Q. Tell us a bit about your role at Edit.
A. I am currently Strategic Lead at Edit, heading up our Strategy team and supporting clients with putting the customer at the heart of what they do. What this looks like day-to-day is developing strategies for the year ahead, customer journey planning, consumer research and working alongside Data Scientists to find valuable, actionable insights.
I love that my work puts me in the shoes of many different types of consumer. One minute I’m discovering what the biggest challenges for the fleet industry are in the coming years, the next I’m finding ways to reach multi-million-pound net worth individuals interested in yachts. Every day there’s something new to learn.
Q. And what was your background prior to joining?
A. I had an unusual start to marketing. I studied English and American Literature at university and then trained as a mortgage adviser when I graduated. Once I’d made my way into the marketing industry, I worked in a variety of roles both client- and agency-side, and in a combination of start-ups and established businesses. I’ve worked with clients such as Disney, Hotels.com and Marie Claire, as well as gaining a ton of experience in education technology.
Q. What do you consider your biggest achievement to date?
A. A few years ago, I became one of Marketing Week’s Founding 50, a group of 50 marketeers under 30 who were passionate about future generations taking a career in marketing seriously. Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who worked in marketing and my schools never mentioned it as a possible career path. This industry has given me so many opportunities to grow, learn, and even travel, and I’d love for young people to consider it. I also know that the industry could benefit from better diversity and inclusion, which was one of the key drivers for me applying to the programme.
Aside from this, I’ve also completed the Creative Equals Women in Leadership course. Successfully applying to be part of this and getting to meet and connect with so many wonderful women has been a definite career highlight.
Q. And what’s been your biggest challenge?
A. Supporting clients to navigate highly uncertain times as the pandemic hit. The role a Strategist plays on an account is to guide and provide frameworks for a successful route forward – a real challenge when you’re not sure how things will unfold and how people’s behaviour could change.
Q. The industry Edit operates in is fast-moving and highly competitive. What do you think makes the business stand out?
A. The calibre of the people working within Edit. The vast levels of experience, the grit and determination, and the way teams really band together makes it feel like anything is possible. Edit goes above and beyond to support clients and also challenge them. We have a refreshing approach that really questions briefs and helps clients work out what the most valuable route forwards is.
Q. What advice would you give someone who was looking to get into a career in Marketing?
A. Remember that there are multiple ways to begin your marketing career: university, apprenticeships, or, like me, finding an area I found interesting, doing my research and getting someone to take a chance on me! In my opinion, attitude and willingness to learn are just as important as qualifications, if not more so.
I’d also encourage people to find a good mentor. Having someone you can ask silly questions, get advice from and also be your cheerleader makes such a big difference. I’ve been really lucky to find a couple of excellent ones in my career so far.
Q. Other than your phone, what’s one item you couldn’t live without?
A. Books! When I was a kid, my dream job was to be a librarian. As an avid reader, I don’t even want to think about what my life would be like without books in it…
Q. What is your favourite biscuit to have with your tea or coffee?
A. Unpopular opinion: hot drinks are gross. But if I had to choose a biscuit to go with my squash, it’d have to be a bourbon.
Q. And finally… Which celebrity would you most like to be stuck in a lift with and why?
A. Lenny Henry. He’d make the time go really quickly by making us laugh, and I’d make things lovely and awkward by telling him I named my puppy after him.
