Career background & highlights…
My PR career started over 15 years ago when I was fresh faced from university. I joined a Fashion PR and advertising agency where the first brands I worked on included Police sunglasses and launching their new ambassador: David Beckham, to media. It was most definitely an exciting way to start my career! Since then I have worked for an array of highly respected global agencies across brands such as P&G, American Express, Lindt and Volvic to name a few.
My Top 3 Career “funny memorable moments” include being mistaken for an A-lister by the paparazzi whilst walking the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival and feeling like a fraud! Receiving a birthday shout out from the Killers during their set on stage at a music festival one of our brands was a sponsor at and being apart of a guiness world record breaking flash mob dance.
Role at Aspire…
I’ve recently just started with Aspire, having joined 2 weeks ago to cover Georgie’s maternity leave, who was the previous Senior Account Director across a number of Aspire’s accounts. I’m hoping to keep up Georgie’s amazing work and am excitedly getting stuck into the day to day, media planning and outreach and strategic planning and development for clients including: OOFOS, Sealskinz, Motiv8, On and Cyclists Fighting Cancer
How far removed is your childhood dream for what you are doing today?
When I was little I was always told off for day dreaming too much and that my head was in the clouds thinking up creative adventures! Being half Swedish my favourite book was a famous book called Pippi Longstocking who for anyone who has never read it, she’s quite the character and a force to be reckoned with as the world’s strongest girl who lives in a house with a horse, a monkey and goes on endless adventures, so when I was younger I wanted to be her….travel the world, meeting different people and write stories about my adventures. So in some way even though I’m definitely not very strong and I don’t have a horse or a monkey, it’s not that dissimilar as I have been lucky enough to travel the world with my job, meeting a range of interesting people just writing stories (Press Releases) about other people’s adventures and companies rather my own!
Best adventure?
My best adventure was most definitely during my year off, when I turned 19 before I started university when I worked as a stewardess on chartered motorboats and sailing yachts that travelled around the Caribbean and Mediterranean. It was the most incredible way to see the world, meet new people and earn money all at the same time.
Adventure you most desire?
I would love to be able to show my children more cultures and places around the world and for me to take them to some of the amazing places I lived in when I was much younger such as Argentina and Brazil. When they are older I’d also love to take them on safari and scuba diving and just experience the wonders of nature.
Someone you really admire?
On a personal level, there are a number of my friends and family I admire for difficult personal and health struggles they have overcome, teaching me to be humble and never to take a moment for granted! But someone in the public eye I really admire is Greta Thunberg, as I have a 5 year old daughter and I’m always telling her to stand up for what she believes in, even if that is her thinking she can change the world! I think Greta Thunberg is such an amazing female role model for my daughter’s generation having made people 2-3 times her age stand up and listen. Not only has she made world wide strides for climate change but she is a commited advocate for mental health and has been open about her own Asperger’s syndrome and Autism, showing young people that what can make them different can make them brilliant.
What kept you going during lockdown?
Lockdown was initially very daunting for me, having recently having had my son who was 4 months old at the time we went into lockdown whilst also unexpectedly having my toddler at home when her nursery was forced to shut.
But ironically I soon realised that it was spending time with my children that kept me going during lockdown and put a smile on my face! I was lucky to be on maternity leave and realised without work or any outside commitments, I could really just focus on being with and enjoying playing and soaking up all the little moments with my children distraction free. Having my husband working from home was a huge added bonus as it meant he was able to have lunch with us everyday and bath and put the kids to bed which made from some really special yet simple family moments plus someone to share the post putting the kids to bed G&T!
Something the team doesn’t know about me but they do now?
I have met the Queen
What’s recently grabbed your attention?
Community spirit is what’s grabbed my attention and surprised me in the most wonderful way over the last couple of years. Being a Londoner and having lived here most of my life, it was never something I’d really experienced before but Covid really brought out the best in local communities, prompting community spirit and involvement in the neighbourhood. More recently it was wonderful to take my children to local Jubilee street parties that our local neighbourhood had organised and growing up as a child in London never something that I had experienced. It’s also an important conversation for most brands at the moment, how to engage and harness communities and their community spirit and sentiment in a purposeful and authentic way.
I’m also intrigued by the development of the metaverse and what it will mean for the future of the industry…..
What do you love about this industry?
There are so many things I love about this industry but number one definitely has to be the people you get to meet, they are all so genuine and down to earth as well as being completely inspiring and their energy is just off the charts…
Outside of work Marika enjoys…
Spending time with my friends, family and children and getting everyone round for a big old get together, with lots of food, wine, natter and kiddie chaos! We also love to get outdoors, whether it’s kitesurfing at the beach, (depending on the wind!) teaching the kids to ride their bikes in the park, knocking a tennis ball around or going for a run, we are always looking at fun ways to tire the kids out!
