This month, we're delighted to introduce you to Julie Zadow, our Chief Marketing Officer. Julie joined Reward Gateway's Leadership Team on 6th January 2022 and as someone who has recently completed her company induction with us, the RG People Team thought it would be a nice opportunity for you to meet one of our Senior Leaders, and also hear what it's like to join RG.
So, firstly Julie, we'd love it if you could please tell us a little bit about yourself...
Well, let's see: I grew up in New Jersey, went to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, went to grad school at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, then I lived in New York for about five years before moving up to Boston. I've been a Bostonian since 1998. I married my husband Aram (a Swiss American I met in Edinburgh) in Harvard Square in 2000, and we have two boys - Julian who is 19 and Declan who is almost 17. We live in Natick, MA.
My first job in NYC was at a big ad agency. I was interviewing for some junior-level position and somehow ended up as the Assistant to the President of the agency -- a woman who had only been appointed President a few years before I arrived. It lasted just over a year, and my experience there was a frightening parallel for what Anne Hathaway's character went through in the movie The Devil Wears Prada.
That experience taught me everything I needed to know about what kind of leader I would NEVER, EVER let myself become.
We Love Our Job is one of our eight values. Can you tell us why you Love Your Job?
It took me years to figure out -- for me -- what were the key ingredients I needed in my work to love my job? Over time -- and through some inevitable trial and error --- I've learned I love when a job gives me a chance to really double down on my strengths as a leader, strategist and communicator.
I've also learned how much easier it is to love your job when you're part of a strong team of passionate people who care equally about their own success and the success of those around them. And not for nothing, I've learned that it's MUCH easier to love your job when you are fortunate enough to market a great product that the world really needs. I'm happy to say that Reward Gateway has ALL of these "key ingredients" and I'm genuinely thrilled to be part of this company.
What made you want to join Reward Gateway?
As many already know, I've been in the employee engagement space before, and specifically, I was the head of Marketing for another reward and recognition company some years back. I truly love this sector, and even after I moved on from that leadership role, I never felt "done" with this space, and I've always wanted to return to it. But I didn't want to return to just any company in the space, as I've learned that not all employee engagement companies know how to live their brand values from the inside out.
As everyone here knows, Reward Gateway indeed lives our brand values from the inside out every day, and that's the kind of company I want to be part of.
As one of our new starters, can you share how your onboarding experience was?
It's been intense and it's been wonderful. Most importantly, after only a month's time, I already feel a true connection to our culture. A lot of that comes from how streamlined and efficient my onboarding has been, enabling me to dive into meeting people and learning about the business right away.
How does your role at Reward Gateway make the world a better place to work?
As Reward Gateway's first CMO, I have the opportunity to lead a fantastic team of global marketing champions as we elevate our brand and tell our story in new and unique ways all over the world. We have this incredible moment in front of us -- the chance to share both our values and our expertise across the globe, but to do so in ways that are locally nuanced and culturally relevant. That's an exciting place to be.
At Reward Gateway, We Push the Boundaries - how do you see us living this value in the next 12 months?
First and foremost, I think we will push the boundaries with ourselves. We have every right to be so proud of what we've achieved in the past few years of incredible growth leading up to the end of Season 3. In Season 4, it's time to OWN not just our pride but also our ambition for how much more we can do and how much more we can grow.
As part of that, we will be asking more of each other, testing the limits of our thinking, embracing the inevitable "messiness" of growth. This will require a healthy dose of tolerance for change, and a willingness to accept the truth that, as I often say, "What got us here won't get us there." In order to manage the hypergrowth on our horizon and hold each other accountable for the goals we set for ourselves, we are going to need to lean on our Corporate Values now more than ever. I truly believe they will be our North Star as we chart our path onward and upward.
Which of our eight values do you feel you live the most at work?
Be Human. This is the essence of how to build a culture of collaboration, accountability and trust. It's about treating each other with grace and compassion -- not just when you're having a good day and when everything's going right, but when you're having a bad and everything feels like it's going wrong.
It's about being visionary and competitive and ambitious but simultaneously empathetic, patient and kind. Be Human is the value I strive to live to the fullest each day.
How would you describe your leadership style?
As a person, I strive for authenticity over perfection, and I'm a ruthless optimist. I choose authenticity and optimism not because they are easy choices, but because they are the truths I challenge myself to seek and find every day. I try to model confident humility -- just like everyone else, I'm a work in progress.
I've also always followed the mantra to "take your work seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously." At a human level, I live by Maya Angelou's quote, which applies not just to leaders but to all of us: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Julie Zadow. If you're keen to learn more about our Leadership team and what opportunities there are to work with our talented team visit rg.co/careers.