About Stella

Stella Athlete Management was created to support and empower female elite athletes through proactive, consistent and personalised management services that aim to support the athlete holistically, in and out of competition.

The Managers at Stella recognise and understand the unique issues women face in sport and society, and through their legal experience and extensive sporting experience as athletes, advocates and volunteers, are well equipped to support female athletes to achieving their full potential and preparing them for life after sport.

Meet Our Team

Lauren Gandini

Managing Director

abbie martin

Athlete Manager

Brieanna Mercer

Director

Brie is a co-founder and Director of Stella Athlete Management, who provides strategic advice to develop the the services, brand and business for the athletes.

Brie graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Laws and has worked as a lawyer for nearly 10 years in areas such as corporate regulation, white collar crime, commercial litigation, intellectual property, employment law and as in- house counsel with a sporting body.

Brie has held positions on the board of Water Polo WA including as Chair and is the first and only female member of the WAFL Tribunal Panel. She has been a longstanding member of the Australian New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA) and was a member of the 2019 ANZSLA Conference Organising Committee.

Brie grew up predominantly playing basketball and netball. She currently plays netball for Wembley Netball Club where she is also the club’s Member Protection Officer.

Lauren Gandini

Managing Director

Lauren is a co-founder and the Managing Director at Stella, responsible for the day to day management of athletes, staff and stakeholder relationships. She is an AFL Accredited Agent and uses her own sporting experience in basketball and netball to represent athletes across a variety of sports.

Lauren graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Law and Psychology, and has practiced predominately in employment law, personal injury and health law. She worked as in house counsel for nurses at the ANF for 4 years, before moving to a non-profit community legal centre that assists clients with mental illness through advocacy in tribunals, negotiation with service providers, community education and policy submission.

Lauren is a Commissioner for the NBL1 West, and previously the chair for various sporting tribunals across WA. She also has experience in Member Protection and Integrity roles through her work with Basketball WA. She is an ANZSLA member and keeps up to date with regular professional development in the sporting law domain.

She played in the WA State Basketball League (now known as NBL1 West) between 2009 and 2020, and was a training partner in the State Netball League in 2012. She played A grade WAAFL in 2020 and currently plays in the Fremantle Netball Association in the A1 division.

Abbie Martin

Athlete Manager

Abbie is an Accredited Cricket Agent who brings a wealth of experience and qualifications to Stella and her athletes. She formally represents prospective and professional cricket players, and assists in other sports such as AFL and basketball.

Abbie holds a Bachelors Degree of Sports Management and a Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sports Leadership. She is also part of the Women Leaders in Sport Alumni from Sport Australia. Her work experience spans across a variety of sporting organisations both in South and Western Australia, with key involvement in cricket and AFL.

She has played 7 seasons of state league basketball in SA and WA and previously captained the under 16 SA State Basketball Team. She previously played A Grade WAAFLW for Rossmoyne alongside Managing Director Lauren, and is currently taking a break from team sport and enjoying the challenges of Pilates and yoga styled training.