Kathryn Gardner works with our brilliant clients to support their growth. Kathryn has a first class honours degree in marketing from Newcastle University and has previously worked in marketing roles at Lancaster University and Jonesco.
Kathryn grew up in Lancaster and attended the Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School.
We caught up with Kathryn about International Women’s Day, who and what has inspired her in her career to date, and advice she has for anyone starting out in marketing.
What do you love about being a creative and working in Lancashire?
As someone starting out in the creative field, I love its freedom. I have the chance to explore, learn and try out new things each day, surrounded by enthusiastic and passionate people. For me, working in Lancashire provides the right balance of energy and calm. You can choose to be in the centre of bustling activity, or find peace and quiet to recharge – a balance that helps me stay refreshed and creative.
What advice would you give to anyone starting out in their marketing career?
Be open to exploration. Marketing covers such a massive scope, so it’s been invaluable for me to take every opportunity in discovering what it is that I enjoy the most. It’s an innovative and evolving industry, and there are new opportunities constantly being created, so I would advise trying it all – you could stumble into something you love. It can feel as though there’s pressure to know what you want to do from the start, but the joy of working in marketing is that there’s so many avenues to try out, and you learn a lot along the way.
If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
- My eldest sister is a big inspiration to me; watching them forge a path in the creative industry and work hard to get what they want provides endless encouragement for me. They’re the first person I call when I have a question, professional or otherwise, so it’s probably about time I took them to dinner as a repayment. Also, it’s sure to be a fun hang-out!
- Laura Bates is an incredible feminist writer who has written a multitude of fascinating and exposing books on the issue of gender inequality. Hers were the first books I read in the genre, and they opened my eyes to the kind of media I wanted, and needed, to start ingesting to broaden my understanding. I have so many questions to ask her!
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez skillfully represents female ability in the political sphere and her grassroots campaigns are incredibly impressive. She’s forging new paths for groups that have previously been overlooked, and I’m sure she would have a lot of great insight and some interesting stories to tell. She also seems really cool, so I think we’d have fun.
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
It’s valuable to recognise and celebrate how far we’ve come regarding gender equality, but equally important to continue looking forward, to understand the progress that still needs to be made. International Women’s Day encourages us to take pause and reflect on our circumstances, both personally and societally, and refocus our attention. I find it gives me a welcome nudge to reassess my own circumstances, as well as highlighting what I can do within a wider context.
