Agency Spotlight Series: Felicity Thomas
In this Orientation Marketing agency spotlight series, we speak to Associate Director of Editorial and Content, Felicity Thomas.
Occasionally, we speak to a member of the Orientation Marketing team to learn more about their roles at Orientation Marketing, as well as what makes them tick.
Today we speak to Felicity.
Tell Us a Little Bit About Your Role At Orientation Marketing.
As the Associate Director of Editorial and Content, I play an essential role in helping our clients propagate their extensive capabilities and expertise to the wider industry through high-quality communications and relevant pieces of content. Leveraging my more than 20 years’ experience within B2B publishing and my scientific background, I can ensure our clients’ contributions to advancing the science of drug development and manufacturing are disseminated to an exacting standard.
What does your daily schedule look like?
Once I get to the office and get settled with a cup of coffee in my (rather old now) Comic Relief Cappuccinose mug, I start to run through my emails, making sure to file everything correctly and sort out my priorities for the day. After this initial task, I start looking through industry news sites to make sure I am keeping abreast of the latest bio/pharma industry trends — as an important and continually evolving industry, this is highly critical. Then, if I am not in a meeting with one of my colleagues or a client, I spend time either writing or proof-reading pieces of content, that all important quality control aspect of my role that can never be underestimated nor should ever be neglected.
How did you come about working in this Industry?
After completing my Master of Chemistry with European Language degree at the University of Liverpool, I was unsure on the precise career path to follow; however, I was adamant that I wanted to leave the lab behind me! So, I started to look into other potential professional options where I could not only utilise my analytical and scientific skillset from the chemistry side of my academic life, but also the more creative, language-based side. Considering various roles, one being a scientific translator post in the South of England, another in pharmaceutical sales, it was a position in Chester for a B2B publishing company that really took my fancy. Only a few months after graduating, I began working for Advanstar Communications on their chromatography book, LCGC Europe, and haven’t really looked back since then!
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by many things to be honest; however, probably, most of all, when gaining a new perspective or hearing a new idea. It is always interesting and refreshing to see a subject or problem from a new angle and to hear how a colleague, friend, or family member might approach them. My daughter is hugely influential in this respect; she always sees scenarios in a different way to me and it’s great to be able to view things through that lens of youth and excitement. Being open to different perspectives also means you can learn something new too!
Recommend a book you recently read.
David Sedaris’ Calypso, which was recently gifted to me. I love Sedaris’ work anyway, Me Talk Pretty One Day being another fave, so I would recommend him as an author full stop. Calypso, like many other Sedaris books, is a collection of humorous essays that are semi-autobiographical in nature, essentially tackling the issues of ageing and mortality as he nears the same age his mother was when she passed away. His embellishments of real-life scenarios provide witty relief, particularly for the more sombre of subject areas.
Recommend a video game/board game.
While not strictly a board game, I have to put down Mexican Train for this one. The game is like dominoes on steroids and is playable for a wide selection of ages, which is a godsend when you have kids. You also get to exercise your brain when playing as you need to strategize and make sure you are putting down your best possible ‘train’ each go.
Recommend some music.
Music-wise, I am pretty open to anything and love letting my digital music service take me on a magical mystery tour of whatever it chooses regularly to see if I can learn about new bands/sounds. At the moment, I am really enjoying a lot of female artists and bands, with The Big Moon and Soap&Skin being prominent in my headphones while out for my lunchtime trot.
Which fictional family would you want to be part of?
It would have to be The Winchesters! Getting to be a part of a demon-hunting legacy and having Dean as a big brother, simply a win-win in my books. Also, getting to ride around in Baby (the very cool Impala) would be a bonus too.
If you had a yacht, what would you name it?
I’d have to do some form of pun (#sorrynotsorry), I mean, it is the editor’s life for me after all! Perhaps something like Déjà Blu, Nautical But Nice, Knot Today, Tropic Like it’s Hot, or Ship Happens. I’d want people to chuckle when reading it!
What skill do you think everyone should learn?
There are probably a couple of skills that I feel are crucial. Being able to solve problems in an analytical way can not only help in a professional capacity but can be advantageous outside of work too. I have found that being able to problem-solve has come in handy in many situations, helping me to not panic when things go wrong. Secondly, time-management is imperative. Again, this skill is helpful both in and out of work and especially beneficial when kids are in the equation.
Felicity plays essential role in shaping Orientation Marketing’s clients’ communications, highlighting their capabilities and expertise, and articulating their contributions to advancing the science of developing and supplying medicines to patients around the world.
For more, find Felicity on LinkedIn.
