Kira Stancliffe, 26, is a marketing professional from Birmingham. She has worked in marketing and PR since studying for her Chartered Institute of Marketing at Birmingham University. She will soon move to London, where she will be working in her dream job at a political events company.

What do you love most about being doing what you do?

More than anything, working in marketing and communications makes me excited! The marketing department of any company tends to be involved with all projects at some stage, and I love that some days you can receive a curve ball that turns your day upside down – but when you solve the problem, the levels of satisfaction of as high as they can be.

Why do you think you are successful at what you do?

I think it’s mainly due to my own work ethic and motto: Exceed Expectations. I always look at projects from a client perspective – what does this say to them, what does this say about us? In my current role as Marketing and PR Executive for Hilton Birmingham Metropole, our guests are the reason we exist – so I have to make sure that in the smallest of details is covered; our guests have high expectations of us and we strive to always exceed them.

How do you keep motivated?

Sometimes it can be hard, marketing is a very demanding job and some days I get home feeling too frazzled to even watch Coronation Street! So, I do a weird thing on a Friday afternoon… I pick my Top 5 successes of the week. This can be anything from a great response to a press release or signing off a project – but five things that I did, which made an impact on the business or my colleagues.

It sounds a bit cheesy but it focuses your mind on to more positive elements of your week rather than the negative. I then stick the sticky note to my computer screen so when I walk in on a Monday I can look back on my successes of the previous week to inspire me.

What would you say to a young person who is feeling uninspired about life and work?

I would say, do something you’re interested in and dream big. I grew up on a council estate in a rough part of Birmingham – I could have stayed in that environment but I decided I wanted more. So I worked hard at school, college and university – despite not being the most academic of people and now work for a global company.

In a few weeks I’m moving to London to begin a new job as a Marketing Manager for an events company; in less than four years I’ve gone from being a Marketing Assistant to Marketing Manager, by just being ambitious and seeking out opportunities rather than waiting for them to come to me.
The great thing about marketing and communications over more recent years, is that you don’t have to have a degree to get into the field. Major companies such as BMW now offer apprenticeships, which is brilliant if college or universities aren’t for you.

What do you think about The Big Academy and the work we’re trying to do, in helping all young people to get inspire and achieve success?

It’s brilliant! So often, young people are dismissed – especially those who aren’t in work or education. I think it’s really important that we support young people to achieve the very best they can.

The Big Academy is a great tool to help young people really move forward in their careers and lives; it can be daunting to decide that you want to do but The Big Academy is helping bridge that gap between deciding what you want to do and making sure you have the skills to get there.