Throughout her career as a marketing professional Andrea Richardson has been referred to as “an artist, a scientist and a ninja”. In her current role she gets to be all three. As the Director of Multicultural Marketing for Hilton Worldwide she balances the needs of the company’s thirteen brands with that of their partners and the communities they inhabit using every resource possible to get the job done. We recently found out about her career goals, learning experiences, and belief in intuition.
Name: Andrea Richardson
Location: Washington, DC
Describe Your Personal Style in Three Words: Fancy, Fly, Fresh
Who Are Your Favorite Designer(s): Diane Von Furstenberg – her designs are timeless.
What Are Your Must Have Accessories? A well-designed necklace and bright pumps!
What do you love about the Hilton brand?
I love the complex identities of the hotels within the Hilton portfolio of brands. It’s like a family with thirteen kids with very different and unique personalities.
Hilton manages many partnerships. How do you build relationships with potential partners?
We really like to get a good understanding of the partner’s goals. Out of this we’re able to build mutually beneficial AND meaningful partnerships; some of which last a long time. We also understand that businesses needs evolve but in the moment we really try to be good partners.
Learn more about this resourceful and dynamic woman below.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
I have learned not to second guess myself. Earlier on in my career I had one manager that would always say to me “you’ve got that rare combination of intuition and drive”. Having him reinforce that really set me up for success. In his mind he was just ‘truth-telling’ but it made such a difference and has been important to the evolution of who I’ve become.
How do you manage your time effectively?
I live by my calendar both in my professional and personal life. I also had to learn to say no because I would stretch myself so thin in hopes of being present at everything I was invited to. To be very honest, I didn’t always have good time management until I was triple booked one Saturday afternoon. I was supposed to attend two very important events with two separate groups of friends and take my dog to the vet before flying out for a business trip the next day. I really messed up but luckily I have very forgiving friends.
Who has been your biggest supporter during your career?
My aunt Angela has been my biggest supporter she says “go for it” whenever I talk about trying something new.
What’s been the greatest moment in your career so far?
In December of 2015, I had the honor of representing Hilton by presenting the Women Up honoree award category at the Ebony Power 100 Gala. I delivered a carefully crafted but short speech and got to wear a nice gown. That experience was pretty great!
What’s been the biggest setback or obstacle on your career path?
I started my career in magazine publishing and when the world began to evolve a bit more to digital publishing it was a very tough time for me. This coupled with the recession, forced businesses in the magazine industry to make hard decisions. Publishing was all I knew. Then it hit me. I needed to quickly develop new skills because the industry just didn’t need as many of us doing the traditional types of roles. I took a chance and tried something very different. I took both a teaching job and a PR job.
Who are your role models?
I don’t really have a role model but I do admire the strength of my grandmother she’s a Bible ‘swanging’, hat wearing, church lady. Let me put it like this she loves the lord but will “set it off”.
What do you look for in potential employees?
I love a creative mind and a ‘can do’ attitude. A lot of what we have to do requires that we just figure things out. Flexibility when we have to change paths is also important. I look for candidates that have the ability to adapt to change.
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What’s your favorite part of your job?
I really enjoy working with the people here at Hilton. This is my absolute favorite part of the job. We’ve got awesome people here at Hilton.
What three pieces of advice would you give to aspiring marketing professionals?
- First and foremost, always trust your marketing instinct…if it doesn’t feel right it probably won’t work. Take the time to make right.
- With so many messages in the marketplace it’s really important to be authentic.
- Find your balance. There will always be work to get done.
What are your current career goals?
I’m a natural leader; I am convinced that I will be a Chief Marketing Officer at an amazing mega-brand one day. I have no doubt in my mind that this is a part of my destiny. But in the meantime I’m constantly trying to make a difference through purposeful, meaningful work every day. I believe my focus on this will organically take me to interesting career checkpoints.
What’s in your handbag right now?
Allergy medicine and lots of tissue because it’s spring allergy season, my purple rimmed glasses and a pair of Chanel sunglasses with tiny bow accents on each side, Sam Fine’ Fashion Fair “Tunisian Nights Supreme Eye Shadow Quad” and MAC Cremesheen “Double Dare” lipgloss; my laptop, a small notebook, two iPhones (one for business and one for personal), a scarf, 5 brand “peppermint cobalt gum” and some almonds. I try to keep a snack with me like dried fruit or nuts because I’m always on the go.
Photo Credit: Ebony.com, BlackEnterprise.com