So, Justine, you’ve only recently joined us as a Client Account Executive (welcome!), how have you found settling into your role?
Thank you, I have really enjoyed becoming a part of the agency! When I first joined, I felt strongly encouraged by the extent of training and support I was given access to. This helped me make confident progress in my ability to carry out analytical reasoning, and wider contributions to client projects and campaigns. It has been an amazing experience so far and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
What was you up to before joining TKF?
Before starting at TKF I was a full-time student at The University of Essex, completing a bachelor’s degree in English and Comparative Literature.
What influenced you to join the media industry?
As an undergraduate, when I thought about what I wanted my career to look like, I knew that I wanted it to be focused on business-to-business relationships, and that I wanted to be in a creative environment. I had some exposure to the world of marketing through a journalism module at university and realised that it was an industry I was passionate about, through the work I was producing. After considering a few different career paths, I was ultimately drawn to the dynamic and strategy-led nature of the media industry. No two days here at the agency are the same, and I get to work on diverse campaigns with a variety of colleagues and clients every day.
What was it like joining a company within a hybrid working environment?
Good question, I really appreciate the opportunity to experience a hybrid working environment! Whilst the commute can be a pain, I try and make it into the office two or three times a week so I can maintain a good balance.
Especially when I was a new starter, being in the office meant that I picked up a lot of things just by speaking to and observing my colleagues in action. In addition to this, the social aspect of being in the office made it much easier to get to know people, as I had the opportunity to do things like go out for lunch and spend time with everyone in a more casual setting.
Having the ability to work from home is also useful. For example, last week I finished writing a recession advice document for a client with my manager (Ginny), and hybrid working helped immensely with that process. By making edits and suggestions via virtual meetings and document revisions, we were able to get the document completed in a shorter time frame alongside the rest of our responsibilities. We utilised resources such as IPA Insight case studies, WARC articles, and the expertise of our very own strategy team!
As a new starter when I was still learning to navigate specific tasks, if I needed guidance from someone and either of us was at home, I found it helpful to set up a call on Microsoft Teams and share my screen with them as we talked through the process together. Additionally, being able to work on shared documents in real time, means that we can ensure our work is always accurate and up to date. I currently cooperate with the wider team to update client status sheets, response to brief presentations, competitor decks, post campaign analysis presentations, and at the end of every week, client results sheets.
I really love how we use technology to make our work here at TKF seamlessly collaborative. Having a role at the company that is relationship focused, I value having so many ways to connect with my colleagues and clients.
What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of?
I recently worked on a campaign with Oxfam that I am very proud of. Our goal was to draw attention to an open letter written by Elizabeth Wathuti addressing Alok Sharma, our UK representative at COP27 this year, and to spread awareness about the devastating impact of the climate emergency. The letter has already been signed by over 100,000 people and that number is continuing to climb! Seeing a project that you’ve worked on in print, or on screen is a really good feeling.
What has been your favourite memory at TKF?
There are so many to choose from! I attended the summer party just before I started here at TKF, and that has to be one of my favourite memories. The evening began with a team scavenger hunt in Covent Garden and ended with a Bar & Co boat party, the whole night was a lot of fun. Being on a scavenger hunt team with people from the client, strategy, and digital department meant that I was already beginning to understand all the different moving parts of the company, and how they fitted together to produce the amazing campaigns that we execute. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, and it made the process of coming into a new environment much less daunting. I am now looking forward to the Christmas party!