We’re delighted to welcome the newest member of our team, Kat Selby, to Sookio!

Kat is a digital marketing strategist with nine years’ experience building successful communications campaigns and large-scale stakeholder engagement projects.

She’s here to support Sookio’s clients through monthly consultancy and strategic planning.

We spoke to her about her career journey so far, what drew her to Sookio, and some bold plans for the future…

What inspired you to join Sookio?

The opportunity to work with a team of digital marketing experts who are genuinely curious and excited about their discipline struck me as unmissable! This was then solidified by Sookio’s digital presence, which immediately drew me in, offering glimpses of agency life and recent campaigns.

I can’t wait to start getting to know our clients and understanding their challenges and aspirations. I’m also very much looking forward to working on Sookio’s in-house marketing, including penning blogs and contributing to the development of our own social media presence.

Can you tell us a little about the skills and experience you bring to the team?

Most recently, I managed the marketing and communications strategies of Clare Hall - a college for advanced study at the University of Cambridge. I transformed the college's approach to news generation, blogging, social media and e-comms, publishing up to 170 original stories and marketing around 50 events annually. I also project-managed the redesign of a new website for the college, and coordinated a mindfulness programme which continues to grow.

Prior to this, I coordinated the marketing output of the Careers Service at the University of Cambridge, contributing to a rebrand and executing a range of communications campaigns to drive new and lasting client engagement. I also worked for St John’s College at the University, editing their alumni publications, and before that as Assistant Editor of Ceramic Review magazine. These experiences have made me passionate about quality editorial, stellar imagery, and ultimately telling meaningful, impactful stories.

What’s the most memorable project you’ve worked on in your career so far?

Definitely the aforementioned website redesign for Clare Hall, in terms of sheer scale and the creative strategies involved! I loved mapping out user personas and journeys, while also commissioning original photography and collating testimonials to express all that was (and is) special about the college. During this project I acquired a strong sense of what makes for effective communication between agency and client, which will I’m sure prove useful here at Sookio.

How do you keep up to date with the latest digital marketing trends?

I find some of my best inspiration offline – in conversation, music, books, nature, art, design…a host of moving, tangible stuff.

Reading, watching, and listening to advice from a wide range of sources! I’m especially enjoying The Marketing Meetup’s webinar recordings lately, and the Diary of a CEO podcast for broader inspiration.

Being a ‘user’ of social media day-to-day proves invaluable, too - especially when noticing changes to the way platforms are shifting. Regular experimentation and following plenty of relevant accounts helps to ensure content is fresh and relevant for a given audience.

What are your top priorities in your new role?

In my first month I’m keen to get to know my lovely new colleagues and immerse myself in our current projects, including providing monthly consultancy with in-house marketing teams. I’m also going to audit Sookio’s own marketing strategy across our website, social media and e-comms. Photography is something I enjoy outside work, so I’ll be digging out my DSLR and capturing some beautiful imagery along the way.

Kat’s already getting involved in some exciting projects, such as joining us for BioMed Realty’s evening event at King’s College (pictured above). We can’t wait to see what’s ahead!