Today’s the day we officially celebrate women in media, so to continue our profiling of fantastic females in the industry, we chew the fat with Spotify’s national sales director for Australia and New Zealand, Andrea Ingham – also known by her colleagues as ‘Big Bird’.
Describe your average day?
My average day at Spotify involves time with my team guiding and assisting them with any and all challenges, seeing clients and responding to emails.
What’s the most challenging thing about your job?
Global time zones are a constant challenge. We’re moving at such a pace and with NYC and Stockholm our company hubs, jetlag and late night calls are par for the course.
What drives you?
Getting results for the business and seeing people around me achieving great things and advancing.
What’s the hardest brief you’ve ever received or hardest job you’ve executed?
It’s never the brief or jobs that makes it hard – what’s important are the people and that they’re respectful, sharp and team players.
What has been your favourite job in media and why?
Definitely my current role. It’s everything I love doing, which is a joy.
What would be your ultimate role?
Working for someone I greatly admire, such as Elon Musk at Tesla.
What’s your proudest professional moment?
I was very honoured to win B&T’s Women in Media Sales award in 2014.
What’s your quirkiest attribute?
I don’t get hangovers. In this job it’s considered a superpower.
What’s one thing no one knows about you?
My office name is Big Bird, either because I’m tall or I somehow resemble the Sesame Street character. I’m still not sure which and haven’t bothered to ask.
What are advertising/marketing’s biggest challenges or threats?
Retaining talent.
What do you think are the most exciting things in the marketing and creative world at the moment?
Change, data, accountability and diversification. For example, Spotify and streaming didn’t exist in Australia five years ago. Spotify and Pandora now reach over four million people every month and continue to grow at pace.
If you were CEO, what would you do differently?
Upgrade the Sydney office car park. It’s a Tetris-like battle for space.
Hardest lesson you’ve had to learn (in or out of the workforce)?
You can’t trust everyone.
Tea or coffee?
Green tea, definitely.
Cats or dogs?
Dogs. They’ll love you and never leave you. Cats wouldn’t pull you from a burning building – they’d be out through the cat flap in a shot.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Netflix.
What’s your favourite TV program?
Suits.
What turns you on emotionally, creatively, spirituality?
Time with people, conversation, discussion and debate.
What turns you off?
Anything boring. I have zero tolerance for boring.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Wine taster. James Halliday could do with the competition.
What profession would you not like to do?
Security guard (I Googled ‘most boring job in the world’ and it came up).
Have you ever felt like giving up?
Yes, of course! But any tough times have usually led to great times. You get focused and look for the opportunities. Otherwise you can get too comfortable.
What are the pearls of wisdom you know now that you wish you knew when you were younger?
Don’t bother watching Lost after the second season.
