September’s spotlight interview is with our fab Account Manager, Maeya Bhatti.
How did your career start in partnerships and marketing start?
It started back when I was at university, when I used to work in Selfridges. I worked as a beauty host/artist, and I would do masterclasses and we’d collaborate and do PR through them. We’d work with a lot of partnerships through influencers, do goodie bags and host a lot of events at Selfridges. This was where it all started. Once I graduated from my business and marketing degree, I moved on and started at the Hut Group where I worked in Digital Marketing and Affiliates for Revolution Beauty, Elemis and Anastasia Beverly Hills Cosmetics. I worked across lots of different countries – a lot of Europe and the Asia-Pacific. That was mostly monetised offers, working out what kind of offer suits what kind of brand.
You’re proud of being a Mancunian, how does living in London compare?
Everything is much more expensive! It’s practically £8 for a pack of Lurpak butter… but this is where the buzz is. The city life is very different in Manchester than it is here. The main thing I’ve noticed is the different range of people – and the way some people live such luxurious lives, down to the food they eat and the clothes they wear.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of my job is sourcing. When it comes to rewards for different clients, I source a product based on a theme or their specific strategy and create ideas. I find presenting these back to the client so exciting, not going to lie.
What’s a fact about yourself that surprises people?
So I was born in Hong Kong, and when you hear my Manc accent you don’t think “ah yes, that’s where you’re from”. Basically, my mum and dad franchised a dry cleaning business out in Hong Kong, and had lots of different franchises there which started in the UK but moved out there. They stayed there for four years, and then had me in 1999 and with the one child policy, they moved back so they could have my sister. I would like to go back sometime!
You’ve worked with some amazing brands, do you have a favourite you’d like to shout out as being great to work with?
I really liked when I worked with Revolution Beauty. That’s a brand I looked and thought, that is so me. They do a lot of licensed lines, like Shrek x Revolution or a whole Christmas collection based on Elf or The Grinch which brings a lot of fun to partnerships and the brand.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I wanted to be a pathologist for a long time! Cutting open dead bodies and finding out how they passed… True crime is a passion of mine! As a kid, I was watching scary films from the womb. My mum and dad really pushed the scary films on me, so because of that I always wanted to be a pathologist. I wondered how they knew how someone had died. From pathology to marketing is quite a bit different.
If you could manifest your future, where would you be in 20 years?
Career wise, I’d love to have my own agency. Obviously, I love Mando-Connect but it would be nice to create something. Perhaps an agency based on a specific type of partnerships, like influencer-based partnerships, which I find very interesting. I like the way that different social media has different routes and techniques, whether it be for TikTok, Instagram or, maybe in 20 years, if there is any other kind of social media. There is definitely an opportunity in this current climate we are in with social media marketing and partnerships. And all this aside, hopefully I’ll be happy. If it’s not New York, it’ll be London.
If you could do anyone else’s job in this company for a day, whose would you do?
Hands down, it is Loz (our Senior Design Executive). I would just love to live a day in her life! I feel like I am a very creative person anyway, so being able to design decks and make things look pretty… she just does such a good job of it. And I love all the Reels she does for Mando. I would definitely learn a lot off her, and all the software she uses.
What has been your biggest achievement / proud of outside of work?
That’s a hard question! I think the fact I was head girl in High School was a big achievement for me. Especially since I didn’t go in with a cohort from primary school, instead I went in and didn’t know anybody. To go from this, to make all these friends and be able to lead a team of 43 prefects as well as be a front face of the school is something I’ll always be proud of.
What piece of advice would you want to share with your younger self?
There’s so much advice I’d give to my younger self! Just be who you are, and don’t care what anyone else might say about it. If you want something, go for it and don’t let other people’s opinions hold you back from making your own decisions.
