IWD: Leadership in Softball – Gillian Fitzpatrick

For International Women’s Day 2022, Softball Ireland wish to highlight the female leaders in our sport who continiously help us govern, grow and develop softball in Ireland.

Gillian Fitzpatrick, Board Member, Softball Ireland

I’m still relatively new to the game – but this is my second year on the board of Softball Ireland. I like to think I add a bit of an outsider’s perspective! It’s important that we build and nurture a strong board, and for me that means drawing on different experiences, backgrounds, and areas of expertise.

I founded my own advertising and marketing company, Bolter Media, last year and currently act as its MD. I work with start- and scale-up brands who have put significant blood, sweat, and tears into developing their products and services – and then struggle to know how they’re going to acquire their customers. That’s when I come in.

If you’re looking to make a splash with a new brand, I always recommend the following: streamline your messaging, develop brilliant social media platforms, be confident, and don’t panic. That last one is really important!

Playing softball offers me a nice bit of respite from the madness of running my own business. It’s competitive but it’s also an accessible sport – you don’t need to have played before and or be typically ‘sporty’ to get going. And this year, after two years of Covid-19 disruption, we’re hopefully now going into a more normal season. I can’t wait!