If you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.
Welcome, Lorien! You’ve joined our growing Australia office as Account Director. What is the most exciting prospect of joining Just Global?
I was intrigued by a company in growth mode. In the APAC region, it’s almost like a startup right now. I wanted to get in on the ground floor; help establish processes, relationships and really help it succeed.
I had worked previously with a couple of the agency’s leadership. I started seeing notifications about a ton of hiring going on. I thought, “Wait a minute. I knew Just Media, but who is Just Global?” I started looking into the formation of Just Global from Just Media and Enigma and that got me really excited. I reached out to congratulate them on the accomplishment and one conversation turned into another and now here I am. It all aligned with my move back to Australia with my family so it kind of fell into place.
Also, it was an exciting prospect to work in a true agency setting. I’ve touched media, creative, branding, marketing – so many facets of the industry – but haven’t done it from the vantage of one agency that does it all. I’ve touched all these other pieces of the puzzle and get it to see it come together now.
Do you have any passions or hobbies?
I love to travel. I know that this is a very hard time, between COVID restrictions and the logistics of traveling with young kids, but I love it.
Travel gets me out of my comfort zone and lets me experience something new. My favorite is international travel but of course, we can’t move as freely as we have been in the past. It’s forced me to uncover stuff in my own backyard that I’d missed before, whether that was in the US before, or now in Australia.
I love the planning and research part of travel too. Reading about what’s going on in a particular area and getting a picture of what’s to come makes me even more excited for the experience.
I’ve also played a lot of sports in my life. I met my husband playing volleyball in Australia on my first day in the country. It’s funny how hobbies can bring people together. I don’t play volleyball anymore, but I am still as active as I can be through Pilates, Yoga, and CrossFit.
I’m an outdoorsy person all around. I spent a lot of time outside, with our two dogs and kids, hiking or going to the beach or whatever we’re going to do.
Your background hosts an impressive 20 years of experience in relationship management and integrated marketing solutions. Have you noticed any rising trends or fundamental changes to how B2B brands and their agencies work together?
I’ve been seeing a greater ability for companies to think globally and not be so narrowly focused. A company may have penetrated one country, but with the many regional and global factors influencing markets now, brands and agencies have to be really vigilant about monitoring trends.
Whether they’re companies you’re specifically working within or brands that you’re helping to build, businesses need a more global viewpoint. Today, an employee may work for an Australian-based company, but live in Singapore, or vice versa. Producing effective messaging and targeting these days requires a very sophisticated understanding of global markets and trends. You can’t replicate marketing plans – you have to know what’s happening in the markets you’re trying to reach.
That’s another attractive feature about Just Global. To be successful internationally, companies need more than a US base that runs campaigns globally. To be successful, companies need resources on the ground and a mindset that’s driven by a true desire and interest to work within multiple markets.
Even making my move back to Australia, I know I’m far away but I don’t always feel very far away. I’m talking to people from all over the world all the time. You’re so interconnected that I don’t feel siloed. I think more brands and people have become open to that.
Is there a particular moment in your career that you feel most proud of?
In the big picture of my career trajectory, I’m really proud to keep finding opportunities, push myself into new areas, be able to make connections and learn on the job.
I learn by doing. I have to dive in and trust that I’ll figure it out. I’m proud to have gone to New York and Sydney and figure it out as I went. I’ve had a lot of client-facing roles within marketing, but I’ve also shifted industries a bit. I always trust myself to find my way.
I also love the fact that so many jobs have been through my network. I network for fun. I genuinely care about the people I meet and want to stay in touch with them. Most all of my jobs have been through connections. I pride myself on the ability to grow my network across the world.
You’ve spent a fair amount of your career fostering the next generation of marketers through your time as President of Young Professionals at the International Advertising Association, Young Minds Advisor at Publishers Australia and as a Youth Mentor at The Role Model Program. Why is career development an important initiative for you?
Over my career, and even going back to university, people have taken me under their wing. I believe ‘what goes around comes around’ so I want to pay that appreciation forward.
When I moved to New York the first time I didn’t know anybody. It was a new industry, it was a new place, everything was new. I thought, “Okay, how am I going to kind of break into this, learn the industry and meet people?” Of course, networking is important so I looked into local associations and that’s how I get involved with International Advertising Association initially.
Once I got involved and started meeting people, their Board of Directors thought I had the right energy and motivation to move the organization forward, so I eventually become President of their youth program. They were looking to grow their membership and connecting with people comes very naturally for me so it worked out to be a great situation. Once I started getting more into the recruitment piece, I started to also really like the mentorship side.
You’ve lived around the world – from Santa Cruz, CA and New York, NY to boomerang (apologies for the pun) runs in Sydney, Australia. What is it about living in different parts of the world that excites you?
Well, I obviously love international travel and living in different places. I enjoy meeting people from different places and enhancing my global view. I find a lot of value in being open-minded.
Whether it was the International Advertising Association, obviously it’s right in its title or getting the ability to attend the Salzburg Global Seminar, I always embrace the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I’m still in touch with these people too. These are folks I would have never met otherwise nor would have never crossed paths. I think that is so cool.
Could you tell us about your Master’s Thesis in Sports Management?
I developed a comprehensive MarCom plan for the UCSC volleyball program. Being an ex-volleyball player myself (played in college, toured around Australia and was featured in Sports Illustrated after high school) as well as loving the beach, I was drawn to UCSC when a friend started coaching there.
As a D3 school, it had very little funding for any marketing or community development activities. I put together a plan for them with mostly grassroots MarCom efforts to grow the support for the program (attendance, engagement with the program, fundraising activities, etc). It’s published in the SJSU Library.
What’s your favorite GIF?
I don’t have one favorite, but I love the Minions and Hoops & Yoyo. I think they’re funny and just make me laugh. I try not to take myself too seriously which sometimes I have a hard time doing. No matter what mood I’m in I can watch a clip from one of these and am guaranteed to laugh which will shift my mood even slightly.
Would you like to learn more about what it’s like at Just Global? Visit Our People and Career pages.
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Learn more about Matthew Park’s approach to helping clients, traveling the world and why dogs are better than cats.
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