3 questions I wish I’d asked as a junior marketer: UKTV’s Simon Michaelides
The foundation of a successful marketing career is knowing what you want and running your own race, says UKTV chief marketing and innovation officer Simon Michaelides.
Simon Michaelides, chief marketing and innovation officer at UKTV, has so far led a career of two halves.
Leaving university for an assistant brand manager role at Procter & Gamble, he moved on to a series of increasingly senior positions at PepsiCo, culiminating in marketing and innovation director for the juice brand portfolio.
But from there he stepped away from the FMCG career path for a spell of consultancy at Kantar, before joining media company UKTV. There, he is responsible for all of the company’s B2C and B2B brand and performance marketing activity, for channels including Dave, Alibi and Yesterday.
Passionate about learning, Michaelides describes himself as a big believer in keeping doors open rather than shutting them, as well as a keen advocate of getting as much feedback as possible from colleagues. While most people seek feedback from people they think will say positive things, he advises going to those who will be more objective – and provide material that helps the recipient learn something new.
When it comes to questions he wishes he had asked as a junior marketer, Michaelides is clear that taking time to get to know your own strengths and objectives is the best place to start.
