Eileen Moloney, Director of Marketing, Brightwater Group
I am the Marketing Director for Brightwater Group, Ireland's leading recruitment consultancy and have over 25 years' senior marketing experience in B2B and B2C.
Having joined the Group in 2000, I head up the internal marketing function with specific responsibility for online presence, sponsorship, PR, events, marketing strategy and budgets.
A role that demands keen commercial awareness as well as in-depth knowledge of recruitment market trends and what affects those trends. I am primarily responsible for content creation and digital strategy, working across multiple target markets for the Group.
Prior to joining Brightwater, I worked in numerous sales and marketing roles across hospitality, manufacturing, road haulage and professional services. In my spare time, I love gardening and spending time with family.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn because it really gives great insights into market trends and offers great opportunities to connect with marketing peers. For me, it also allows me to take a view of all of the different markets my company works with and allows me to engage directly with those audiences.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I'm currently the Director of Marketing for the Brightwater Group, primarily a group of recruitment companies (we also have a business mentoring arm) in Ireland. I've been with the company for 22 years. Transforming careers, in many cases, means transforming lives, and as marketing leads to sales, it's just such a creative space to be in.
I love it; there are new challenges every day. No two markets are the same, and we have to tailor our marketing approach very differently to each vertical we recruit for, which gives me a huge creative outlet.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
I'm very passionate about each consultant being their own best ambassador in their own field of expertise as well as being a brand ambassador for the organisation. I believe in empowering consultants to thrive professionally.
I'm also very lucky to have autonomy and (relatively) free rein creatively within my role. I feel that working in recruitment means that you get an insight into nearly every type of business area, and that's hugely invigorating.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Never compare yourself to others, but rather learn from them - it's a mantra that's framed on my kitchen wall. I have no idea who said it, but I think it's hugely valuable advice. It's learning to be the best you that you can be while taking inspiration from others.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
I think being able to play a part in the success of others. For me, marketing always leads to sales, and if we're successful, then it leads to greater success within the organisation. I want to be able to inspire others, and that's what matters. Constant learning is a must - a day without learning something (a skill, a fact, a shortcut to do something) is a waste of a day.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
My strong friendships definitely. My ability to mentor within my own team but also to learn from others.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Always in person - makes the connection so much stronger and more real.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Creativity, determination but also adaptability, diplomacy and communication skills.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
To trust my own instincts more, and that life can throw curveballs at you personally and professionally, so roll with it!
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I really admire Margaret Molloy of Siegel & Gale, she's just a force to be reckoned with, and she uses her voice to develop her own career and further Irish designers.
I'm in awe of Samantha Barry, Editor in Chief of Glamour; there's someone who seizes every opportunity and runs with it.
My own MD, Barbara McGrath, has transformed the Brightwater Group in the last five years and has an incredible vision for the future.
Geraldine King, Director of the Employment and Recruitment Federation of Ireland, has driven huge changes in the recruitment industry. All incredibly inspiring women.
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?
I'd love to say the gym or sea swimming, but I'd be lying. Even as a seasoned marketing professional, that would be putting some serious spin on a story. A passion of mine that has grown in the last few years has been gardening, so I've really got into that in a big way.
I adore my little goddaughter, and watching her develop into a real little person has been an immense privilege and joy! Watching my two nephews at the start of their respective careers is also a lot of fun and exciting, knowing all the possibilities that lie ahead for them.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
At first, it had a negative effect as employers halted all interview processes and, in some cases, made redundancies. All our usual in-person events had to be cancelled, so we had to massively increase our presence online.
Our consultants, who thrive on in-person interaction, faced a huge adjustment and the marketing department had to help them readjust their online professional & individual presence to reach their target market. So, it's been a real educational moment. Now I think employers have really settled into the hybrid working model and virtual interviewing; I don't think they'll ever go back to the old traditional model.
For me personally, it was a time of learning. I studied for two certifications with the Digital Marketing Institute and am currently doing a third, something I genuinely wouldn't have had time for previously, given long commute times and work events in the evenings. I've loved it, to be honest.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Yes, I've mentored and been mentored by countless people and will always be grateful. Some formally and others simply by being around them. I love to learn from others and adapt their skills to my way of doing things. Learning by osmosis from the people around you is one of the most valuable ways of learning.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Don't be too rigid in your definition of success, have an idea of where you want to go, but be flexible on how you get there. Your career is a journey, and some of the most interesting people have switched careers or paths late in life. So, develop your strengths, be aware of and work on your weaknesses and learn from everyone and every situation.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Maybe giving up too soon and being discouraged easily. Despite loving the possibilities that social media brings to the marketing profession, I'm also keenly aware that for the younger generation at least, it can be frustrating to see people having the perfect Instagram life - you're never aware of everything that goes on behind the scenes. Concentrate on yourself and how you can develop rather than constantly comparing yourself to others.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect" - Oscar Wilde. I think that in marketing, you're constantly thrown curveballs; you have to be proactive, reactive and adaptive. I also love the saying, "always be kind to people on the way up as they're the same ones you'll meet on the way down".
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Quite a few at the moment, and what's great is that not all of them are the ones with the biggest pockets. If we are talking about the big spenders, then probably Wrigleys "When it's time" and "Get Your Ding Back" campaigns really hit the post-lock-down mood.
I do love the local businesses such as the Irish brand and food chain "Sprout & Co" - they went onto social media and did videos of how to create their best selling salads and encouraged sales of their own vegetable deliveries!
Charities like DogsTrust also stepped up their game on brand awareness, lobbying for new legislation campaigns, and pushing adoptions. They have a very little marketing budget but still manage to be super creative as well as educational, so hats off to them.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
I think we've all changed our definition of success throughout this pandemic - success is health and happiness. And those look different for everyone.