Megan Milne, Social Content Specialist at ESPC (UK) shares her thoughts on our recent Future Leaders event in Glasgow.
I had never been to a Marketing Society event before, but when I was invited along as a plus one to the most recent Future Leaders event, I knew I had to go. The event was held at the stunning Suntory Global Spirits offices in Glasgow, where all of the attendees were offered a great selection of drinks on arrival. If I had any nerves about attending, they were quickly alleviated when I met some other attendees who were very friendly and welcoming.
After around twenty minutes of chatting, we were welcomed by the event’s host, Frankie Coia, Chair of the Future Leaders Advisory Group (FLAG) and we also heard from Ashleigh Chalmers, who is an Account Director at Lane Media, who sponsored the event.
Then we were introduced to our speaker, Natalya Ratner (Director of Strategy and Growth at Four Marketing Agency, Non-Executive Director at Robotical and Fellow of The Marketing Society). Natalya spoke to us about her “squiggly career path” and how her personal values had often informed each of her decisions to change job. After her inspiring presentation, we were tasked with doing some value-mapping. This was an exercise which asked us all to look inward and dissect what our values were, then how they could manifest in our working life. It allowed us to see if our current roles were in line with our personal values and how those values might inform future career moves.
After the exercise, Natalya was interviewed by host, Frankie Coia. I found this a really interesting discussion and Natalya was very open and honest about how she was able to prioritise her values over other aspects of work including salary and flexibility. It was refreshing to hear that while we can prioritise our values, we may have to make compromises to fit with our lives. Natalya spoke about how some people can afford to live more in line with their values if they are supported by partners who can potentially help with a drop in salary or the absence of childcare. There was also a great discussion about balancing contradicting values such as sustainability and travel.
Then we were split into groups and had the opportunity to do some speed mentoring. It was a really great way to dip into the minds of some great Marketing Society mentors for five minute bursts, and I took a lot away from those quick sessions. The biggest point I took away was the importance of having a wide network, and not being afraid of reaching out to new connections. Both Natalya and one of the mentors, Julie Williams, spoke about how most of their career moves had been made through their network rather than by applying for a job in a more traditional way.
Overall, I really enjoyed the event and it left me with a lot of food for thought in how I balance my personal values with my work life, and I’m excited to attend another event again.
The Speakers
