90 Second Interview with Faraz Shamsi
Lottie Brownlow, consultant and marketing recruiter at tml Partners, sat down with Faraz Shamsi, former CMO, Europe, of Church & Dwight and global marketing leader, to get his thoughts on career development, influential leadership and marketing trends producing opportunities and challenges for marketing leaders.
Who is your business hero and why?
I don’t have one but many. In an ever changing and evolving world, new business models and successes appear all the time and with them emerge great leaders and heroes. I look up to people that I have worked with first, as I have had direct contact and then look out in the industry for further inspiration.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
I would say it’s to step outside of your comfort zone. When you try new things, you learn and prepare yourself for your next role. You may consider taking on new and difficult tasks that you aren’t comfortable with to expand your skill set.
What has had the most influential impact on your leadership career and why?
Our leadership style is a culmination of our own personality, the environment, past mentors, and the teams we manage. For me, the biggest impact has been people and cultures. I have learnt to be very adaptable. I was fortunate to have worked and lived in many countries across continents and each experience and interaction taught me something new. People are different and the same style does not work for everyone. For example, someone who is timid might be overwhelmed by a coercive or even a pacesetting leader. Leaders will need to try and experiment different approach.
What future trends do you think marketing and communications will see in your sector over the next five years?
As marketers, we play for the long term and should start thinking and preparing for the future.
There are many current and future trends and lots of reports get published that detail the changing face of the consumer, i.e. younger profile and rise of millennials, shopping and consumption patterns, personalization and customization, sustainability and respect for earth, health consciousness and a few others.
I think what will drive the biggest change in how we do things that we are not prepared for is ‘technology’, the role of AI and Metaverse (web 3). Let’s admit, AI has not really crept into marketing communication or planning or other fields yet, but it will, and it will radically change the way we do things. The Metaverse digital ecosystem is also something that has the potential to change social media and is perhaps a potential future for social media that is immersive, engaging, and inclusive. I can’t say how fast it will be adopted and which sectors it will touch but it’s out there and it will grow!
What has fundamentally changed about your industry since you started working in it?
Technology again! Digital media and e-commerce. Just in my time, the medium has shifted from TV only to TV to Digital and the shopping experience has moved from brick and mortar to in-store as well, i.e., e-Commerce. This has somewhat reduced barriers for entry in the consumer goods industry and explains why there are so many start-ups. It’s great!
What do you consider to be the biggest challenges for marketing & comms leaders?
While there are many, I will be very specific on this one. The ones our teams faced recently was measurement and ROI, being more specific, the Balance between speed and measurement.
In today’s environment with seismic changes, marketers need to act with speed but will they be able to measure effectiveness of their campaigns with reliable metrics?
If you could go back 10 years, what career advice would you give yourself?
Trust your gut and take risks!
Who are tml Partners?
tml Partners are specialist marketing recruiters and headhunters with access to a global network of marketing leaders.
Whether you’re seeking interim or permanent solutions, our team have the expertise to support across various sectors and locations.
To learn how tml Partners can help you, get in touch with Lottie Brownlow:
