Molly Chapman

Molly Chapman

BA (Hons) International Business, 2017

About me

About my career

My first job in a ‘post-uni world’ was as a Product and Marketing Executive for a global travel brand, STA Travel. The brand sadly no longer exists, but during my time there I worked in their Manchester B2B division. At this time we were a small team which meant I was working across the full marketing suite – looking back this was great exposure and experience I still draw upon today. At this time the job market wasn’t quite as hot as it is now and securing a post-graduate job could be difficult. During my time at Manchester Met I decided to take a year out in industry, the university placement programme was pivotal in me securing my first job in my chosen career. I liked the placement programme so much I began managing it and future interns during my time with STA Travel, a really good way to give back and to speak from true experience.

Fast forward to today and I have now taken a step out of the world of travel and into the world of technology. My current role is Head of Product Marketing at Moorepay. The business specialises in payroll and HR technology with people services. My day-to-day life is extremely varied which is why I love it; it keeps me on my toes! My core objective is to truly understand the voice of the customer, how they resonate with our messaging, how they feel about the way our brand walks, talks, looks and feels.

My role is heavily involved in our go-to-market strategy, (how we launch new products/ software to the market), sales enablement (preparing our master sales team to go head to head with hot competition), market and competitor research (keeping our fingers on the pulse of the industry) and all the lovely stuff that falls in between. The key element of product marketing is the ability to work cross-functionality with a multitude of teams, understanding their individual challenges and aiding them along the way.

As part of my role, I am now Product Marketing Alliance certified. Across my career, I have undertaken multiple management courses, the most recent being: Understanding yourself and others. It’s courses such as these that make understanding communication styles, working styles, emotional intelligence and getting the most your of your team a lot easier.

Courses such as these draw upon fundamental learning that all started way back during my days of International Business at Manchester Metropolitan University.

My time at Manchester Met and my placement year really gave me great fundamentals and preparation for entering the working world. Whether it’s remote, or in-office working there are core skills that university taught me, and I’ve taken with me throughout my career:

Time management – From getting to uni on time, to submitting assignments in a timely manner, Manchester Met taught me the importance of effectively managing my time and working effectively.

Presentation skills – Like most, during my time at Manchester Met I used to dread standing up in front of peers and professors to deliver presentations. However, I’m so glad university pushed us into this. I use these skills every day. Whether it is chairing a remote meeting with cameras on, delivering a new idea to the wider marketing team, or launching a new product to the whole business. These skills started in university and are being developed every day.

Teamwork – The university gave me an understanding of my role within a group, how I like to work and how I don’t like to work. It exposed me to different thinking and working styles which have integrated into my own working style.

Organisation – I consider myself pretty old school when it comes to organisation. I don’t have a fancy digital diary or my to-do list in my Outlook, it’s all pen and paper for me. Everyone is different and manages their actions differently. For me Manchester Met taught me how to manage projects effectively and what works for me on an individual basis.

I strongly recommend students undertake a year in industry, or a year out on Erasmus. This additional year is not only a year to build on your skillset, be that a language or within an industry, but it also a great time to reflect on learning, regroup and go into your final year energised, and of course a year wiser!

In addition to the above, since completing my studies I am now Product Marketing Alliance certified, as well as having undertaken more than 4 additional courses in people management.

My top tip for students is

Be persistent! Don’t let a few failures knock you back. If you go for an interview and don’t get the role, feel the pain for a moment and then take time to reflect. What did I learn from that interview? What will I not do again? What do I need to be prepared for next time? Just remember every no is one step closer to a yes.

I’m inspired by

Not standing still! I absolutely love the fact that by choice we are all continually developing. There’s always more you can learn, more people you can speak to and more skills you can add to your locker.

Why I love Manchester Met

I appreciated most the sense of community, the feeling that you arrived at a place where you and everybody else belongs.

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