Career pace that’s electric
Sarah Byles, PR & Communications Manager for the Mahindra Racing team in Formula E
Describe what you are doing now.
I’m the PR & Communications Manager for the Mahindra Racing team in Formula E. Formula E is the world’s first fully-electric global racing championship and is now in its third season. The series aims to promote electric vehicle development as well as act as an accelerated test bed for road vehicle technology. It’s zero emissions and races on temporary street circuits in 10 cities around the world including Hong Kong, Mexico City, Monaco and New York.
What are some career highlights?
My career has been mostly motorsport-focused. Once I established that journalism was a good path to be able to work in motorsport, I spent a lot of time on making it a reality.
Right from the first year of my degree I worked in media roles at motorsport events around New Zealand and overseas, with trips to Rally Malaysia and WRC Rally Australia.
After the course I worked in Wellington for two years for a motorsport and motoring PR agency before moving to the UK where, through determination and a lot of patience, I was offered a job at another motorsport PR agency – this time with global level clients like Williams F1, Toyota Motorsport, Hyundai Motorsport and more. I’ve been with Sine Qua Non International for nearly three years now and the directors helped get me the place with Mahindra Racing in Formula E.
How do you feel about journalism in the current climate?
I think there are still opportunities for people who are motivated and can carve out a niche for themselves. There are more and more topic leaders now than ever before – in technology, in sport, in lifestyle and in many other areas. It’s about making a name for yourself as a thought leader as much as a journalist. Blog, tweet and create a following rather than just rely on a desk job. Almost all global news outlets expect this from their journalists as standard, so it’s important to start as soon as possible.
What do you love about working in communications?
The pace. For my role in PR, I need to provide my media contacts with quick, exclusive content before the moment is gone. News now isn’t news in a few hours’ time.
What stage of life were you when you enrolled to study at Wintec?
Just starting out – I left high school after Year 12 and gained early acceptance to the Bachelor of Media Arts Communications programme.
How would you describe the Wintec course?
Wintec’s National Diploma of Journalism, in conjunction with the Bachelor of Media Arts Communications programme, is a well-rounded course that provides the opportunity to develop real world skills for working within the media.
One of the important things to remember is that you will always be learning and developing your writing skill set long after you’ve finished training.
Where do you want to go with your career?
While I’ve moved on from journalism, it has enabled me to get to where I am today. The aim for the future is to move up in motorsport team management.
Are you the next Sarah Byles? Read more about our courses here – including a link to an online enrolment form. Feel free also to drop us an email to discuss your options. You can reach journalism co-ordinator Charles Riddle at charles.riddle@wintec.ac.nz or lecturer Richard Walker at richard.walker@wintec.ac.nz.
