Karen Wardle
Senior marketing manager, sponsorship and events
HSBC
Karen Wardle has been senior marketing manager of sponsorships and events at HSBC for five years, and according to her nominator, is consistently "over delivering and pushing for progress".
She's praised for "continually impressing" senior stakeholders, both internal and external, with her ability to develop "win-win" solutions with her calm approach to delivery.
“As a leader herself, she fosters a culture of collaboration and empowers her team to excel by giving them autonomy and confidence,” says her nominator.
Wardle began her career in HR at Lloyds Bank in 2000 before taking on her first marketing role in 2008 as marketing business partner for global corporates. She spent more than 15 years at Lloyds, latterly as head of sponsorship and events for its corporate division and spent a number of years in communication agencies before returning to finance on joining HSBC in 2019.
Reflecting on her time in marketing, Wardle notes there have been significant changes, especially in the choice of channels, targeting capabilities, and tools for tracking and measuring impact.
"The number of digital channels is likely to grow requiring new knowledge and understanding of reach, audience and capabilities."
"Today, the majority of our campaign work is data and insight driven. We can tailor campaigns to meet the needs of the recipient and we can better understand the impact," she says.
Insight is something Wardle believes is one of the biggest opportunities for marketers, especially early on in the planning process as it "removes subjectivity, providing a solid foundation for decision making and ensuring activities stay aligned to the objective and ambition".
Yet, she sees "content overload" is one of marketing’s biggest challenges, as it’s increasingly difficult to capture and hold consumers’ attention in an environment flooded with content from numerous channels and sources.
Like many, Wardle anticipates digital and AI knowledge will be essential for marketers over the next decade, and while she believes data is "extremely valuable" she acknowledges regulations around its use are likely to grow more complex.
"The number of digital channels is likely to grow requiring new knowledge and understanding of reach, audience and capabilities," she says.
Even as digital dominates, Wardle believes face-to-face events will remain crucial to preserve the "human element of marketing", helping companies foster "greater trust and deeper relationships" with customers.
For those considering a career in marketing, Wardle advises building a network, attending industry events, and talking to recruiters about what companies seek in hires. "Most importantly I would tell them to go for it – working in marketing is hard work but extremely rewarding."
