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Then and now... Ali O'Reilly

In the latest instalment of Bdaily’s Then and now series, Ali O’Reilly, founder and director of AGN Events, reveals how a passion for sport led to a move into music and the opportunity to champion women in the workplace.

You’re the founder and director of events operator AGN. What does your role entail?

I cover all aspects of the business! We're a really small team and so I'm responsible for everything including the marketing and operations. I also do a lot of work on the financial side of things.

The biggest part of our business is music events and that includes our Rock N Roll Circus festival brand.

We run a range of hospitality events and pop-up events. Fan Zones around international football tournaments are always popular so the World Cup’s a focus this summer.

I’m still very hands-on but I’m trying to be more hands off! I guess that’s the same for so many small business owners.

Did you always want to work in the music events sector? Or did you have other ambitions when you were growing up?

I always dreamed of working in sports and that’s where most of my career was focused prior to founding AGN.

I spent 10-plus years working in the sports industry and, as an avid hockey player, it was something I loved.

I played various sports at a reasonably competitive level back home in Ireland at school and at university in Dublin.

I have two older brothers who are sports mad. We’re all Arsenal fans and I managed to get a ticket for the Champions League final in Budapest.

When I graduated I Googled the top 10 sports agencies in London. I never heard from nine of them but one — BrandRapport — got back to me and that’s where I ended up!

What was your first job – and did you enjoy it?

I did loads of different jobs as a kid but the one I loved most was when I worked at an ice cream shop.

I started to earn my own money and eat a lot of the ice cream — so that didn’t last too long!

But it taught me how to communicate with people from every different background and that’s a skill that’s helped me throughout my career.

Everyone loves ice cream and everyone loves to talk about it.

I went on to work in bars and at events and by then I was so comfortable chatting to anyone and everyone. Building strong relationships is still key to my business.

Were there any mentors or individuals that helped shape your career? And are you still applying lessons you learned then to your workforce of today?

One of the main people who had an influence on my career was a guy called Andy Kenny who, sadly, is no longer with us.

He was our managing director at BrandRapport, which then got bought out by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

We were a small, boutique sports marketing agency and Andy took me under his wing from day one.

The key thing that he taught me was to always stay cool under pressure. It was fantastic advice.

Agency life is extremely fast-paced and you’re often working with multiple clients on multiple campaigns at the same time.

The music business is the same. Andy was a relationship person and his mantra was simply ‘crack on’. That’s what I do.

What attracted you to the music business and what persuaded you to found AGN?

When BrandRapport was taken over by CAA I was in the sports division but the wider agency has a massive music division.

We sat on the same floor in the London office. So I was super familiar with what the music team was up to and occasionally we’d cross over on campaigns and projects.

One day a former colleague contacted me to say she’d started a new role at Virgin Money and they were exploring how to use music as a platform to bring their brand narrative to life.

I took on that project and helped to do deals with the O2 in London and the Hydro in Glasgow.

Eventually I moved in-house and helped to build a music programme at Virgin Money.

I realised that music was where I was meant to be and, when the timing was right, I founded AGN.

How do you feel you’ve changed as a person over the years? Have career roles brought new dimensions to your personality?

I've changed quite a lot — particularly now that I’m running my own business. It's hard not to change when that happens.

I’ve always been very career driven and I’ve always wanted to do the very best for a client but also for myself.

But as a business owner the drive you need to keep going every day is on a different level. It’s an enormous change.

You need to embrace an entirely different mentality, develop a thicker skin and accept that not every day will go to plan.

It’s also increasingly difficult to separate your work life with your home life when you work for yourself.

There’s nobody to answer to — which can be a good thing — but also nobody to tell you when you need to take a break.

You’ve seen many changes to the employment world across your career — how do you see the workplace evolving in years to come?

We’re an all-female team at AGN. That’s not by design but it does open up a broader conversation around women in the music industry.

It’s a situation that’s beginning to change for the better but there’s still some way to go.

I’m proud of the fact that we’re helping to enable that change and that extends to the line-ups at the Rock N Roll Circus festivals.

We’re always looking at ways that those events can be more inclusive and provide more opportunities for female artists.

Getting the gender balance right within the music industry is an ongoing challenge but it can — and will — change for the better.

Many of the most important people in my career have been men but at the same time it’s important that, as a woman, I support women coming through in music.

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Rushworth .