Anke Hennen

I attribute my success to my journey from immigrant beginnings to executive leadership. I didn't inherit a path or have family or friends to help me. I had to build everything from the ground up, navigating so many challenges while constantly being determined. I really proved to myself that perseverance in this industry can turn uncertainty into purpose and impact. I built everything myself. I wasn't handed anything. I did all of that by myself. What makes this even more meaningful is that because of the journey I've had from those humble beginnings to where I'm at now, I'm able to support and encourage other female leaders, opening doors for them. Recently, a former team member told me through tears that I was one of the few leaders who really helped and supported her, and that I had such an impact on her career. That's the beauty of this journey - being able to lift others up because of what I've been through.

The best career advice I ever received came from a top leader at the company who told me about my integrity. She said I was so honest and authentic, and she told me to just keep doing what I'm doing, be myself, keep my head down and do what I'm doing best, and everything else will shine. She said I don't have to be convincing, and I don't have to be something that someone is trying to turn me into. Just be my authentic self. That really resonated with me because how I am in business is how I am in my personal life. There's no difference. I am just my authentic me. I love that this authenticity was shining through, and it's advice I still carry with me.

The marketing field is very broad with different branches you can go into, so don't just go by what sounds the best. Find your own niche and try different things out. There's no harm in raising your hand, contacting someone and saying, 'Hey, would you mind sitting with me? Would you mind having coffee with me? Tell me about the area you're overseeing.' I did a lot of that, and I became a bit of a road show, telling people what marketing is really about. Work hard and bring something to the table at the end of the day. What truly makes you stand out is being yourself. Don't chase titles. Sometimes there's a jungle gym out there - sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward, sometimes you need to take a step to the side to get where you're going. But don't ever chase just the title, don't ever chase money. If you want to be the best in your field, I truly believe you have to be yourself in that, and you have to be passionate about what you do. The only way to get really good at what you're doing is to really love what you're doing.

I think there are so many changes going on. Everyone throws out AI, and while it is significant, I think it goes back to us ever-evolving as a human species. There's always going to be new technologies that scare us at first, but I use AI on a daily basis and it's tremendously helped me. It's like computers back then - we went away from paper to computer and everyone was freaking out. I think we're still at the beginning stages of figuring things out, but we've done this before. For marketing specifically, it's just ever-evolving. You've got to stay on top of everything that's going on. Right now, with CFOs and CEOs looking at margins and how to move the company forward and continue being successful, this is where marketing can truly shine. In marketing, you have to be adaptable, you have to understand what's going on and change with everything. You need to be able to pivot super quickly and be very nimble in your approach. Something that worked five years ago might not work today anymore. You have to be able to take calculated risks. A lot of times, marketing gets put in a position to only focus on promotion, but it really starts with having that seat at the table that I've been advocating for. Marketing should be part of the conversation from the beginning - with the price, the place, everything - and have marketing be another voice in that conversation. Everyone in leadership and marketing should be advocating for that seat at the table.

Being honest, reliable, and authentic in what I'm doing and how I am is most important to me. Transparency is so important, and I think we don't do enough of that. I have a German background, so I'm naturally perceived as being more direct, but my delivery is very accommodating and comes from a very good place, from an honest place. I think we could use a little bit more of that. We say we're inspiring each other and supporting each other, but a lot of times these are just buzzwords that get thrown out without true action behind it. To me, I always treat others how I want to be treated. The way that I show up is from a very honest, very collaborative place. I don't need all the publicity, recognition, and awards. I want to be known as someone who is the same in work as she is in her personal life, a lovely human being who people can always rely on, who steps in, helps, and supports. I don't need any kind of title or reward for that. You just need to follow through with action. A lot of times there's more words than action, and I don't go by that. I go by action over words.