Teah Westerman comfortably stepped into the role of commercial coordinator at Gold Coast Titans as a familiar face in the office.
Less than a year earlier, the Griffith University graduate was an intern with the NRL club’s marketing team learning the ropes and getting a taste of the dynamics of the business.
“It was a really nice environment to be stepping back into because I already developed some great relationships with people through my internships,” says Teah.
Graduating with degrees in Public Relations Communications and in Business, majoring in Marketing, Teah is among a cohort of graduates forging new careers stemming from Griffith University’s sponsorship of Gold Coast Titans.
Her engagement with sports began early in her degree when she took an internship in 2017 with the accommodations team at GOLDOC ahead of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“That was a really good opportunity to experience a corporate environment and to apply what I had already learned,” says Teah.
“I also had a lot of interest in the sporting area which is where I wanted to take my degree and my career.”
The chance to work with the Gold Coast Titans’ marketing department came at the end of her third year of study during the summer semester.
There she learned how to become a producer working with a camera crew to deliver content for game days.
“It was also a great opportunity to understand more of the business and the types of roles and opportunities available that I hadn’t even considered,” says Teah.
“I learned so much as an intern, from working on game days and building a good rapport with everyone in the business and also maintaining those connections after I had finished.
“When the new opportunity came up to work with the Titans full time, I was very fortunate to have my name put forward for consideration.”
As commercial coordinator at Gold Coast Titans, Teah draws on her Griffith studies in business, marketing and PR to manage the needs of corporate sponsors.
“Understanding people’s business is a really important part of determining their objectives in partnering with the Titans,” she says.
“Understanding the marketing and communications side is also important to effectively manage those partnerships.”