Dynamic Duos: Bridgit’s James Arnold and Aleisha Smith
In this week's Dynamic Duos, Bridgit's head of marketing, James Arnold and junior marketing manager, Aleisha Smith, share how they have worked together to build the Bridgit brand from the ground up.
In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two members of the same organisation with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.
James Arnold:
Aleisha was the first Bridgit hire, so when I joined she onboarded me about all things Bridgit and the amazing work that was already being done. She worked closely with Aaron (our CEO) in setting up a Marketing program, brand and business that was getting ready to scale. I was excited to work with Aleisha and grow this brand from day one, she had the perfect start-up ‘hustle’ attitude.
Being in the start-up space is very different to working at a well established brand and brings different challenges, you are learning everyday, everything is new, you have to be very nimble and back yourself. Aleisha is all of these things.
Aleisha Smith:
I was about 7 months into my journey at Bridgit when James walked through the door. Aaron Bassin, our CEO and Founder, was ecstatic for him to be joining the team as our Head of Marketing and so was I. From the get go, we worked extremely well as a team. He was always pretty calm and laid back but never compromised on setting the expectations high – a balance I have always admired. We both have a lot of passion for the work we do and the company we are building and it’s this shared passion that has seen us through many great successes.
James on Aleisha:
Most memorable moment with Aleisha:We have had a lot of good times together, whether that be working through a high pressure problem, or dancing around at the first Bridgit Christmas party.
But I think what comes out on top for me, is getting our first campaign live and bringing the Bridgit brand to life. There was a huge amount of work that went into defining our brand approach, ensuring we were taking the right steps to build a brand that Aussies trust and can resonate with, seeing our work come to life was extremely rewarding and set the tone for us.
Best word to describe Aleisha: Driven – no matter how big or small the problem we are solving is, Aleisha will tackle it with proactivity, positivity and an eagerness to challenge. She sets the expectation for the business, and people are guided by her effort and love for the Bridgit brand.
Aleisha’s most annoying habit or endearing behaviour: Aleisha and I seem to clash when it comes to our music choices, my headphones generally go on when Aleisha is the office DJ. But out of persistence, she has got me enjoying a few new tracks, I don’t mind Rhyme Dust by MK, Dom Dolla.
Aleisha on James:
Most memorable moment with James: When James and I first started working together, he handed me the book ‘Purple Cow: Transform your business by being remarkable’ by Seth Godin to read. Shortly after we formed what we called our ‘blue cow’ sessions (initially was called Purple Cow but James couldn’t remember the colour to save his life). The idea behind it was in a world inundated by mass marketing and traditional ways of working, how can we be remarkable? How can we turn Bridgit into the ‘blue cow’ of FinTech? The blue cow sessions were held once a month where we worked together to bring new ideas to the table and challenge each other’s thinking. Even today – as our tactics and strategies have evolved – we continue to think like the ‘blue cow’ and challenge the status quo.
Best word to describe James: The best word to describe James would be ‘genuine’. Yes, he’s incredible at his job but on a more personal level, he’s extremely humble, honest, and genuinely cares about each and every employee at Bridgit.
Over the past couple years James has shown me what it means to be a true leader and exceptional marketer. The marketing world needs more people like James. People who can think outside the box and challenge the status quo, all while having fun doing it. I don’t think a day has gone by where James hasn’t walked through the door with a smile on his face ready to conquer any challenges thrown his way.
James’ most annoying habit or endearing behaviour: Most annoying? Easy – James doesn’t like my music; too much ‘doof doof’ for him apparently. We have an unwritten rule that I don’t play my tech-house (or ‘doof doof’) music in the office until after 4pm, but once that hour ticks over, the tunes come on. And what does James do? He puts on his headphones and listens to his classic ‘elevator’ focus music.
All in all, James is fantastic to work with. I’m grateful for all the memorable moments we’ve shared, the lessons I’ve learned, and the tunes we’ve argued over.
If you and a colleague would like to submit your story to Dynamic duos, please email kwelch@mumbrella.com.au.
OK, I give up. Who is Dan that James and Aleisha talk about in such glowing ways?
User ID not verified.
Hi Puzzled,
Thank you for picking up on that error in Aleisha and Dan’s quick fire questions, which had accidentally been swapped with content from another week. The piece has since been updated with the correct responses, which you can read in the second half of the piece.
Cheers,
Kalila
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