Meet Olivia Restuccia, the dynamic Strategy Manager at Milwaukee Tool Australia & New Zealand, a powerhouse on the MWI Committee. Olivia has participated on our Mentor Program twice, as a Mentee and and as Mentor. Get ready to dive into the world of strategic brilliance with Olivia!
Tell us a bit about yourself and your career. How did you get to where you are today?
Did a bachelor of Business at Queensland University of Technology, moved to Melbourne in 2015 and started an internship at Dot Dot Dash in Event Management, moved into Property in a Marketing Coordinator role at Lifestyle Communications and then moved to an Advertising Agency called Frontier Advertising now known as Frontier Media. I returned to the Client side to a Brand Specialist role at Milwaukee Tool Australia. Eighteen months into my role, I moved into the Corporate Strategy function as a Strategy Coordinator and now a Strategy Manager.
What does a day in your current role look like? What do you enjoy the most about it?
I currently play two roles. The first is to work with my team of Strategy Analysts to design new projects. We start by understanding what we want to achieve and the problem, and then we recommend potential solutions that are then moved into a brief to be delivered by the Project Management team.
The second is working with the executive team through our strategic planning cycle to understand and facilitate visioning sessions so that we can develop what the next 5-10 years look like for Milwaukee ANZ.
I most enjoy the ability to work with many different teams and different levels of stakeholders from high level planning to the detail.
Is there anything that you wish people knew about either your role or industry?
Manufacturing is a great opportunity to play a role from manufacturing the product to how we are going to sell the product to either a retailer or direct to a customer.
Corporate Strategy is an amazing opportunity to get a birds eye view of how an entire business works together to deliver its goals. Not just one team.
What is a career challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it?
My biggest career challenge is trying to move on from a role (trying to move up to achieve my goals) and being unsuccessful in getting calls from recruiters / interviews etc. After almost 12 months, I had an opportunity to pop up internally. I think when work is tough, and you aren’t enjoying it, you need to appreciate (it is hard) the hard times and difficult days at work to understand what am I learning? It is the tough jobs you learn from (give you all those behavioural interview question answers) not the easy ones.
I stayed where I was, and was promoted, and it was awesome! Life has a plan for you.
Which practical skills have been most valuable to you throughout your career?
- Ability to present and articulate a clear message (Would a grade 8er understand this?’
- Bring your stakeholders in earlier than later – Communicate, communicate, communicate. No one ever said – Ii was communicated to way too much
- Problem Solving – if you know how to understand a problem you can solve anything. Don’t come to the table with a problem, come to the table with solutions.
Are there any platforms or tools that you use to help manage your workload?
No, not really. My advice would be to make sure everything connects together. If you use Apple or even Microsoft – connect it all up
How do you maintain a work-life balance? What do you enjoy outside of work?
I believe you must have boundaries – I am a strong believer in delivering a solid 8 hours (more than that and I ask ‘Are you still delivering a high output?’. Focus on saying no. Don’t be in a meeting for the sake of being in a meeting – what is the purpose of the agenda?
I enjoy scuba diving, sipping wine on weekends, and spending as much time by the water as I can.
Have you had a mentor during your career? If so, what is the best advice they gave you?
When looking at where you want to go, look at it as a Horizon/ long-term goal. When looking at that next role for you (rather than looking at it in isolation) look at it as ‘Will this get me closer to my horizon/long term goal?’. What skills does my dream role require? Ask yourself will this current role give me any of those skills and experience?
Are there any career development activities, courses, or events you would recommend?
I think it depends where you are in your career and where you want to go – if you would like to specialise in a particular part of marketing then do a course that supports that, for example ADMA offer great Data courses.
Alternatively, I think it’s important to also develop soft skills such as Communication, Leadership and Managing Stakeholders and this can be through a work learning platform (we have LinkedIn learning) or even books such as Harvard business review. I encourage you to take ownership to develop these skills. Don’t rely on your manager to be driving this.
“Your personal development is your personal responsibility. No one can study or acquire knowledge for you. There are things only you can do, to bring the change or the results you require to make progress in life.”― Archibald Marwizi, Making Success Deliberate.
What advice would you give to someone beginning their career in marketing?
Working within a Marketing, Advertising or Public Relations agency over the client side gives you visibility across many industries and teams and how different parts of marketing work, opening your eyes and helping you to clarify which direction you may want to go.
Why is connecting with a network of other women in marketing important to you?
I think connecting with other women in marketing and across business is important to get a different perspective outside of your inner circle both at work and in your personal life.
Where do you find creativity, inspiration, and motivation in challenging times?
Love to catch up with old coworkers / friends to get advice – listen to what they would do in the same situation.
Do you have a favourite quote that has inspired you, either in your work or life?
- Great things are not done by one person. They’re done by a team of people
- You never have a second chance at a first impression
- Without change, there wouldn’t be butterflies
What are you listening, reading, and watching for education or entertainment?
To Listen: Love ‘the Imperfects’ or ‘HBR on Strategy’
To Watch: Currently watching Minx
