Movers & Shakers: An interview with Kate Mason

The Meadowhall marketer says the most effective projects are the most simple ones

Tactics UK: How did you get started in Marketing?  What did you do before?

Kate Mason: I’ve spent my whole working career in marketing. I fell into it at the beginning of my career with McDonald’s Restaurants where I stayed for 10 years.  It gave me great experience and at the time was the most well-known brand in the world—what better start can you have! 

Tactics UK: What challenges and frustrations exist in your job?

K.M.: The main challenge is encouraging retailers to work with us to develop initiatives that will mutually benefit both organisations. We’ve made great inroads in this over the past few years but there is still a long way to go to really move  forward.  

Tactics UK: What are your greatest achievements at work?

K.M.: Personally there have been so many things that have given me a great sense of achievement ranging from launching new innovative initiatives, winning numerous awards, my career progression, but my greatest satisfaction has come from seeing other people in my team develop and go on to achieve so much themselves – somehow, that makes it all worthwhile.

Tactics UK: Who have been your mentors?

K.M.: I’ve worked with some very talented people over the years but as a mentor, Chris Smith from Smith Young Partnership stands out as someone who put pressure on me in the nicest possible way, to deliver innovative ideas and push myself to achieve the best. I have utmost respect for that.

Tactics UK: What are your aspirations?

K.M.: To continue to expand my current role and to work with colleagues across the industry to position marketing as a core business function………oh and to get my new baby to sleep right through the night !

Tactics UK: What are your personal strengths and weaknesses?

K.M.: Blimey, I guess my strengths lie in my strength of character and over the years I have developed a huge desire to always strive for the best.  I possess a lot of common sense, which I tend to rely on to deliver the best results.  I’ve always found that the most effective projects are the most simple ones. I am a very energetic and determined individual, which at times has also been a weakness as this has made me quite a tough cookie to deal with when I want my own way! My other weakness though, which I have to work hard to control is in intolerance of people who believe that things should always be done in the same way they always have and who continue to churn out the same old thing, day in day out without question.

Tactics UK: What was the most difficult time in your career?

K.M.: It has to be moving from being the client to working on their advertising account when I was at Leo Burnett.  This was personally difficult having to deal with ex-colleagues and no longer having the decision— making ability that I was used to. Let’s just say I think I was born to be a client! 

Tactics UK: Family Life?  Any children?  Strategies to remain balanced?

K.M.: A very topical subject at the moment as I have just had my first child who in typical style arrived a month early (impatient like her mother!), one minute I was teaching on the Centre Managers’ Diploma in Reading, the next morning I was in hospital.
I am very lucky to have a home life that’s a million miles from the hustle and bustle of work, despite being married to a retailer.  Outside of work you are more likely to find me in a pair of muddy wellies mucking out my horses than doing lunch in the City and this is what keeps me sane.
I like to think I am quite a grounded person and rely heavily on my family to give me a sharp kick if I start to get too big for my boots – it usually works a treat.

Tactics UK: Hobbies and interests?

K.M.: The mucking out is a clue, pre-baby I used to spend my spare time riding and generally being outdoors.  Mmmm…. something tells me this may change somewhat but hopefully I’ll still find some time to gallop across the open fields.

Tactics UK: Best advice to someone who wanted my job?

K.M.: I love it so you may be waiting some time! 

Tactics UK: Who is your favourite retailer?

K.M.: It depends on the context—from a work perspective I admire retailers who encourage their people to think local, but from a personal perspective, these days I spend much of my time in smaller stores and also shop a fair bit online. I am a typical example of a time-poor consumer who requires a retailer to offer me choice in the way I shop and I have to say, through recent experience, some of the services that the likes of Mothercare and Boots offer have been worth their weight in gold. 

Tactics UK: Do you respond to advertising?

K.M.: Yes I do but I have a terrible habit of unpicking advertising to work out the initial brief and target audience, which is very irritating to my husband.  I love creative work but only where it doesn’t lose sight of the core message.  My favourite TV commercial at the moment is the advert for the new Volkswagen Golf GTI, "Singin in the Rain".

Tactics UK: What do you think is the future of shopping centres and malls in the UK?  

K.M.: I think shopping centres are going to have to learn to differentiate their offer as, in general, I feel there is a danger of our centres becoming too bland and uninteresting.  Convenience will continue to drive, but centres are going to need to look for new ways to offer choice, variety and new services. On the whole though, I feel there are exciting times ahead.