Everyone wants to chase after the big brands, but it is also important to think about what will fulfill you in your role.
Visha Naul – Head of Marketing at EMEA Pinterest
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
I wanted to be a TV presenter! I thought the TV world was quite glam, and Alexa Chung on T4 was the coolest presenter on our screens. Growing up in an Indian family, I think there was a bit of an expectation of “you’re going to be a doctor, you’re going to be a lawyer”, so at one point I was thinking of being a barrister, but the creative world was definitely drawing me in. I ended up gravitating towards the media and broadcast side of the creative industry.
When I was 18…
I studied Media and Communications at Brunel University for 4 years whilst working part-time at Sainsburys and Oasis - I was happy to have any cash coming in! I also interned for around a year at MTV during my time at Brunel, and it was my first taste of the broadcast world.
My first job…
After graduating, I started at Channel 4 in a number of roles, and I was there for about a year and a half. I really loved it, the people were lovely, super creative. They are still like family - I found out recently that Channel 4 was one of the first investors in Pinterest!
My breakthrough moment…
I joined Thinkbox, a TV advertising company, just as they were beginning when I was around 24. I was still figuring out what I really wanted to do - I remember it being about six of us all in one room and I just fell in love with TV advertising. I didn’t really know what creative or media agencies were, so it was a real education working there. I started as the Marketing Assistant and stayed with ThinkBox for around twelve years after rising through the ranks and leaving as the Head of Marketing. After that, I joined Google as I was always curious about tech.
An important turning point in my career…
Whilst I was at ThinkBox, I was struggling to find any role models around me, so I applyed to the WACL Future Leaders Award [now rebranded to WACL Talent Awards] – a scheme set up to give women in media a grant alongside a WACL funded course in order to accelerate their career goals and become a Future Leader. ThinkBox was still a very small team at the time, so it was amazing to suddenly have access to a space with a lot of women where you could build connections and really bounce off each other’s energy and ideas. Winning the award and joining their network really supercharged my ambition and encouraged me to set up my own Futures network.
My current role entails…
As the Director of Digital Marketing for EMEA at Pinterest, my job is to help the industry understand what Pinterest is about and how we collaborate in the most efficient and creative way possible. I prioritise learning and development in my team alongside working closely with stakeholders and business leaders to ensure we have shared goals and objectives. Marketing is so key to driving the revenue and priming the business impact, it’s not just big creative campaigns! We just launched our first global advertisers summit (Pinterest Presents), which had a brilliant line-up of speakers and guests including Chrissy Teigen and Dan Levy.
The hardest part of my job…
My collective team is based in the US, so it’s always tough not being all together when we want to celebrate a campaign going well or check in to see how a project is coming along. Relying on video calls instead of going for a coffee and a chat means it’s hard to really know how everyone is coping. I haven’t actually met anyone in my team, so it’s not always easy to see how they are on an individual level when you are so far apart.
The best piece of advice I’ve received…
Know your brand. I was speaking to Karen Blackett, who is the UK Country Manager at WPP and is just an incredible business woman, at a time when I was honestly feeling a little lost, and the one thing she said was “know your brand”. I never really liked that phrase because it sounds vain, but to know who you are really does influence how you react and behave. To know who you are means people will know how to work with you. Everyone “shows up” in a different way, and it’s about adapting to the right people according to the situation.
A quality I value in a colleague is…
Allyship. It is imperative to have support in the workplace. I value being heard and everyone should understand the people they work with and listen to them when they speak. It’s also important to have someone who shares your point of view; someone who can raise a point if you aren’t able to do so or don’t feel comfortable to do so in a public space. That kind of collective allyship is key in any company.
What advice I’d give to someone wanting to get into my work sector…
Try it out and be curious about the company culture! I love working for a tech company as it is such a creative space, so it’s important to think about what qualities you are personally looking for in a company. Everyone wants to chase after the big brands, but it is also important to think about what will fulfill you in your role. I was attracted to Pinterest’s exciting space of growth and the company’s brilliant energy and values aligned with my own values, and I’m fulfilled by developing original campaigns and the collective business brand.
My favourite social media app…
I love posting on my Instagram stories; they’re so fun to experiment with and I like posting funny stuff to amuse myself. Pinterest is also a favourite - I love putting together boards for absolutely everything: tattoos, fashion, and hair inspiration when we are allowed to go back to the salon (laughs).
My go-to resource for news…
I’m always on BBC and clockwatching for updates on when we can return to some semblance of freedom, but I also try to keep in sync with trade advertising publications. I’m also gotten into podcasts; my friend Sarah Ellis has set up her Squiggly Careers podcast with Helen Tupper. They are brilliant and they give such practical advice and tips, everyone should listen to them. How to Own the Room is also very helpful. I just recorded the first episode of my own podcast for the Futures Network too so we were launching that soon - it was a little nerve-wracking but it went well!
If I wasn’t in my current sector, I’d be in…
Back in the telly world, most likely! I’d love to work on something like Schitt’s Creek or It’s A Sin, you know, a big series that makes an impact on society with their storytelling.