Today's coffee break presents a unique twist, as we shift our focus to Triin, who typically assumes the role of an observer during these interviews. Triin boasts a wealth of expertise as a seasoned professional in both marketing and IT, making her an invaluable asset to Intium's team. With over seven years of IT management tenure, she's well-versed in Intium's business dynamics, which greatly contributes to the effectiveness of our marketing efforts.
Big thanks to Triin for taking the time to chat with me and tackle some questions. She mentioned that talking about herself in this manner feels like boasting, which she finds challenging.
Triin, you lead our marketing efforts in Intium and I know you have also worked in IT for many years. How did your marketing career develop and was it your chosen career path?
Triin: I specialized in marketing in university, next to an International Business Management degree. When I was midway through my degree, I was already working as a media planner in a media agency, Carat. It was a time when digital media was just another media to plan alongside TV, radio, outdoor, and print but it was complex and needed in-depth and technical knowledge to plan it well. I saw my chance and proposed to have a separate digital media entity. That's how a new department was formed. I got to work with noteworthy brands and to dive deep into digital media both in planning and on the technical side.
After that, I went to work at a German marketing startup called Content Fleet. There I got into the world of SEO and affiliate marketing. During my time at Content Fleet, I realized how fascinating the world of software development is. I had many projects with backend developers so I spent a lot of time with them and got to see their work and way of thinking up close. So when I returned to Estonia, I went to work for BigBank, where my position was in IT. I was in charge of the hire purchase web channels in all countries. We had the best team one could hope for and thanks to the great IT people there, I got to learn so much about it all. Since then I have been working both in IT and marketing. In my last position as IT Team Lead, before joining Intium, I already felt the yearning to go back to marketing, but to do it in the IT field.
Thinking back on my career, it's clear that both marketing and IT are fascinating to me and both areas give me many opportunities to learn, to implement, and to grow. I consider myself an IT marketing specialist, but of course, our perception of ourselves changes with time.
How did you come to work for Intium and what is it that you like most about working in Intium?
Triin: I know Mart from university and have been friends for years. When he approached me and pitched their business and vision of it, I was very much intrigued. As I knew and trusted Mart and the business was exciting, I had no hesitation in joining Intium. Also, it was a compelling challenge for me to start Intium’s marketing efforts from almost zero.
Now that I have been with Intium for more than a year and a half, I can honestly say that the best quality that Intium has is its employees. I am happy to work in such a smart, professional, and helpful team. It makes the process of work very smooth and enjoyable.
I also very highly appreciate the autonomy I have in my position and I love working 100% remotely. I can today truly say, that I have the freedom with my job to balance my life well and I see how that positively affects my job performance.
What marketing challenges at Intium are the most interesting to you to solve?
Triin: In the last 1.5 years we have built a solid basis for Intium, but there is an even longer road ahead of us. At the core of our business, we offer in-depth advice on tech firm investments. It's a complicated business with many intricacies and also as you can imagine, the costs of the investments are high. If you add the uncertain economic climate on top of that, you see how high the stakes are. So our business comes down to trust and reputation. In this sense, we are no different than, let us say, lawyers. From a marketing perspective, our main focus is to build our brand and brand awareness. We see that once an investor has worked with us, they will work with us again and recommend us to others as well. We need to build brand awareness so investors can experience our service for themselves. In the current uncertain economic climate and high competition, it is even harder to do so in this specific target audience.
If possible, could you please highlight one campaign or marketing project from your career that you are particularly proud of?
Triin: I am thankful to say that numerous projects come to mind but of course one more so than the rest. When I was working in the Idea Group (now Havas), I took on a branding project for a window producer, Klarvinduer (now called Klar). They needed a reputable brand to enter the Danish market. We had a great client and a great design team. Magically everything came together on this project and it was a great success. Their business took off very well and it was financially very successful. Even today I am very proud of them and happy to have played a small role in their success.
Have you had a role model or mentor who has shaped your career?
Triin: The first people that come to mind are my parents. They have raised me to be very independent and no limit has ever been set to what's possible for me to achieve. They have supported me in every endeavor I ever had. They have never told me that I could not be something or achieve something. They always supported me and helped me figure out the steps to achieve my goals. It has made me confident in myself and my abilities and taught me to make a realistic plan and take the necessary steps. My head is in the clouds but my feet are firmly planted on the ground.
My father has been a manager throughout his life and since I was young, he would explain basic concepts to me about business and more so the people who do business. He has always been very professional, and analytical, and has great communication skills and I have learned so much from him. The way he views the business world has been an inspiration to me.
A great influence in my professional career was my superior in Bigbank, Ken Kanarik. He is a great leader to the people in his team and even outside that. He is smart as a whip and always finds a solution to every obstacle and problem. Where there is no way forward for others, he always finds a way. It is truly amazing. He is very loyal to his team and handles every situation with humor and wit. I think subconsciously I modeled many aspects of my management style from him.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies you enjoy?
Triin: I am a big green thumb as is evident while looking around in my apartment and terrace. I am also on the gardening team of our housing cooperative and we oversee the communal garden. Gardening is such a peaceful hobby to have as I need to concentrate and it's also very relaxing. I also like to read about different plants and how to best grow them so it's also an educational hobby.
I am a certified personal trainer, so the world of sports and sports science interests me a lot. I used to work as a trainer but currently, I only give family and friends advice when they need it. I always enjoy spreading my knowledge in this field as it can be complicated for a novice. It is also a subject, that you can endlessly read about to know more whether in terms of exercises, biodynamics, or research papers about the human body. Many new and exciting things are being discovered daily as our understanding of ourselves and the world is constantly changing.
I am also relearning Brazilian Portuguese on Duolingo. After high school and before university I lived a year in Brazil. I fell in love with Brazil, the culture, and their language so now I’m trying to learn to be more fluent. Because I lived there, the language is much easier to learn. Once I am fluent, my husband and I will travel back there, as I promised to do someday.
Thank you, Triin, for introducing yourself to us! If you have any inquiries for Triin or would like to explore more about Intium Tech, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at contact@intiumtech.com.