Her Magazine is New Zealand’s only women’s business lifestyle magazine! Her Magazine highlights the achievements of successful and rising New Zealand businesswomen. Her Magazine encourages a healthy work/life balance.
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Sarah Thornton – By the Book, p. 50 contributors Born in Auckland, Sarah Thornton has worked with all the major book publishers overseas and in New Zealand for nearly 20 years. She helps many high-profile people achieve success with their endeavours by generating strategic PR and media campaigns. Her work spans the arts, business, fashion, travel and food. Keen to broaden her horizons and work for herself, she left corporate life at the end of 2010 and set up her own PR and communications business, Thornton Communications Limited. With a solid reputation and network as her base, Sarah has built a flourishing business and is having fun working with and juggling a diverse portfolio of clients. Many of these people are growing their businesses through targeted media exposure. The next step for Sarah is the launch of her website, www.prcomms.com. What has been your riskiest business move? Deciding to leave the comfort of my managerial role in book publishing during a recession to become self-employed. But with self-belief, hard work and by trusting the 'Universe', the risk is paying off. Mary-Jane Daly – Shaky Foundations p. 56 After spending years in the banking and finance industries around the world, Mary-Jane, known as MJ to her friends and colleagues made the move to New Zealand's insurance industry. As Executive General Manager (EGM) of State Insurance, MJ also looks after parent company IAG's national assessing, loss adjusting, and debt recovery teams. Having displayed leadership qualities from a young age, the mother of three is relishing her role as head of an iconic Kiwi brand and leading her 900 strong team. What has been your riskiest business move? When starting as EGM with State I was challenged with really connecting with our customers, to be innovative and change the position of State in the marketplace. So my teams and I came up with State's 'Favourite Things' product. This product and subsequent marketing campaign challenged the thinking of both my staff and the New Zealand public. It gave insurance products the tangible aspect we were looking for. 'Favourite Things' was the first non-traditional insurance product State had ever developed. Being new to the insurance industry and having committed a lot of resource to the development of the product and associated campaign I was understandably nervous about launching 'Favourite Things'. It was a pretty risky move to make in such a traditional marketplace but it's proving to be successful. Phillippa Jacobs – Big Features in small packages p. 61 As founder and director of Mega Advertising Phillippa Jacobs has built her business from a one-woman start-up in 1997 to become a highly successful business with an amazing award winning team. What has been your riskiest business move? I feel that having a business that is forever growing means I have to get the right people to grow my business. Staff are wonderful assets, but also a high risk if you get it wrong. Growing my business from the ground up has meant I have learnt along the way. I have been very fortunate with my staff, but it is a part of my business that needs to have a lot of input. "If Richard Branson sat next to you on the aeroplane would you be able to sell your business to him in three minutes? If this thought stops you stuttering in your tracks, you can rest assured your business pitch is far from perfect." Julia McFadzien p.60 "I sat with a whale on the beach and something happened. People say that once you've been eyeballed by one that life is different. I sat there and I knew I was dedicated to these animals. We only saved 14 and I drove home physically and emotionally exhausted, but I knew I had to do more." Kerry O'Brien p.86 "Technology has changed customer expectations. Information is so freely available and so accessible, and customers are savvy and knowledgeable about products and manufacturing. As customers are socially and environmentally conscious we need to be as well in order to earn custom from the client." Phoenix Renata, p.42 HER MAGAZINE | February/March 2012 | 5