Her Story
About Cathy
My career journey has been anything but traditional. I often joke that I'm a bit of a Swiss Army knife, having worked in sales, marketing, operations, and advertising on both the supplier side and for end clients. Right out of college, I worked for a publisher selling limited edition graphics from Europe, working with interior designers and corporations. While developing their marketing collateral and working with printers, I became fascinated with the industry and ended up being one of the very first women in pre-press. I walked into a Midwest Association of Pre-Press meeting in my little yellow jacket while everyone else was in black and gray suits, and everyone thought I was at the wrong meeting. But I didn't let that stop me. I began my journey in sales, and as technology evolved, so did the industry. I sold printing and pre-press, working on Michigan Avenue in Chicago where many creative agencies were my customers. One client pulled me aside and said I spent more time in their offices than my own, and they hired me into advertising. I loved every minute of it, working till 2 in the morning and doing press checks at all hours. Later, after having a daughter, I realized I couldn't be a wife and mother and work till 2 AM every day, so I joined a women's consulting company managing direct mail end-to-end for clients like Discover Financial Services and Allstate. I was the 13th hire at what became the very first BPO (Business Process Outsource) company, before the likes of Inner Workings or HH Global. We grew it to a $35 million organization. I've managed major accounts including Bank of America, Capital One, America Online, and worked with one customer for 16 years across two organizations. I managed operations for 16 lines of business at Discover Financial Services until Capital One announced they were acquiring Discover. That's when AAA reached out, and I joined them as a change agent to transform their marketing operations after 28 years of doing things the same way. I oversee direct mail, direct marketing including email and social, and our processing services. I recently created a center of excellence and am working to expand this role into a VP position where I deserve a seat at the table with senior leadership.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cathy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm a very driven individual and always have been. I've always had big dreams, and I think perseverance is key. I never let 'no' or 'you can't do that' or 'it's not possible' stop me. I know I have a lot of colleagues in the industry that look at where I'm at and say, wow, look at what you've accomplished, what a great opportunity. And I say, I'm not done yet. I want to be influential. At Discover, we were able to influence our C-level executives and had a seat at the table. We met with them weekly, and I can't tell you how many meetings I sat in with our CFO. Your voice was heard. You mattered. In my current organization, I'm a change agent driving the business forward. The networking in the industry has been very pivotal and instrumental in my career growth, in meeting other people, learning about other industries, and really becoming an expert in postage optimization and direct mail. The networking is everything, and who would have thought it as a young person right out of college, you don't understand the value of networking.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I highly recommend finding a mentor. Pair up with someone senior who can give you guidance and counsel. It doesn't necessarily need to be in your career or your exact role, but it's nice to have that sounding board. Don't be intimidated. Don't be afraid of what you don't know. I used to hear people at Discover say 'fake it till you make it,' and when I first heard it, it offended me. But now I realize there is a lot of truth to that for those who have made it to the C-level faster. Now, I don't mean to be false, because I am a very transparent, what you see is what you get person who drives truth forward every day. However, work the network. Work your network and seek out those who have expertise where you have that shortfall. Also, take advantage of any educational opportunities available within your organization. We may not be able to fund for you to go back for college or get your MBA, but you can get opportunities like I had to go to Northwestern Kellogg to get a certification, though I had to advocate for it. Don't be intimidated by what you don't know, and don't let not being exactly in the field that you specialized in prevent you from going for a new opportunity and pursuing something, because you might just discover your passion along the way.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Illinois
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.