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Women in Leadership
Name: Hannah Goff
Role: Project Manager
Company: We Are Cognitive (A white-board animation company based in Folkestone)
A bit about you: I’ve been at Cognitive for 4 years, first as a Bookings Coordinator, but I was promoted to Project Manager in 2018. Before that, I spent 16+ years in Project Management roles in the marketing/advertising and charity sectors followed by a short stint as a freelance Project Manager.
What is it like working in your company? Generally I really enjoy it. It’s a small company and I am sometimes frustrated by the lack of innovation within the company, but a recent recruit (General Manager) is shaking things up a bit, which so far is really positive. It’s a creative environment and quite fast-paced. My role is a hybrid one of client liaison, project management and traffic management. I also line manage a team of 5.
Why did you decide to go into your chosen field? It was a natural evolution of roles rather than a choice per se. I am a rare individual who is creative but has organisational skills, so my role really suits all aspects of my character.
What qualifications and work experience did you need to reach your current position? None to speak of (from an official ‘requirements’ point of view). I have 11 GCSE’s (all at grade C and above), a BTEC National Diploma in Media Studies and a BA (Hons) in Media Communications and Combined Arts, but it’s my experience and soft skills (rather than my qualifications) which have got me to where I am.
What do you enjoy the most about your job? The variety – in any given day I can be organising a voice over session, liaising with clients and scheduling a project, to filing locked scripts and holding one-to-ones with the team I manage.
What obstacles have you overcome in your career? Location is the main one which springs to mind. I moved from London to Folkestone and was commuting to London for a few months. As most media and creative companies in the South East are London-based I never expected to find a suitable role so close to home, much less one a few doors down from my flat!
Why do you think it is important to have a strong female representation in your industry? I’m quite fortunate in that there is already strong female representation in my particular industry, and especially in the company I work for currently. However, I do still see a prevelance of men in the more senior positions. It’s important that women are represented not only across different industries but also across different levels of seniority within these industries. Younger women need strong role models to look up to, in order to help them believe in themselves and to strive for the career they want, rather than the one wider society may expect them to have. I believe there has been progress in this over the years I have been in work, but there is still a lot to do. One thing in particular that frustrates me is how unwilling my female peers seem to be to ask for the salary or the role they deserve, vs my male colleagues who seems a lot more confident and forthcoming in that sense.
What advice would you give those wanting to take a similar career path? Don’t worry too much if you don’t feel like you are where you feel you should be on your career path, and don’t let anyone (be it parents, teachers, lecturers, friends or colleagues) push you in a direction you are not sure about. And don’t panic if you don’t feel like you know what you want to do. I’m 41 and I still feel that way, but if I view my career objectively, I am successful despite a seeming lack of direction. And it’s never too late for me to change direction, should I choose to.
