Name: Marina Groothuis
Return Path position: Marketing Manager, Return to Work program
Career past life (What did you do?): I was and continue to be a yoga teacher. My most recent professional experience (from way, way back) was in traditional direct marketing customer acquisition and retention.
How long were you out of the workforce? I was out of the traditional office workplace for 12 years. For the last six years, I was self-employed, teaching both in-home private sessions and group classes at a yoga studio, where I also help with marketing, operations, and social media.
Return Path role (What do you do each day?): I started out in field marketing where I worked on various marketing projects aimed at supporting the sales team as they move deals through the pipeline. Some examples are: the Return Path World Tour and a 2016 renewal calendar for retention event planning. In December, I moved to corporate communications. I worked on a vertical marketing plan in support of sales, helping to identify new collateral needed for prospective clients. I was also instrumental in a project categorizing and analyzing email subject line data of 2016 presidential candidates for an NPR article entitled Bill Wants To Meet You: Why Political Fundraising Emails Work. Earlier this month, I transitioned to the performance optimization group. In my new role, I am helping to compile weekly data for the executive committee slides and for the marketing scorecard.
Crossover (What skills from your past life do you use in your new position?): Staying on top of tech trends and social media has been very helpful. My experience in traditional marketing, ROI analysis, and profit and loss management translates to my current role where I am responsible for certain aspects of weekly pipe generation reporting and analysis.
What does the Return to Work program mean to you? To be welcomed into this program means that Return Path believes in me and my future success. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to prove myself and inspired to make my mark, both professionally and personally. It means I am a better role model to my kids, who have never known me as a “commuting parent,” as I worked part-time and close to home while they were in school.
What do you hope to get out of it? I hope that the knowledge and take away from Return Path helps re-start my career in marketing and tech.
What advice would you give to future Returnees? Ask a lot of questions, and introduce yourself to everyone. Enjoy the flexibility of the job and the encouragement from everyone to learn. Be a sponge!
Where did you hear about this program? I learned about the program from a friend, who put me in touch with an Return Path employee.
Learn more about Marina on LinkedIn