September Member of the Month: Laia Pescetto, Director of Marketing, Unacast

Hometown? Brooklyn, NY

Current job title and company? Director of Marketing, at Unacast. I lead all marketing, creative and public relations initiatives.

Describe your career journey. I started on the agency side at a boutique shop that worked with entertainment clients. Together with the now partner of the agency I built out their first digital department. This sparked my interest in emerging marketing technology and I transitioned into ad tech. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the leaders in the ad tech and mar tech space, helping them start or elevate their brands. Now I am leading the marketing efforts for another emerging space, proximity marketing, and it’s looking to be another promising adventure!

Any special awards or achievements? I was honored to receive the Student loan relief award from She Runs It last year!

How has She Runs It helped you personally or professionally? AWNY/She Runs It came into my life when I was at a crossroads in my career. Being surrounded by such amazing successful and supportive individuals has made all the difference. From the mentorship program (in which I had a male mentor who was awesome! #heforshe) to my peers in the YE committee, I’ve felt inspired and supported in an industry that can leave people feeling disoriented.

How do you integrate work and life? I love my career so sometimes I have to remind myself to take a break and enjoy my downtime. That being said, living in NYC makes it so easy to move seamlessly between work and life. There’s so much to do and so many people to meet that it’s hard not to make connections. But actively maintaining work/life balance has definitely been a priority for me the last few years

What was a project you were particularly proud of or had obstacles that you had to overcome? I think helping launch a digital department in a predominantly print agency will always hold a special place in my heart. I had just started out in the advertising word and had very little exposure to digital marketing but we did it and very successfully at that!

What celebrity would you want to be stuck in an elevator with? Michelle Obama. I don’t know if I would categorize her as a celebrity but she is definitely a public figure. More than likely I’d be fangirling too hard to actually say anything other than “you’re awesome” but it would be an honor just to be in an elevator with her.

When are you most happy? When I’m with my dog! Spending time with my family and friends are definitely a close second

What is on your personal “bucket list”? I want to travel as much as possible. I’m a firm believer in learning through experiences and new cultures (especially food!) are the best teachers. Being from NYC I’m fortunate enough to meet many different people from all over the world. It would be awesome to see their homes and cultures for myself!

Connect with Laia on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn