Nathalie Moolenschot, GM Marketing for Animates Vetcare NZ, is the latest senior marketing leader to join the Board of the Marketing Association at this year’s AGM.
She has a long history of involvement with the MA, as a speaker, workshop facilitator, Awards judge, and Special Interest Group member, and is excited to now take this next step helping steer the vision of the association into the future.
As a commercial and strategic marketer, Nathalie has over 15 years of experience using customer insights to develop and execute brand and integrated marketing programmes. She has held senior marketing leadership roles at Colenso, The Warehouse Group, Air NZ and several of the major banks – and can’t wait to bring this expertise to the MA Board.
To celebrate her new role, we have asked her to tell us a bit more about herself and what she hopes to achieve during her Board tenure.
1. What do you love about being a marketer?
With marketing dramatically changing over the years, I love the challenge and the constantly evolving and growing nature the industry brings. Whether through technology, customer expectations or creative opportunities, every day brings diversity.
2. What are some of your biggest achievements as a marketer?
Having marketing as a respected and requested opinion in executive and board meetings. It means, through customer and performance insights, the voice of the customer is now at the table. It also means we’re breaking through that perception of marketing being the “colouring in department” and becoming the experts on connecting the organisation’s objectives and purpose to customers.
3. What do you see as some of the biggest challenges for marketers right now?
Have I got a word count for this question?!
The scope of the marketing industry has grown immensely; new technologies, new data sources and media divergence all need to be broadly understood to make the right decisions. Organisations will struggle to find talent that can be skilled across all this, so prioritisation and working with the right partner is critical. More businesses delivering on customer experience also results in customers having higher expectations.
These challenges get compounded during recessionary times when many organisations will pull back on marketing expenditure for cost recovery.
Communicating effectively with all stakeholders to influence, build and execute a clear and robust plan is paramount. It’s about creating distinctive clarity amongst chaos and working in a culture of trust and respect.
4. How and when did you first become aware of, and then involved with, the MA?
In 1998 I completed the Direct Marketing Certificate through the Marketing Association. The knowledge I gained helped me grow and have confidence in what was my first marketing role.
5. What have you got out of being part of the MA over the years?
The learning and knowledge gained through courses, meet-ups, conferences etc, is obvious. But developing a network of people with similar challenges and diverse thinking has also been invaluable.
6. What made you apply for the position on the MA Board – and why now?
I love what I do, and the MA has been part of my career journey for the last 25 years. This was an ideal opportunity to give something back while working with an incredible group of talented professionals.
7. How do you think the Marketing Association adds value to marketers and the wider marketing industry?
Through various means, the MA helps marketers add value and therefore become more valuable to an organisation. It also increases awareness of the industry breadth and therefore increases the respect of the marketing profession, regardless of what side of the Agency/Client fence marketers sit on.
8. What are you most excited about in joining the MA Board?
The MA is on a transformational journey that requires vision, courage, and conviction. To be part of guiding that is invigorating.
9. What do you hope to contribute to the Board and to the MA?
I want to leverage my experience and approach to provide guidance and alternative perspectives, ensuring the MA can achieve its objective and continue to support marketers and organisations for years to come.
10. What do you see as the key role of the MA now and into the future?
Marketers face increasing complexity in the industry, but this is an opportunity to provide clarity and direction to organisations to help connect business strategy to customer needs. The MA is a critical body to support marketers on this journey and help organisations deliver their competitive edge by developing and supporting their talent.
Meet the rest of the MA Team and Executive Board here.
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