Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. This is the mission of the International Women’s Day movement. A day where on the 8th March 2022,  we collectively rally call the world to #breakthebias – to create a world where difference is valued and celebrated.

At Pure360 (now part of the Spotler Group) we stand firmly behind International Women’s Day, and have done for many years. We’re so excited this year to be able to celebrate the achievement of many women in the email and wider marketing industry but also we’ve asked them to help you!

We spoke with 16 trailblazing women in our community to bring you their stories and advice.

It’s a long read – and probably should be turned into a book – but I really do urge you to take the time to learn from these awesome women. Their stories are emotional, passionate and full of inspiration!

Collectively we can all #breakthebias

Komal

VP Marketing @Pure360


Ashley Chin

Ashley Chin

Creative Developer @ Pure360

About Ashley – As well as 10+ years working in the tech industry in Brighton, Ashley also has many hobbies from martial arts, running and climbing to baking, gardening and travel. She has a strong passion for exploring, adventure and learning so enjoys the ever changing environment of marketing, technology and design!

Have you faced any challenges succeeding as a woman in marketing?

I’ve been fairly lucky in this respect. Working in Brighton, there is a great community of women who support each other in the tech industry. From meet-ups to mentor schemes, there is always someone who has your back and genuinely wants to see other women succeed in a sector that was previously fairly inaccessible.

I have had a few uncomfortable encounters in interview situations – questions about my relationship status spring to mind – but I generally take this as a good way of deciding which companies to stay away from. In the roles I’ve had, I’ve been privileged enough to have some of the most supportive, encouraging managers, colleagues and friends who are so driven, skilled and passionate about the job they do.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

Don’t be afraid of questions. Ask a lot of them. You’ll learn quicker, waste less time and push for solutions where others just accept the way things are. Welcome questions too, because someone challenging you will only improve your open-mindedness and ultimately your solution-finding skills. There’s always a million ways to solve something, but being able to assess merits and downsides to each one will lead to a better result.

And lastly, always answer questions if you can! Taking time to share what you know is how we all advance as a collective. All those “stupid” things someone took the time to explain to me is the reason I am where I am. I’m capable of so much more today than ten years ago, last year, or even yesterday because of teamwork.

In this industry, it’s not “you versus me”, but rather “we”.

Follow Ashley Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Jenna Devinney

Jenna Devinney

Content Marketing Manager @ Webbula

 About Jenna – A Jill of all trades, she manages Webbula’s robust content calendar, social media accounts, and is in charge of creating eye-catching visuals for channels both online and off. Over her past four years at Webbula, she’s written 100+ blog articles in the email and data solutions space, and has had the privilege of collaborating with and learning from top email industry experts. Webbula is the undisputed leader in Email Hygiene, Data Enhancement, and Audience Targeting services.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace? 

Hard work, dedication, commitment, curiosity, and integrity are all important and can’t be learned in a book. Failures teach us lessons, and success comes from applying those lessons we learn. Don’t be afraid to take on challenges, and push the limits. This will help you learn more at a faster rate. Enjoy the process and the journey because the more you do, the more you grow

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing? 

There are many women in email marketing who inspire me. I’ve had the privilege of working with the most engaging and influential women in email marketing such as Jeanne Jennings, Kath Pay, Jenna Tiffany, Komal Helyer, Lisa Jones, Kate Barratt, Guilda Hilaire, and Yanna-Torry Aspraki. They are just a few of many who welcomed me with open arms, supported, and guided me in my first four years in this industry. These women are intelligent, and inspiring everyday.

Follow Jenna Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Nadja von MassowNadja von Massow

Executive Director @ nadworks

About Nadja – Nadja has been leading digital design teams on both agency and client side for over two decades with a primary focus on email and data. From 2015 she became increasingly involved in eCRM strategy and customer journey development before setting up the digital and creative consulting agency nadworks, which specialises in eCRM and creative services for the Music Industry.

Have you faced any challenges succeeding as a woman in marketing?

Not in the earlier stages of my career because – despite the pond having been oozing of talent – I wasn’t shy to make my voice heard, speak up, go the extra mile and learn as much and as fast as possible, which took me far. However, as the higher levels of seniority reached the bottle neck, I  noticed that other qualities were “expected” and regarded as “conventions” i.e. for a board level promotion. In my case, almost all of these experiences were rooted in company culture.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

Pick your fights wisely and learn to let go. Too much energy is wasted on unnecessary professional antagonism. Stop your ego from taking over when a clear head can get you to the best possible solution in half the time.

What challenges are facing marketers in today’s world?

Trust. Consumers and audiences have become highly educated in the last 10 years and this trend will continue: Intelligent, AI driven Marketing techniques; the value of personal data and the ease by which it can be abused; the importance of controlling our digital footprints – all these topics are being frequently discussed publicly and rightly questioned. Marketers will therefore have to work harder to earn sustained trust and collaborate with brands to (re)introduce authenticity, honesty, sincerity and transparency into all marketing and communication.

This year’s IWD is about bias – where do you see bias today? 

Where to start? It’s rather shocking that we’re in 2022 and gender bias is still so ripe in most aspects of our lives. I feel this idiocy is so hard to rid ourselves off because it’s so deeply ensconced in our culture. Pink is still a shortcode for “female”. Search for socks, trainers, smart watches, etc. you’re still too often stuck with the size/colour combination that doesn’t match your preference.

Lazy marketers use stereotypes to speak to a demographic that they should rather inspire to question outdated conventions. In the past, when we mapped out male/female car campaign segmentations and served different visuals depending on the recipient’s gender, we almost always promoted more sensual car features than in the male version. I felt bad for going along with it then and know I would outright refuse to do so now. Asking for gender in data capture – however multi-faceted the selectable options are – remains a pointless and lazy taxonomy in 99% of marketing related cases in my opinion.

One of my all time favourite TV commercials has aged extremely well since it first aired eight years ago. In fact it could have been made today and nobody would query its topical relevance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ6XQfthvGY

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing?

My biggest role models – male or female – tend to be from outside of Marketing: Scientists, Arts, Education, Politics. I’m generally inspired by strong female leaders in any sector because for me it’s mostly about conduct, communication, passion and authenticity.

What marketing campaigns have inspired you in the last 12 months and why?

Lego’s Braille Bricks launch (actually 2020) – I love it when a brand introduces a new product that also addresses a social issue and uses the marketing or PR campaign to educate and raise awareness. However self serving these examples may be, it reaches people outside the target audience purely by expressing a passion to make a difference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLYBelayqEc

Follow Nadja Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Guilda HilaireGuilda Hilaire

Director, Product Marketing @ Salesforce

About Guilda –  Guilda is a seasoned digital marketer and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in marketing. She’s passionate about building community programs to help drive tech awareness and skill-up for the jobs of today and tomorrow.She holds a B.S. in management from Bentley University and currently serves on the ANA Email Experience board and Bentley Global Alumni Board. She is based in Boston, MA

Have you faced any challenges succeeding as a woman in marketing?

Always. Despite promises from across the corporate world to diversify leadership and give people of all backgrounds equal opportunities, I still don’t see a lot of women of color in leadership roles or promoted as much. When you look at the org charts you see fewer and fewer of us in leadership roles. Start counting. Just count. Remember that math has no opinion. By counting by ethnicity and gender, you see where the under-representation is.  Companies shouldn’t pat themselves on the back, giving some big ethnicity number when 70% of your ethnicity comes from the junior level. That doesn’t work. Everything is being disrupted — everything and so should this. Organizations need to make a real commitment to be disruptive and uncomfortable with this level of disruption in diversity. It’s not a checkbox. It’s not time to be an opportunist in this space. Make it personal.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

Be Beautiful. Be Bold.  Be a BOSS!

Be your most authentic self, always.
Be confident in yourself and believe that you deserve a seat at the table. If you can’t find a seat, make one.

Follow Guilda Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Nely BonarNely Bonar

Managing Director @ Emailexpert UK Ltd

About Nely – Nely is a co-founder of emailexpert. organiser of the events like InboxExpo, Deliverability Summit and Festival of Email. She started her career working with VIP Guests at The Ritz Carlton before moving to the marcom industry. She has a passion for email and is a strong believer that email marketing should be fun. Nely loves the idea that email marketing can impact the offline world and bring people together. Nely has a keen interest in the world of digital and social media, she loves art, travel and learning languages.

Have you faced any challenges succeeding as a woman in marketing?
As a young woman in business, especially when English is a second language you can find it hard to be taken seriously when first entering discussions. At times even other women will assume I have a minor role in my own business, that to be can be more upsetting than men who dismiss you as a pretty face. Overall however I love the way women in the marketing industry go harder than many others to lift each other up.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

I would tell my young self to not worry too much about following all the rules that the people around me have created in the workplaces I am going to encounter. It is a very traditional world and if you are looking for a traditional path others have marked out for you then you may need to follow those rules. If you are looking for a more creative and innovative path for yourself then you will have to make up your own rules. Never be afraid to just be yourself. Learn more, explore more and discover more. In conclusion, always follow your heart, do what you want to do and do it to your very best.

What challenges are facing marketers in today’s world?

There is so much noise and information and we are battling one crisis after another and the media does not really seem to give people a rest. Some of the hardest things aside from getting  your message seen is being relevant, sensitive and socially conscious.

This year’s IWD is about bias – where do you see bias today?

I see bias everywhere unfortunately and sometimes I wonder if things really are getting better.

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing?

I follow many women in the marketing space, especially those connected to email. One woman who really made an impression on me in the past year however is Kait Creamer. I love her work, her original thought and presentations and her creative approach to marketing.

I have also seen how she interacts with others and builds and maintains relationships, I found her presentation at Inbox Expo in Valencia particularly inspiring and her growth from email through to Senior Marketing moving from US to Europe is quite incredible.

I also have the luck to work with Komal Helyer on a fairly regular basis and her ability to manage family and be a BOSS marketer leaves me in awe. Leading me to the last but absolutely no means least, lady on my list. Jenna Tiffany truly is inspiring, in the last year not only did she grow her awesome industry newsletter A.T.E but she wrote an incredible must read manual for marketers “Marketing Strategy: Overcome Common Pitfalls and Create Effective Marketing” and snuck out a baby in the process. The whole time keeping the well oiled wheels of her branding machine oiled and getting time off to spend with her bundle of joy and no one noticed. Like a boss took care of herself and her business.

Follow Nely Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Adeola Sole

Adeola Sole

Senior Consultant @ Holistic Email Marketing

About Adeola – Adeola is a professional CRM consultant and a known public speaker and webinar host. She’s consulted on successful, data-led eCRM strategies and implemented growth opportunities for many businesses spanning across multiple verticals.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

Oh, I have so many things I want to shake my younger self and say, but if I had to choose one it would be, to not be afraid of asking questions. During my time as an exec, I felt it was my duty to know everything and so asking questions would frustrate people and perhaps show that I wasn’t good enough to do the job. The feeling of being replaceable made me work diligently and hard and at times I suffered especially if I didn’t quite grasp a task. The fear of asking for more detail would wash over me. For some strange reason I saw hierarchy too much when I was young. To question a brief and ask for clarity was something I didn’t do, of fear of making my manager feel inadequate. So, I ended up suffering in silence until it was too late. Knowledge comes on the other side of asking questions.

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing?

There is one women who I aim to be like, Bozoma Saint John. She is the CMO for Netflix and she is such an inspirational and confident women. She embraces every single part of herself and her culture and it’s reflected through her style and work ethic. She has broken away from the ‘norm’ of what a corporate women should look like, and it makes my heart smile. I have always hated suits and I swore to myself that I would try and be as authentic as possible. But it’s harder to do when you don’t know how to break the mould, and then the fear to be different settles in. But Bozoma is a trailblazer and has shown women everywhere how to show up as their very best self, and I just love it. Not only that, but she also gives back through her educational series for aspiring future thought leaders.

Follow Adeola Here –  Linkedin 


Lauren MeyerLauren Meyer

Chief Marketing Officer @ SocketLabs

About Lauren – Lauren brings 15+ years of experience in the email industry to her role as Chief Marketing Officer for SocketLabs. Throughout her career, she has helped small and large-scale senders get the most out of their email marketing programs, working with various ESPs and email technologies. Having focused mainly on the areas of deliverability, anti-abuse and compliance, Lauren is a vocal advocate for having a proactive, data-driven approach to email best practices and deliverability monitoring as a means to optimizing email performance and the recipient experience.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

Use your voice. And don’t be afraid to fail. There is SO much to learn when you’re entering a new job or industry; it can be incredibly intimidating. But believe it or not, nobody expects you to know everything. So, use your words! Ask questions, share your ideas—and speak up often so you get used to how it feels.

What’s the worst that can happen?

  • You’ll find out you’re wrong, and you’ll learn something.
  • You’ll find out you’re onto something, and your manager/colleague/client will thank you and respect you for your creativity and keen eye for detail.
  • Someone in the meeting will be threatened by you or tell you to pipe down, and you’ll realize you’re in a toxic environment much more quickly than you would have by sitting silently and waiting for your leader-in-terror to recognize your worth.

What challenges are facing marketers in today’s world?

Many of us are isolated, working from home, being much less social than we were in the before times. Meanwhile, we’ve all been witness to one world-changing event after another. Marketers have an immense amount of responsibility to stay aware of what’s happening around us and show empathy, thoughtfulness, and overall regard for the email audience we’re sending to—even though we’ve never met and are working off of data signals based on interactions.

Follow Lauren Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Kenda MacdonaldKenda Macdonald

CEO / Founder @ Automation Ninjas

About KendaKenda Macdonald is a forensic psychology major and the founder of Automation Ninjas. She is an international keynote speaker, a multi-award-winning businesswoman, a doting cat mom, and the author of the best selling book: Hack The Buyer Brain.

Her biggest bugbear is how “modern” marketing doesn’t take consumer behaviour into consideration. Her mission is to fix that.

Have you faced any challenges succeeding as a woman in marketing?

Yes, it’s often hard to be heard (and I’m loud so that’s saying something). It can be difficult being taken seriously, and I’ve had to prove myself more. I’ve also found that myself and my female counterparts feel imposter syndrome more keenly than our male peers. So it can be both an internal and external struggle to the top. All this despite marketing being a female dominated industry!

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Your voice will be heard, you don’t need to be the loudest, but with persistence the right people will listen. Keep going.

What challenges are facing marketers in today’s world?

Cutting through the noise is tough. Creating meaningful content, connections and ensuring you’re not adding the noise is a hard balance. Tactics and new tools are also a constant distraction and I see a lot of marketers finding it hard to stay strategic in a sea of ideas and “things”.

This year’s IWD is about bias – where do you see bias today? 

Marketing is full of bias, and some of the biggest biases I see are in how we view experts. We’re heavily skewed towards male authority figures, and older ages groups. We also have race biases – and this is reflected in panels and conferences everywhere. I’m so pleased to see this shifting, but that bias is still lurking.

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing?

I love seeing diversity. I’m inspired by smaller brands that are up and coming and having that zest for life that bigger brands tend to lose. I love transparent messaging. Some of my favourite brands at the moment for that at the moment are Snag Tights and Savage X Fenty.

What marketing campaigns have inspired you in the last 12 months and why?

I’ve really enjoyed Savage X Fenty’s diversity campaign this year. They used models across gender skews, race and also disabilities to show off beauty in different ways. Their site also allows you to see how your clothing will look on models of your size. This level of transparency and inclusivity is completely inspiring and something we should all be aiming for.

Follow Kenda Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Jeanne JenningsJeanne Jennings

Founder & CEO @ Email Optimisation Shop

About Jeanne – Jeanne is a recognized expert in the email marketing industry; her boutique consultancy helps medium- to enterprise-sized organizations make their email marketing efforts more effective and more profitable via strategic testing. She is also General Manager of Only Influencers, Programming Chair of the Email Innovations Summit (June 20-22, 2022, in Las Vegas), and an Adjunct Professor teaching digital marketing in the graduate school at Georgetown University. Jeanne is based in Washington, DC, she earned her MBA from Georgetown University (Hoya Saxa!), and she is an avid hockey fan (Let’s Go Caps!).

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing?

When I entered the workforce, I was inspired by those who came before me, people who shared their knowledge and expertise and helped me grow as a marketer. They include Susan Harford, who taught me that you can get a lot of good done with B+ work; Vicki Moffitt, who helped me hone my direct response approach; Lori Haller, without whom my creative direction skills would be a fraction of what they are, and Mark Potts, who gave me my first ‘email-only’ job, later encouraged me to go out on my own as a consultant, and remains a good friend.

Now that I’m more established in my career, I find myself being inspired by a younger generation of email industry professionals. People like Ada Barlatt, whose expertise in the quantitative/analytical side of email marketing blows me away, especially when she shares it freely in blog posts she writes for Only Influencers (OI); Jenna Devinney, another OI blog contributor, whose video interviews with email experts are making industry knowledge more engaging and accessible; Komal Helyer, who shows her dedication to the industry by being a driving force in both the DMA-UK email council and the OI diversity committee, in addition to contributing to the email body of knowledge via posts for the OI and Pure360 blogs; and Jenna Tiffany, who is leveraging her industry knowledge across a multitude of endeavors, including her strategy consultancy, her book, her weekly newsletter, her teaching, and the OI blog.

Follow Jeanne Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Catrin JonesCatrin Jones

Strategy Consultant @ Pure360

A short bio – I’m a Strategy Consultant at Pure360 where I use data to help clients make clever decisions in their email marketing campaigns. Outside of work I am most frequently found with my cockapoo Evie trying out some of the brilliant food that Brighton has to offer.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

That there are times to play it safe and times to be courageous and no one can decide which is right for you other than yourself. We get a lot of messages these days about how we have to take risks to move forward in life, which I do agree with in part – but I’ve learned much more about myself and what I actually want in life by sometimes taking that extra day/week/month/year to reflect and then make a move. In my last jobs I’d have days where every fibre in my being was saying it’s time to quit and find a new job, but on reflection there was something else I was dissatisfied about and changing jobs seemed like a quick way to ‘fix’ everything before I’d even figured out what was wrong. So yes, take that risk and don’t let fear hold you back, but make sure you’re listening to what you really want first.

This year’s IWD is about bias – where do you see bias today?

Unfortunately I think bias is something that we’re all being affected by on a daily basis, whether we see it or not. Progress is being made but I think the corporate world has a long way to go before stereotypically generic male traits are not the only way to be seen as ‘professional’. I’ve got a sister with disabilities and know that her brilliant brain is frequently overlooked because she sits outside the norm in some ways and, seriously, you’re all missing out. For her, and everyone like her who is othered, I want to see people celebrated in the workplace for who they are, not how well they fit in with your culture or generic job descriptions. As a start we need to add accessibility information in all job ads (Can someone in a wheelchair get to you for an interview? Can someone whose brain needs time to process information be given their questions in advance?) and to bring in more steady, salaried jobs that are deliverable lead rather than measured on hours per day.

Follow Catrin Here –  Linkedin 


Kath PayKath Pay

CEO @ Holistic Email Marketing

About Kath –  Kath Pay is CEO at Holistic Email Marketing, winner of the ANA/EEC’s Thought Leader of the Year 2021 Award, and the author of the award-winning Amazon #1 best-seller “Holistic Email Marketing: A practical philosophy to revolutionise your business and delight your customers.”

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

  • Be confident in your abilities – both learned and those innate to you as a woman.
  • Be passionate about what you do – passion is catchy and will enthuse those near you and leave a lasting impression.
  • Be gracious. This isn’t just for when you’re at work – but in life in general. It will help others and make you a better person.

Follow Kath Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Kelly AtkinsKelly Atkins

Client Services Director @ Parkhouse Agency

About Kelly – Kelly Atkins has over 20 years’ experience in the below-the-line industry, working both client and agency side in various marketing sectors including financial services, telecommunications, insurance, automotive, government, healthcare and travel and tourism. She has led big brand CRM multi-channel programmes to drive business growth, she has been responsible for translating client objectives into multi-channel campaigns that are data / insight driven and outcome focused. She has been passionate about understanding clients core challenges and transforming ways of working to address those challenges.  Resulting in deeper relationships to create true partnerships, that have enabled brands and clients to exceed their objectives by optimising communication content, frequency and use of data to drive efficiencies; leading to improved campaign performance and reduction in cost to enable budget to be spent on new initiatives.  Kelly is also a member of the DMA Email Council, meeting monthly with industry experts from a wide variety of brands and agencies, to discuss and debate the latest hot topics relating to email marketing – from compliance and legislation to deliverability and spam to content and performance measurement.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

In pausing to look back at my younger self when I first started working, I realise there are many answers to this question.  So here are a few lessons I would have attempted to give to the younger me:

  • Don’t get overwhelmed when someone in a very senior position asks where you see your career in 10 years, it’s OK not to know that. Business, the World and you will change and evolve on an ongoing basis and each career move you make, even if not one you anticipated, will take you on a journey that is personal to you and will provide you the growth and development you need for the step that will come after that.
  • Trust your gut instinct as it will never fail you, only you will fail you if you go against your gut instinct. This applies to everything in your career (and life!) – role decisions, recruitment decisions, risk-taking in business, supplier selection and so on.
  • Attitude is as important as knowledge, it’s OK to have gaps in knowledge and experience because if you put your mind to it, you can build that knowledge and gain that experience, but the right attitude – a desire to learn, grow and develop and a discipline and willpower to achieve your goals – is what will ensure you put your mind to it and accomplish what you set out to achieve.
  • You will have lots of moments in the years to come where you will worry you are not good enough – this is OK – everyone suffers with imposter syndrome sometimes, acknowledge those feelings and then remind yourself you are human, you have overcome many challenges and you are more than good enough!
  • Be friendly, smile, be open-minded to all different types of people and personalities, listen to different opinions and views, realise everyone you meet and interact with is driven by their own learned behaviours and has their own challenges to deal with in life and at work and focus on building relationships with all these different types of people to keep you fresh and able to challenge yourself.
  • Keep working your brain muscle through learning – new skills, new experiences, exposure to new situations and people, developing new hobbies, practising new physical activities – it will all keep you inspired and energised.
  • One day you will have a lightbulb moment that the fact you not only embrace change but actually enjoy change and have always had a better outcome from change than you had before that change occurred – is an amazing thing and you will see it as one of your greatest characteristics, enabling you to be adaptable to the people, business and World around you.

Follow Kelly Here –  Linkedin | Twitter


Kristen HainesKristen Haines

CEO @ MailCon

About Kristen – Kristen Haines is the Chief Executive Officer at MailCon, where she oversees the company’s strategy and operations. She is well-known for her passionate and savvy approach to marketing and sales in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketplaces. When Kristen is not planning MailCon’s next big event, you can find her in the gym or reading books on business and technology.

Have you faced any challenges succeeding as a woman in marketing?

My marketing career has never depended on the fact that I am a woman. I feel that my experiences as a woman and as a marketer have been highlighted by how much I want to succeed and how much I am willing to work to earn what I deserve. Indeed, hard work, a positive attitude, and seeing opportunities instead of roadblocks pays off greatly.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

Talk less. Actively listen. Show genuine interest in others.

This year’s IWD is about bias – where do you see bias today?

While there’s always something that can be improved in the workplace, I believe that to make an impactful difference, we as women leaders, should stop focusing on what’s lacking, and shift our attention towards educating and empowering the younger generation of women to become fearless leaders and not victims.

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing?

There are many women in marketing who inspire me, but most of all those who lead with true confidence, integrity, and a genuine desire to help others succeed.

What marketing campaigns have inspired you in the last 12 months and why?

The “Becoming Your Parents” campaign by Progressive is very clever and humorous. I admire companies that incorporate relatable humor into their campaigns.

Follow Kristen Here –  Linkedin


Beata LinzBeata Linz

Brand | Digital | Email Marketing Consultant @ Beata Linz Consultancy

About Beata – Beata Linz is a Brand | Digital | Email Marketing Consultant and works with brands with a good cause to thrive online via Digital Marketing. These may be organisations that advocate causes such as sustainability, circular economy, equal rights, human rights, animal rights, just to name a few. She worked for Nike for 10 years, where she grew Email Marketing from scratch to a substantial channel in EMEA. She expanded her expertise in wider Digital Marketing, and has been an advocate of consistent and seamless cross-channel messaging. Besides her day-to-day job, she was also active in supporting the brand’s causes. After 10 years Beata decided to start her own consultancy and has been working with SMEs from startups to large multinational brands. It is her mission to help organisations that see beyond profit.

Beata is also a founder of the digital marketing mothers (and parents) collective who want to get back into the workforce after taking a break with their families. These individuals are eager, want to develop and stand on their own feet. It is important that we train them and give them back the confidence with the flexibility of freelance and digital working environments. Everyone deserves the chance to get back into their career and have equal working and payment opportunities.

The best way to go is lifting each other up.

#BreakTheBias

What challenges are facing marketers in today’s world?

One of the major challenges is what mothers (and parents) face having families.

Sometimes they have to make difficult decisions and leave the workforce and their career. This can be their own personal decision e.g. to spend more time with their families, and sometimes it can be driven by the circumstances i.e. the lack of support the state provides, how expensive childcare is, do they have a wider family or support system to rely on, etc.

Marketer mothers (and parents) especially may face a more complex situation when they decide to get back to the workforce. Marketing technologies are rapidly changing, more tools are available, the industry is transforming. It is already a challenge for women (and people) in the workforce to keep up with all the advancements.

After taking a break these mothers (and parents) face a highly competitive market, have a low self-esteem and don’t know where to start. Oftentimes they degrade themselves and don’t dare to apply for jobs that they might have gotten if they stayed in the workforce.

It is our mission at the digital marketing mothers (and parents) collective to help them get ready, and slowly ease into working again, while having flexible lifestyles for their families. With the digitalization of working from home culture, the big resignation wave and freelance opportunities, the time is better than before.

The best way to go is lifting each other up.

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing?

Margaret Versteden – She is no longer just in Marketing, but the CEO of Bol.com – the Dutch equivalent of Amazon. She was my first manager at Nike, and enabled me to grow and take on special projects that led me into my best career choices.

Margaret is originally from Australia and grew up on a farm, she even can cut the wool of sheep in a record breaking time. She has a large family of her own, while a successful marketer and business woman in the Netherlands and internationally. Her passion, dedication and ambition, is truly remarkable.

I’m humbled that I could work for her and learn from her all those years back, and excited to see her progressing in her journey, enabling others, like she once did with me.

Follow Beata Here –  Linkedin


Linnea LindgrenLinnea Lindgren

Marketing Communication Manager @ Halon

About Linnea – Linnea Lindgren is a B2B marketer with experience in driving fully integrated, digital, events, and content-based marketing campaigns across various European markets. In her current role as Marketing Communication Manager for Halon, a leading flexible MTA for large-scale email services that wish to streamline their email delivery, email security, and deliverability automation, the world is her playground. Halon is on a journey to change the game of email and marketing is an integral part of this journey. Prior to working for Halon, Linnea has lived in various parts of the world such as the UK, Canada, Malta, and South Africa. She is passionate about marketing, people, growth, B2B, tech, email, data, and achieving results.

Have you faced any challenges succeeding as a woman in marketing? 

I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing and very supportive people who have helped me grow as a marketer! We all face challenges whether we’re women or not and whether we’re in marketing or another field. One of the challenges that I know many female marketers are struggling with is getting promoted or increasing their salaries. I’m a strong advocate of recognition and think there is a lot to gain from recognising hard-working employees by giving them that well-deserved promotion or salary increase before they have to ask for it or even apply for other jobs.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace? 

Don’t be afraid to fail, or to try again. Failing is a part of the process of learning and becoming a skilled marketer. If there was a one-way recipe to do it all, someone would have already figured that out. Also, try not to work too much, the work will still be there in the morning (probably still a piece of good advice).

What challenges are facing marketers in today’s world?

So many! But highlighting one of them a big one is measuring, proving, and communicating the ROI of marketing activities. As a marketer, it’s critical to be able to demonstrate revenue growth and ROI but at the same time, there are so many activities within marketing that cannot easily be tracked. The truth is, this is okay but you must find smart ways to work around it.

This year’s IWD is about bias – where do you see bias today? 

I think the most realistic answer to this is that bias is everywhere. Everyone has biases. We’re aware of some we don’t know we have. It’s important we acknowledge these biases and that we encourage ourselves and the people around us to challenge them whenever necessary. For example, it goes without saying that candidates that are equally qualified should be offered the same salary regardless of factors such as gender and demographics.

Who inspires you as a woman in marketing?

There are lots of inspiring women in marketing out there but if I’d pick one it’s Anita Siek, the CEO of Wordfetti. Anita is doing what she does with such a passion and she’s an inspiration to everyone.

What marketing company has inspired you in the last 12 months and why? 

Gong! They’ve been doing lots of inspirational content, have a great social media presence and I assume no one has missed their spot on Super Bowl Commercial.

Follow Linnea here – Linkedin


Komal Helyer

VP Marketing @ Pure360 – Part of the Spotler Group

About Komal – Award winning Komal has over 20 years experience in email and digital marketing. VP Marketing at Pure360, Komal leads the Go-to-Market, Retention and Brand strategies at Pure360. A passionate email marketer, Komal is also Chair of the DMA Email Council. As a key industry thought leader and events speaker, Komal is also a sub Editor @ The Modern Retail and writes for many other publications. Komal’s passion to support greater diversity in the workplace is the driving force behind her commitment to mentoring individuals in the industry, she is also a Mentor @The Girls Network. She has been nominated for many awards and was proud to win Corporate Woman of the Year ’19 at the Business Woman’s Excellence Awards and to be awarded a Top 50 CX Star accolade in 2021.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self when entering the workplace?

Unfortunately for a woman in business we have to prove ourselves time and time again, more so than our male colleagues. So we have to be great and we have to be better!

  • Always be improving – learning, reading and listening
  • Increase your circle of knowledge – learn about random stuff – its where creativity comes from
  • Ask questions but always be looking for ways you can help solve the problem
  • Network, collaborate and help others
  • Find a mentor – or two! Find someone that inspires you that is willing to help you achieve your goals
  • Explore different industries and find one that you have a passion in – once you do, it all becomes so much more enjoyable!

Follow Komal Here –  Linkedin | Twitter