Presented by CleverTap

While women are climbing the ranks and holding leadership positions in the marketing industry, challenges still remain. In an effort to support women and celebrate their many accomplishments, mobile marketing platform CleverTap has created a video series called Inspiring Women.

The series features the experiences of thirteen remarkable women who hold leadership roles in large corporations like, Legoland, Etisalat, SEMrush and so on. In the videos, each interviewee shares how she got started in marketing, has overcome the challenges of a shifting marketing landscape, and valuable tips for aspiring leaders.

The stories, experiences, failures, and successes of the first five remarkable women are already live:

  • Heather Redling, Head of Marketing, LEGOLAND Dubai
  • Meera Iyer, CMO, Medlife.com
  • Olga Andrienko, Head of Global Marketing, SEMRush
  • Purna Virji, Senior Manager Global Engagement, Microsoft
  • Sudha K., Vice President and Client Leader, Mindshare

CleverTap is releasing the videos every week on their website, with a final installment on March 8, International Women’s Day.

Here are a few highlights from the current interviews:

Heather Redling, Head of Marketing, LEGOLAND Dubai

Redling’s unconventional career path began as an animal trainer. Acting as a spokesperson for animals then opened the door to a career in PR and marketing.

Redling’s learned a valuable lesson as she worked her way up:

“While I was in each job, I didn’t just focus on my role. I tried to understand how that role fit into the bigger business model. That’s what helped me grow.”

Meera Iyer, CMO, Medlife.com

While many different platforms and digital tools have improved her campaigns, Meera Iyer believes the answer to success starts and ends with knowing your customers. The Medlife exec shares the marketing mantra she uses to focus on the customer:

“There are a lot of tools out there, from AI to machine learning, but at the end of the day you’re marketing to real people. Have a deep empathy for them and you can’t go wrong.”

Olga Andrienko, Head of Global Marketing, SEMRush

After starting her career with a stint in filmmaking, Andrienko fell in love with the creative process, leading a team, and achieving success beyond individual accolades. She shares her key piece of advice for aspiring marketers:

“We live in a time of instant gratification. People who start their marketing career want to make an impact now, but it takes time,” she said. “Young marketers must be patient and gain experience. Understand that if you put in the work, success will come.”

Purna Virji, Senior Manager Global Engagement, Microsoft 

After starting her career in journalism and TV production, Virji discovered an interest in two emerging concepts of the time: PPC and search. Following that curiosity led her all the way to a senior management position at Microsoft. After years in the business, Virji says her biggest piece of advice is:

“Always be humble. You can be an expert today only to wake up and find something brand new has come out, and it’s changed everything you know.”

Sudha K., Vice President, Client Leader Mindshare

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When Sudha started her career during the dot-com boom, digital marketing was completely new. With no established roadmap to follow, she learned the value of being innovative, creating your own path, and always learning from the next generation. Even today she emphasizes the value of teamwork:

“Digital marketing is amazing in that it’s so well measured, but it’s difficult to keep up with constant changes. You have to have a passion to learn, and you must surround yourself with young talent to find a balance of new, innovative ideas coupled with experience.”

Follow #InspiringWomen on Twitter and LinkedIn, or watch all of the videos on the Inspiring Women landing page as they are published every week.