Influential Woman · Advertising

Lydia Patel

Senior Project Manager, Edelman

Brooklyn, NY

11Years experience

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor of Science in Business Degree University of Phoenix Degree MBA Degree 2023 Cert PMP Certification from PMI Member PMI (Project Management Institute)

Her Story

About Lydia

I'm a Senior Project Manager in an acting director role with a decade of experience in the advertising industry. I serve as the nucleus between internal departments and external clients, making sure client needs are met while we stay within budget and get the work done. I look at project management as so much more than just putting dates on paper - I'm very focused on the human aspect of it, the people, because that's a huge part of the role. I started my career at Hot 97 and WBLS radio stations here in New York, working on their innovation team as a sales project manager when they became digital brands in 2015. I was executing campaigns and doing project management without even knowing I was doing project management at the time. Over the last 6 years, I've been working in digital, social, experiential, and influencer advertising. I love the ad space and anything that's media, events, social, and digital. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Business from University of Phoenix and completed my MBA there in 2023. I'm also PMP certified through PMI, officially certified in 2019 and now on my third renewal. I'm a big fan of PMI and keeping up with the craft, including learning about AI integration in project management.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Lydia

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to identifying and focusing on the humanistic and people aspect of project management. I always remember that it's about people first. You have to be flexible and agile in this field. If you're a very rigid PM, especially in advertising when you're dealing with clients and things changing on the fly, you won't succeed. I've done shoots where something might go wrong and you have to pivot. I've done events where someone missed a flight and now we have to pivot. So just being malleable, flexible, and having agility is the most important thing to have. That's what has truly made me very successful.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Learn as much as you can. Don't be scared to make mistakes. In PM, there's no right or wrong way for project management. That's why I love this field. Very similar to account management, you have to use your personality. Yes, you have hard skills that are kind of your non-negotiables, but the soft skills are actually even more important than your hard skills in the PM world. So I would say ask the questions. It's okay to make mistakes. And keep learning. Keep taking advantage of anything that moves yourself forward. Those would be the biggest pieces of advice.

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