Kate Bordwell - Strategist

Kate Bordwell is a strategist for a large creative agency, a keen cyclist with an infectious giggle and a liking for yoga, and champagne cocktails. She's a deep thinker, has a cool head and is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Let me introduce you...

Growing up I dreamed of being an actress and the UK's first Green prime minister. Perhaps it was from a combination of wanting to be listened to and to change the world – I've always been ambitious! At school I did science subjects and messed up my A-Levels because I was in a million after school clubs and was quite distracted by them – art, history and politics were really my thing. I ended up studying history at university which made my career options wide open when I graduated. I tried a few things out but settled on planning and strategy in agencies because it’s intellectually challenging, you get to do a lot of people watching, and it’s different every day.

My first job taught me that clients are very hard to please and so are the public. If you can do both, then perhaps you’re onto a winning formula, but it’s not actually that simple. Advertising or digital marketing or PR or whatever, it’s a creative business. Sometimes you’ve got to work out how to sell something the client doesn't like initially but you know will do their brand the world of good because it’s going to engage their customers in the right way.

The best advice I ever got was to play the game. Twenty years later I'm still not sure I've ever taken it though.  My dad gave me the advice, and I think he got the advice from his dad. I don’t think any of them actually took the advice. I'm not sure why I was given the advice, given the fact that it’s potentially not worked for three generations of my family, but I do have my own spin on it. It’s interesting to sit back and work out what the ‘games’ in your life actually are, who’s playing them and what the rules are. It often gives you the perspective you need if you’re thinking about your next move, what the best thing to do is.

Other people think that I am... I have no idea what other people think. I've been told that I seem quite calm and together which has to be a good thing, even if I'm more like a swan, gliding on the water and paddling like mad below the surface!

Change is good. 

I’d be lost without my family and friends. Pretty much everything else can be replaced.

My biggest challenge has been learning to be comfortable in my own skin. I guess most people find this as they ‘grow up’.

In the last year I have learned lots about babies. And become much more patient. I also appreciate my work a lot more than I did. Work-life balance takes on a new meaning when you are a parent because everything you do is suddenly for someone else, as well as for you.

My goal for the future is to keep on being happy in the Now. 

The achievement I am most proud of is my baby. But she did a lot of the work herself. I'm also proud of my education, which has been extremely rich and varied, challenged me, and given me lots of pointless things to think about and made me the person I am today. I'm from a family that takes education extremely seriously. You’re never alone with a good book.

If I could be someone else for the day I would be my daughter Lucy. It would be great to be that happy about simple things and for everything to be new and exciting again. I love seeing how curious she is about absolutely everything, the most mundane objects and situations fascinate her. Life is one big adventure waiting to be discovered, and I try to remember that!

In the public eye I believe that the female Olympians were a great role model for women because they showed what's possible if you believe in yourself and work hard. And that success isn't just about how you look. 

Got a question or comment for Kate? You'll find her on twitter @kbordwell or visit her blog here.

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