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Alice, Director of Marketing at Hedley & Bennett: Advize Career Interview
A Hedley & Bennett Director of Marketing's career journey reveals a dynamic path from economics to diverse internships and consulting, culminating in a multifaceted role blending team leadership, strategic planning, and hands-on execution.
The daily routine is fast-paced, balancing meetings, platform management, content creation, and stakeholder engagement, all while pursuing an MBA. Success in this field, the interviewee emphasizes, requires a learning mindset, data-driven decision-making, and the ability to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics.
A passion for tangible results and direct-to-consumer feedback loops defines the work, highlighting the collaborative spirit and innovative product development inherent in the retail industry.
Entry-level aspirants should consider coordinator roles, developing valuable skills in project management and brand partnerships.
Finally, a significant career lesson involves proactive communication and building trust to overcome challenges, underscoring the importance of diverse skill sets honed through undergraduate experiences like writing and club leadership.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Alice Khabituyeva
Director of Marketing
Hedley & Bennett
Trinity College (Hartford, CT) and 2017
UCLA Anderson
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Economics
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Communication and Marketing
Took Out Loans, Immigrant
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Career Path of a Director of Marketing at Hedley and Bennett
Alice's career path showcases a deliberate yet adaptable approach, starting with a generalized economics background and evolving through diverse internships in accounting, advertising, and startups. This led to roles in PR, government campaign management, digital marketing consulting at Boston Consulting Group ("a very buzzwordy agile test and learn program"), and finally, a marketing directorship at Hedley & Bennett, demonstrating a consistent ability to leverage "a generalized skill set" across various industries.
Main Responsibilities of a Director of Marketing at Hedley and Bennett
Alice's role as Director of Marketing at Hedley & Bennett is multifaceted, encompassing team management ("managing our marketing team of three"), strategic planning ("setting our marketing strategy"), and hands-on execution ("writing and executing emails," "setting up ads in Facebook"). This blend of responsibilities, driven by the company's size, showcases a career path that values cross-functional collaboration and data-driven decision-making.
A Day In The Life Of A Director Of Marketing At Hedley And Bennett
Alice, Director of Marketing at Hedley & Bennett, describes a busy day filled with "nine to five with meetings," balancing daily stand-ups, cross-functional check-ins with various departments, and dedicated blocks for platform management and content creation, all while strategically managing email using Boomerang to maintain focus. The role also involves weekly reviews, a hybrid work model, and the unique integration of team lunches in a renovated factory kitchen alongside pursuing an MBA, requiring careful scheduling to navigate Los Angeles traffic.
Most Important Skills for a Director of Marketing at Hedley and Bennett
Alice, a Director of Marketing, emphasizes a "learning mindset" and data-driven approach as crucial skills, highlighting the need to interpret data from a customer perspective and connect it to strategic goals. The role demands flexibility, integrating creative thinking with analytical assessment and process management, requiring constant testing and adaptation in a constantly evolving marketing landscape.
Favorite Parts of Being a Director of Marketing at Hedley and Bennett
Alice, Director of Marketing at Hedley & Bennett, most enjoys "delivering a physical product" and witnessing the emotional customer reaction, connecting that feedback to data analysis for insights. This passion for tangible results and team motivation highlights a career focused on creating engaging customer experiences and leveraging data-driven decision-making.
Biggest Challenges Faced by a Director of Marketing at Hedley and Bennett
Alice's biggest challenge as Director of Marketing at Hedley & Bennett is "stakeholder management," a skill honed through years of client service experience, requiring balancing daily priorities with long-term strategy while navigating the diverse needs of a founder, cross-functional teams, and customers. The complexity arises from needing to "get the right people's voices in the room," understanding personalities and skill sets to achieve alignment.
Favorite Parts Of Working In The Retail Industry As A Director Of Marketing
Alice, Hedley & Bennett's Director of Marketing, thrives on the "close feedback loop" inherent in direct-to-consumer retail, finding great satisfaction in the collaborative process where marketing is involved "from Day Zero" with product development, directly influencing product creation based on customer feedback. This 360-degree involvement, Alice explains, allows for truly innovative and customer-centric results.
What Type Of Person Thrives In Retail According To A Director Of Marketing At Hedley And Bennett
Alice, Director of Marketing at Hedley & Bennett, identifies success in retail as the ability to forge "natural connections and partnerships," leveraging collaborations to add value for customers in innovative ways. This involves understanding customer resonance and utilizing the full retail toolkit—from product creation to marketing—to execute these connections effectively.
What A Director Of Marketing At Hedley And Bennett Wishes They Had Known Before Entering Marketing
Alice, Hedley & Bennett's Director of Marketing, learned that the "wearing a lot of hats" reality of startups requires a constant balancing act between strategic thinking and daily execution. The insightful takeaway is the need to prioritize effectively and understand that perfect execution in both areas is impossible, necessitating a constant trade-off to avoid burnout and maintain forward momentum.
Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Marketing Coordinators At Hedley And Bennett
Alice, Director of Marketing at Hedley & Bennett, suggests entry-level marketing roles often involve "coordinator" positions, acting as a "Jack of all trades" to learn the industry. These roles, such as influencer coordinator, provide valuable experience in areas like project management, social media, and brand partnerships—skills highly sought after in today's marketing landscape.
Significant Career Lesson From a Director of Marketing at Hedley and Bennett
Alice, a Director of Marketing, learned a significant career lesson in navigating interpersonal challenges, especially when working with "tough clients," emphasizing that conflict often stems from missing information. The solution, Alice advises, is to "over communicate," ask clarifying questions, and build trust to become more "solution oriented" and "answer forward," a skill honed during their time in client services.
College Experiences That Helped a Director of Marketing at Hedley and Bennett Succeed
Alice's undergraduate experience prioritized diverse skill development, combining a technical economics major with roles like Writing Center work—"helped with writing skill sets"—and club sports captaincy. This broad approach fostered "diversity of thought and exposure to other people," complementing technical skills with crucial communication and creative thinking abilities, ultimately benefiting their marketing career.
How Identity Has Influenced a Director of Marketing's Career at Hedley and Bennett
Alice's career journey highlights a growing awareness of how being an Asian-American woman has shaped their experiences, from initially overlooking potential biases in homogenous work environments to actively engaging with diversity initiatives and recognizing microaggressions as systemic issues rather than personal failings. The realization that feedback on their "tone" and positivity may be rooted in biases, coupled with the desire for future workplaces that openly discuss these challenges, underscores their ongoing navigation of these complexities.
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