The Benefits of Networking: When Nibble Protein met The Mintridge Foundation
Posted on: 05 April 2019 by Emily Lake
Whether you’re a natural networker or a reluctant one, most of us recognise that networking events are an excellent opportunity for career and business growth. Here at Switch the Play we make sure our networking events have the right mix of people in the room – people with a passion for education, career training, professional development and of course sport. We want you to come away armed with new contacts who can help you professionally. That’s just what happened when Erin Moroney, Founder of Nibble Protein and Alex Paske, Managing Director of The Mintridge Foundation, met at our networking event last July at the London Sporting Club.
The Mintridge Foundation is a charity working to promote an active lifestyle in children and young people, part of which includes taking professional sports people into schools. Nibble Protein is a brand of healthy, lower sugar, high protein snacks. Alex from Mintridge and Erin from Nibble attended the Switch the Play event as they knew that it was a chance to meet potential partners and sporting ambassadors. Leon Lloyd, CEO of Switch the Play, identified that the two should meet and made the introductions.
Erin was keen to promote Nibble in schools as a healthy alternative snack. Alex was looking for a partner to help raise the charity’s profile and funds. One year on from that meeting, Nibble Protein is now the Nutritional Partner of The Mintridge Foundation. And Mintridge is the official charity partner of Nibble. What a match!
Today Nibble samples are given out in schools during Mintridge events with their sports ambassadors and kids. The two have also teamed up on fundraising activities for the charity, including a month of encouraging people to run, walk or cycle every day with Nibble prizes on offer. The icing on the cake of this new partnership for Alex is that Erin put Alex forward for the Sunday Times Sport Women of the Year Award; Alex went on to win in the grassroots category.
“I go along to Switch the Play networking events as they’re a great opportunity to meet potential ambassadors and new partners and that proved to be the case when I met Erin,” said Alex. “Erin and Nibble Protein have been fantastic to work with, both on a professional and personal level. It’s thanks to Erin (and Leon’s introduction) that I won the Sunday Times award which has exposed the Mintridge Foundation to more corporate partners than ever before. It just shows that networking in a relaxed atmosphere with the right people can be a very rewarding experience”.
Erin told us: “I can’t thank Leon enough for the introduction to Alex. The Mintridge Foundation is the perfect partner for Nibble, helping to encourage kids to eat healthier diets. And the fact that they work with such talented and generous sports ambassadors makes it all the better. I went into the Switch the Play networking event not knowing anyone in the room and came away with a valued charity partner and a number of great new friends and contacts”.
Switch the Play is running a free networking event in central London on 10th April for former and current professional sportspeople, sports clubs, organisations and friends of Switch the Play.
The event runs between 17:30-19:00; both Alex and Erin will be attending.