THE BIG QUESTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL TITLE?
CMO or if you ask any of the team here, The One Who Does Marketing and Stuff. SkinNinja is a recently launched app helping consumers discover what’s in their skincare, cosmetics and personal care products – such as contact allergens and carcinogens. SkinNinja then helps users find healthier alternatives. All for free.
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?
It could be anything from briefing design requirements to the app team to launching a Facebook ad campaign and optimising results. I love my job, in that no one day is the same. Today I’m writing campaign briefs. Tomorrow I’m setting up Adwords and integrating the technology which tracks performance to installs.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND WHAT CHANGED?
An Actress. I guess it’s never changed. In marketing leadership, there’s always some level of performance. A long hard look in the mirror before stepping out and presenting an idea, hoping that the critics love it. And learning how to deal with rejection that also comes hand in hand with this role. Not every idea is a winning idea and it can be tough to wear that out (cue: a Beyonce album on repeat to recharge the fierceness).
WHAT ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE?
BA (Hons) in Retail Marketing. And half my Postgrad (PGDip) in Marketing… I probably should finish that.
WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
Breathe.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?
My Godmother, growing up in fairly rural Sussex, I didn’t have much exposure in way of women ‘doing business’. As a senior figure at Boots she was the one person I looked to for inspiration and showed me that women could hold senior roles and lead teams. Up until that point, I had no idea.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT?
Trust and flexibility. I am incredibly fortunate that I work with an amazing team of women who care about the company mission and each other. Our motto is ‘don’t work with arseholes’. So we don’t.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT YOUR DAILY WORK ROUTINE IF YOU COULD?
Read more. And not business books, but actual fiction. A chance to switch off. It’s good for the soul to get lost in another world.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
SkinNinja is everything – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We have some big ballsy plans – which is so exciting and means the next 5 years are going to be quite the ride!
DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BE THE SAME PERSON AT WORK AND IN PRIVATE?
I made a conscious decision on this a few years back. Life is too short for two lives. Of course, keep it professional and mindful to your coworkers – not everyone wants to hear about a raucous weekend but at the same time, I only want to work with people who do want to hear about. Trust and friendship is paramount and at SkinNinja it comes first above everything.
WHERE AND IN WHAT ROLES ARE WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AT YOUR COMPANY?
We’re everywhere! Out CEO and founder is a firm believer in women supporting women. It’s a brilliant environment to work and surround myself in. We are 4 women across legal, tech and science and then myself, marketing and growth.
DOES DIVERSITY MATTER TO YOU?
Absolutely! Life’s pretty dull without it!
HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?
Better than it was! This is my second time living in London – I left, swearing I would never live in London again. Berlin (where I moved to) gave me a fresh perspective to figure out what was important. Turned out, one thing that helped me find daily balance was being home each night at a sensible hour and being able to cook a meal from scratch. A chance to be creative and productive (regardless of how bad a day is, I can whip up a banging dinner and feel like I’ve achieved something). Of course there are many other things that make up life balance, but this is one way I find really helps me put a barrier up between day (work mode) and the evening (me mode).
WHAT QUALITIES DOES BEING IN YOUR ROLE NECESSITATE?
Quick thinking, problem solving, patience, accountability, creativity, organised, proactive. Ability to survive on little sleep.
ANY FINAL COMMENTS?
SkinNinja is available for free on the app stores and at Skinninja.com
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….plus a secret community page where users can feedback in real time to the founding team – it’s not that secret, it’s here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SkinNinja