Mum and business owner Lorna Ive found herself longing to return to a social work environment post-Covid. With her self-taught, newly-acquired digital media skills, she found her perfect career working as a Client Solution Executive at Xaxis, GroupM’s Outcome Media Company.
Read our interview with Lorna below...
Why did you change careers?
“Early in my early career, I mostly worked in corporate finance roles in the City; this was before I Ianded the most important job in the world when I became a mum. On returning to the world of work, it became clear to me that the digital world had flown past me, and I urgently needed to upskill. So, I joined a ‘mums returning to work’ group and signed up to do a social media strategy diploma. This then led me to set up PeriMenoPost — a grassroots campaign and community that aims to raise awareness of menopause and supporting women as they navigate this chapter of their life while managing their jobs and careers. PeriMenoPost was the springboard to launch my own freelance social media strategy business in 2019.
“Not long after, the world was hit with Covid lockdowns and I soon realised I missed being around people in a work environment. So with a new confidence in my social media skills, I looked for job opportunities in advertising; a field I knew little about but that closely aligned to my interests. Again, I found the support and guidance I needed to build a new career by attending industry networking events such as the M&C Saatchi Open House. I also signed up for Visible Start — a training and mentoring programme designed to support midlife women in breaking into a new industry and building fulfilling careers.
“It was through Visible Start that I made the connection with Xaxis, and the opportunity to work as Client Solution Executive then followed on.”
Did you have any previous experience of your chosen career?
“During the lockdowns, I started to teach myself coding and build my own website. As a business owner without a team of people around, I was pushed to take an independent learning path and keep up with new trends and skills. This has allowed me to develop knowledge and abilities around some of the more technical elements that are now part of my job at Xaxis.
“For someone like myself returning to the workplace, Xaxis has been incredibly supportive. The team are more than happy to tailor the onboarding process for new members of staff according to how the new joiner best learns and I feel that was vital in ensuring I was able to hit the ground running.”
Explain a little more about what your career involves?
“Every day it changes, which is great as it means I have a varied job. I work on a platform solution that allows marketers to buy digital advertising space across an array of different channels from digital billboards to podcasts. It involves crunching a lot of data and reporting; some technical aspects are intricate but it’s a fascinating world. It’s incredible to think that I started on this journey by taking a digital skills course, and now I get to work with artificial intelligence technology!”
What would you say has been the biggest challenge you have faced since starting your career?
“Xaxis is a global business with offices from South Africa to Singapore, and even my own team is spread across Europe and the UK. It adds a fantastic diversity to the workplace, but it also comes with the challenge of working in different time zones and keeping connected with your team.
“Adapting to the new hybrid way of working wasn't free from challenges. I had to rethink my approach to work, ensuring alignment between home and work life and that I had the right resources, including reliable internet connection.”
What have been the best and worst things that have happened since you changed career?
“The best thing about working at Xaxis is the people I met. Everyone has been very supportive and helpful.There’s a real culture of fostering innovation and collaboration which keeps me inspired and motivated.
“The most challenging part, honestly, was overcoming the initial problems with the hybrid setup. It was all very new to me and I had to become very good at troubleshooting.”
How do you create a good work/life balance?
“In the beginning it was tiring. I had to pay attention to how I was feeling and learn my limits. Setting boundaries with my family was important, too. I don’t do the ironing anymore and everyone does their own washing! My husband has got more involved with household chores, and I’ve had to become more organised.”
What does a typical day look like?
“Well, there isn’t one typical day! I generally have a weekly one-to-one meeting with my manager, Angelo, where we assign projects and discuss anything we have going on. I’m lucky, I have quite a bit of autonomy at work. Once I’m shown how to do something, I organise my work and get on with it. I also get to work on different projects outside my everyday remit, which include ways to tackle ad fraud or building internal collaboration processes.”
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start their own business or change careers?
“Menopause can make you lose confidence in yourself and feel that you’re not needed or wanted, which is something we talked a lot about at Visible Start. I heard so many women say “they won’t want to employ someone like me” or “my skills are not desirable.” Since I was looking for a fresh start, I thought that what I learned when I first entered the world of work would not be relevant now and, in my mind, I had almost put those days away on a shelf. Instead, everyone was interested in my experience on the trading floor and, far from a hindrance, it meant I was well-suited to a different kind of trading: the kind that took place on digital advertising exchanges.
“My advice is to take that first step. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and don’t underestimate your abilities. If you feel passionate about something, it’s best to give it a go rather than looking back with regret. By taking that step I managed to build an award-winning business that led me to Parliament in October 2021 for the reading of the Menopause Bill which introduced some important changes such as a one-off payment to help with the cost of menopause, and easier access to the hormone replacement therapy.”
Who do you look up to business wise? Do you have a business idol/mentor?
“During the menopause campaign I met Theo Paphitis after winning the Small Business Sunday award. Theo’s vast knowledge and business acumen is inspiring. I also admire fellow ‘BBC Dragon’ Steven Bartlett for his sheer ingenuity.”
If you could go back in time, would you change anything?
“I feel many people would answer this question by saying they wished they had changed career and I have done that! If I could change one thing, I would try to get into advertising at a younger age. Perhaps I’d also go to university to further study data science, which is an interest of mine and a core part of my role at Xaxis. I’m very happy with where I am now and what I’ve achieved and I count myself lucky for the opportunities I’ve been given.”
And finally where can we find you?
Connect with me on Linkedin, or learn more about Xaxis here
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