When did you Join SMG?
May 2017.
Describe your role in a nutshell?
I am one of the Client Managers on the Co-op account, I am based within the client team and I work on the fresh, chilled and drink category's. I work with supplier brands and the Co-op buyers and run the end to end campaign process. I make sure the brand I am working with objectives are aligned to the Co-op's and I also try to measure performance, to see how media channels perform and take that into account.
What aspects of your role keep you challenged and curious?
The diversity of my work and the amount of brands within Co-op, I could be working with Heineken one day Warburtons the next. I could be working on a big competition launch for a spirit brand and then a bagel campaign the next, the Co-op estate is so varied. There is loads of opportunity within the team due to continuous growth, you can always expand your responsibilities and remit.
Which SMG value would you say is your favourite and why?
Stay Honest. With my role being so client facing and client focused and having such a wide range of clients, most of what I do day to day is about building relationships and gaining trust with those clients.
What piece of advice would you give to someone starting SMG?
When I started SMG, the advice I was given was to embrace change, because SMG are highly ambitious and their growth rate can be rapid. This creates lots of opportunity, and you have to be able to flex and adapt, you could be working on one account one minute and the next day you could be working on another one.
How have things changed over the last year?
The biggest change has been working from our office 5 days a week to entirely working from home. We were worried that it would make our Co-op partnership more separate, but actually, we can reach them easier and have achieved a closer relationship with the Co-op. From a team point of view we have all really missed the social side of the office, but we have still made a big effort to continue to catch-up as a team weekly.