Will Nelson

Chief of Staff/ Head of Operations

London, England, United Kingdom

About

I'm a strategic communications professional with over a decade of experience in the sports industry, combining deep expertise in brand development, partnership activation, image management and crisis communications. My career has spanned work with globally recognised brands such as Sky Sports, McLaren Formula 1, Omega, Turkish Airlines, and high-profile individuals including Anthony Joshua, Jermaine Jenas, and Jason Fox. I’ve led communications strategies that have successfully engaged new audiences, driven commercial growth, and championed positive change - particularly within women’s sport through my work with cricket charity Take Her Lead and racing driver Jamie Chadwick. More recently, I’ve broadened my impact as a Chief of Staff and Head of Business Operations, using strategic leadership to align business goals and drive performance in dynamic, high-pressure environments.

Experience

  • Chief of Staff / Head of Operations at GB Surfing | GB Snowsport | Take Her Lead
    Nov 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 8 mos

    Act as a trusted adviser and strategy lead to Victoria Gosling OBE across multiple organisations at the intersection of elite sport, Olympic governance, and national representation. Invictus Games 2027, Chair | GB Snowsport, CEO| GB Surfing, Chair | British Olympic Association + Jockey Club, Director Accountable Officer for GB Surfing to UK Sport. Responsible for budget management, good governance, business operations and business strategy.

  • Sport PR at Soapbox London
    Mar 2021 - Nov 2022 · 1 yr 9 mos

    - Brand Management - Partnerships

  • Consultant at Pagefield
    Dec 2018 - Sep 2020 · 1 yr 10 mos

    - Partnership Activation - Corporate and Consumer PR - Reactive crisis crisis communications - Social media advice and strategy development

  • Senior PR Manager at Soapbox London
    Apr 2017 - Dec 2018 · 1 yr 9 mos

    - Worked to build the personal brand of both established and promising young athletes by creating a detailed strategy with key objectives to raise their personal profile and commercial value - This involved proactive and reactive personal publicity, crisis management, social media advice, sponsor demands and management relations - Managed partnership activations, PR and social media for a variety of companies at international events - Managed the agency’s relationship with a high profile boxing promoter to publicise all their events. This included arranging press conferences, managing media and stakeholders and developing creative stunts to help sell tickets or boost PPV sales - Managed a PR team of three

  • Sports Publicist at Sky
    Apr 2014 - Mar 2017 · 3 yrs

    - Worked on PR campaigns for Sky’s coverage of the Premier League, EFL and International football - Worked on partnerships with Governing Bodies to ensure both parties maximised the conditions of the contract and the relationship - Part of the strategic team working closely with the European Tour to maximise Sky’s role as supporting partner of The British Masters by demonstrating Sky’s investment in the sport and desire to inspire new and existing golf fans - Strong internal relationships with areas such as Strategy, Marketing, Online and Commercial to produce PR plans in line with all departments - Strong external relationships with journalists across the national press, governing bodies, talent and talent management - Copywriting of press releases, talent blogs and Q&A briefing documents for talent and executive members of staff - Event planning such as media days, press conferences and press trips