Full Name: Kate Ardini
Current title & company: John Hancock, AVP Brand Strategy & Advertising
Brief description of who you are professionally with concise accomplishments:
I am a lifelong marketer and brand enthusiast. After graduating from NYU, I planned to work in the music industry, but ended up at a Wall Street broker-dealer. From there, I moved to a B-to-B services marketing role at Deloitte in Boston, and transitioned to a B-to-C brand marketing role at John Hancock about five years ago. I would say the accomplishment I am most proud of is finding opportunities across the spectrum of “marketing” and not getting stuck as one type of marketer.
Why did you join Tomorrow’s Women Today and what are you hoping to achieve as a member of the organization?
I joined Tomorrow’s Women Today to meet and connect with amazing women in Boston who I might not otherwise know through my workplace or community connections. It is great to meet leaders from outside of financial services and marketing.
What is one of your most proud professional moments and what are you most looking forward to professionally in the next five years?
It is hard to pin down one moment. I would say that each of my roles allowed me to stretch and challenge myself in new ways. Most recently, it has been great being part of the leadership team growing and transforming the in-house creative agency at John Hancock. It is a new way of working at a long-established organization, so challenging norms and taking risks has been key to our success. I am looking forward to seeing the team develop in the years ahead!
What do you do in your “free” time? Hobbies, Interests….
I am a big believer in carving out “free time” to have the life I work hard for. I serve as a board member on the Ad Club, and chaired their Women’s Leadership Forum this year. I love to travel (heading to Italy in a few weeks), try new restaurants (oysters please!) and spend summers with my family at Drakes Island, Maine. I am also a very proud Aunt to the five best humans I know.
3 Core Values:
Curiosity – Love when people ask questions and show genuine interest in things they don’t know about
Confidence – Even if you have to fake it
Hand-raising – Look for opportunities to contribute and learn without being asked
Fun Fact/What makes YOU, you?
I love connecting people – Making friends meet friends, old colleagues meet new colleagues, setting up blind dates etc. I have also been known to bust out in song at unexpected times.