We’re excited to announce Sam Psarelis has joined SmartCo as Head of Marketing and Communications. Wishing you a warm welcome from the entire SmartCo team.
We sat down with Sam to ask her a few questions about her career path, her new role at SmartCo and what she’s most looking forward to about joining.
Hi Sam. What has been your career leading up to SmartCo?
I’ve worked in marketing for almost 20 years now, (I don’t know where that time has gone). I spent many years in the not-for-profit sector, where I learned to stretch budgets creatively and deliver big impact with limited resources. I also did a couple of years in marketing agencies where the pace was completely different, lots of late-night client pitches, big budgets and fast turnarounds. It’s been a great mix of experience.
What is your new role and key responsibilities?
I’m Head of Marketing and Communications and I’ll be focused on creating a marketing strategy and plan to amplify the SmartCo Consulting brand and ultimately drive sales. I want to build our reputation in the market, get our messaging right and showcase the brilliant projects and impacts we’ve made to companies globally. I’ll be concentrating on setting some foundations and the website initially, using those as a springboard for everything else.
What excites you most about this new chapter in your career?
I’m really excited to be diving into a new sector and learning more about IT and technology. If it’s not my young children waking me up in the night, it’s my brain buzzing with ideas. Having the opportunity to build something from scratch and make a real impact in a growing business has got me scribbling notes on my phone at 2am, and I love it.
What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on?
Wrigley Extra gum was a client of mine for some time. I worked on a campaign called ‘Pack a Punch’ to raise awareness of the health benefits of sugar free gum. I worked with a fantastic creative team and got the opportunity to run lots of consumer testing, spying on people in tinted glass rooms. The absolute highlight was a trip to Chicago to see the real Wrigley Field. That was pretty special.
What attracted you to SmartCo?
It was the people and the potential. From the first conversations I could tell this was a business with serious ambition and a culture that genuinely values its team. The chance to shape marketing from an early stage in a growing consultancy really excited me. I wanted to be part of building something and be able to make real impact.
What’s one thing you’d love to learn?
I’ve always wanted to play the guitar, but that’s on hold for when I have more time outside my career and family life! But at work, this role needs me to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in with content. I’m looking forward to the trial and error, the learning curve and working out how to make our LinkedIn content really land with the right audience.
What’s something you’ve enjoyed recently?
Three days away with the girls in Ibiza! We ate amazing food, swam in the sea and were lucky enough to get AAA passes to a club where my friend’s brother DJs. It was magic.
