Veronica caught up with Kirsty Ramsey, Chartered Marketer and Senior Marketing Manager at Tait Walker at the beginning of the year to congratulate her on her successful graduation from the CIM Marketing Leadership Programme (Consultancy) in 2018. Tait Walker is a North East Accountancy firm with five offices across Newcastle, Durham, Teesside, Northumberland and Carlisle and Kirsty is responsible for the marketing team and working with the service lines on strategy and business development.
What was your inspiration for Studying the CIM Marketing Leadership Programme?
I didn’t do a marketing degree at university, I did business and economics which I loved, with a few marketing modules towards the end. However, having worked in Marketing for some time, I wanted to ensure I had the best qualifications I could to take my career forward. The skills I have gained in strategy development, project leadership and business change have been invaluable already. I was lucky to have a supportive team and the backing of the partners at Tait Walker; I couldn’t have got through this challenging programme without them.
What advice would you give someone just starting in their Marketing Career?
As with any profession, some standards are recognised all over the world. Working for an accountancy firm I have seen first-hand how vital knowledge and qualifications are not only to the firm but to clients who value the commitment and determination it takes to become a qualified accountant. Marketing is no different, and I strongly believe the Chartered Marketer status can open lots of doors for someone looking for a long-term career in marketing. As well as considering how to start the journey to becoming chartered, I’d also recommend doing as much informal learning as you can to keep up to date with the fast-paced, ever-changing world of marketing.
Looking back is there anything you’d do differently to progress your career?
Honestly, I don’t think I would change too much; maybe I would have gone abroad for a year or to London to get more experience of how marketing adapts in different cultures. I would probably have started my CIM training earlier if I could go back, but in a way, I’m pleased I held off and got to do the new version of the masters level programme. The new learning from this course has added so much to my day to day role and future projects, as well as giving me new skills that I can adapt to other areas of life.
What new challenges have you set yourself for 2019?
I’m not one for setting prescriptive goals, but I do have lots of work projects this year that I’m very excited about, it’s going to be a busy year ahead which the whole team is looking forward to. Inside and outside of work, I’m determined to do more for the local community in 2019 and work with our charity committee to do as much as we can for local projects and people. As I’ve just become a member of our Better Health at Work committee – I think I better throw in a few goals around enjoying fewer cocktails and more nights at the gym too!
If you would like to have a chat with me about how nesma can support the development of your career, please get in touch and we can meet up for a coffee. The CIM Marketing Leadership Programme is not just for traditional marketers but ideal for business development executives, entrepreneurs and business owners too. The consultancy module is designed to develop the skills required to build and develop client relationships either as an independent consultant or in a consultancy role within a large organisation.
Written for Northern Insight Magazine
Veronica Swindale
Director, Chartered Marketer, FCIM and CIM Ambassador of the North 2017
Whether it’s working on your current skill set or exploring a new area of expertise nesma has all your marketing and communication know-how covered.
