I studied for a master’s in International Business with French at university and spent a year studying in France. While I was there, I had the opportunity to take part in a small business course which was focused on tech start-ups and scale-ups. I absolutely loved learning about that and hearing some incredible success stories. From there, I knew that I wanted to work for smaller fast-paced organisations where I would be able to add a lot of value quickly.
I started out my career as a Marketing Assistant at a young B2B software company, where I quickly learned a lot and had the opportunity to work across multiple areas of the business. I climbed the ladder quickly there and got to work in both the UK and US markets.
From there, I then joined an app development company in Edinburgh where I ran the Marketing department. I had to learn new skills quickly and work in an agile way. I also completed my Diploma in Digital Marketing.
I realised after a few years of gaining experience in B2B marketing that I wanted to gain experience in marketing in the B2C industry and here I am at Phlo today!
I was co-organising a monthly meetup event called Product Tank Edinburgh and I approached Nadeem Sarwar (CEO) and Adam Hunter (CCO) to ask if they would like to present at the event after following the Phlo growth story closely.
After listening to the presentation, it sparked something in me, and I realised that Phlo was the type of company I wanted to work for. I could see their passion, their hunger to innovate and most of all, the desire to make a real difference to the lives of their patients and how they manage their healthcare.
As Marketing Manager, I work closely with the wider team to drive Phlo’s growth and ensure that our patients receive the best possible care. I co-manage a team of 8 people and work collaboratively across digital marketing campaigns, website, social media, product marketing and patient communications and retention.
I normally start my morning with a strong coffee ready for our daily 9.30am team meeting. During our morning meetings, the team discuss the priorities for that week/day and any challenges or blockers.
Depending on what the priorities are for that week, I’ll typically have several meetings with our Product and Pharmacy teams to understand what’s going on across the business and I may also be working on proofing content from the team, managing team priorities, building marketing automations, or writing strategy documents.
I often have very busy weeks, so it’s important that I take the time allow myself proper breaks during the day. I try to get out for some exercise at lunchtime as much as possible and get my steps in – it makes a big difference to my energy levels!
I think you need to be a strong communicator first and foremost. I’m often talking to colleagues in multiple areas of the business so it’s important that you can speak to people and establish trust. For me, I also truly believe that the best marketers can combine their creativity with an analytical mindset to achieve results.
I also place a heavy importance on building a strong team culture, one in which you fully support each other to be the best you can be. At Phlo, we win and lose together as a team.
Finally, I think the desire to continuously learn and adapt is key. Marketing tactics can change so quickly so it’s vital that you can adapt and are open to continuous learning and improvement.
As we are ambitious at Phlo, we often have a lot of priorities and are juggling multiple projects simultaneously. My team is brilliant, and we often have so many ideas we’d like to execute but just don’t have enough hours in the day.
I try not to view anything as “challenging” rather just an opportunity for me to keep learning. We are lucky at Phlo that we are actively encouraged to test and try new marketing tactics regularly. This means that if something doesn’t produce the results we might have expected, it’s never viewed as a “failure” – we take it on the chin and learn for the next time.
The people. I’m surrounded by such talented and knowledgeable people that not a day goes by where I haven’t learned something new. Whether it’s learning about a certain medication from the pharmacy team or understanding a new product feature, I love that we all work towards the same goal to provide an outstanding patient experience. When we get a 5-star review on Trustpilot from a happy patient, it really makes my day.
I also love the fact that we are free to be creative and try new marketing campaign concepts regularly.
Recently, I have been renovating my flat and have been learning lots of new DIY and interior design skills which I love!
I also love to keep fit, I run three times a week and have also recently taken up an outdoor kickboxing class.
Languages are also a real passion of mine as it’s what I studied. I’m doing an online course learning Japanese now – I won’t lie, it’s not the easiest language to learn but I find it fascinating.
I’d actively encourage young professionals to try and get as much exposure to the wider marketing mix as possible. I think it’s great if you can focus in on a particular niche, however the ability to understand different marketing strategies and tactics and what works for different audiences will help develop a strategic mindset and broad experience to build you future career on.
I also firmly believe that data-driven marketing is the future. Understanding how to analyse data sets and what impact that has on the business and top line growth is an excellent skill to learn.
Finally, never be afraid to ask questions. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
There are so many amazing resources out there to help you brush up on your marketing knowledge. I personally love Neil Patel on anything to do with content or SEO.
HubSpot have some brilliant resources and templates for content marketing. I also like to join specific Marketing LinkedIn groups such as the Marketing Meetup that deliver insightful podcasts and videos on different marketing topics every month.
There’s no better time to become part of the Phlo community. Take control of your medication management and join the 1,000s of patients we’ve helped safely manage their medication.
Join us on
