The Drum 30 under 30 women in digital 2013 highlights the top 30 women under the age of 30 making an impact in digital. Here, we catch up with Sarah Oliver, account director, We Are Social.
The Drum 30 under 30 women in digital is an annual platform recognising the next generation of digital talent. Over the course of 30 days we will be running interviews with each of the women profiled, to give more insight into their careers so far, professional achievements, and what they see as the next big game changers in digital.Today's profiled individual is Sarah Oliver, account director, We Are Social.What is your biggest professional achievement so far? Learning new skills and adapting in a fast-evolving agency to grow my accounts from smaller project based work to some of the agency’s biggest clients while within the same period building a large, highly skilled team that delivered a number of multi award-winning campaigns.
What is the biggest challenge you've overcome in your career? When I joined We Are Social, I moved from the corporate giant WPP, which had every process under the Sun, to a small start-up where you just turned up and got stuck in getting stuff done. Adapting from one extreme to another required continually learning new skills and being able to adapt quickly. However, the experience taught me a lot and gave me the skills to be in the position I’m in today.
What's the next game changer in digital? Freedom from devices to become truly mobile. Digital is increasingly becoming immersed in every area of our day-to-day lives. Desktop computers will soon be superseded; people can and increasingly will be able to access and do everything wherever it suits them. The opportunity for marketers is to find a way to integrate their brands into the hundreds of micro digital moments that consumers experience each day, as seamlessly as the technology itself.
What would you like to be remembered for? Breaking boundaries. I like to try and push myself, clients and those around me to be innovative and unique in the work we do. If someone tells me it can’t be done, I’m more inspired to find a way to do it.
Who inspires you most professionally or personally?My team. I’m lucky to work with an amazing bunch of people whose passion for the work they do and demand for nothing less than perfect inspires me and everyone around them to continually strive to do great work. Being in an environment with people who are great at what they do and being continually challenged on how we can make something better, makes work and life in general more interesting.
What would you be doing if you weren't doing this? Either a lawyer, as I can always win an argument! Or having a peaceful life owning my own café, which I would fill with paninis, cakes and board games.
How do you relax? The way I love to relax is by spending time with friends. I like to try new things, however unusual, which often lead to interesting stories. I have a cat, who I love, but she has aggression issues which doesn’t make being around her that relaxing!
Describe your career to date in five words. Fast-paced, interesting, unique, creative, eventful.
This series will run for the duration of October. Yesterday's featured individual was Hollie Wilcox, digital marketing manager, Ink Digital
