From Intern to Deputy Director: A SPORTFIVE Careers Interview with Elodie du Gardin
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Not every career path is mapped out from the start. More often, it takes shape over time, built step by step, shaped by opportunities, timing, and the willingness to evolve within both a business, and the wider industry.
That’s certainly the case for Elodie du Gardin, who started as an intern at SPORTFIVE, having completed her end-of-studies internship at the agency and grown within the company, a path she sees as central to her career.
In this Insight:
Over the past nine years, Elodie has progressed from Project Manager to Account Manager, then to Account Director, and now assumes the role of Deputy Director of the Brand Solutions & Activation department. Each stage has brought new challenges for her, but with them, a deeper understanding of both client needs, and the evolving role of an agency within the market.
A defining moment came midway through her journey, when the department underwent a significant transformation.
“The restructuring gave me the opportunity to get more involved,” Elodie explains. Working alongside department director Adrien Bailleul, she became part of a broader effort to rethink how the team operated, both internally and within the wider SPORTFIVE ecosystem.
It also created an opportunity to strengthen collaboration with SPORTFIVE Headquarters, and to build a cross-functional team, better aligned with the rest of the agency.
Today, as Deputy Director, her role focuses on helping brands shape and activate their sports sponsorship strategies.
“It’s about addressing all their challenges, from business objectives and brand image to internal and audience engagement.”
Elodie explains that the focus is on maximizing the value of each partnership by designing tailored, impactful activations grounded in clear strategic thinking.
On a day-to-day level, this means acting as a bridge between brands and key stakeholders, from rights holders to agencies and partners, ensuring alignment and delivering the strongest possible outcomes.
Alongside this, Elodie notes that the role also involves structuring projects internally, bringing together the right expertise for each client, while supporting business development through close collaboration with sales and marketing to create relevant, compelling propositions.
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When it comes to standout projects, we asked if there was one activation that clearly stands apart from the rest.
“The activation I’m most proud of is EDF’s Piste des Champions, delivered during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games” Elodie says.
The four-day campaign was designed to raise awareness of winter parasports, engaging audiences both on-the-ground in ski resorts and at a national level. Beyond the scale, it marked a turning point in how activations were approached at SPORTFIVE.
“It was the first time we achieved a genuine 360° activation.”
The campaign combined physical experience, digital reach, and media visibility, reaching 1.5 million people on social media, enabling 1,200 participants to try parasports firsthand, and generating exposure to 60,000 people in resorts. It was also amplified through 13 media, including national coverage on France 3 and Infosport+, helping give the campaign national visibility.
More than the numbers, though, the activation set a new standard.
For Elodie, the EDF’s Piste des Champions campaign “really defined the level of ambition for every activation that followed.”
Beyond the day-to-day responsibilities, we asked her what skills are essential to thrive in a department like Brand Solutions & Activation.
Agility and organization quickly emerged as essential skills. Over the course of a single day, her role can shift from delivering an on-site activation during a match, to collaborating with production agencies on a TV commercial, to then developing a strategic activation plan for another client.
As Elodie puts it, “you can move from an on-site activation during a Ligue 1 match with Essilor, to discussions around a TV commercial for EDF, and then spend several hours building a strategic plan, all in the same day.”
Curiosity and creativity are equally important. For her, these skills are what enable teams to design activations that truly capture attention, whether engaging employees internally or connecting with wider audiences in a meaningful way.
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At the same time, collaboration remains essential to Elodie’s role, both within SPORTFIVE and internationally.
Within SPORTFIVE, the structured nature of the organization enables close collaboration with specialist teams whose expertise complements Brand Solutions & Activation. This cross-functional approach is key to delivering more relevant, well-rounded recommendations to clients.
Working with different teams, Elodie explains, enables more complete and relevant solutions for our clients at SPORTFIVE.
She highlights that whether partnering with the digital team to enrich strategies and activations, the studio to support campaign design and visualization, or the Business Intelligence team to ground ideas in data, each collaboration strengthens the overall impact of the work.
This collaboration-first mindset extends across all internal teams. During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Elodie worked closely with the Olympic department, whose expertise is a key asset in the market.
At the same time, collaboration across markets, particularly with Activation teams in Germany and the UK, allows the team to tackle multi-market challenges and continuously refine approaches through shared perspectives.
The evolution of brand activation strategies in sport reflects the shifting demands of both fans and advertisers.
As she explains, “it’s a constant evolution, strategies depend heavily on market conditions and the broader economic context.”
In recent years, brands have increasingly used sport as a platform to communicate CSR commitments. However, in a more challenging environment, expectations are shifting. There is now a stronger focus on delivering tangible results and demonstrating return on investment, supported by deeper analysis and measurement of activation performance.
At the same time, the inherent strength of sponsorship lies in its adaptability. Activation strategies continue to evolve in line with brand objectives, audiences, and market dynamics, making it possible to adress multiple angles and opportunities at once.
What is clear, however, is the growing expectation from fans for greater transparency. As a result, the most effective campaigns are those that feel meaningful and credible, rooted in a genuine purpose and designed to address real audience needs.
The same mindset has shaped Elodie’s journey at SPORTFIVE, a career built not on a fixed path, but on progression, adaptability, and a willingness to evolve.
For those looking to follow a similar path, she emphasizes that passion for sport is only the starting point. Being passionate Elodie notes, “is important, but it’s not enough.” What truly matters is curiosity, commitment, and a genuine sensitivity to communication. Taking the time to understand how brands express themselves, not only in sport but across entertainment, culture, and other industries, and what drives real audience connection.
Today more than ever, success is also about mindset. As she highlights, “we are looking for people who want to be part of a team, commit to a long-term project, and collectively build something strong and distinctive.”
It’s a perspective that brings her story full circle, a career shaped step by step, driven by collaboration, and defined by the ambition to create lasting impact both within the agency and across the wider industry.
