When did you Join SMG?
December 2016
Describe your role in a nutshell?
I lead the impulse category, and commercial management across the Co-op account.
What do you enjoy most about working at SMG?
The people - not just on the team or across the business, but also the clients that we work with. Catching up on a client call on a Monday morning and finding out about their lives, what they got up to at the weekend and building those relationships is such a great space to be in and ultimately, people are what makes jobs like this so interesting.
What aspects of your role keep you challenged and curious?
The market really does reflect the mood of the nation, and I think we've seen that more and more over the last 12 months than ever before, and one of our biggest challenges is how we work with this and create opportunities in changing circumstances. Working with brands and identifying those opportunities and working on those is what keeps my work really interesting.
Which SMG value would you say is your favourite and why?
I would have to say "Have Fun". I don't just mean our company parties, which are the stuff of legend, but also have fun with your work. Ultimately we spend 5 of our 7 days working and it's so important to enjoy what you do, and finding new ways to make it interesting and make it fun are key.
What piece of advice would you give to someone starting SMG?
Be a sponge to all the information you'll be given when you join, but also don't be afraid to challenge convention; we're always looking for new ways to improve our processes, make our ways of working more efficient, and challenge the status quo - and we welcome suggestions from all of our employees to help grow and shape the business together.
How have things changed over the last year?
We've shown that we can work anywhere and adapt to new and unprecedented circumstances, but more than that I think we've shown that we're a business of "people" people. Ultimately we've had one of the most commercially strongest years over the last year despite the circumstances, which demonstrates our ability to take on a new challenge as a business and overcome it.