Anjali Roka Waterbury

I started my career in 2011 right out of college as an unpaid intern at a financial media company. From there, I joined the marketing team at Yahoo as a contractor, which was really fun and a whole different ballgame, but I wanted to be in an industry that was more relevant and growing. I then moved physically from New York City to Virginia, which shifted gears with my career. I joined a local agency in Richmond that did advertising for hospitals and funeral homes, which took me into the pharma-ish background. After that, I spent a year and a half in the nonprofit sector doing marketing at ChildFund, where they raise money for underprivileged kids around the world. Then I got into the pharma marketing world, where I've been for 6 years now. Currently, as a Senior Engagement Strategist for the past year and a half, my day-to-day involves a lot of execution once we're done planning and presenting to clients. I work as a mediator between the client and getting the media up and running, plugged into so many different circuits because we handle digital, print, and out-of-home. The biggest thing is communicating and being lockstep with all the partners, external and internal, while making sure it ladders up to what aligns with the client's goal and strategy. I've created a hybrid role for myself where I work reduced hours, which my current company CMI has been flexible enough to allow in a company of 1,000 employees. I'm proud of this unconventional path because it feels more authentic and allows me to balance career progression with being a good mom and pursuing my passion for creative writing.