Jess Arthurs
Digital strategy consultant, Accenture Interactive
I have always had a keen interest in business more generally having studied it at both A-level and at university. However it was during my placement year at Nike that I gained first-hand experience working for one of the biggest global brands and at the same time began to really understand the power of a brand and its impact on consumers.
Nike wasn’t just innovating its products, it was also transforming the digital experiences it was offering customers and this really excited me.
This encouraged me to apply to join Accenture Interactive, where I have been for a few years now. I wanted the opportunity to work with global companies across different industries to create and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
I help our clients with their marketing transformation programmes ensuring they can keep pace and exceed the latest trends in the industry by leveraging data and technology.
I think as an initial step to get more young people into marketing it would be good to put more focus on it in the curriculum. This is really important to raise awareness about marketing as a career option. Alongside this, using real-life examples of successful people would help bring to life what different paths might look like and would be a more tangible way to create excitement about the potential options. As digital continues to disrupt more and more industries, new jobs are being created that may not have even existed 10 to 15 years ago. Within marketing itself there is the rise of SEO, programmatic and social specialisms, so it is important school children have opportunities to understand what is out there, whether that is through organised talks, open days, or businesses partnering with local schools.
