Rachel Weldon - Senior Account Manager (Digital & Marketing), Brave & Heart.
Did you always envisage a career in the world of Technology?
No, a tech career wasn’t the original plan. I wanted to study Economics at university with a view to go into Financial or Investment Analyst roles, but my A-levels didn’t go as planned. I ended up at my chosen university, but on a totally different courseBusiness Information Systems. Ironically, I did much better than I probably would have done on an Economics one.
What tips would you give to someone looking to work in the industry?
Try not to pigeonhole yourself too early in your career. Look to take on various roles and build upon your skills where possible.
At the start of my career, I worked across various roles in a brand job, which helped me identify what I enjoy and build my knowledge and skills. Now that I’ve moved to the agency world, I can better understand the client and their corporate sphere, and ultimately help them achieve their goals.
Tell us about the most exciting project you’re currently working on.
Currently, I’m heavily involved in a global rollout of a SharePoint intranet site to a 100k-employee logistics company, coordinating the team to ensure all projects are running on time and within budget. Now that the foundations are in place, this year we’re looking to enhance the capabilities and bring on board key business processes too so we can bring SharePoint’s true potential to the fore.
Tell us about your team.
My team is fantastic – and I don’t think I’m being biased! I’m fortunate to have a strong team, willing to learn and expand their own skill set while bringing their all to our clients and our team. Each team member brings individual skill sets that enhance our offerings, from creative direction to content development and key analytic skills.
By fluke, most of my team are women, and it’s been great to support them in a male-dominated industry and watch them thrive.
What are your long-term plans for the business?
Looking to the future, I’m focusing on enhancing our SharePoint offerings for our clients and our team’s capabilities, ensuring we provide our clients with the best possible solutions for their requirements and do it in a way that’s honest and right for them.
Over the last year, I’ve been studying towards a CIM Certificate in Professional Digital Marketing, and I’m looking forward to putting that into practice for both Brave & Heart and our clients.
What’s your favourite piece of technology?
My favourite piece of tech is my Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 polaroid camera.
I take a million photos on my phone and never do anything with them. I bought this camera a year ago to capture everyday moments and actually have printed photos. I’m really enjoying the fact that it’s a one-shot photo, which adds to its appeal, and all of them end up in a photo album, too even the bad ones!
Do you have any heroes or mentors?
I don’t have any specific heroes or mentors per se. But I have been fortunate to have had several managers throughout my career – some great, some not so great. I’ve always tried to look at their traits and take something away from them, either what I’d like to emulate or what I’d like to avoid.
When not working, how do you relax?
I’m a huge foodie! Eating out in restaurants or cooking new recipes at home is a constant that helps me relax. I always tend to be the one people go to for recommendations. I even recently started a food Instagram account, much to the annoyance of the team, who now can’t eat until I’ve taken photos of plates!
What’s your fondest career memory?
I’ve been fortunate to work on some interesting projects and great teams throughout my career. But I think my fondest memory is taking the leap from the brand world to the agency world. It’s something I never thought I’d do.
In 2019, the opportunity arose for me to leave my brand role and try something new. I reconnected with our CEO, David, and began supporting some initial project work. Five years on, and I’m still here! It’s been great to see Brave & Heart grow and go from strength to strength, and know I’ve been heavily involved in that too.
What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve received?
“No one knows what they’re doing when they first start.” This is oddly comforting advice whenever I step out of my comfort zone. I always try to remember this when imposter syndrome tries to take over.
www.braveandheart.com