E09 How I Became Chief Transformation Officer of EssenceMediacom | Sue Unerman
Episode description
The story…
Growing up the youngest child, Sue learnt from a young age that hierarchy wasn’t for her, this later allowed Sue to break the norms within the workplace and try different approaches in order to succeed. In her teenage years, becoming an introvert meant Sue often felt quite lonely, concentrating on her studies and her love for history allowed Sue to focus on her techniques rather than networking which later benefited her career.
Sue then began her career at The Media Business as the Head of Strategic Planning in the 90’s. Now Chief Transformation Officer of (the newly merged) EssenceMediacom, which has over 10,000 employees. With her years at Mediacom, Sue has seen the company grow from revenues of £44 million in 1990 to £2 billion in turnover now.
Opening up about motherhood, Sue discusses the challenges of being a young working mother and the guilt of not being able to give her all to every aspect of her life. A friend suggested one way to deal with the anxieties of everyday life – meditation. Sue has been meditating for nearly 25 years now, shereveals the importance of practising mindfulness and just taking 10 minutes in your day to relax.
Also, an author of 3 bestselling books, Esquire named Sue’s latest book "The most important business book of the year", Sue is no stranger to breaking the glass ceiling and driving for more equality within the workplace.
To hear Sue open up about her successful career, her love for history, music and media, and valuable advice on how to reach the top, listen to this episode of the How I Became podcast.
Chapters:
(00:00:00) Superwoman Syndrome and the Importance of Self-Care
(00:07:46) The Impact of Exclusion and Inclusion at a Young Age
(00:15:35) The Importance of Techniques and Networking
(00:23:17) Falling into Advertising
(00:31:44) Starting Real World Planning
(00:39:44) Liberating Boundaries & Techniques for Leadership
(00:47:38) Creative Techniques and Meditation
(00:55:10) The Spectrum of Masculinity and Femininity in Roles and Responsibilities
(01:03:03) The Move to Chief Transformational Officer
(01:10:43) Techniques for Creating a Better World of Work
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Episode Sponsor:
Gray Matters - A straight-talking business development consultancy that empowers agencies to position, market and sell themselves for new business success
Unity & Motion - A London based production company specialising in commercials and branded content
Email: [email protected]
This is a UNIFY Podcast. Produced by Unity & Motion
Credits:
Director: Charles Parkinson
Poet & VO Artist: Ashley Samuels-McKenzie
Sound Recordist: Paolo Neri
Editor: Catherine Singh