Did you always want to work in marketing?
Not at all! I actually cycled through a few different career paths before luckily landing on marketing. When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a chef. I loved the idea of doing something creative with my hands that produced something delicious that could be shared with loved ones. Another underlying theme throughout my early career choices was the ability to travel – I envisioned myself travelling the world and cooking along the way! When it came to college, I studied business studies with tourism but in my third year, I realised I wanted to specialise in marketing. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. 

In college, I studied… for my undergrad, I initially studied business studies with tourism in CIT and then progressed to study business and marketing. Afterwards, I completed my master’s in marketing at the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business.

My first real job was… after my masters, I was fortunate to land a place as a Jameson Irish Whiskey ambassador in Austria for a year with IBEC. This was a really fantastic experience; it satisfied my growing travel bug and allowed me to live abroad after college. I learned so much working for an international brand in a foreign country, submerged in a new culture and speaking a different language. Luckily, I had studied German throughout college but being there in person was a steep learning curve!

The most invaluable thing I learned early on in my career was… treat people the way you yourself would want to be treated. At the beginning of our careers, we experience all kinds of managers – the good, the bad and the ugly! This is a great way to decide what kind of manager or director you want to be yourself. Pay attention to the little things the people you learn from are doing, a monthly check-in call or a simple ‘well done’ at the end of the week. Kindness and understanding mean the world to someone just starting out in a job and it’s a philosophy I try to incorporate into everything I do. 

A common misconception about what I do is… that it’s all creative, fun and glamorous events. Yes, we do execute amazing campaigns where we get an opportunity to be innovative and original but there is so much work being done behind the scenes. Behind every campaign are days or weeks of planning, research, budgeting and admin to bring our ideas to life. And no, I can’t give you a free phone! 

My main responsibility in work is to… ensure a global brand like Samsung resonates with Irish consumers and appeals to the Irish market, while at the same time delivering the organisation’s mission and vision. As Samsung is a global brand based out of South Korea, we have the tricky job of localising the brand’s overarching themes for our small, but important, market here. For example, our latest campaign was all about self-expression, so we tapped into Ireland’s thriving dance scene to showcase how young people express themselves through movement. 

Do you have a career mentor or someone you look up to/seek advice from?
I have learnt so much from so many colleagues, past and current. Many of those that I work with now have been in the business for some time so I do reach out to them to seek advice.

The biggest risk I have taken in my career so far is…  in general, doing something risky would not be in my nature, but there is always a little bit of a risk with major events and creative projects, as anything can happen at the last minute! 

I wake at… I usually get up around 7:30 am, especially if I’m going into the office. I like to take some time in the morning to drink a warm cup of green tea and get myself together for whatever the day holds!

The first thing I do every morning is… I am not proud of this, but as soon as the alarm goes off, I always quickly check my work emails. Since we are a global company, I regularly work with colleagues across the world, from London to New York to Seoul. With conflicting time zones, it’s unfortunately a necessity to keep an eye on my emails at all hours. After making sure everything is in order, I have a quick scroll through Instagram and then try and squeeze in a quick walk. 

My morning routine is… if it is an office day, I can sometimes be rushing out the door. I like to listen to Morning Ireland/Ian Dempsey while I’m getting ready, I feel like it sets me up well for the day. If it’s a work-from-home day, I like to get a little workout in and/or maybe a quick walk. I often work quite late into the evening and especially in the winter months it gets dark earlier and earlier, so I try to get out for some fresh air before sitting down to work. 

I can’t go to work without… ensuring I have had a good breakfast – it’s so important to get me through the early morning workload. 

I travel to work by… car. It takes about 20 minutes to get into the office. I like catching up on the news or listening to a podcast on the way in. I’m really into My Therapist Ghosted Me and The Good Glow at the moment. 

On an average workday I… honestly, no two days are the same and that’s what I love about Samsung. Usually, I have a lot of meetings, either internally or with our agencies or channel partners. In between team calls, I am usually budgeting projects, overseeing creative development or reviewing our latest campaigns.  

I start my working day at… about 9am, some days slightly earlier if I have a busy one ahead of me. 

The first thing I do at work is… I always have quick check-in with my team, just to see how everyone is getting on and if anyone needs help. Then I catch up on emails (again) and then start on my to-do list. 

I usually spend the first portion of the day… if I’m not attending meetings, it’s usually emails, admin and checking what is new in the technology landscape. 

I break for lunch at… around 12:30 or 1pm and usually have a sandwich or a salad. I’m really enjoying a wrap or salad from Kerb Restaurant at the moment.  

The most useful business tool I use every day is… my Samsung Galaxy Fold5 is a necessity to ensure I’m on top of my work. With this device, I can multitask by having three windows open at the same time – this allows me to check reports while comparing what’s live on our channels – and also check my emails!

I save time by… I’m a big fan of a to-do list. I need to have a plan for the day ahead with an agenda or schedule to work to. This helps me prioritise and keep me aligned and focused on tasks. Just dedicating five minutes to this at the start of the day really helps me to be more productive and saves a lot of time in the long run. 

I rarely get through my working day without… 10 minutes on Instagram – which is also important for work so I can check in on our channel partners’ activity!

The best part of my day is… being able to wind down after a hectic day and watch TV.

The most challenging part of my day is… every day is different – every day brings with it new challenges. For example, some weeks I have to attend a large number of meetings and liaise with our UK team on large projects. The challenge is to keep on top of my regular day-to-day work, as well as checking in on my team while I am away. 

I know it’s been a good day if… I’m looking forward to tomorrow. 

I usually end my day at… I try to close my laptop around 6pm, which can be challenging in itself! I think it’s so important to ensure you have a strong work/life balance, so I try to do one little thing for myself every evening, even if it’s just cooking dinner, calling a friend or sitting down to watch Netflix.

I switch off from work by… if the weather is nice, I like to go for a walk or hit the gym. When you’re sitting in an office chair for most of the day, it feels great to stretch your legs and get a little bit of activity in. 

Before I go to bed, I’ll… spend a good bit of time doing my skincare routine. It’s my little luxury at the end of the day. 

I often prepare for tomorrow by… setting out a list of things to do, an agenda to keep me on track using my Galaxy Fold5. 

After a long work week, I destress by… 10 years ago, I might have said going out to a bar, but now I love catching up with friends either over a glass of red wine or a herbal tea. I also love walking in the countryside. My usual treks are Powerscourt, Tibradden or Cruagh Woods.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is… getting to where I am today!  I am incredibly proud of the companies I have worked for and what we have created in Samsung. We have had numerous successful campaigns in Ireland that have generated fantastic results – just to mention one – for the launch of the Galaxy S23 Series earlier this year, we went down to the Michelstown Caves in Cork where we showcased video and image content in low light conditions on the devices. Talos was there for a fantastic live performance.

If you want to get into my line of work… I would always suggest you have a chat with someone already in that area and get a feel to ensure it’s the right path for you. 

I’ve just finished working on… earlier this year we launched the newest range of foldable devices: the Galaxy Flip5 & Galaxy Fold. This was an incredible launch, culminating in a fabulous event where dancers from the Dublin scene incorporated Samsung devices into their routines. At the moment, we are working on something really exciting that will come early in the new year that will change how we experience smartphones. Watch this space! 

Feature image by Steve Weldon Photography.