In this exclusive we cover:
👉What Liz does in a day
👉A project that Liz has worked on
👉Entry level marketing roles in corporate/consulting
1. Before we dive into your role at Bain & Company, what has your career journey looked like so far?
I’ve yet to meet anyone who said “As a kid, I dreamed of being a marketer”, but I think that’s what’s so interesting about this industry! There is no such thing as a textbook marketer. It’s a sector that brings together people with diverse skill sets from all backgrounds.
I’ve always loved languages and started out as a certified translator. Working in a small communications consultancy in Taiwan, my job involved translating written documents from Mandarin Chinese into English. I think this is where I really discovered my love of wordsmithing – syntax, context and connotation can all have such a big impact on the written word. For me, it’s an art to craft the messaging and tone in a way that’s just right for your audience.
After moving to Australia, my love of words and writing led me to roles in internal comms, corporate affairs, and finally, B2B and content marketing. It was really beneficial to try out different areas of marketing and communications, and I feel I’ve found the area (B2B marketing) that’s right for me.
I would say my career path has also been very industry-agnostic, as over the past 10+ years I’ve worked across professional services, healthcare and engineering. This is another advantage of a marketing career, as your skills can be very transferable across a range of sectors.
2. Transitioning into work, what does a Senior Marketing Manager @ Bain & Company do?
I own the development and implementation of our B2B marketing strategy at Bain Australia. My job is to build Bain’s reputation as a premium consulting partner and to strengthen our relationships with clients and the broader business community.
What is Bain & Company?
Bain & Company is a global strategy and management consultancy, with 63 offices in 38 countries.
What does your role entail?
I love variety and learning, so I’m lucky to be in a role that gives me exposure to lots of different industries. We’re a pretty small team so I do a lot of generalist marketing work – on any given day, I might be:
- Organising a forum
- Hosting a webinar
- Pitching a story to local media
I also collaborate a lot with my regional and global marketing colleagues, partnering with people in Boston, Chicago, London, Spain, and all over Asia!
3. What’s an example of a campaign that you’ve worked on and what was your role in bringing it to life?
Project: Developing a leadership training program for emerging Australian leaders
What is it?
At the moment I’m helping to deliver a leadership training program for emerging leaders in key Australian sectors. There is so much expertise and knowledge at Bain that can help others to nurture and grow their strategy and management skills, and to make a greater impact in their organisations.
What’s your role?
I help to bring programs like this to life through managing:
- Communication
- Content hubs
- Events
- Overall participant experience
4. What do the entry level pathways for marketing in a corporate/consulting firm look like?
On the corporate side, entry level roles might include a marketing or events coordinator, or something more specific like a social media coordinator.
With the right skills and mindset, I think marketing is also an area you could transfer into from another role. For example, I have seen administrative assistants/front of house employees successfully bring their skills in relationship management, logistics and planning to a marketing role.
5. What’s one thing you recommend an aspiring marketer do right now?
Be clear about what you enjoy and what energises you. If you aren’t sure, try to seek out experiences that might help you figure it out. Is it writing and crafting words, or are you a more visual storyteller? Do you enjoy working with different types of media? Do you enjoy coordinating events and creating great experiences? Or maybe you’re interested in how organisations can engage and motivate their employees through internal communications and employer branding. There’s something for everyone in marketing.
