Hey, how’s it going?
I’m Heather, the new Strategist here at bbd!
I’d like to start this off by saying that I can only apologise for the mess that follows. Turns out an English degree and £80,000 student debt doesn’t make you any better at writing about yourself.
….Buuut I’ve been sitting here for half an hour now, so best get cracking, eh?
A bit about me
So I started off this little journey of self-discovery, with a bit of inspiration from previous new starter blogs, by asking my family to describe me in one word.
They settled on “Complex”.
I’ll let you make of that what you will.
Moving quickly past that pointless exercise…. I’m originally from Poole, I’m a Taurus, I don’t really know what that means, and I grew up with my head in a book, my arm around a board, and my feet firmly in the mud. That is to say, I am happiest outdoors and often found either delivering a passionate speech on the creative genius of Ocean Vuong or chasing Meteor Showers along the Jurassic Coast at one in the morning on a Tuesday.
Like many during COVID, I decided to try my hand at a new sport, which consequently led to a dangerous obsession with Long-Distance Running. Dangerous because my knees are wasted at this point and there is no sign of me stopping anytime soon.
So that’s fun.
Honestly, my interests, or rather my obsessions, beyond that change daily: I can go from Musicals to Spoken Word to Python Programming to Investment Strategies to F1 to Pottery to Bad TV Dramas all in the space of a month.
And I’m always open to trying something new. Just don’t get me to cook anything. Trust me, you do not want that.
Lastly, I love to travel. We were never one of those families that spent a lot of time abroad when I was young, so now I take every opportunity to see the world when I can. I have lived in both China, where I taught English for a year after turning 18, and Canada, and have backpacked around South East Asia, with a plan to conquer South America and Africa in the next few years.
And that, people of the interweb, is all you need to know.
How I got here
For me, Market Research & Strategy is all about Psychology. It’s why I like it, that moment you discover what makes someone tick is near euphorically satisfying. There’s a lot of power in understanding that, influencing it even. It’s for that same reason that I studied Literature at University. Humans are curious, creative creatures and working with such diverse and challenging material is what I love most.
As for my road to bbd, it was a bit rocky to say the least.
At 16, I got a “Summer Job” as a waitress, which ended up being a decade-long career in Hospitality and many, many stories. In between that, I’ve been an English Teacher, worked with several NGOs in the Publishing & Recruitment spaces, and, most recently, taken on the world of AdTech Consultancy.
In terms of Marketing, my first “break” into the profession was in March 2020.
Except it wasn’t (Thanks COVID).
After being offered a position at a super exciting Adventure Company in Dorset a week before the first lockdowns started, I ended the month standing in a recruitment line at the local supermarket after losing all three of my jobs at once.
That year I got my MSc in Marketing Management from the University of Southampton (just kidding, I did the entire thing from my parent’s Garden Shed).
A few experiences down the line, a short stint in London, and a strangely motivational speech from my Landlord’s Vicar over a curry, long story for a different blog, and…here we are! bbd.
Why bbd?
Several reasons really.
One, I wanted to work in an environment where I felt like I was contributing meaningful work and where I collaborate with a team on diverse and exciting projects. I’d say bbd have delivered on that so far.
Two, I realised pretty early on in my career that remote working was not for me, so I really wanted to enjoy the supportive, social aspects of agency life.
To be honest, I’m super pumped to be in the creative space, it’s not something I’ve necessarily had the opportunity to get involved with yet, so what better way than to dive in the deep end?
There’s a lot to learn, and it’s fast, but I’m ready, and so far, loving the ride.
So yeah, watch this space…
Planner | Strategist