Moving the needle at Gerald Edelman

Meet Rukayyah Robun, Digital Marketing Executive here at Gerald Edelman. Kayyah works alongside our Head of Marketing to improve our marketing processes – focusing more specifically on the digital side.

Joining Gerald Edelman, Kayyah had a clear goal in mind – to improve the brand’s digital presence and build upon the marketing processes.

In our latest team story, we catch up with her to learn how she found starting her new role in the midst of a pandemic as well as working on new and exciting projects for Gerald Edelman.

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

Digital marketing is such a broad term and covers so many different areas now. From website maintenance and content creation to Google Advertising and social media, there are so many aspects to consider meaning you’re always looking for new ideas and keeping up with trends.

Have you always wanted to work in marketing?

I have always loved writing and languages. From a young age, I would always be writing stories and poems and my favourite subjects at school were English and History. Naturally, this led me to do English Literature, History, and Media at A-Level, and then I found marketing that tied the three together. At university, I studied Fashion Marketing and Branding which had a big focus on the way we visualise, create and promote brands – something I found interesting.

Why did you choose GE?

I was looking for a role that would give me the opportunity to learn my strengths and weaknesses as a marketer. I have always worked in small teams and have always liked the dynamic of working on lots of different projects at one given time so I can learn new skills in practice. GE has a small marketing team meaning I can do this, all the while having a committee to propose and demonstrate new ideas too – a dynamic that I think is great for my personal development.

What do you enjoy most about working at GE?

As a marketer, I think it’s knowing I’m influencing how those looking at Gerald Edelman for the first time perceive the company. Like I said above, I have always loved storytelling so the idea that every small task I do is contributing to that first impression for me, is great.

Also, the fact that I’m building on a strategy and given a lot of responsibility means I can be directly proud of my successful work and learn from things that didn’t work as well. Marketing is both strategy and trial and error!

And finally, the range of opportunities at GE. We have lots of committees, all working to improve an area of the firm. From diversity and inclusion to sustainability, to mental health it’s great to be part of a firm wanting to break down old stereotypes and stigmas and make a difference.

What have been your biggest challenges so far?

I would have to say starting my role remotely. Starting a new job can be very daunting but doing so without having met a lot of your team or where you will be working is terrifying!

What’s been your biggest achievement?

I would say the progress we have made as a marketing team in such a short amount of time. When I started, GE was looking to kick their digital work into high gear, and in that time we have made some fantastic progress and are really starting to change the way we think about marketing as a firm.

What are your goals for the future?

In general, I would like to continue progressing in my career to a managerial marketing role and really develop the skills I’m learning every day. My goal at GE would be to grow the marketing team and really push ourselves as a department to see what we can achieve.