
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
54 | DIGITAL WILLOW
cared about helping other businesses
grow. Bringing my dream to life has
been perhaps the most rewarding
experience I could ask for.
I am passionate about helping people
and businesses grow into the best
version they can possibly be. This is
how I behold the life of a marketing
professional and a CEO. To lead is not
always to be the toughest person in
the room. I believe it is essential to
show your vulnerability. Painting my
world rose-coloured doesn’t connect
with people. As a leader I do my best
to be open about the challenges the
business and clients are facing and to
be inclusive about the decisions I am
planning to take. I am highly driven
and conscientious – most often the last
to leave and always looking for that
sprinkle of special sugar that will make
our strategies beat the rest.
Nurturing and empowering
Our mantra is that there is always
a solution to every problem, and
that applies in all aspects of life.
The world is open to possibilities if
you stay focused on the goal. Find
your courage, make a decision and
learn from your mistakes. Leadership
requires ever-green learning and focus.
I believe leadership is the fine balance
between nurturing staff, inspiration,
providing a vision, upholding high
standards and setting clear boundaries.
As women, we are often taught
to be crowd pleasers, displaying a
willingness to serve and comply.
Saying yes, however, doesn’t always
lead to the best outcome. Not every
customer is right for every business.
We identify best fit by identifying
those interested in a value exchange,
maintaining Digital Willow’s culture
and highstandards.
A happy workplace perpetuates
loyalty, quality and productivity.
Shawn Achor’s book
The Happiness
Advantage
resonated with me and
highlighted what was missing during
my years in corporate advertising. I
encourage both clients and the team
to be inquisitive, collaborative and to
approach the day with a smile and a
sense of mischief. As Eleanor Roosevelt
said: “Well-behaved women rarely
make history.”
Working in the space of digital
technology and digital marketing
demands innovative at pace. We
are committed to vigorous learning.
For example, it is mind-blowing that
13 years ago YouTube didn’t even
exist and now it forms a key part of
communication plans. Every growth
plan that we create for clients includes
an element of “test and learn”. Ideally
this is about 10 to 15 per cent of the
total budget set aside purely for trying
new things. Usually this will involve
a new website, ad format, software
or experiment that we explore every
couple of weeks. We are always
optimising and improving, because the
landscape is changing quickly, and the
winners adapt at pace.
Our marketing philosophy
Seller-centric business models don’t
work any more. Instead, we aim to
always be helping, whether turning
around a declining sales pipeline
London Bridge-based
office
Find your
courage,
make a
decision and
learn from
your mistakes.
The time is
now to go
forit
“
“