Madeleine Wood

Where You Live: Hove
Company: iCrossing UK
Company: Business development manager

Describe your job/role?
My role includes acquiring new clients for iCrossing. This includes representing iCrossing in different events and exhibitions within the industry to get our reputation out there and also working with the pitching process that is used when presenting our company for possible clients.

What is the best thing about your job?
To work close to so many different kinds of people every day.

What attracted you to it?
I actually got this job before I graduated from university through some connections I had with people working at iCrossing.

I was then moulded into a sales role here and have stayed and developed into the role I have today.

What then attracted me to this job was that it gave me the opportunity to work for a dynamic and fast growing company in Brighton rather than London - so I didn't have to commute.

What schools did you go to and what subjects did you take?
I went to City of Norridge School where I did GCSEs and A-levels. For my A-levels I did Art and Design, English literature and Psychology.

What was your favourite subject and why?
My favourite subject was psychology which I went on to study at University.

Did you go to University / College and if so what did you study?
As mentioned earlier I went to University to study Psychology and focused my studies on marketing, reconstructive memory, the impact of advertising and peoples perceptions of marketing.

What was your first job?
Other than working as a waitress, my first actual job was at iCrossing.

What does your career path look like?
At the moment doing an MBA at Brighton University. After this, my career plan is to move from business development to client services director for a large corporate company where an MBA is a great platform for getting into such a role.

The long-term plan is to eventually open my own business but I would rather stay in a client service role and get really good at that.

What would you say is your strongest attribute/s?
My strongest attributes are my communications skills and ability to develop a rapport with people. I am also hard working and very loyal.

What do you think is the most exciting/interesting thing about working in the digital media industry?
The most interesting thing with digital media is the pace of it. It has been amazing watching this company grow from a small team of five with me as the only woman, to becoming the main company in the UK doing what we do and working with some of the main PLCs in the country.

What advice would you give to people who consider entering the digital media industry?
See the opportunity and go for a company with who you have a great cultural fit. If you are lucky you will be able to watch it grow and you will then grow with it. You will be able to learn as you go, taking on different roles that will appear as the company grows.