Rachel Fairley, Global Vice President Brand Marketing, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
I love reinvigorating brands to drive growth. I've contributed to more than 25 business transformations across more than 100 countries and many industries.
I started my career working in my hometown Edinburgh for the International Book and Film Festivals on programming, public relations and research. It was an invaluable experience working with artists, authors, filmmakers, marketers and producers. Edinburgh has such a great vibe working in the festivals - lots of free tickets, parties, dancing and late-night comedy.
After university, I worked for the astute General Counsel Maurice at an internet backbone who introduced me to the idea of intangible assets and brand value during the sale of the business. In addition, he taught me an eye for detail.
After the sale, I moved to the new HQ to work in public and analyst relations and corporate communications working for a great communicator, Glenn, who taught me how to tell and sell a story and write a speech. These were the heady days of PAC-MAN (remember that game?) in telecoms, and the company planned a split into consumer and enterprise-focused businesses.
“It’s so important to have people who are peers in your world of work to talk to that aren't colleagues or partners.”
Rachel Fairley
Rachel Fairley, LinkedIn
The amazing marketing leader Leo asked me if I would create the new brand - something I had no idea how to do, but I was willing and keen - we only had seven weeks to do it, so we chose a name we had the trademark for and created the new brand. I remember sitting on boxing day (December 26) proofing business cards (remember them?) The police helped us get the artwork from the agency' servers after the company was shut down suddenly. We went live on time and budget with a proper party for customers and employees at the HQ on Shaftesbury Avenue in London, with my mum DJing world music (yes, really!). They sold the business a few months later. I had to kill the brand and reposition the new acquiring group brand. It was quite an experience!
I took the decision to focus on being a brand-driven marketer. I persuaded Landor Associates to give me a role (thank you, Charlotte and Andrew!) They trusted me to run large, often complicated, client accounts - developing a love for research, brand strategy, brand engagement and the creative process. I look back on that time and think about how inventive we were on tying brand and business strategy together, creating enveloping business planning experiences for hundreds of leaders in a room. Engaging companies to stand for what made them authentic, relevant and differentiated.
I learned so much from working with bright, clever, sassy colleagues across various industries - airlines, banking, professional services, construction, energy and mobile. When the dot com crash hit, I had the push to become a consultant. I got to work on projects that I don't think I would have had the opportunity to contribute to otherwise. I adored working on Instruct - creating a digital hub for researchers to perform scientific research on expensive distributed infrastructure.
An amazing former client sought me out, which was fabulous (thank you, Julia!). I got really into facilitating, too; think 400 in one room for a day of engagement and planning - such fun! It was also a flexible way of working around having my first child and supporting my mum as her health declined. I met the wonderful CPO of Sage, Karen, during this time, and she asked me to help her create a global brand for Sage. I took it on as a project, but soon their first CMO, Amanda, was appointed, who asked me to join to run brand and campaigns.
We worked so hard collectively to create a strong brand, improve brand health, and rationalise the portfolio so that customers could make sense of it. (i.e., find a product for the customer, rather than find a customer for the product), switch pricing to SaaS, launching new products, and creating compelling experiences. I learned a lot from amazingly talented colleagues.
A stint leading marketing for a digital experience quality start-up was next. It involved creating a new category, educating customers, and making the brand fit the ambitions. An invitation to help improve market impact from Amanda intrigued me into working at Oracle. We moved to the always-on, brand to demand, integrated campaigns, with content and advertising made to requirements. The impact was impressive. I worked closely with the brand team to effectively market the revitalised brand identity in EMEA and JAPAC.
I'm so excited about joining Hewlett Packard Enterprise to lead brand marketing. While Hewlett Packard is one of the original tech brands, Hewlett Packard Enterprise is only five years old. Ask me again about it in a year!
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
I have to confess that outside of work. I find social media vapid. I prefer talking to friends on WhatsApp or, better still, in real life. So, my kitchen table is my preferred platform. I use LinkedIn. That's about it. I was ill a few years ago, and it struck me I have better uses for my time.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I'm a market-oriented marketer. I take a customer-centric marketing approach. It's quite a classical approach, really, segmentation, targeting, positioning. I build brands that are authentic, relevant and differentiated. They have to be mentally available to the buyers when their need is triggered, and they come into the market. The brand experience has to compel and reassure, helping them find the right product for their needs, with moments that matter driving loyalty and consumption. I love what I do.
Sometimes I wish I was more valuable to society, a doctor, an engineer, or a carpenter. But, I think I get joy from work when we diagnose the problem, work out the strategy and plan, take everyone with us and make an impact. And also why I qualified as a Body Control Pilates as I am planning on doing teaching when I retire - keeping fit and healthy!
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Seek out people who are better than you at what they do. Learn from them, work with them, hire them if you can!
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
That today is life. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right now. I find that inspiring and motivating. There are so many wise, kind, empathetic, courageous and savvy people in this world to learn from and admire.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
Being alive and surrounded by love. Surviving a brain tumour. My holiday planning skills. Oh, and my present giving is a family joke because I take it very seriously.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
I love an introduction. I love the phrase, "Oh, I know who you should know."
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
I like making things work better, I love moving between insights, strategy, plans, and tactics, and I am comfortable switching from strategy to tiny details. I'm productive and hard-working (something people tell me either as an insult or compliment). I'm curious, and I love learning. And, like my mum was, I'm a fan of people, of them being brilliant at what they do, of sharing our expertise to make magic happen.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I was told to seek out people who are better than you in what they do and work with them, and I've taken that very seriously (thanks, Leo). Having mentors, being coached and coaching others. Get a marketing qualification that helps you be a better marketer (but don't regret not having a marketing degree or bothering with an MBA).
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I admire all the -2s. The folks two rungs below the CEO, who write the strategy, author the plans, nurture the teams, lead the way, take the flack, pivot. I've worked with exceptional -2s in my career, and they are the unsung heroes of corporate life. I toast you all. You know who you are!
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
On Sunday mornings, I stand beside the rugby field during training, drinking coffee in my activewear and woolly hat. I love Pilates, and I am learning to swim and run again. In addition, I enjoy listening to books while riding my WattBike, which is on the deck in the garden.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
Everything slowed down. Was it Sterling Moss who said of driving around bends "in like a pussy cat, out like a tiger?" It felt like everyone did that everywhere. Ramping up now, though, isn't it! My team was amazing; we met first thing every morning to say hello and how you are and told stories of where we grew up and lived. I'm smiling just thinking about it. It was a lesson in pandemic life from Singapore to Brazil every day and brought huge empathy into the workplace. Oh, and like all parents, I became a teacher overnight; my specialist subjects were phonics and maths. What a juggle it was for months and months.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Yes, and yes! It's so important to have peers in your world of work to talk to that aren't colleagues or partners.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Talk to people and learn as much as you can. There are choices I didn't realise I was making that have shaped my career. I think confidence comes from understanding those choices, like maps, so that you can navigate your own path.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Lack of support and role models. We all need support and encouragement. I worry a lot about equality of opportunity because so much hiring still takes place on a 'who you know’ basis.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
Love my university motto - "Be still and know".
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
I love What Three Words, don’t you?
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
I've learned it's all about fit - being in the right role, at the right time, where your skills are needed and supported. Be expansive, bring people in and encourage them to share their knowledge and expertise. See the spider's web and create connections because that is how alchemy happens.