Susan Smith

Senior Partnerships Account Manager PAFC - Connecting brands with people, and people with moments they’ll never forget ⚡🏈

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

About

Connecting brands with people, and people with moments they'll never forget ⚡🏈 I'm a Senior Partnerships Account Manager at the Port Adelaide Football Club, managing some of the club's top-tier partner portfolio - including Major Partner MG Motors and Platinum Partners RAA and Tyrepower and creating campaigns and experiences that excite fans, delight partners, and make a real community impact. From delivering unique activations to rewarding loyal fans with incredible prizes (yes, even giving away a car—three times! 🚗✨), I love turning ideas into moments that make people stop, smile, and remember. The MG Motors contract extension campaign generated 684k reach and landed coverage across all three major SA news channels, while a 3-part content series with the Adelaide 36ers earned 140k+ views and Tyrepower's Brand Partner of the Year award in 2025. Passionate about creativity, strategy, and results, I thrive on collaborating across teams to deliver campaigns that drive commercial success and meaningful engagement for both partners and the community. #Partnerships #FanEngagement #Community #Marketing #SportsMarketing

Experience

  • Senior Partnerships Account Manager at Port Adelaide Football Club
    Mar 2023 - Jul 2026 · 3 yrs 5 mos

    Managing some of Port Adelaide's top tier club partner portfolio, including Major Partner MG Motors and Platinum Partners RAA and Tyrepower. 🚗 Delivered MG's contract extension campaign - a full narrative arc from a stealth teaser to a guard-of-honour reveal at Alberton Oval with the AFL & AFLW captains driving MG's car through a banner. Result: 684k reach and coverage across all 3 major SA news channels. 🏆 Won Brand Partner of the Year (Tyrepower, 2025) for a 3-part content series with the Adelaide 36ers, generating 140k+ views. 🎈 Delivered the "Tyrepower Tumble" — two giant inflatables racing across Adelaide Oval a standout gameday activation for season 2026. 🤝 Launched the Community Footy Raffle with Credit Union SA, raising $50k for junior football clubs over two years. 🎤 Delivered partner networking events including a lunch with AFL legend Nathan Buckley.

  • IVE Group (3 yrs 2 mos)
    • Delivery Lead SA/ WA (Operations)
      Mar 2021 - Feb 2023 · 2 yrs

      Led a team of campaign coordinators across two states, balancing service excellence, SLA performance and revenue protection while driving culture and retention initiatives across the wider business. 📊 Designed and ran the Ive Distribution Employee Culture Survey (2021), presenting results to senior leadership and the wider business at the national Town Hall. 🤝 Contributed to the Employee Value Proposition project team, shaping initiatives to improve employee experience and retention. 🎯 Managed training, induction and ongoing development for a multi-state team, keeping operational objectives on track. 💬 Engaged weekly with senior leadership as a key stakeholder on business improvement and change management projects.

    • Delivery Solutions Manager SA/ WA (Operations)
      Jan 2020 - Mar 2021 · 1 yr 3 mos

      On January 1 2020 IVE Group completed the acquisition of Salmat Marketing Solutions. Australia's leading holistic marketing company; connecting our clients with customers. Focused on operational excellence for client accounts — building the frameworks, roadmaps and data-driven processes that kept performance on track. ⚙️ Built and rolled out Operational Excellence frameworks across the business. 📈 Analysed performance data to proactively identify issues and drive solutions before they impacted clients. 🔗 Acted as the connective tissue between sales and operations, ensuring strategy translated into delivery. 🚀 Led the rollout of strategic plans and optimisation initiatives from concept to execution.

  • Salmat (5 yrs 1 mo)
    • Delivery Solutions Manager SA/ WA (Operations)
      Aug 2019 - Dec 2019 · 5 mos

    • Account Manager (Sales) secondment
      Jun 2018 - Aug 2019 · 1 yr 3 mos

      Built and managed a portfolio including 4 of South Australia's top 6 clients — 45% of the state's FY19 target — finishing the year at 114%. 🎯 Exceeded FY19 target, delivering 114% against a portfolio worth 45% of the entire state's target. ⭐ Received two client commendations sent directly to the SA State Manager for exceptional service. 📬 Planned and executed strategic letterbox and digital campaigns to drive revenue through catalogue distribution. 🔍 Identified new revenue opportunities and led issue resolution across a large client base, securing contract extensions with major accounts. Top Sales Performer in SA FY19 - Client Engagement 3rd Top Sales Performer Nationally FY19 - Client Engagement State of the year - South Australia (budget performance) FY19

    • Senior Account Coordinator (Sales Team)
      Dec 2014 - Jun 2018 · 3 yrs 7 mos

  • Peregrine Corporation (6 yrs 11 mos)
    • Marketing Coordinator
      Sep 2012 - Nov 2014 · 2 yrs 3 mos

      Delivered national marketing campaigns for a 90+ store network, from idea generation through to nationwide in-store execution. 📦 Delivered 10 million catalogues and in-store campaigns nationally, supporting store openings and major national events. 🌏 Planned and executed end-to-end campaigns across 90+ stores for a multi-million-dollar national business. 📊 Ran post-campaign reporting and analysis, managing internal and external stakeholder relationships to find cost-effective solutions. 🛠️ Managed catalogues, point-of-sale materials and marketing equipment across the national store network.

    • Marketing Assistant
      May 2012 - Sep 2012 · 5 mos

    • Store Manager Smokemart
      Jan 2008 - May 2012 · 4 yrs 5 mos