As part of Women & Girls’ Golf Week, we interviewed Mei Tierney, Marketing Manager at PowaKaddy, to understand how she's shaped a successful career in the golf industry.
England Golf’s Women & Girls’ Golf Week kicks off today in a week-long campaign that aims to celebrate the successes of women and girls in golf, and challenge the misconceptions and stigmas associated with the sport.
With today’s theme focused on the women who have made a career out of the golf industry, we interviewed Mei Tierney, Marketing Manager at one of the UK’s leading electric trolley brands, PowaKaddy. You can find plenty more stories about the many different roles that women are currently working in within golf at EnglandGolf.org, or join in the conversation now using #WhyIGolf.
“I’m involved in a sport I love and surrounded by like-minded people who want to add value to the game of golf.”
Tell us about your career and what led you to PowaKaddy?
My career has always focused around marketing and I’d actually just started playing golf just before I joined PowaKaddy in 2008. I fell in love with the game instantly, so when the opportunity came to work with a big name brand, it offered me the ideal chance to combine my passion for the sport with my experience in marketing.
Describe your day-to-day role
That’s very hard to summarise! No two days are the same in my role, that’s for sure. As you would expect, I’m responsible for managing all marketing for the brand, be it point of sale, advertising content or the website. However, I’m also heavily involved with other sides to our business and work very closely with our team of Area Sales Managers to determine how we can improve performance in both on and off-course retail outlets.
I also work closely with our senior management team on product development, which includes testing of prototypes and I get very involved in the design of our cart bags. I’m perhaps involved in more areas than a standard Marketing Manager, but that’s been vital to my understanding of how we can improve marketing performance.
It’s a competitive market, so what challenges do you face?
It’s undoubtedly a competitive market and we are most certainly kept on our toes by other brands. The electric trolley industry has moved so far in the last few years with the massive growth of Lithium batteries and the development of new technologies like integrated GPS. It means we need to continue innovating. The performance of our product line has been a crucial factor in earning our status as market leaders. Like with all golf brands, we face a constant challenge with falling memberships throughout the UK, and all major golf manufacturers, ourselves included, must continue to support the game from grass roots level to bring more people into the sport.
What contributes to your overall job satisfaction?
Thankfully my job is very diverse. I get involved in all aspects of the business outside of just marketing and that really does make the job extra special. I really enjoy and appreciate having a rounded view of the business. Added to that, I’m involved in a sport I love and surrounded by like-minded people who want to add value to the game of golf. I also enjoy visiting different parts of the world for sales meetings and trade shows, even though there can be some long days of meetings! I do think it’s important you get out of the office to network, that’s crucial to the success of any business.
In your view, what has been the most innovative advancement in trolley manufacturing and design and what can we expect in the future?
Lithium batteries have been the most innovative advancement. Golfers have really bought into them in the last five years or so. The lightweight design, quicker charging and now 5-year warranty have played a big part in that.
We’re proud of our Plug ‘n’ Play technology which ensures there are no fiddly wires to connect your battery to the trolley. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t mention GPS technology. Last year, we launched the first ever electric trolley with GPS built-in to the trolley handle, the FW7s GPS. The technology involved with that is mind-blowing and the uptake we’ve seen has been enormously above our expectations.
I can’t give too much away about the future, but our aim is always to innovate and add more performance for golfers.
How often, and where do you play golf?
I didn’t get out on the course as much as I wanted last year due to other commitments, however I’m making it my mission to play more in 2018! I enjoy playing in the Kent area where there are numerous courses, but also love playing golf at courses all over the country when visiting friends.
You can find out more about England Golf's Women & Girls' Golf Week and all of the events and activities that are taking place as part of the initiative here.
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