To be honest, I fell into the industry as I was initially looking to get into journalism so I started at Emap back in 2006 as a sales executive, calling companies on the phone to sell advertising space in magazines just to get a step into the publishing world. I really enjoyed building relationships & being part of helping clients succeed in their business goals and when I saw that digital was becoming the new world, my career path led me into the Adtech world. It’s an industry which is always evolving & I love being a part of a challenging but growing environment.

I’ve recently joined Liveperson at the back end of 2021 after following the company for some time & when an opportunity came up where I could apply all my previous experience while immersing myself in the new world of AI, it was a perfect fit. My goal is to help brands connect with their customers on a personalised level by creating a seamless customer experience built from one powerful conversational AI platform. This will allow brands to meet consumers whenever they need, wherever they are and with more & more conversations and transactions happening online, conversational AI will be key to a brand’s strategy. 

Working full-time at home over the past 2 years would be the biggest challenge. Although I have had the flexibility in the past to work remotely, I still had the option to be in the office & also meet with clients face to face. As a social person, it’s been a huge adjustment to work in isolation, in the same environment where you live so creating a routine that works for me to stay motivated & maintain a healthy mindset has been key.

I was fortunate to have an incredible manager for many years who, without realising, has had a big impact on my career development and not only supported my career goals but was my biggest advocate. His drive & passion for his team to succeed and the respect, care & trust we had as a team was undeniable. I truly believe that having the right manager can play a big part in your early career success & beyond. Chris has been such a key role model in defining expectations of a great manager & it’s one of the factors I look for when pursuing a new role. 

“If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail” This applies to any part of life. 

I really believe in vision boards. Spend the time to pull together a collage of your dreams & aspirations, short-term & long-term goals. Set yourself challenging targets to work towards & create your “Why”. Make sure to hang it somewhere you can see every morning to motivate you to make that day another step closer to achieving your dreams.

In the words of Walt Disney “If you can dream it, you can do it”.

Tenacious, passionate & charismatic 

Great question! If you’d asked me this pre-covid, it would have been a slightly different answer but with the pandemic accelerating the consumers need to transact online much faster than brands expected, the need for companies to enhance their digital presence & technology has become more important than ever before. Having the ability to connect & understand their customers’ intents in real-time will be key to a successful future, turning routine consumer conversations into revenue-driving brand experiences.

Who knows what adverse conditions may impact the market in the next decade, however I am confident that conversational AI will play a key part in helping drive the industry forward.