Having held a number of senior marketing roles within the entertainment industry over the past 20 years, Nicola Thomson’s all-encompassing role at Estée Lauder Companies belies her more humble beginnings as a secretary. Today she is responsible for the firm’s partnerships between brands and media agencies as well as overseeing its consumer insights, CRM and cultural relevancy. She cites the rebranding of Global Radio’s regional stations to Heart as one of her career highlights and this is widely credited as being responsible for the radio station’s growth in 2009. Her most valuable advice was being told to “always spend marketing budget as if it were your own money”.