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This is Genuine Humans, exploring the stories behind the great marketing leaders of our time and how their journeys have influenced the brands they’ve brought to life. Hosted by Tamara Littleton, CEO and Founder and Wendy Christie Chief People Officer of The Social Element.
84 Episodes
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This week, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Kirsten McPherson, Marketing Director at Mondelez International. Kirsten takes us through her career, highlighting her roles at Procter & Gamble and Mondelez, as well as her membership of the Marketing Academy. Kirsten reflects on the impact of influential individuals and programs, such as the Fulcrum Challenge, on her development and touches on the need for human-centric leadership in the industry to combat burnout and improve engagement. She also shares the Marketing Academy leadership rebellion manifesto.
Join Tamara and Wendy as they sit down to chat with Gaelle Comte, Senior Vice President of LIONS Learning at Cannes Lions. Gaelle shares her journey from growing up in the French Alps to playing a leading role in digital innovation in the advertising industry. Gaelle takes us through her career that’s spanned household names like Debenhams, News UK, Virgin and Carphone Warehouse. We hear about how important social mobility and empowering women is to Gaelle as she explores ways to help others gain access to the industry.
This week, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Nicola Young, CMO of soon-to-launch skincare brand, Genaura. Nicola started her marketing career at Scottish Television before switching to radio, where she worked for stations like Jazz FM, Magic, and Global Radio. She later joined Estée Lauder Companies, overseeing the marketing of 29 brands. Nicola also touches on the importance of resilience, networking, mentorship and her competitive spirit.
Join Tamara and Wendy as they discuss the power of community with this week’s guest, Jayvee Nava Brady, Director of Community at Bubble. Jayvee started out managing spin studios and moved on to be the Vice President of Studios and then the Vice President of Community at Peloton. Jayvee talks about building thriving and engaged communities for brands.
Tamara and Wendy are joined by Abbie Hickman, Head of Restaurant Marketing for UK and Ireland at Nando’s. We also hear about Abbie’s time at i2C (now Nectar 360) and her work at Alpro. Abbie talks about the importance of being seen as a defender. Of using your power to stand up for people and of the desire to make a significant impact on the lives of those around her.
Tamara and Wendy are joined by experienced Chief Marketing Officer, Gareth Abel. Gareth honed his marketing expertise working for Orange, Samsung & Etisalat, and he works with organisations to deliver sustainable profit growth through highly effective marketing. Gareth talks about the importance of understanding market dynamics when working internationally and continuous education. We also hear about his framework for sustainable profit growth.
Senior brand marketing specialist, Mays Elansari, joins Tamara and Wendy this week to discuss her fantastic career in marketing, which includes roles at McCann Erickson, MasterCard, and Tiffany & Co as well as strategic roles at Penhaligon’s and Subway.
Mays talks about her experience working in B2C and B2B brands and the differences in working for agency and client-side marketing.
She emphasises the importance of flexibility, agility, and resilience in her career and shares her passion for problem-solving and advocacy for gender equality.
This week, Tamara and Wendy are joined from New York by Aretha Sabeng, Director of Marketing at Garnier at L’Oreal.
Aretha shares her journey from aspiring engineer to marketing professional, detailing her early career challenges and pivotal moments, including a management training program that sparked her passion for marketing. Aretha emphasises the importance of genuine human support in her success and reflects on her childhood experiences that shaped her resilience and curiosity.
Tatiana Canessa, Innovation Activation Manager at Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, joins Tamara and Wendy this week to talk through her career journey.
From working in social media in her home country of Uruguay, to working for the World Health Organisation in Washington D.C and now in her role at Johnson & Johnson, Tatiana has always believed in fostering cultures of innovation and supporting her teams in following their passions and talents.
Rachel Moss, Head of Marketing Strategy at Allwyn, joins Tamara and Wendy this week to talk about her career journey, from her time at Storck to her role in brand management at Kraft and her work at Premier Foods.
Rachel discusses the impact that great leaders and supportive networks have had on her life and talks about her commitment to authenticity in leadership.
Nik Keane joins Tamara and Wendy to share his career journey, starting at P&G, and working his way up to a Global Brand Director position at Diageo before joining Stoli as its Marketing Leader of Ultra Premium Brands.
Nik is now the founder and CMO of non-alcoholic drinks company DioniLife. Nik talks about the importance of personal curiosity and resilience, as well as the crucial role diversity plays in teams.
Brand consultant and TikTok creator, Lauren Spearman joins Wendy and Tamara to discuss her career in digital advertising and influencer marketing – which saw her hold creative and management roles at Benefit Cosmetics and Netmums, and as global head of consumer communications and social at Made.com.
Lauren uses her TikTok platform to champion better hiring practices and advocate for salary transparency, clear job descriptions, and supportive interview processes. She also touched on ageism in the workplace.
Mitch Oliver joins Tamara and Wendy this week. We hear how Mitch started out as a graduate recruit at Mars and worked her way up to Global VP of Corporate Brand and Purpose.
Mitch, who also holds positions at Stonewall and UN Women UK, also discusses her passion for inclusive marketing that is rooted in strategy and a genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion.
This week, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Shea Carter, who is Social Element’s Vice President of Social and Influencer.
Shea takes us on a journey from her big break writing a blog post on Spencer Pratt, which rocked the internet back in the day, and through to her work at MMGY Global, FWV and Kontoor Brands. Shea’s work on both agency and client-side, has given her a unique perspective on client and brand management and communication.
Shea shares these insights with Tamara and Wendy, and also considers where influencer marketing is headed.
This week, Tamara and Wendy are joined by founder and CEO of Sophera Marketing, Richard Levy. Richard started his marketing career at Santander before taking marketing leadership roles at GE-Santander, First National, and MoneyGram.
Richard talks about the challenges and rewards of working in large corporations versus smaller businesses, and how these experiences helped shape his business. He also has fantastic advice about networking as an introvert and the impact that kindness and understanding can have on our lives.
Today, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Salesforce’s client director of media, Caroline Mastoras. Caroline has a vast array of experience working in-house, for brands like Microsoft, and agencies such as Condé Nast and OMD in account management and sales.
Caroline is passionate about closing the pay gap. She founded DAWN and now works with WACL and the 93% club to drive forward equality in the advertising industry.
This week, Tamara and Wendy are joined by senior manager of social intelligence and Operations at Keurig Dr Pepper, Rob Hanson.
Rob shares his career journey from sports marketing internships at the University of New Hampshire and the Boston Celtics to roles at marketing agencies like Octagon and startups such as DraftKings, Starry, and Tel Tech. Rob talks about his experience in social media and discusses the importance of blending human skills and tech in the future of brand building.
Catherine Jensen is vice president of consumer experience and creative services at Sony Interactive Entertainment. Catherine oversees the after-sales relationship with PlayStation customers, ensuring they have a great and memorable experience.
After starting her career at Siemens Medical, Catherine eventually became vice president of global support services at PeopleSoft, VP of support operations at Oracle, VP of service delivery at Intuit and VP of business operations at Symantec before joining Sony.
Catherine joins Tamara and Wendy to discuss online safety and moderation in gaming.
Jane Loring has had a fantastically successful career across a variety of leadership roles, such as sales director at Handbag.com, COO at Influencer and director of sales at Spotify. Jane is now the Director of Sales – Media and Communications at Microsoft.
This week, Jane talks to Tamara and Wendy about her pathway to leadership and the essential role that resilience played in her success. We also hear about her empathetic leadership style and what it meant to be a female leader in an industry where women are still underrepresented at higher levels.
Crawford Hollingworth, founder of The Behavioural Architects and author of ‘How Your Brain Is Wired’, joins Tamara and Wendy this week to discuss his career in behavioural science.
Crawford has worked with global brands like Disney, Diageo and Nike – helping them understand consumer behaviour.
One of the major themes in Crawford’s career has been his constant drive to push outside of his comfort zone and explore his full potential.
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