Alice Hogg – The corporate athlete #IWD2023
Alice Hogg is a Senior Account Executive in Meltwater’s Enterprise Solutions team. Originally from the UK, her career has spanned Europe, Asia, and North America, amassing over ten years of experience in the technology, PR, media and marketing industries. Prior to joining Meltwater seven years ago, she worked agency-side with global clients across the FMCG, education and financial sectors. Outside of work, she is an avid sportswoman, having played hockey since the age of five. She went on to represent at club, county and national level, captained her University’s 1st XI to promotion and has continued to play all over the world. She also skis, runs and practices yoga.
What have sports meant to you?
For me, sport is an instant community – through any big life change, whether going to university, moving city or country, I know I will always be able to find like minded people, and likely friends, simply by joining a team.
What characteristics do you think female athletes possess that translate well to leadership in a corporate environment?
When I joined the workforce, there were a few things that I could directly attribute to playing sports that I felt put me at an advantage against my peers and I see in a lot of other female athletes. The first is self-assurance, which for me was definitely built over years of successes and failures playing hockey – I found it to be a unique quality especially in my early 20s. The second is grit, the knowledge that if you apply yourself, nine times out of ten it will pay off. The final element is the maturity that comes from being dedicated to a sport and performing it at a high level. From a young age you understand you have a responsibility to your teammates to show up, to respect your opposition and understand your own limits, work and communicate within all of these variables.
What lesson have you learned the hard way?
The biggest lessons for me were when captaining or being in leadership of a team. Being surrounded by so many talented people, you quickly learn the potential impact of your decisions and have to explain, defend or concede them depending on the situation. This can be humbling but being around people who constantly challenge you is also endlessly motivating.
What is the main lesson you have learned from the sporting world that has contributed to the success in your corporate life?
Coming from a large family of hockey players, whenever we were faced with an opportunity or challenge, my mum always encouraged us to just give it a go – because more often than not, you would surprise yourself. Having to step out of my comfort zone in hockey matches or running distance races, identifying and improving areas of weakness all showed me, time and again, that if you put in the work you’ll likely come out on top.
Do you have a go-to quote that gives you inspiration in your sports and/or professional life?
There are many variations of this quote, but I think a good mentality for both sport and professional life is:
If you never try, you’ll never know
This applies to everything from trying out for a team, signing up for a long run, volunteering for a project or applying for a position you think could be out of your league.
Please note that all commentary and opinions provided are those of the individual, and not the organization/company.
