I joined the cofinitive team in September 2020 to work with inspiring and innovative businesses across the region and to support the company’s expanding portfolio. As an experienced marketer, I have a broad, in-house marketing knowledge gained from working with technology, IT and telecoms companies for more than two decades. The move to cofinitive was a step-change in my career and working in a new environment has provided some valuable insights.

Build and maintain connections

Like many people looking for a new role during the pandemic, I reached out to my network to ask for advice and references and to facilitate introductions. The response was heart-warming and surprised me because I hadn’t had a great deal of contact with some of the people I approached for some years.  A common theme emerged, however, that when I had worked with these people, I’d taken time to create and build a connection with them, which is perhaps why they were happy to help. One of the first things that I discovered about cofinitive and the way the company works is that collaboration is key to its approach – building great relationships with clients is important, understanding their business and working with (or as) their PR and comms team. Maintaining these relationships is key to long-term benefit on both sides.

Be yourself

They say that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ but does imitation stifle your own creativity and ability to grow? cofinitive and its #21toWatch campaign has introduced me to many people and businesses to be inspired by, as well as showing me that success comes in many forms. The attributes that all these people and businesses share is that they have a passion for, and belief in, what they want to achieve, they are willing to learn and work with others who have the skills to make it happen. Working at cofinitive has given me the opportunity to really be myself, both personally and professionally; enabling me to be passionate about my work and develop my strengths, as well as challenging my limitations. I’m learning to be more open to ‘failure’ (it’s all part of the learning curve) and that tenacity can be a real asset when it comes to completing tasks.

Create clear goals (and don’t overthink)

I aim to do everything to the best of my ability.  However, my tendency to overthink (rolls eyes) can often overcomplicate things. As an account manager at cofinitive, I support a range of businesses from diverse industry sectors and to work effectively means I need to avoid diving down the overthinking ‘rabbit holes’. My usual approach is to make sure I am prepared for every eventuality but, as the last 12 months have demonstrated, both in life and in business circumstances can rapidly change in a way that no-one could not have anticipated. I quickly learnt that to avoid overcomplication, it’s essential to have a clear goal before starting, a plan, and a persistence to complete the one task before moving on.

Giving back is a very powerful thing

cofinitive is a successful, award-winning company and I’m proud to work with a host of energetic people and businesses. What makes cofinitive different, and echoes one of my personal values, is the company’s ‘pay-it-forward’ culture. I take pleasure in helping others, whether it’s a colleague, friend or family member, or a total stranger, but cofinitive’s ‘pay-it-forward’ ethos is a new twist on the notion that one good deed deserves another. Working on pro-bono projects has given me the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience, supporting local initiatives, which in turn will benefit wider communities. As well as a huge sense of fulfilment, this has given me the opportunity to make new connections and work on some exciting projects of personal interest.

If you’d like to learn more about cofinitive, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at cofinitive.com or email us at [email protected] and connect with us on social media using #BEcofinitive