Deborah Tran
Senior Brand Manager, M&M'S
Deb has built her marketing career selling fried chicken, beer & now chocolate! Starting her career at Ogilvy Sydney in account management working across KFC & Lion, Deb swapped the suit life for the sweet life with a move to Melbourne in 2018 when an opportunity to work on some of the world's largest confectionery brands came up at Mars Wrigley.
Today Deb has the privilege of leading M&M'S, from working with cross functional teams to commercialise a new product idea to opening Australia's first M&M'S store, Deb loves that she can show up with her creativity and can-do attitude everyday to tackle business challenges head on. A true Melbournian now, Deb lives in Fitzroy with her husband Seamus and 3 year old furball Rocket.
Career & Background
What inspired you to do what you are doing now?
My husband Seamus has the patience of a saint so his thoughtfulness and ability to listen actively has taught me a lot about my own leadership style. I’m first generation Australian, with my parents immigrating to Australia post Vietnam War, so I credit my strong work ethic and resourcefulness to them – we didn’t have a lot growing up so we were always taught to make the most of every situation!
Could you tell us a bit about your professional background?
Having started my career in advertising coupled with a stint in the Sales function at Mars, I realised I wanted to be in Marketing so I could be in the drivers seat of a fun global brand. I’ve always preferred to look forward at the opportunities in the future instead of looking back on the past, so being able to envision a future for a brand and bring others in on the journey really energises me.
Your favourite food for thought
Books
- Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg
- How Women Rise – Marshall Goldsmith and Sally Helgesen
- Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
- WARC
- Work Life – Adam Grant
- Woman at Work – Harvard Business Review
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Achievement
- Integrity
- Optimism
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
Having worked on agency and now client side for over 10 years, I have a strong self awareness of what my strengths are as well as my blind spots. I know what I get energy from and what I don’t, and how I can balance this to ensure I show up as my best self at work but also with my loved ones. As a high achiever, I’ve spent many years carrying the burden of pursuing perfectionism. It’s something I will have to work on for the rest of my career, I know I don’t have it all figured out and that’s ok. In participating in this program I hope that I can help someone else in their career journey.
What are the top 5 skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Collaborative
- Knowledgeable
- Looking for potential
- Optimistic
- Supportive
Ready to apply?
The best time is right now. Take a chance – you never know where an Assisterhood mentor can take you.