Eleanor Austin of WCT Atlantic on 20 Years with WCT

Eleanor Austin, founder of New Marketing Today, began her career in New Brunswick, working at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as Current Affairs Producer, chasing news stories and producing engaging radio shows to awaken unheard voices and stories in the community. For 13 years, Eleanor later dedicated her career to Tech Marketing at Bell Aliant as Senior Specialist in Market Research & Intelligence, focusing championing customers’ voice in boardrooms.

The following decade, she garnered her expertise in social media and marketing and instructed her own course on “Market Intelligence” at Marketing Research and Intelligence Association before she built her own company based on her talents and passion for coaching women entrepreneurs and career professionals to amplify their own voice.

It’s no wonder how Eleanor became Women in Communication and Technology’s Atlantic Chapter lead and one of the organization’s longest standing members. When Eleanor was asked why she became a part of WCT’s community, she said, “it was love at first sight.”

Eleanor discusses...

Joining the Community

"In the beginning, I was intrigued by WCT because of its advocacy for women’s leadership in my industry. I became engaged in events, joined the board, and eventually chaired our chapter with a lively, creative, enterprising, and dedicated board of women I’d choose to spend every day with, not only time in our monthly in-person board meetings over lunch or at informative and fun networking events we organized every other month.

When I joined WCT, it stood out in a sea of volunteer organizations with demands on time and energy because it specifically addresses what I’m interested in – being a leader of her own career who mentors, supports, and encourages other women in their career aspirations, through an organization that is focused on professional development, mentoring, and networking.

Compelling events seemingly tailored to attract me.

Intelligent, insightful, and welcoming women leaders inviting me. 

An organization encompassing my two career worlds: first, in communications, then in technology.

Not only that, my experience in WCT led me directly to how I contribute professionally to our world, now.

A perfect fit."

20-Year Longstanding Member

"Then and now, WCT collaborates with other women’s organizations to set a national agenda to not only advocate for women in digital leadership but to agitate for change - to change the environment, to change conversations, to change culture. We celebrate women leaders, trailblazers, and allies who demonstrate and advocate for diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces.

I’ve been a WCT member for 23 years and continue to be committed to its purpose: “to inspire and support women to achieve their highest career potential in Canada’s digital economy through professional development, mentorship, advocacy, and research”. This is the advantageous edge WCT members receive - opportunities and connections unavailable anywhere else."

Moments of Impact

"One of my greatest WCT opportunities happened early in my membership and continues to be beneficial. I participated in a national, intensive five-day Digital Media “career accelerator” program offered in cooperation with Ryerson University. It brought together WCT members from across the country, some of whom I’m still connected with more than a decade later.

Our New Brunswick chapter board chair at the time, Dawn MacInnis, had participated in the same program previously and encouraged me to apply, enticing me with a very tactile prop, her binder of memories and information she had assembled from her immersive one-week Digital Media experience.

The year was 2009.

I was accepted into this same Digital Media program and to give back to my local chapter, I led a workshop for our board in which I shared a bit of what I learned: how to leverage a helpful little tool that, at the time, was only six-years old. In that workshop, each board member created her own LinkedIn Profile.

The only board member reluctant to join this professional online network did so simply because it was a board activity. Then upon completion, said, “I’ll just delete it in the morning”!

But thankfully, good intentions are sometimes only that. Her profile stayed active and soon after, she was recruited for an executive position thousands of kilometers away. The organization preferred a WCT member -- so ensure you add your WCT membership to the Volunteer section of your LinkedIn Profile!

The power of LinkedIn’s online platform to create professional opportunity stayed with me, not only because of the career advancement for that board member. Now years later, LinkedIn is central to my coaching business. Because of that first WCT board workshop and the influential women around that table, I developed a reputation locally as a LinkedIn specialist."

On Advice for Aspiring Women 

"I believe my purpose is to encourage others – in particular, women, to see their talents, their light within, to help them articulate their greatness. We are experts on ourselves, but we find it difficult to write about ourselves. Research tells us that women tend to be modest, not wanting to brag. Recently, I’ve come to believe that it’s time for accomplished women to own their own identity."

A Future at WCT

According to LinkedIn, women in marketing are thriving with 53% of global marketing roles being held by women, 53% of manager level roles being held by women, and 55% of CMO’s are women. Marketers are upskilling in areas where they can market themselves (and the company they work for) - in social media, content marketing, presentation, and creative problem solving.

A global LinkedIn employee engagement study analysing millions of survey responses has found that employees now place higher value on “feeling cared for” than they did before the pandemic. Those who feel “cared for at work” are 3 times more likely to be happy and 3.7 times more likely to recommend working for that company.

Caring matters. Interestingly, “caring” is a skill women have a reputation for excelling in.

The future for WCT is bright. Research tells us so.