30 under 30: From Adidas to Celebrity Cruises, Pascale McBain's career has spanned the globe
Women’s fashion, World Cup footballs and Waitrose cruises – Pascale McBain, trade marketing manager at Celebrity Cruises, shares her career wins with Katherine Lawrey.
Born in South Africa, raised in Mauritius, and a teenager in Australia, Pascale McBain had an enviable travel CV before she had even left school. “I never really considered it a career,” she admits. “It was more of a pastime.”
She decided on a career in marketing, and pursued relevant qualifications at university in Australia’s Gold Coast. Alongside her studies, she sought more practical experience, working first as a marketing coordinator in a school, then as a marketing intern in a shopping centre.
Her first full-time role was with Australian women’s fashion retailer, Diana Ferrari, which took her to Melbourne, and after 18 months she moved to Adidas. “That was the first role I really stepped up,” she says.
“I was a trade marketing executive, but two months into the role, the marketing manager went on maternity leave and they never found a replacement. I stepped in and it really pushed me. I was launching high-profile products, dealing with Australia’s largest retailers and building campaigns with trade partners.”
It was her first experience of the differences between direct and trade marketing. “Trade is harder than direct as you’re not in full control – you’re working with other partners so it’s important to get it right,” she says.
One of her biggest product launches was the Adidas Brazuca, the official match ball for the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
“Australia was the first in the world to launch it and there was a serious amount of security involved. There were queues around the block when we launched in a Rebel store at midnight,” she recalls.
Upping sticks
Katy Perry-endorsed trainers and football fanatics weren’t enough to convince her to stay in Australia. The lure of London was calling, and with her new husband, they moved to the UK just five days after their wedding.
She sought a new challenge and joined Celebrity Cruises as trade marketing executive in May 2014. “There’s more you can do with travel from a retail perspective, when you have a company like Celebrity with a beautiful story to tell.”
One of her first big projects was a two-night sailing onboard Celebrity Eclipse, which was promoted exclusively through Waitrose for the first time. She had multiple responsibilities, from driving bookings using the Waitrose database and the distribution of tickets to adapting the onboard collateral for the one-off cruise and dealing with partners such as wine expert Oz Clarke and TV adventurer Ben Fogle.
“It was a proud moment to get all that done, and know we’d introduced new customers to experience the best,” she says.
Another satisfying venture was the Your Celebrity Moment incentive this Wave period, which rewarded 100 agents with £500 and gave a free cruise to the top 10. “It was revolutionary,” says McBain.
“It gave us credibility and made some noise, which can be harder to do as a smaller brand. We used our sales team on social media and saw a significant jump in engagement.”
Last December, McBain was promoted to trade marketing manager and her reporting line changed. She now reports into Sarah Harraghy, commercial sales director, and manages two trade support executives.
Although Australia is home, relocation doesn’t look likely any time soon: “We’re really happy here,” she says. “We love the UK and the lifestyle, and the fact we can travel to some beautiful places. My ideal weekend is hiking and camping somewhere like Norway.”
Caroline Kitcher, HR director at Tui UK & Ireland – sponsors of Tomorrow’s Travel Leaders – says:
“Pascale’s career has benefited a great deal from her versatile work ethic and her ability to transition from one role into another has allowed her to build up an impressive portfolio of experience. Her achievements to date are proof of her determination to excel and stepping up into such a demanding role at Adidas is a perfect example of this drive and desire for a challenge.
“With such a love for travel it is fitting that Pascale is now working in the cruise industry and her ability to adapt suits the challenging nature of the role. Since working with Celebrity Cruises she has been vital to the success of some incredible projects and I am sure that this success will continue with her new trade marketing manager role.” |
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