The Drum 30 under 30 #11: Gemma Howley, group paid search director, Manning Gottlieb OMD

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, The Drum catches up with Gemma Howley, group paid search director, Manning Gottlieb OMD.

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 Gemma Howley, group paid search director, Manning Gottlieb OMD What is your biggest professional achievement so far? Being part of and winning the Waitrose.com PPC business was a massive achievement for me. It was incredibly rewarding to watch lots of hard work pay off and have our ideas and passion for the business recognised. What is the biggest challenge you've overcome in your career?Working on the multi-million pound Virgin Media account for over four years was both my biggest challenge and opportunity in my career to date. I worked with a large team of passionate and digitally driven marketers and media specialists, both client side and at Manning Gottlieb OMD which always pushed me to be better. Consistently driving bigger and better results has been a career highlight. What's the next game changer in digital?In paid search the game is changing right now with the launch of Enhanced Campaigns and Remarketing in Search. For the first time ever, we can be reactive to every user delivering the most relevant ads at the most relevant time. The winners will be those who embrace these changes and adapt their strategies to make the most of these technological advancements. What would you like to be remembered for? I may or may not be working on Search: The Musical. Enough said. Who inspires you most professionally or personally?Robert Ffitch, our CEO, inspires everyone at Manning Gottlieb. He works hard, he cares and he wears lovely cardigans. It is his attitude and approach that drives us all to do better work. Don't tell him I said that though. What would you be doing if you weren't doing this? I had high hopes of being a musician in the West End when I was younger. There’s always retirement to focus on that one though.How do you relax? I love musicals so I go to the theatre as often as possible. I am also a big fan of rubbish TV, it relaxes me. I highly recommend Storage Hunters if you haven't seen it yet. Describe your career to date in five words.Challenging, rewarding, fast paced, vodkaThis series will run for the duration of October. Yesterday's featured individual was Victoria Trow, creative, DigitasLBi.