Me In Merkle: Boomerangers is a series of interviews that showcase the journey and experiences of those who have come back to Merkle. This week we chatted to Catherine Greene, Digital Director, at Merkle.
1. Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I grew up in Dublin and moved to Surrey when I was five. This was always meant to be a temporary move, but 24 years later we are still here and very much feels like home. Now, I tend to hop between Surrey and South London.
2. What was your dream job growing up?
I never had just one dream job growing up, probably a mixture of my ‘younger’ self being a little greedy and a little indecisive…
3. What is your current role at Merkle?
I’m a Digital Director at Merkle. Digital Directors tend to be the point person for both the internal teams at Merkle and the client. We’re often tasked with coming up with innovative solutions to problems which tests your creativity, strategic thinking, and your ability to manage lots of people and projects at the same time. It’s a fun challenge.
4. You’re a boomeranger! What drew you back to Merkle?
I arrived back at Merkle a few months ago, after moving to a Digital Growth Role at a small start-up. I learnt a huge amount in my time away so it’s exciting to be back and put that experience into practice with some of our biggest clients now.
I love the energy and dynamism of working in a busy agency, especially one filled with such amazing people. In my four years at Merkle prior, I made friends for life and it’s very special to be back working with such intelligent, fun and collaborative people again!
5. Tell us a bit more about your day-to-day.
Every day is different in my role, but my favourite part is that I still feel like I’m learning every day, which keeps things interesting. I’m lucky enough to work closely with a huge range of departments at Merkle - Media, Analytics, Media Science, Strategy and CX – so I’m usually in touch with them driving projects forward, ensuring our workstreams are aligned with our clients’ priorities and where possible looking for extra ways to add value to our client engagements. Now the world has opened back up again, I’m often hosting clients at our office or heading out for breakfast and lunch meetings with our vendors and partners…. Who doesn’t love a free lunch!
6. What would your advice be to somebody considering a career in Digital Delivery at Merkle?
Be prepared for an intense learning curve at the start, but a couple of months in you’ll be amazed by how much you’ve learnt and what progress you’ve made. My second piece of advice is to throw all assumptions and expectations out the window – approach new process, client, plans and teams with an open mind and you’ll gain so much more than you ever expected!
7. What do you enjoy most about the CMC? And what do you think future developments will be?
There’s no ceiling to what a strong client agency partnership can look like, so our department will continue to focus on integration, thought leadership and transforming digital strategy for our brands over the next few years as the industry faces several challenges. I think that’s my favourite thing about the Client Management Community – our work is constantly evolving as the industry and technology changes. No one knows the answer, which means you can think creatively and operate outside of existing boundaries or expectations.
8. What is your greatest accomplishment at Merkle?
Joining a tricky account within my first week and knowing that I made a positive impact, that resulted in a much happier client and much happier internal team – what more could you want!?
9. Rapid Fire
- What animal would you be and why? A turtle, looks like they have the best time splashing around in the sun
- What are you currently watching on Netflix/Prime? Masterchef Australia, every time
- What’s your guilty pleasure? Couldn’t be anything other than Taylor Swift
- What is your dream holiday destination? Sri Lanka or Mexico– both have amazing food, adventures, and beaches for maxin’ relaxin’
- Best advice or mantra you live by? Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and waiting for the other man to die… always nice to end on a positive!!
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