Tell us about where you work and what you do there.
I am the Senior Vice President of Partnerships at Hawke Media, a full service digital marketing agency focused on scaling eCommerce brands. I lead a powerhouse team of women that manages over 1,500 partner relationships. We work with our partners to create mutually beneficial relationships that involve referrals, lead generation, co-selling, co-marketing, and more.
I sit on our executive team to help scale the agency overall plus to plug partnerships into every aspect of the business in order to elevate our partners and get them in front of our clients. Ultimately, our partners help our clients and the brands they represent soar.
How would you describe yourself?
I work hard and am always looking to learn and grow in any environment. I consider myself to be Type A AF. However, people are most important to me, rather than just results, and I enjoy mentoring other women in the workplace and beyond. I am an animal lover and dog mom who aspires to have an animal sanctuary one day. A Canadian in the American southwest, I have lived in the US for many years now, across three states so far!
What qualities do you think a great marketer needs to have?
A great marketer should be flexible and shouldn’t have an ego. They never think they know best and are always willing to learn, adapt, and in turn test everything — copy, creative, content, channels, and campaigns. They also need to stay ahead of the curve in trends, platform, and algorithm changes in order to deliver excellent results for their clients. Every client, brand, and business is different and you never know what is going to work best for their particular product or audience unless you do your diligence with extensive market research, analyze any data, and constantly evolve.
What do you think has been your biggest professional success so far?
In what seems like another lifetime, I worked in the public sector in Canada for the first half of my career. Getting involved in politics in high school and serving Canadian constituents for many years while working for several public figures on Parliament Hill including the Prime Minister was an honor. It was extremely rewarding, especially when we could improve the lives of others.
What goals do you have for 2022?
For 2022, I want to continue to improve as a servant leader and people manager with the ultimate goal of becoming a level 5 leader.
What do you think is the next big trend in eCommerce?
I think we’re going to continue to see the growth in 3D Commerce, augmented reality, and virtual reality. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting spending habits, overall sales, and in-store shopping, many brands have found success in incorporating these more unique, detailed visual elements into online selling systems.
These kinds of adjustments allow customers to view products in a way most similar to in-person shopping, without the same risks. No matter what the future holds vis-a-vis the pandemic, this type of content isn’t going away. Businesses have seen the benefit of allowing consumers to have this kind of information available at their fingertips to ease decision-making from home.
Name an eCommerce brand you admire and why.
I admire MeUndies. It’s a great founder story from incarceration to success. Plus I love their product. Their soft tees and lounge pants have been staples in my stay-at-home pandemic wardrobe. I love their bold prints, collabs with various fandoms like Harry Potter and Games of Thrones, plus their inclusive sizing and models. Not to mention their matching dog accessories you can get for your fur baby.
What do you geek out over?
Food! I keep a running list of my favorite restaurants in every major city in the US, of places I have already visited plus places I have yet to try — including specific dishes.
