FROM ADVERTISING TO MARKETING AND COACHING – A VARIED CAREER Alison started her career in advertising directing the accounts of some of the world’s leading brands including Singapore Airlines, VISA and BP, establishing an agency network for the Saatchi & Saatchi group in South East Asia and setting up her own brand consultancy. When she became a parent she moved client-side to
marketing. For 14 years she led marketing departments and transformation programmes at AXA and served on AXA’s diversity & inclusion board. “As my career developed, I realised my greatest
enjoyment and successes came from building high performing teams and developing talented individuals,” she says. This insight, along with the transformational experience of being coached during a pivotal time in her career, led to her transition into executive coaching. She re-qualified through a BSc in Psychology, an MSc in Executive Coaching and becoming an accredited executive coach. “Transforming my career while balancing work, family and training taught me a priceless lesson: with the right support, mindset and tools, it can be done. I feel fulfilled – professionally and personally – and I thrive helping other people do the same as they progress their careers and navigate their work life.” In addition to her own coaching practice, Alison is
director of WOMBA (a coaching practice that specialises in programmes for working parents) and an associate coach at Ashridge. “Becoming a parent gave me an altogether new
perspective on what was important to me,” she says. “I made choices that helped me to balance my career with motherhood and my experience as a working mum helped me to become a better leader; I learned to delegate, use my time smartly and, armed with first-hand experience of the challenges facing working parents, I became a more empathetic leader.”
WHAT ARE THE TOOLS FOR SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP? She says that as the world has become more complex, uncertain and volatile, the qualities of a successful leader have changed. The modern leader has three qualities that stand out:
• Having a clear sense of purpose and values and communicating this in an inspiring and authentic way
• Being resilient and able to adapt to change • Maintaining an open and curious mind – seeking out and actively listening to views and opinions from individuals and groups with diverse experiences and perspectives.
Her advice to women is to build their own skillset based on their personal strengths, be bold, and take credit for their successes. “Above all else, run your own race,” she says. “Don’t
compare yourself to others around you or wish you had their strengths. It may sound obvious, but often we don’t. Invest time in finding out what your strengths are and build your career around them.”
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A key change that women need to make is to shift
their mindset around success and failure and embrace all aspects of their experience. “When women are successful they tend to put it down
to luck or play down their achievements, often believing that it’s something anyone could do,” she says. “When they’re unsuccessful, they tend to blame themselves. It’s important to be aware of this tendency. Take credit for your accomplishments and achievements and look at failures not as something to hold you back, but as a valuable learning opportunity. As you progress in your career it is important to put yourself forward for stretch assignments or opportunities, apply for a promotion or new job even if you don’t feel 100% ready. “Know that it will feel uncomfortable and may take
you outside of your comfort zone, but you’ll reap the rewards in the long run.”
“ Above all else, run your own race. Don’t compare yourself to others around you or wish you had their strengths. It may sound obvious, but often we don’t. Invest time in finding out what your strengths are and build your career around them.”
THINK WOMEN
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
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