Inside SYZYGY: press for progress with Charlotte Bilton
By: Emma Grant
Tags: Women, Digital Marketing, Women in STEM, International Womens Day, Data

Our Inside SYZYGY series celebrates the International Women’s Day #pressforprogress campaign.

In this third part of the series, we bring you the story and aspirations of Senior Data Analyst, Charlotte Bilton.

How did you get into Data?

I kind of fell into it! Maths was my strongest subject at school and my Dad encouraged me to pursue it. He’s an accountant and we bonded over our love of numbers. I graduated with a maths degree from the University of Reading in 2010 and joined the brokerage team at Touch Financial. I showed an interest in reporting and quickly began analysing Salesforce reports, creating a role for myself that didn’t really exist at the time.

What led you to Digital Marketing?

After my first job, I joined a customer insights consultancy which was my first introduction into applying my analytical skills to marketing. From there I joined LIDA, an M&C Saatchi agency, as a Data Analyst working on CRM databases and knew that agencies were a good fit for me — the fast-paced nature keeps me on my toes and challenges me to keep learning.

I moved to SYZYGY because they had created a centralised data team which caters for the whole company and allows me to work on a variety of clients.

Who are your role-models?

At work, my former manager at LIDA, Natasha Joslin. She built the Data team from scratch and, as a Board Member, ensured that what we delivered was recognised and valued by the agency and our clients.

In life, I admire Malala Yousafzai. After the assassination attempt, her voice grew louder and she turned an awful event into her biggest strength. Her life experiences are vastly different to mine but I’m inspired by her courage.

Have you faced any challenges working in Data?

No, not personally. I’m one of two women in a team of seven but I don’t see gender as a barrier or divide. We each have our skills to contribute and our own personalities to match and if we’re going to clash, it’ll be over personality! I feel comfortable working with men as I grew up with my two older brothers and three male cousins so I’m used to being in the minority — it’s not something I’ve really paid attention to.

What is the future for women in digital?

I think the next few years will bring more transparency. Already, the gender pay-gap reporting is highlighting an imbalance in the senior positions held by men and women. However, I still think that we should employ the best person for the job, regardless of gender. From my own experience at University, men outnumbered women on my degree so if there aren’t as many women coming through the education system with the right skills and experience then how can we expect an even split?

How will you ‘Press for Progress’?

I would start with education. I remember the stigma around maths when I was at school, we didn’t understand how algebra could be applied to the real world and I think it’s viewed as rigid. For me, maths isn’t just about getting the right answer, you still have to show your thinking and methodology, even when you’re wrong.

It’s like writing an essay, the final sentence doesn’t determined the overall message.