We are delighted to introduce this week’s Partner of the Week, Lucy McKerron, who has supported our work through McCann Synergy.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you, where are you from and what’s your job title and role?
I’m a Bristol girl, born and bred, so I’m really passionate about making our community and my home city as inclusive as possible. I truly believe social change needs to be led by the people within it.
I head up the Business Development and Marketing team here at McCann Synergy, helping grow the business through a full range of marketing activities, as well as pitching for new business. McCann Synergy is an employee engagement specialist and our purpose is that we believe in the power of people. When we work with brands, we’re really trying to get to know the people within them, engaging them with the company culture and aiming to drive change within the business and beyond.
How did you get to where you are now in your career?
After I completed my A-levels, I took a few years out and had my daughter quite young, at 22. When she was 1, I went back to university and did a degree in Marketing.
The skills that I gained equipped me to work in a marketing agency. My first role was as an Account Executive at an agency called ThirtyThree where I built my position up from account delivery to eventually leading accounts. When I came to McCann Synergy I started in an Account Director role, leading a small team responsible for several accounts. It was here I discovered my love of business development and moved into this team two years ago. I’m thrilled to now be heading up the team, an incredibly varied challenge I enjoy immensely.
Where does your passion and commitment to helping young people come from?
I think it’s always really important to be tapping into emerging new talent and that fresh talent is going to come from the workers of tomorrow. It’s really recognised here at McCann Synergy and at a corporate level that becoming more inclusive is fundamental to any strategy that is seriously
focused on the future of work. Part of this is supporting young people from less advantaged and diverse backgrounds. There is a lot of opportunity in the creative industries to improve in that regard. Right now, the recognition of talent is not as diverse as it should be. By passing on our skills we hope to make it more diverse in the future.
How did you first hear about Babbasa?
I first heard about Babbasa through your team member, Urfan. I wrote a blog on diversity and inclusion with some hints and tips for employers, he saw it and asked if we could meet up for a coffee to talk more. We started talking about Babbasa and he thought I might be interested in becoming a mentor to young people, we then got talking about how McCann Synergy could support Babbasa’s vision.
What involvement have you had with Babbasa in the past?
Anyone can put forward a Charity of the Year and I pitched Babbasa to the team. We’re keen to support local nonprofits and every staff member has a paid day of volunteering. It’s seen as a big benefit to the team as well as the community. We have a nice connection with Babbasa; a lot of our skillset can help young people on their journey. And we’re really excited about contributing to their 2030 vision. We’re Bristol-based so were keen to work with a local social enterprise that’s making a real impact, helping them continue their work.
Babbasa has been going from strength to strength and the passion of the people in the organisation is truly inspiring. It’s great to be involved with such a changemaker and I’d encourage anyone who can support their 2030 vision to get involved.