Tuesday, May 1st, 2007
Roisin Donnelly and I have never met but her profile "My Life in Media"; in yesterday’s Independent Media Weekly Review struck me in a couple of ways. Roisin is corporate marketing director and head of marketing for Proctor and Gamble UK and Ireland. She has always been in marketing since graduating from Glasgow University in the early 80s and now manages the largest advertising budget in UK television. Why I like her:
She describes her job as: ‘developing brands, developing people and constantly innovating.’ And the best thing about her job: ‘the people’ plus ‘I have 18 different nationalities in my department and the diversity helps to generate innovation.’
In one short interview she has put her finger on three of the things I believe will be critical to corporate success (if they are not critical already): developing people; creating diverse teams, and innovating constantly. I hope that these characteristics are a huge part of her success. We need senior people like Roisen to prove that focussing on development, diversity and innovation actually works and these things are not luxuries or self-indulgences that get in the way of business. In many senses they are the essence of business itself.