Our Young Gun profile takes a look at some of the young talent across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Name: Sofie Spelta
Job title: Account director
Time in current role/time at the company:
Four years at Alpha
How long have you been in the industry?
Seven years in the industry - Over half of this at Alpha
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
When I left school, I wanted to be a florist. I got a business degree at UQ and thought that would help me start my own business. I actually got a part time job while I was still studying at university and through that job I ended up with 2 internships - the second of which was at an agency whereby I was offered a job at the end of the internship - so I started working in the industry one year into my degree.
Who is your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
My dad is my biggest source of guidance professionally and personally - he’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met and he’s not in the industry, he’s actually a Psychiatrist.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
The digital marketing / advertising industry has a very young demographic - it’s easy to progress quickly and be taken seriously - you don’t need to be 50 with an MBA. You can be young and progress through the ranks quite quickly.
And the biggest challenge?
One thing I find challenging is people’s perception of what’s acceptable within the industry in terms of balance. A lot of agencies have a drinks trolley that goes around at 5pm and calls that culture. There’s far too much focus on loads of overtime and burnout becoming a badge of honor. I try really hard to create balance with my time by finishing at a reasonable hour and normalise it within an agency setting.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
Sam our CEO
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Sarah Blakely founder of Spanx - Had children later in life, has an amazing career. When she sold the business, she gave every employee $10k and first class airline tickets to any location they chose - I think she just gets it. She inspires me to know I can have it all - an amazing career AND a fulfilling life.
My favourite advert is:
See you in the NT. Tourism NT was cheeky and busted into something taboo, which I find very cutting edge for a govt body. It got so much media attention.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I’m pretty transparent - most people know everything. Not many people know that my middle name on my birth certificate is Sparkles.
In five years' time I'll be:
That’s a hard question for me. One year ago my five year plan was to be where I am right now - I’ve learned I need to be more ambitious with setting goals for myself. It needs to be a management position. I want to be leading a team and inspiring others. It’s also important to me that I’ll be investing in young people in my industry.
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