Sara Tweedly
Chief Marketing Officer, Canstar
Sara has almost 20 years experience in the finance, marketing, digital and communications industries with practical and demonstrated success across paid, earned and owned media locally and internationally. In her role as Chief Marketing Officer at Canstar, Sara is responsible for developing and leading the implementation of Canstar’s marketing strategy to drive traffic and brand awareness, improve customer experiences and generate revenue streams. Sara leads one of the largest and fastest-growing teams at Canstar spanning marketing, PR, SEO and editorial. Having spent the majority of her career working in financial services across a range of very different organisations, Sara empowers her team to make the complex simple and is passionate about delivering on the brand’s goal of helping consumers to get financially healthy.
Career & Background
What inspired you to do what you are doing now?
There was no definitive roadmap. I’ve always embraced new opportunities and it’s shaped my career today. Right now, I’m inspired by what we are trying to achieve and the fantastic team that I work with.
Could you tell us a bit about your professional background and where you are headed in your career right now?
I started out in product management post a marketing degree in the UK, got into digital relatively early and moved between marketing and digital for the last 19 years primarily always in financial services. Along the way I’ve worked in different types of organisations and have helped scale businesses and teams.
Your favourite food for thought
Books
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg
Quiet – Susan Cain
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
I love some of the interviews on the Seize the Yay podcast, am a big Malcolm Gladwell fan and love real life business stories – The Dropout (followed the story of Elizabeth Holmes, the youngest ever female Unicorn founder that has recently been convicted of criminal fraud) is a particular favourite.
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Achievement
- Growth
- Trust
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
Basically anybody that makes the seemingly impossible happen and doesn’t give up.
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
As my career has developed, it’s become clear the importance of having good support and networks to bounce off and help guide you as you navigate well established and sometimes unchartered territories. I’d really love to be able to help somebody benefit from my experiences plus I’ve no double that I will learn a lot along the way too.
What are the top 5 skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Direct
- Great listener
- Non-judgemental
Ready to be a part of Assisterhood as a Mentee?
We are now up and running in QLD and VIC – and we’re only just getting started! Let’s shoot for the stars – together!