Meet Hannah Thilthorpe
We are delighted to introduce Hannah Thilthorpe who has joined our team as a Marketing Consulting Lead. A fantastic problem-solver, Hannah thrives in an environment where she is responsible for finding the solution to complex problems, thinking critically and outside the box. Always looking for stimuli to intrigue and keep her interested, Hannah shares with us more about her role and being part of the WoolfHodson team.
Tell us more about your role?
My role as a Marketing Consulting Lead is fundamentally to help our clients deliver exceptional customer experiences which drive tangible business outcomes, using a blend of technology and insight. I’d describe myself as a mix of marketing strategist, trouble-shooter, and storyteller.
What attracted you to work at WoolfHodson?
I’ve spent the last 25 years working in the marketing arena, both client and agency side, in the UK and abroad.
The natural progression of marketing over the decades has meant that technology has become the foundation on which every marketing team has to build. I’ve always felt that technology has a mildly ‘magical’ quality, in that there’s some crazy technical complexity built in the background that a customer couldn’t even being to comprehend, but what they experience on the front end can be a truly wonderful interaction with a brand.
There came a natural inflection point, where I’d gathered enough knowledge and experience to want to move away from a campaign delivery-focused role and into one where the focus is on strategic thinking - about solving clients’ challenges around the people, the processes and the technology that enable best-in-class marketing driven by insight.
WoolfHodson offered exactly what I was looking for. The key motivation for me was the people at WoolfHodson. Really smart, really focused on driving clients’ businesses forward and whom I could learn a lot from. I want to get out of my comfort zone and being around such talented minds certainly pushes me to bring out the best version of myself every day. Oh, and they’re also a really great bunch of people!
What are the motivators that drive you in solving complex marketing problems?
From a personal point of view, I derive satisfaction from cracking something tricky. My world moves at a million miles an hour, so I’m always looking for stimuli to intrigue me and keep me interested. Usually, that manifests in a challenge of some sort.
In terms of solving complex marketing problems for a client, I love being part of a team of people, all working together for a common goal. It gives me the opportunity to brainstorm, to think critically and outside the box. I love to hear other points of view as I believe it ultimately makes the end solution much richer. In the digital world, if you can think it, you can usually build it, so I refuse to let a problem, no matter how complex, beat me.
From a client point of view, it’s hugely satisfying to be part of the solution to a problem that, sometimes, has been around for years. And knowing that the work you’re doing is pushing that client’s business forward.
What’s your career highlight?
There have been so many! Seeing my first campaign billboard at Waterloo station, watching my first TV ad, being recognised by W3 with an award for pushing the boundaries in UX, and having the opportunity to live and work all over the world in the field that I love. For right now, I’m so grateful for the opportunity to take on this new consultancy challenge, as in many ways, it’s a validation of all the hard work that’s come before.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve worked on?
I could talk of delivering a business-critical, 8-figure monthly e-commerce website on an emerging tech CMS platform within 12 weeks, with no downtime during the switch. Or around being part of a team that delivered a single customer view for one of the world’s leading airlines. At the time, each of these things was my biggest challenge, both from a technology and a stakeholder management point of view. But each project I work on has an element of challenge about it, largely due to the ever-changing technology landscape.
I’d consider my role at WoolfHodson my biggest challenge to date because it really is next level in terms of the complexity and sophistication of the work we’re doing.
How did you overcome this challenge?
By trusting the WoolfHodson methodology, by believing in my own capabilities and by truly collaborating with the amazing team here.
What’s your biggest career lesson?
That you need to work in environments that align with your core values and beliefs. It sounds like a cliché, but a company’s culture really should be at the top of your list of priorities. To that end, you may think it’s impossible to get a sense of culture when you’re in the artificial setting of an interview and where you may only meet 1 or 2 of your potential colleagues. Listen to your gut though, as even in that interview setting, it picks up all the indicators even if you consciously don’t!
What would be your advice to someone wanting to progress their marketing career?
In today’s marketing landscape, it’s about commitment to continuous learning. There are so many digital tools and techniques coming into the ecosystem on a seemingly monthly basis that you need to make sure your skills are sharp.
If you’re thinking of the move from an agency into pureplay consultancy, you need to be prepared for a totally different mindset. In the agency world, your inherent value is in having all the answers upfront for your clients. In the consultancy world, you don’t have any of the answers upfront, but the value you bring is in getting to those answers. And it is the consulting process you work through that eventually gets you there. It’s a level of ambiguity that you need to embrace and get comfortable with; ultimately it always delivers results and is a good growth mindset!
If you are looking for your next career move and would like to explore opportunities in our growing team, please see the available roles on our website.
