Holly Gilbertson's Now/Next in sport culture.
Holly Gilbertson is future building.
PACER — her creative studio and strategy consultancy — is breaking new ground in the field of women's sport.
Here, she tells Future State what is happening now and next in her world.
Holly, thank you for chatting with us today.
First question - where are you right now?
It’s such a pleasure! Thanks for having me. I’m actually in France at the moment, currently on a train from Avignon to Paris ahead of a client meeting there.
Tell us a little about yourself?
I currently live in South East London with my partner Joe and our (giant!) dog Bailey. I grew up in the city, but my family are originally from Liverpool so I’ve always felt Northern at heart. Outside of work, I’m usually found chasing the sunshine, a football or the dog. My partner Joe also runs music festivals in the UK and Europe, so music, culture and live events are a bit of a constant for us year round.
What do you do for work?
I have recently launched a creative studio and strategy consultancy intent on disrupting the world of sport, PACER. Women’s sport and women in sport are the focus, but my vision with PACER is to bring more gender-diverse perspectives into the wider sports landscape too. We work with sports brands, rightsholders, athletes and sponsors to help them unlock new value via diverse, growth audiences.
My background is in strategy — and particularly in industries where identity and aspiration play a key role – like sport — but also fashion, music and luxury. I’m obsessed with solving problems, understanding how and why things work a certain way — and then finding disruptive, creative ways to make them work better. Throughout my career, I’ve dipped into business strategy, brand strategy, innovation strategy, commercial strategy, cultural strategy and more.
I love the variety, but I’m also a big believer in hybridity and diverse thinking being essential for building successful businesses today. While PACER is sport-specialist, the lens we apply is expansive and multi-faceted. We want to break new ground, not tread the old!
PACER is breaking through traditional sports spaces bringing much-needed new thinking and perspectives. What changes do you see happening in the sports world right now?
It’s such an exciting time to work in sport. In the past couple of years, it has become a real playground for cultural innovation.
The explosive growth and visibility of elite women’s sport has obviously had a huge part to play. This has been brewing for some time but in 2024, sport has truly found its new aura and female athletes / multifaceted feminine energy is right at the heart. Think breakout Olympics stars like Ilona Maher and Kim Ye-Ji or the Caitlin Clark effect on the WNBA – the aspirational image of elite sport is radically changing.
Sport culture has also had a serious revamp – from fandom going chronically online, to everyone suddenly being obsessed with sporty aesthetics and the bleachers / stands / stadiums being the new place to see and be seen.
What I love most however is that these shifts are having a big impact on participation. Suddenly everyone’s playing sport too. There’s been a real grassroots renaissance – and it’s women and queer audiences that are driving it. The gender gap between girls and boys is closing for the youngest generations. Sport is one area where the future is actually looking brighter and I’m very much here for it!
As you look ahead, what are you most excited about for the future of women’s sport and women in sport?
The continuation of the above – its inevitable growth trajectory and continued expansion globally. There’s still so much to be done, that can now be done, because the precedents have been set, and new blueprints are being made.
Without getting soppy, I strongly believe that sport is such an important force for individual wellbeing and social / cultural cohesion. For a long time, tribal and masc-dominated sport culture shut so many people out, reinforcing this idea that it’s not for them. That’s changing now – and long may it continue.
Who or what do you see having the biggest impact in these spaces?
There’s so many!
True pioneers like (full disclosure: one of our clients) Mercury/13, an investment fund creating a new blueprint for women’s football club ownership from a radically female-first perspective.
Ambitious brands investing in the space; real innovators who understand where we’re inevitably headed and want to lead the way there and come along for the ride.
Think SKIMS, Charlotte Tilbury, Liquid Death, e.l.f. to name a few. And of course – the iconic female athletes themselves: those who are tearing up the script of what’s come before, and who continue to drive a diverse, new vision of athletic aspiration for the next generation.
What is a conversation that more people in your industry should be having?
That we have an opportunity right now to reinvent the way we do things for the better! In building systems to support the growth of women’s sport, we don’t have to copy & paste what’s come before, and more importantly, if we want to protect its unique, inclusive aura as it scales, we can’t afford to.
What is a personal or professional goal that you are working towards?
At the moment, PACER is the big focus — my goals at the moment all relate to steering a successful Y1 for us. We only launched a couple of months ago so it’s all systems go on making an impact with our founding projects, growing existing client relationships, as well as dedicating enough time to get the name out there via thought-leadership, networking and PACER brand-building. It’s another massive year for women’s sport next year with the Women’s Euro and the Women’s Rugby World Cup – I’d hope that PACER will be right in the mix.
If it all worked out better than you could imagine, what does the future look like 5 years from now?
PACER would be flying! We’d hopefully have grown significantly in size, perhaps with an international office somewhere sunny, but most importantly, with a happy, inspired, and thriving team. I love my work and I work very hard — but I also strongly value flexibility, balance and autonomy in work, rest and play. The 9-5 works for many people, but it never has for me – and sport doesn’t work to a regular schedule either. To create the best work, inspire the best people and maintain balance, we’re going to have to find a new model. Nailing that is high on my priority list too.
If this chapter of your life had a name, what would it be?
Future Building.
Holly, thank you so much for chatting with us. Where can we find you?
Follow PACER.
Find PACER.