Heena Shah
Marketing manager
Valeo Foods
Throughout her career, Heena Shah says marketing has transitioned from being a predominantly creative function into one expected to balance creativity with commercial rigour. While she says it remains “ferociously creative” she believes marketing has moved a long way from the “Mad Men era of siloed decision-making, large budgets and limited accountability”, to a discipline defined by data, scrutiny and measurable impact across the full marketing mix.
That shift has shaped how Shah works and how she has deliberately developed her career. As marketing’s “science” has grown in importance, she has broadened her skill set to strengthen her commercial and analytical capabilities alongside creative judgement.
She now works closely with commercial and operational teams, ensuring marketing decisions are aligned with wider business priorities. Her focus, she says, has been on positioning marketing as a driver of both short- and long-term growth.
A theme in Shah’s thinking is the reconnection of consumer insight with disciplined measurement. She sees this as marketing’s biggest opportunity. Deep understanding of people’s motivations, tensions and preferences remains central, particularly in an environment of fragmented media and expanding competition. But she says insight alone is not enough.
In organisations under pressure, with tighter budgets and fragile trust in marketing impact, Shah argues that accountability is essential: “By measuring what matters and demonstrating tangible progress, we can strengthen our voices and seat at the table”.
“Be self-aware, committed to continuous development, confident in your convictions and advocate for yourself. In an industry defined by change, those qualities will serve you more than any title.”
The greatest challenge, in her view, is not a lack of creativity but the risk of becoming irrelevant through overextension. New channels, trends and innovations compete for attention, sometimes eroding the focus and consistency required to build lasting impact, she says. Staying relevant, is then “not about chasing what’s new, but about having the discipline to prioritise what matters”.
Looking ahead, she expects marketing roles to broaden while becoming more clearly defined. Marketers will increasingly act as business linchpins, connecting brand growth, product effectiveness and commercial outcomes, while relying on deeper specialist expertise to deliver at pace, she says. With this greater influence comes greater responsibility, and Shah hopes the industry uses that influence inclusively and responsibly as its role continues to expand.
Her advice to those starting out reflects her own career philosophy: prioritise personal development over chasing titles. “Be self-aware, committed to continuous development, confident in your convictions and advocate for yourself. In an industry defined by change, those qualities will serve you more than any title,” she says.
