Sally was drawn to Sportsbet by a love of sport and racing, along with its start-up mentality and fast pace. She started as a Senior Product Manager, stepped up to Head of Customer Lifecycle role and now leads the business as Head of Customer Marketing. One of her proudest achievements was leading the Customer Marketing strategy for the merger between BetEasy and Sportsbet.
“Sportsbet has a dedicated focus on investing in the growth of its people. Throughout my time here I have completed countless mentoring, training and development sessions tailored around my specific development goals.”
That support includes senior mentoring sessions, Women in Leadership programs, 1:1 professional coaching and women’s Accelerate programs.
Did you know that Sportsbets offers flexible working arrangements, career development programs and more?
Stay open to the overseas opportunity
Kate joined Sportsbet 18 months ago as Head of Talent Acquisition, after more than 15 years leading recruitment across retail, FMCG and technology businesses. She was drawn to its flexibility, ambitious culture and the global opportunities that come with being part of Flutter.
The achievement she’s proudest of is the three to four years she spent on overseas assignments.
“I worked across different countries, cultures and teams, which challenged me both professionally and personally,” Kate says. “The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone, accelerated my growth as a leader and opened my eyes to different ways of working and thinking.”
Make flexibility work for your life
Kate’s partner travels for work around 75% of the month. She also has three stepdaughters, a dog and a gym habit of five or six sessions a week.
“For me, work-life balance isn’t about achieving perfection every day, it’s about having the flexibility to prioritise what’s important when it matters most. Sportsbet’s culture of trust and flexibility makes that possible, whether it’s being there for family, fitting in a workout or even sneaking in a free massage at our on-site day spa for some much-needed self-care.”
For Lucy, a mum of two young children, balance is about being intentional.
“Motherhood has taught me to be protective of my time and choiceful about what’s important and worth my energy.”
Ambition and motherhood can work in harmony
Lucy also wants to name something many working mothers feel and few say out loud: guilt about being ambitious.
“I don’t believe motherhood and ambition have to compete with each other. In my experience, they strengthen each other. A large part of why I’m ambitious is because I’m a mum. I want to provide the best possible future for my children and show them what determination, purpose and self-belief can look like.”
That has taken on new meaning since the arrival of her daughter.
“I want her to grow up seeing that women can be loving, devoted mothers while also being confident, impactful and fulfilled in their careers.”
Keep moving up, and make room for others
All three are looking ahead. Sally has her sights set on the C-suite.
“Ultimately I would love to have an opportunity with Sportsbet in the C-suite in my future. My passion is in marketing and I would love a chance to grow my leadership capability at a more senior level.”
Kate is thinking about the next generation.
“As a woman in leadership and someone who has stepdaughters, the partnership with WORK180 is especially meaningful to me. I hope that when my stepdaughters enter the workforce, organisations that prioritise flexibility, inclusion and equal opportunity are the norm. Knowing Sportsbet is actively contributing to that future makes me incredibly proud to work here.”
