Despite falling into marketing thanks to a university prospectus, WW (formerly Weight Watchers) marketing director Jemma Banks has forged a 20-year career that has seen her follow her passions from high street retail to betting and now wellbeing.
Michelle D’Vaz Plant began her career by tackling barriers head-on from her first job application to Harrods aged just 16, to getting to grips with airport retail and working for Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Peter Jones.
Falling in love with the pace and energy of FMCG helped kickstart a diverse marketing career for John Luck, which has spanned everything from Coca-Cola and premium biscuits to breast implants and sponsoring the League Cup.
With a passion for business and economics forged in her teenage years, Michelle Peluso took her skill for thinking outside the box all the way to The White House, before swapping politics for entrepreneurship, tech and B2B in her current role as CMO at IBM.
Story of My CV: Always on the look-out for the next challenge, Katie Evans developed a love for the fast-paced world of FMCG that took her from Heinz to Krispy Kreme to Burger King, with a brief spell launching her own fashion business.
Story of my CV: A graduate position at Sainsbury’s helped set Toni Wood up for a career that has seen her progress through a number of roles at global brands including Procter & Gamble, Britvic and now DFS.
Story of my CV: Marriott International’s outgoing global marketing officer Karin Timpone started her career in PR, but it was her move to Universal Studios that led her on the path to marketing, with roles at brands including Disney and Yahoo.
Story of my CV: Having carved out a career that specialises in digital and data across sectors as diverse as retail, automotive and travel, Chris Chalmers is clear about the value of variety on the path to becoming marketing director.
Story of my CV: Lloyd Page began his career at Virgin Trains before taking on a global role at Vodafone and transitioning into digital marketing at John Lewis, all of which set him up for his current role as marketing director at MoneySuperMarket.
Story of my CV: Margaret Jobling’s experience at Unilever gave her the perfect foundation for a career in marketing, but she says leaving was the “best thing I ever did” because it taught her how much she’d learnt.
Anna Chokina has worked in Russia, America and the UK at world-renowned brands including P&G, L’Oreal and PepsiCo, but last year took on her first truly global role as vice-president of global face care and personal care at Avon.
Story of my CV: Nearly every business Mark Gordon has worked at has been ahead of its time in launching the next big innovation. But having now swapped big corporates for not-for-profit Power to Change Trust, he’s found a sense of purpose that ties his experience together.
Story of my CV: From the BBC to Boots via DFS, Helen Normoyle has experience of many well-known British brands. But even with such impressive marketing pedigree, she is still embracing change and seeking new challenges which put her out of her comfort zone.
Story of my CV: Retail marketing specialist Ali Jones, who is now customer director at The Co-operative Group, has navigated some of the high street’s biggest names through intense periods of change, but one thing that has remained consistent is her need to innovate.
Story of my CV: Hilton CMO Kellyn Smith Kenny thrives in challenging environments, from the “epic” moment of getting her break at Microsoft to being in the trenches at an embattled Uber.