From Devon to Dubai: Former Torquay grammar pupil helping shape global sport

The Rising Star Award, sponsored by the Princess Theatre in the Torbay Weekly Business Awards 2025, recognises individuals who are rising through the ranks of their organisations, demonstrating exceptional talent, dedication and potential along the way.

Through its support, the Princess Theatre hopes to celebrate emerging talent across the Bay, inspiring individuals to build their careers and share their achievements with the local community.

Theatre director Annie Mason said: “We are so proud to sponsor the Rising Star award. Within ATG Entertainment, we have a leadership development programme of the same name and it remains one of the company’s corporate social responsibilities and great passions to nurture talent within the theatre industry. It’s particularly important that we celebrate those rising stars in the Bay, who will hopefully continue to build their careers here in whichever industry they are in and celebrate their achievements in the local area.”

One example of a rising star is Ben Payne, who grew up in Ivybridge and always took an active interest in sport.

A Devon local and former Torquay Boys' Grammar School pupil, Ben has gone on to big things since leaving the Bay to work as a sports consultant in London. 

As the captain of the rugby team at TBGS, and a keen fan of the Exeter Chiefs, he knew that he wanted to direct his passion for sports into a career. At school, his best subject was geography. While many think of geography as revolving around lava flow and longshore drift, Ben’s eye was caught by the human side of things. 

“It’s a lot broader than you think,” he said. “There’s a lot of content that you might think was part of an economics or politics module or class.

“I’d recommend it for anyone picking their A-levels or IB courses because it can be used for so many different things.”

Following his impressive results in the sixth form, Ben was granted a place on the geography course at the University of Edinburgh. Here he continued to develop his passion for his chosen subject and his love of sports. By the time it came to his final year, Ben knew exactly the career for him. 

“I managed to get an internship at Deloitte, which is one of the Big Four accounting and consulting companies. However, the focus of the internship was on financial accounting, which I quickly decided I didn't enjoy. I decided then that I wanted to go into strategy consulting.”

Consultancy is one of the fastest-growing job sectors right now, with companies keen to field expert advice and data research on how best to maximise profit and sustainability. Sports consultancy focuses on helping sports teams, local councils and mult-inational corporations. Ben managed to land an interview at a leading sports strategy consultancy known for its high-profile clients and impactful work in the world of sport.

When it came to the interview, while having a first from a Russell Group university helped get his foot in the door, the employers mainly wanted to gauge Ben’s passion for sports. 

“There were a couple of case interview tasks in the later stages but the first interview was mainly just a conversation to gauge my fit with the company and passion for sport. It’s important to be able to get inside the mind of a fan.

“Sports organisations are ultimately geared around making sure fans are happy and hence buying tickets to matches and watching sports online or on TV. My knowledge of rugby and cricket has helped me apply this knowledge to demonstrate how a sports organisation may be able to better attract and retain fans.”

The interview went smoothly: Ben was made a business analyst and while he was very excited to get going, his first few months weren’t exactly a rollercoaster.

“It was interesting when I first joined to see in practice what a consultant actually does on a day-to-day basis. Whilst I had researched and grasped a certain level of understanding, nothing quite prepares you for being thrown in at the deep end.

“As a junior analyst, my role was primarily conducting research and developing PowerPoint decks to support analysis. These would then be used to provide insights into clients most pressing problems.”

Ben’s big break came in the form of an invitation to work as part of the company’s team in Saudi Arabia. This entailed uprooting his whole life and leaving the country for six months to live on a company compound with the rest of his team. 

“It felt amazing to immerse myself in a new culture. I got to know the team since we all lived together in Riyadh. Then we’d fly each week to where the client was based in a rural town in the west of KSA, where we would stay in a hotel from Sunday to Thursday.”

The client hired Ben's company to revolutionise cycling in the area. The task was to look at other countries, such as France or Italy, and see if their success as destinations for cycling could be repeated in Saudi Arabia.

Since their project, the town's cycling offering has gone from strength to strength. There are 100s of kilometres of dedicated cycle lanes being built, a hub for bike repairs and a Tour de France-style competition which attracts global competitors. 

The fun didn’t stop there though, as upon his return to the UK, Ben was promoted to senior analyst and was set to work on a slew of new projects. These included an adventure sports arena on an offshore resort, a report into grassroots football in the UK and a socio-economic report for a county-level English cricket club.

His biggest and most personal project came in the form of the chance to work with the organising bodies of international competitions for his favourite sport: rugby. 

“It was amazing. I got to meet so many of my heroes. Plus, it was a great excuse to watch a lot of rugby.”

Ben was part of a team which had to negotiate with several countries in order to examine the international calendar for both men’s and women’s rugby. It was a monumental task, and while progress did come, it was gradual.

“With so many countries involved, you’re never going to please everyone. They all want a chance to host events and be a hub for the sport, but there’s only so much time in the year.”

Ben’s next project could take him anywhere – his company has clients in far-flung locations such as the Netherlands and Mauritius, as well as plenty closer to home. Ben loves the variety of the work he does, as well as how it aligns with his passion for sports.

“It’s always hard with sports, because not everyone is going to get to be the England captain. At some point you have to decide how else you can use your sports knowledge to make a career.

“Sports consultancy is primarily involved in the business of sport, rather than performance or health, although we do also touch on these topics depending on the client. We’re mostly focused on trying to help clients increase participation and become financially sustainable. In this way, we can ensure they continue to have a positive impact on people from around the world, whether through watching or partaking in the sport.”

It’s easy to see how Ben ended up where he is today. Growing up in the Bay, he benefitted massively from the rich sporting opportunities on offer, as well as the top-class education. For students in Torbay who, like Ben, have a passion for sports, as well as a mind for business, sports consultancy is definitely an avenue to explore.

This year’s sponsors

Torbay Council (headline sponsors and Overall Winner); Wollens (Best New Business); Newton Abbot Racecourse (Best Marketing Initiative); Stagecoach (Greener Futures award); English Riviera Bid Company (Tourism Company of Year); Princess Theatre (Rising Star Award); South Devon College (Inspiring Employer of Year); Police and Crime Commissioner  Alison Hernandez (Commissioner's Business Community Champion);  Torbay Business Forum (Small Business of Year); Majestic Holidays (The James Wright Award for Inspirational Leadership, or ‘Jimmy Award’); Sally Allen (Innovation); Inter-Line (Apprentice of the Year); Torquay United FC (Sport and Health and Wellbeing Business of the Year).

The Torbay Weekly Lifetime Achievement awards for contribution to business and the community will be announced on the finals night. The Overall Business of the Year will be chosen from across the category winners on the finals night and is not a category for entries.

The deadline for applications has been extended to midnight on Monday, May 5, with a date of Wednesday, June 11 set for the glittering finals night at the Riviera International Centre in Torquay.