One On One With Lisa Agona
INTERVIEWED BY CHRISTINE CORNWELl
“I learned from that experience that if you decide to take a job, even if it is not your end goal, conduct yourself professionally and aim to be the best at it.”
Lisa Agona
Chief Marketing Officer (former CMO LexisNexis, Ensono) Company name(s): HSBC, Accenture, LexisNexis, Ensono
University: BA, Economics West Virginia University; MBA, Columbia University, Management Major: Economics, Management
Charity Involvement: Junior Achievement, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Dr. Susan Love Foundation, Advocates for Youth
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Hi Lisa, welcome to the launch of CityBox’s One On One! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started? I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PA. We were very poor. One of my vivid memories of the time was at 12 climbing a tree in the neighborhood and vowing to get an education and make a better life for myself. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college. Upon graduation I saved $500, bought 2 cheap suits from Sears, and a one way plane ticket to New York City with no job and began my new journey. Curiosity and perseverance have served me well.
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Can you share the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting your career? Can you tell us what lessons or key insights you learned from that? Not sure it is funny -- but I remember doing a lot of temporary jobs – in fashion showrooms and magazines in NYC – while I was searching for my first permanent role. I did not enjoy the work and I remember copping a bit of an attitude about it and complaining a lot. My friends called me out. I learned from that experience that if you decide to take a job, even if it is not your end goal, conduct yourself professionally and aim to be the best at it. And then take the actions to move toward what you really want. When I encounter people in all lines of work every day – corporate executives, waiters, fitness instructors, juicers, stay-at-home moms, etc. who enjoy their work and are striving to be the best at it -- it is inspiring to me. So, I turned my frown upside down and looked at work differently.
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Looking back, you’ve likely had mentors who shaped your professional career, who have been the most memorable mentors and why? My mentor was one of my early bosses in New York City. He was the CFO of a large NYC bank and we were working together on building one of the early internet banks. He provided me with the opportunity to do things I was not quite ready for and believed in me more than I believed in myself at that time. With his encouragement I rose to the challenges and also went on to business school. I always had the grit and perseverance but lacked a fundamental confidence in myself. That changed over time with his and other support, and I have tried to mentor, encourage, and provide opportunities to others in the same way.
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If you were to mentor your younger self, what advice would you give? I made many mistakes as a young woman starting a career in New York City, but they were simply part of the process. I often tell young people starting their careers to consider going to a big city. Cities offer a great training ground. I encountered the best and brightest from all over the world, was faced with significant challenges and competition from others who had more experience, better credentials, more connections, etc. that tested me and built my resilience and grit. Diversity is part of everyday life. It changes you for the better.
Do you have one guiding principle that sees you through the ups and downs of running an enterprise-wide marketing team? Perseverance. Marketing teams often have to prove why they should be at the table and it can be discouraging. It has traditionally been very hard to measure and articulate marketing’s contribution to business growth. Advancements in the science of marketing have given us the tools – data, analytics, digital engagement technologies to represent the voice of the customer, create intimate, personalized experiences, and measurably impact the bottom line of any business.
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What’s your ‘hell yeah” moment? The advent of movements like “Me too” and “Black Lives Matter” over the last three years have opened up hard discussions in a very public way and strongly encouraged faster and more significant change in the areas of gender parity and racism in America. We have seen change in a compressed time frame, and it has fueled me with optimism that our next generation will be afforded more parity in opportunities both professionally and in our day-to-day lives. Hell Yeah!
There is still a degree of uncertainty around how future business practices and life will evolve. What advice do you offer to support your colleagues that are feeling anxious? Learning how to be comfortable in the face of uncertainty is easier said than done. I personally took up mindfulness meditation to help me stay in the present and create space for compassion and empathy instead of filling my monkey mind up with repetitive worries about things I cannot control. I joined a meditation studio in New York that pivoted from studio meditations to doing livestream guided meditations every day during the pandemic. In addition, I super charged my personal and professional network – reconnecting with friends and family and colleagues with whom I share values and meaningful life experiences. Despite the limited physical social contact during the pandemic I feel connected to communities who are committed to the greater good of the larger world.
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GOOD TIDINGS
STRIVES TO REPRESENT AUTHENTIC BEAUTY AND SUSTAINABLE FASHION, BY HANDCRAFTING ACCESSORIES WITH VINTAGE MATERIALS. ALL OF THIS WITH THE PURPOSE TO GIVE BACK TO PEOPLE IN NEED.
Many of us are rethinking our personal or professional goals. What advice would you share to encourage them? Everyone has a different risk profile and that is to be respected. For me, I start with my instincts balanced with objective data, and question all of my prior assumptions. Right before the pandemic I spent a weekend at Kripalu Yoga in the Berkshires and attended a session on making change. In a nutshell the advice was: Envision it, take action, even baby steps, believe, say yes when an opportunity comes up (this can be scary), and always have gratitude. If you are searching for a new job envision yourself in the role, take action e.g. a networking call, believe (knock that naysayer off your left shoulder), and be thankful for all that you have been given already.
What’s the next exciting chapter that you look forward to doing & why? I recently left my position as CMO of a private-equity backed IT services company in Chicago. I am a transformational CMO for companies that are undergoing significant change. I help them build, scale, or reimagine their marketing functions for growth. Right now, nearly every company is undergoing significant change and I am really excited about the possibilities. Also, I have already decided how I can contribute to the change in corporate America around gender and race. I will require diverse candidate slates and commit to building a diverse team. I am part of the change.
Listening to Salt. Ava Max. Spotify
