International Women’s Day: Interview With Mary

Happy International Women’s Day all! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we’ve interviewed our wonderful Marketing Manager, Mary Pipikakis, to find out what International Women’s Day means to her, her career experience so far, and her top tips for anyone wanting to progress into a management position.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

To me, it’s about celebrating the achievements of women from all over the world! Whether it’s professional, emotional, financial, or family wins. I think, for women, International Women’s Day it’s about supporting each other. For other people, it’s about giving women that space and letting them have that day to celebrate all over the world.

Looking at gender, what do ideas of power signify to you?

Hmm, this is a good question! Obviously, money, opportunity and privilege, right? However, these things aren’t accessible to everyone.

If we’re looking at things in a positive way for progress, I believe everything comes down to communication; it’s about giving women the platform to be able to speak about all sorts of different things and, crucially, to be listened to. It’s kind of the pinnacle of what power is – to stand up and be able to speak freely without fear.

Due to the internet and social media, there are so many more conversations happening that are helping to do this. Yes, these things can get very tense and perhaps aren’t always productive. Still, digital communications provide those fortunate enough to have access to them with a variety of platforms to speak on. Having a voice on a societal and global scale can help grant ‘power,’ which really helps gain equality and visibility.

If we’re looking through the lens of power and women on a global scale, for some, establishing power can come down to being able to have a voice within the home. There’s a difference between the public and the private realm. In the public realm, you have your politics, business leaders, influences within the community, celebrities, and so on. Whereas within the home, establishing that equality and power can help challenge traditional gender roles, and to me, the root of change is down to communication. Being free to communicate and advocate can provide opportunities, not just for yourself but for other people also.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing women of your age today?

I believe it is about women embracing assertiveness in a professional context. In my experience, women are way more cautious about negotiating and pushing for new opportunities in case we seem too blunt or pushy.

In talking about times we’ve been assertive, and it’s worked, it can help people go ‘no, I can do x,y, or z’ whether that’s asking for a pay rise or speaking up in meetings or finding something new. Even sharing times where this hasn’t worked can help create a support network. I think the goal should be for people to feel comfortable to express themselves in a way that isn’t confined by their gender, just as people, rather than ‘women in the workplace.’ I think shifting from that, for everyone, is hard. Everyone has innate biases based on their own life experiences and the world that they have seen – that is totally normal. As individuals, we can reflect and learn from these internal biases, and clear empathetic communications are necessary to help dismantle stereotypes. In a professional sense, I think this will be so helpful for better gender balance.

How important is it for women to lift each other up?

I love this question; it means so much to me! It’s hugely important for women to lift each other up.

As a manager, it’s important for me to acknowledge good work. By saying that and recognising achievements, it grows that confidence, which then helps people feel more comfortable communicating, and this helps everything! For women, the more we support each other, the more I believe we can achieve.

What has been your career path to get to your current position as Marketing Manager?

I finished school, took a gap year, and tried a few different things. I look back on this time as a year of working out things that I didn’t like or didn’t want to do! I then did a degree in Creative Writing. Are you seeing a pattern with the love for communications?

When I finished my degree, I was fortunate to have a friend who put in a good word for me and helped me get an interview at a marketing agency. Luckily I did well in the interview process and landed my first job as a Junior Marketing Executive! It was an amazing opportunity. Though agencies are fast-paced, they change a lot, and the professional culture is certainly ‘sink or swim.’ After 3 months, I was transferred to the digital marketing team to become a Digital Marketing Executive and I learnt so much. I was involved in so many awesome projects, working alongside developers, technical SEOs, creative people, and project managers – I was a little sponge trying to absorb everything!

After this, I wanted to round out my experience and see how in-house marketing compared to agency life. So I got a job in eCommerce as a website training manager and did a lot of digital marketing. My role was to analyse each channel, look at how different channels would impact our targets, any that were underperforming, and find solutions. Working across eCommerce and marketing, I learnt a lot about automation, customer service and email communications. After a couple of years in this role, I wanted a new challenge. With agency experience and in-house experience under my belt, I then wanted international experience. This then led to my next role…

Joining an international bomb disposal company, my thought process was ‘if you can market that, what can’t you do!’ This role was very inbound focused, with a lot of work on content, social media, branding kit, and understanding social geopolitical issues as this would impact our projects. A lot of what I did was interviewing people, extracting information, and translating that in ways to understand. While I was there, I was then approached by a recruiter for my current position at Click Intelligence. For me, it ticked all my boxes; I loved the strategy side of things, coming in to help set things up, taking ownership of the marketing, and growing an amazing team. I was excited to go back to the agency side, where there is a lot of organisation, awesome systems, big teams of people!

How would you describe your experience as Marketing Manager at Click Intelligence?

I love my job! I have such a good balance with our founders, James and Simon, because I have the freedom to learn things and to present my own rationale. If I’m not sure about something, the balance of support and the space to do my job is perfect for my professional development and what I bring to the table. There is no one in this business I feel is unapproachable. I’ve also loved growing my own team. I do have strong opinions about management. What I believe in and what I try to deliver is helping people with the support and confidence they need to take ownership over things and not feel micromanaged. Everyone needs direction, but I try and create a space where people can grow and develop in a way that is safe and enriching for them. In managing expectations early and letting people know what you expect from them at the get-go, they are going to deliver.

What advice do you have for women who aspire to be in a management role?

It can be hard to shout your successes, but do it. A tip I found very helpful (and a method I use on my CV and in interviews) is the STAR technique. It’s a framework for applying achievements, even for the small things; for example, the situation (S) might be managing a social media accountant, the task (T) coming up with a strategy, the action (A) is coming up with posts, and the results (R) will be growth and followers. For any wins in a role, record them – write them down. Not just for the future, but for yourself! It may be that your career will evolve, and you will go somewhere else, and that information will be valuable. That said, you may see an opportunity in the company you are already in. It can be scary to push for changes and new challenges, so having that evidence to show what you can do will make those conversations easier. It also gives you evidence and reminds you what you can achieve, which is nice for those days you need a confidence booster! To me, this linksHyperlinks, also known as links, are the connection points on a webpage that take you to other webpages. back to assertiveness. Try not to be afraid to state your opinions and to speak out. I do also think in a management role that empathy is so important, and respecting that people work in different ways – what works for you may not work for those you manage, so try to understand what will help get the best out of those around you.

When Mary isn’t feeding the team with sweet treats, she is at home with her ragdoll cat or pushing herself with some type of fitness venture. Thank you, Mary, for sharing these top tips with us! Happy International Women’s Day.