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Sodexo Live! the global leader in the live events hospitality industry joined Women in Football as a corporate member in December 2023, ramping up its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion following a successful collaboration between the two organisations at a FIFA Women’s World Cup watch party.

Nicci Clarke joined Sodexo Live! as Marketing Director in June 2022. Her role is to work at the intersection of marketing and culinary excellence, driving a food strategy that blends creativity with commercial focus, and developing strategies that deliver profit, impact, sustainability and relevance in a fast-changing industry.

We spoke to Nicci for our latest Member in Focus feature, reflecting on her career to date, to learn about the culture fostered by Sodexo Live! for its employees, and to ask Nicci for her words of advice for any young woman thinking of following in her footsteps.

 

You describe your career experiences on LinkedIn as: ‘spanning retail and hospitality, building brands and teams that thrive on collaboration.’ When did you realise that this was what you wanted to do after university and how did you become a 'Woman in Football'?

I studied Culture, Media & Communication at Lancaster University and my idea was always to be a teacher. The summer after I graduated, I did two weeks of work experience and quickly realised that this was not what I wanted to do at all! 

During my degree, I studied one module of Marketing which I really enjoyed, and fortunately, someone I knew offered me experience as a Marketing Assistant. Facebook had just become a tool that could be used by businesses, so I quickly inherited the task of running social media, devising all the company’s Digital Marketing frameworks and house rules. Within a short space of time, I had become an expert, developing a real skill for being able to craft any kind of customer response on Twitter too, in a maximum of 140 characters.

Just after lockdown, I was then offered an opportunity to work for Punch Taverns. I ‘bet’ on the idea that after people were unable to go out and socialise for so long, that British people would re-connect immediately with the idea of going to the pub for a drink.

I was quite new to the hospitality industry but was offered a 12-month mentorship opportunity, and in a quirk of fate, my mentor, Claire Morris, is now my CEO at Sodexo Live!. From that point onward, my goal was to become a Marketing Director.

My career has always had a crossover with football, dating back to one of my first roles at the Co-Op. Dependent on who was playing (e.g. during major international tournaments) as well as the British weather, this would have a big influence on our marketing decisions and offers. If for example an England team reached a semi-final, we would hedge our plans and pre-prepare all our marketing collateral. That way we could maximise the moment when millions of people would be planning to host watch parties with friends and families and buy drinks and food.

Naturally sport being sport, sometimes we were left disappointed if one of the home nations or a British team didn’t get the result we hoped for. If you didn’t follow the games, you could always tell what had happened by the mood in the office the next day!

 

 

Football hospitality guests used to be derided as ‘prawn sandwich eaters.’ How far has stadium catering and hospitality come from that old perception?

Football hospitality has changed so much, and this is of course only one part of the services we offer at Sodexo Live!

In the Premier League we currently work with Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham, and Newcastle United, and the fan offer is incredibly diverse. At Brighton, fans can choose from street food vendors, including offerings from Masterchef: The Professionals winner Steven Edwards at The Terrace. Then at the Tunnel Club, Steven also provides five-course dining too, for an unparalleled VIP style experience. (The Terrace was awarded the ‘Best Football Club Stadium Experience’ at May’s Football Business Awards.)

We collaborate with the clubs and their fans to ensure that our communication is two-way. At Newcastle United for example, we hosted a Fan Tasting Forum. This way, fans also know when we plan to change things or introduce something new, and when and where they can find it.

It’s critical that we tailor different experiences to different fans. With the increasing growth in attendances at women’s games, we can also create different experiences for a more family-focused fan group, where younger children want to eat food that they enjoy too.

Ultimately, my job is to drive revenue for clubs and provide the ultimate experience to fans, so I get to combine my multiple retail and marketing experiences to support them in this goal.

 

You describe yourself as ‘an advocate for women in sport and executive wellbeing, speaking openly about resilience, leadership and balancing high performance with health.’ How do you maintain a personal balance, and how does this also manifest itself among those you lead?

One of my favourite sayings is ‘pay it forward.’ You can’t just take from people, so I always try to work out what’s meaningful for my team.

Going to the gym is personally important to me, so between 6-8am, my team know that’s where I’ll be. For other women, they may wish to start earlier and finish earlier, so it enables them to commute home and still be able to put their child to bed. Or take a break in the middle of the day. 

Every week my team know we have a ‘walk and talk’ meeting option, so they can be off-camera and go for a walk to stretch their legs. If I know someone has a regular gym routine, when they travel, I’ll try to ensure their hotel has somewhere they can exercise.

I always try to honour my own practices, and by doing that, I can help colleagues to create their own schedules too. Our food at work is incredible, as you’d expect! But I also like to share some of my own nutrition tips too.

 

 

Sodexo Live! joined WIF as a corporate member aiming to ‘break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create a more inclusive and equitable environment for women in football.’ How has the partnership helped to achieve this?  

Since the partnership with WIF began at the end of 2023, more than one hundred female employees have attended workshops or the Leadership Programme to support their learning and development.  

Last year, via one of our venues we helped to facilitate WIF’s first ever networking event in Scotland and more recently, we supplied the venue space at Hampden Park for the first WIF Leadership Programme north of the border.  

We have also utilised WIF mentors to ‘reverse mentor’ at Sodexo Live! where they come in to work with our own senior staff. We’re really proud to be the only Catering organisation that has a corporate partnership with WIF, and I love that we want to be a ‘leader’ not a ‘follower.’

 

How has being a member of WIF supported your own career development, for example through recently taking part in Levels 3 & 4 of the WIF Leadership Programme?  

The Leadership Programme was amazing. I’ve been on numerous personal development programmes, but WIF’s was one of the best, if not the best. I was so happy that after a busy twelve months, I finally got to go on it myself. 

I genuinely believe that in order to grow, you sometimes have to stop, take stock, and reflect. You cannot keep growing if you overlook yourself. Sometimes you must be a little selfish and do something for you. Learning and continuous development is so important. Standing still is not an option if you want to keep evolving. 

The cohort on my Leadership Programme, as well as the tutors, were all brilliant women and I really want to ensure I stay in touch with them all.

 

WIF’s annual 2025 survey highlighted that 78% of women experienced discrimination in the workplace. Are there any policies or mechanisms implemented by Sodexo Live! you feel other employers could consider, that may help to improve their own workplace environment?

Sodexo Live! has a 50:50 male-female Executive team, and a female CEO. You could say that when it comes to gender equity, we truly put our money where our mouth is. 

We are also a people-first business where the well-being of our staff and the opportunities we provide, for example through the WIF partnership with access to workshops and personal development, are very much to the fore.  

 

 

What advice would you give to your younger self, or to a young woman considering a career working in football or the hospitality industry? 

Health is the foundation of everything. ‘Health is Wealth’ as I like to say. It’s so important that people take care of their physical and mental health. 

One of my other personal mantras is: ‘Have Faith, Not Fear.’  

I know many women who suffer from imposter syndrome, who take on more and more responsibility as they feel they need to keep proving themselves. But this isn’t sustainable. 

Additionally, if you experience a knock-back, do not take it personally. Humans are exceptionally good at building things up in our heads, but rather than dwell on things, take a step back to see if there are lessons you can learn, and then move onto the next challenge. If you are resilient, you will soon bounce-back.  

 

Did you Know?

The day-to-day business operations of Sodexo Live! spans Food Retail, Catering and Hospitality, Retail Merchandise Management, Hospitality Ticketing and Design & Space Management consultancy and the company to-date has overseen 16 NFL Super Bowls, 21 Major League Baseball World Series, 25 Royal Ascots, as well as operating at multiple football and multi-sport stadia in England, Scotland, France, Canada and USA.

In its own words, Sodexo Live! shapes guest experiences at stadiums, conference centres and cultural destinations, blending innovation with tradition at high-profile events where food is as memorable as the moments it surrounds. 

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