Career Spotlight: Key Account Director
Orla Ryan joined Distilled SCH in 2019 as an Account Director and has since progressed into a Key Account Director role, now managing a team of three people. We chatted to Orla about life, career, and the advice she would give people starting out on the same career path as her.
Tell us about your career before Distilled!
When I was younger my dream was to play hockey and earn a living from it. I was playing so much Hockey that if I did get paid for it I would have made a lot of money!! Unfortunately I didn’t get paid for it, but I still loved every moment of it.
I always loved sports so I studied Sports Management but I quickly realised that although I loved playing sports I actually didn’t want to make a career out of working in that sector. So once my course finished I decided that my career would take a different direction.
My first ‘grown up role’ was as an advertising executive in a medical publishing company. I spent 5 years happily working in this area, making lots of friends along the way and it gave me a wide range of experience in terms of relationship management, negotiation skills and account management. When I left the company I had been promoted on two occasions and became a senior account manager.
I then worked in the pharmaceutical sector for 5 years in some really exciting roles launching some amazing groundbreaking products, but my last role before I joined Distilled was as a Senior Key Account Manager with the Irish Times.
I had an amazing 8 years with the Irish Times, working with a wonderful group of people in a fast paced environment and working with some of the World’s leading media agencies and brands.
Why did you choose Distilled at the time you joined?
I found my first rental property on daft.ie at the tender young age of 17 when I was at the very first stages of my professional career making the big move from Galway to Dublin. I have continued my journey on Daft ever since. Daft has played an important role in my life, having rented every property I’ve ever lived in on Daft and eventually buying our home on Daft.
On top of this I have a passion for account management, sales and property so when the role with Distilled was advertised I immediately felt connected to it. During the interview process I was immediately sold. Everyone was so friendly, I loved the ethos and the culture of the company and the passion that everyone displayed for the company was infectious.
What was your first role in Distilled? How have you progressed since first joining the company?
My career history in Distilled to date is why I love the company!
I started out as an Account Director in Daft.ie covering a maternity contract for 9 months. The hiring team told me that there were plenty of opportunities in the company for employees who were passionate and who wanted to be successful.
It was a really exciting time to join the company, we were introducing new products to our clients to enable them to gain more leads and market share. After 6 months I was made a permanent member of staff. A year later I was promoted to Team lead managing the Daft Key Account team. The Distilled culture is to reward hard work, ambition, passion and performance and I was lucky enough to be rewarded.
I have just celebrated my two year anniversary, 14 months of this has been working from home and unfortunately I haven’t met all of my colleagues. But the ‘working from home’ processes that Distilled have put in place has meant I really feel like I know everyone and everyone has a voice. The wellness strategy that was put in place by the HR team such as the 4-week mindfulness and guided meditations really show us all that they care about our wellbeing.
What would be your advice to graduates just starting out their career in this field?
Understand what motivates you as an individual. Are you passionate about this field and what area are you passionate about? There are different types of sales roles so if you could find an opportunity in a sector that was of interest to you that would be ideal. If you have an interest and belief in what you are doing it will make everything easier in the long run.
Be enthusiastic, sell your strengths, understand where you excel and make the most out of your network.
Never stop asking questions and try to understand as much as you can about the role, the company and the people that you will be working for.
What is the best piece of advice that you’ve received that has helped you get to where you are today?
Understand as much as you can about the company you want to join and try and find out exactly what the role is. Try and venture out of your comfort zone as much as possible. When you try new things you prepare yourself for your next role. Search for the value in the feedback and criticism you receive. Don’t be afraid to speak up and use your voice no matter what. No question is a bad question and try to learn and gather as much feedback and knowledge from your peers as possible. Be kind, empathetic and listen. Listening to your clients and understanding their objectives and needs is key.
