{"id":28544,"date":"2021-11-27T10:59:28","date_gmt":"2021-11-27T10:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/blog\/adobe\/claire-darley-qa-with-ritchie-mehta\/"},"modified":"2021-11-27T10:59:28","modified_gmt":"2021-11-27T10:59:28","slug":"claire-darley-qa-with-ritchie-mehta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/blog\/adobe\/claire-darley-qa-with-ritchie-mehta\/","title":{"rendered":"Claire Darley Q&A with Ritchie Mehta"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A talk with Ritchie Mehta, CEO of the School of Marketing and his plans to help the COVID-19 cohort, the generation hardest hit by the economic cand competitive pressures of the pandemic.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

As I finished the last interview of this series, I was both sad to see this time come to an end and hopeful about the insights, ideas and action steps I have gleaned from the fabulous minds we have profiled here. My interview with Ritchie Mehta, CEO of the School of Marketing, was no different. As someone who works with young people day in and day out, Ritchie hears their hopes and fears. He is especially keen to help the COVID-19 cohort, the generation of young people hardest hit by the economic consequences and competitive pressures of the pandemic, make 2021 \u2018the year we fight back.\u2019<\/p>\n

In our conversation, Ritchie talks about numerous ways to win the fight. We start with something near and dear to my heart \u2014 mentorship. As a new mentor at Ritchie\u2019s School of Marketing, I was keen to hear his insights about why mentoring makes such a difference. But we did not stop there. Ritchie had tips for employers and those seeking work and promised me a \u2018silver bullet\u2019 that can help both succeed. Now if that is not a cliff hanger, I don\u2019t know what is!<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve achieved so much. How did you get to where you are now?<\/h3>\n

The steps of my journey really informed my ultimate destination. Firstly, while I was born and spent my formative years in Mumbai, I moved to a border town in Scotland \u2014 and as I made decisions about my studies, I recall two things: 1. a move to London seemed out of the question \u2014 and 2. marketing was never mentioned among the \u2018usual suspects\u2019 of areas to study.<\/p>\n

As time went by and I embarked on my education, I ended up with four degrees! I learned in every format, from full time to part time and from distanced learning to correspondence. While this was not an intentional social experiment, it did teach me that learning happens in many ways \u2014 and that what might work for one, doesn\u2019t necessarily work for all.<\/p>\n

When I started my career, I loved marketing \u2014 and soon realised that what\u2019s taught about it in business schools is too theoretical. I had an embryonic insight that if I could help people get a glimpse into what a fascinating and inspiring industry it can be, I would have lived some of my purpose. I had a lofty ambition to start my own school.<\/p>\n

Our journeys are similar \u2014 I grew up in the North of England, and no one expected me to succeed academically and leave Scunthorpe. My story is about aspiration but also persistence. I think tenacity is underrated.<\/h3>\n

Exactly \u2014 and young people don\u2019t always understand the value of persistence with the immediacy of the world we live in. I worked in finance \u2014 I became a lecturer, then a course creator. It took 7.5 years to get to learn the sector and the trade before I was happy enough to launch my own school.<\/p>\n

What is it about the School of Marketing that is fundamentally different?<\/h3>\n

We offer a blend of omnichannel, always-on experiences \u2014 there are earn and learn opportunities \u2014 we give incentives and work with business leaders to solve real-world problems. We also structure learning interventions with a sign-posted pathway through the content and keep our eye on long-term development. There is such a rich blend of experiences on offer.<\/p>\n

We know there are bottlenecks on both the supply and demand sides. A Marketing Week survey found that only in 3 percent of cases did young people want to pursue careers in marketing, so that speaks to a need to inspire and inform them. At the same time, there is a need to upskill and reskill people already employed as marketing is evolving so quickly in a digital world. We operate like a social enterprise to close this circle.<\/p>\n

You talk about informing and inspiring \u2014 and it makes me so excited to come on board as a mentor.<\/h3>\n

We have a massive aspiration to be the biggest mentoring programme in the UK, especially after the diabolical year we had last year. 2021 must be the year we fight back. We can do that by helping young people build confidence and connection, giving them access to industry experts like you who who will lend a helping hand to make tomorrow a better day.<\/p>\n

This is true of my own experience. I started my career with a placement at IBM, largely as I knew someone who went through the process successfully, who reminded me of myself. It makes me think of the expression: \u2018if you can see it, you can be it\u2019. We need an ample pool of diverse mentors so people can see themselves reflected in them.<\/h3>\n

Claire, I love that you escaped the \u2018Northern bias\u2019 because diversity is key, but our world is riddled with biased processes. Even in the pandemic, a video interview will be more successful with better tech and a better backdrop! It really does become as much about who you know as what you know.<\/p>\n

Further, we did a huge study that identified 4 major barriers to entering marketing careers:<\/p>\n

Lack of awareness \u2014 everyone thinks of advertising, but doesn\u2019t realise the fullness of the field and how it\u2019s evolved
\nAccess \u2013 Marketing is a notoriously difficult career into which to get a foothold
\nAptitude \u2013 People often lack the skills to get into the industry
\nAltitude \u2013 Young people need to be inspired with an aspirational career trajectory<\/p>\n

Mentoring really addresses Access and Altitude, so it is a core part of our offer at the School of Marketing. We want role models of all shapes and sizes to open doors. We also want them to appreciate the influence they have on recruitment practices \u2014 one of the biggest barriers we are trying to smash. Mentors develop empathy with mentees (it\u2019s really reverse mentorship) \u2014 and that helps them change the system.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why mentoring is such a huge part of my life in and outside Adobe. Who have you recruited and from what industries?<\/h3>\n

So many marketers are represented from so many verticals: Boots, Direct Line, Google, Karmarama, Sainsbury\u2019s and Unilever \u2014 just to name a few!<\/p>\n

Registering for a 1:1 with a mentor is a 10-second registration process and we make sessions available weekly on a first-come, first serve basis (people have to act fast as we are usually subscribed in 90 minutes after we release slots). Other than that, it couldn\u2019t be easier. It\u2019s free and there are no strings attached.<\/p>\n

This representation proves \u2018it takes a village.\u2019 What other asks do you have of employers like us?<\/h3>\n

Help inform people about what they are entitled to receive and let them know that training is available for them.<\/p>\n

The support around the apprenticeship levy is the world\u2019s best kept secret. If you are a levy-paying organisation like Adobe, you can deploy funding to hire young people and upskill high potential, high talent people in your company. And SMEs can avail themselves of up to 100 percent of the funding even if they are not a levy-paying organisation. You might even have a freelancer in your enterprise who can put themselves on a training programme! Everyone should be taking advantage of this!<\/p>\n

So, this is the silver bullet you mentioned?<\/h3>\n

Absolutely. There is a dominance and growth trajectory around the \u2018earn and learn\u2019 model and apprenticeships are the key.<\/p>\n

This is money that is not being spent \u2014 it is ludicrous that people don\u2019t have awareness about something so beneficial to employers and employees.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m happy we can shine a light on it. You talk about the COVID-19 cohort, and for them, career development isn\u2019t just about a difficult 2020. It\u2019s about their lives.<\/h3>\n

Young people have to grab their career with their two hands \u2014 but they can\u2019t be so rigid as to not recognise a good opportunity. It\u2019s not all about money or that grad role at Google. I was once offered a role that paid me 10 times less than the one I had, but I took it as I saw its brand value. Sometimes, you have to be flexible in the short term and strategic in the long term.<\/p>\n

And what can Adobe advise for its creative community?<\/h3>\n

Become a creator. This is the single most valuable thing anyone can do.<\/p>\n

Be a creator in whatever guise you choose, activate all social channels, start a podcast, get yourself on Fiver. Start earning today. Develop your personal brand.<\/p>\n

Of course I love hearing you say \u2018Become a creator\u2019 as creativity is the number one mandate at Adobe as we challenge the status quo. But it\u2019s also the way the world is working today. People want \u2018portfolio careers\u2019, to be digital nomads, to have a mix of roles and choices. Your advice and the School of Marketing enables that \u2014 as well as those looking for more traditional careers.<\/h3>\n

All interviews in this series and more content can be found here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source : Adobe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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