Born and raised in Pahoia, a small town outside Tauranga, Maggie Lankshear grew up with a passion for sports, in particular soccer and couldn’t have asked for more after landing her dream job working for adidas in New Zealand.
After playing soccer for NZ under 20’s and participating in the World Cup held in Russia, Lankshear found herself having to retire after suffering an injury. “I absolutely loved playing soccer, but I knew I couldn’t go on forever with an injury, so I decided to hang up my boots to study at Auckland University of Technology,” said Lankshear.
“A soccer career highlight was definitely going to the U20’s World Cup in Russia in 2006, but also being selected for the NZ Academy U16 squad that went to Australia in 2004, which led to me playing a full season over there for Manly United.” Majoring in PR and Marketing under the Bachelor of Communications programme at AUT, Lankshear started interning at Fresh PR. “This was a great opportunity for me to see how the industry worked and gain valuable knowledge to further my career in the apparel industry.”
Following her internship with Fresh, Lankshear went on to work with New Zealand’s much loved flip-flop brand Havaianas for three years and then onto Public Library, a showroom based in Grey Lynn that services both sales and public relations for some of Australia and New Zealand’s most prestigious brands including Maurie & Eve and Stolen Girlfriends Club.
“Building relationships and helping to develop sales and public relations for many different brands was a fantastic experience and I loved working with both the clients and the team at Public Library, no two days were the same.” Three years later, Lankshear found herself landing her dream job, one that combined both her love and passion for sport, and the apparel and footwear industry.
Despite it being a long interview process, Lankshear blew the other candidates out of the water with her drive, experience and enthusiasm. “I really couldn’t believe that I got the job, it was a long process and for me, it was like the ultimate role working with a well-established and iconic brand. I have always wanted to work with one brand and concentrate all my efforts into that, and now I feel so lucky that I get to do just that with a company and sector that has always been close to my heart.
Not everyone finds their dream job, and I am grateful for the experience and the knowledge gained from previous positions to get to where I am today.” Lankshear is currently working as the NZ key account manager for adidas originals fashion.
