Dynamic Duos: Brig and Sam are the opposites that attract
This week in Dynamic Duos, Samsung Ads' head of strategic marketing APAC, Brigitte Slattery, and head of product marketing APAC, Samantha Cooke, share fond memories of their six (plus) years of friendship, including how their different work approaches created the best team.
In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two colleagues with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.
Brigitte Slattery:
Sometimes you get lucky in life and have the opportunity to work with someone who is not only bloody amazing at their job but also an all-round great human. I was lucky enough for it to happen twice.
Sam and I were an unlikely duo. When we first met, she was commercialising and digitising Foxtel assets and I was on the marketing side of things. She was very analytical, measured and composed and I was organised chaos. It was pretty clear we had different approaches!
However, it worked. Rather than brand vs. commercial we realised we were stronger when we operated hand-in-hand and could achieve more as a team. And that is exactly what we did! Working together on a massive RFP and transformation project for Lifestyle, Sam introduced me to data lakes and Trello boards.
A couple of years later I joined Samsung Ads, and a role became available for a commercially data-driven marketer who understood the world of content and TV. It was a no-brainer and a perfect fit for Sam. I crossed everything in the hope she would make the jump.
I always knew Sam would succeed at Samsung Ads, but what she has done in less than a year blows my mind. She’s gone from introducing new branded content solutions to rolling out an agency roadshow – reaching over 1,000 people across 45+ agencies – which has now made its way to Europe.
Sam doesn’t do anything in half measures.
If you have a problem – or maybe you don’t even know you have a problem – Sam won’t just solve it, she’ll provide a detailed explanation, recommendation and, most likely, a new and optimised process. She is open, collaborative, and considerate yet decisive. Sam also has the ability to synthesise big ideas, client feedback or complex insights into something digestible and actionable for us laymen.
Sam is a smart Cooke (had to get one pun in) and is a genuinely caring and thoughtful person, unless she’s competing in a giant game of Jenga (you have been warned!). She goes the extra mile and really cares about what is going on in your world. Not because she has to but because she wants to.
If you can’t tell by now, the girl crush is real.
Samantha Cooke:
I initially crossed paths with Brig over six years ago during our time at Foxtel. Even before we teamed up, I had heard incredible things about Brig’s accomplishments as the head of marketing for the Lifestyle Group. Needless to say, I was excited at the prospect of collaborating on a big project with her.
From day one, I immediately understood why everyone loved working with Brig. I can vividly recall being wildly impressed, not only by her remarkable creativity and strategic thinking but also by the level of passion and enthusiasm she brought to the project. Also, she was so damn likeable!
When the opportunity arose to work with Brig again, this time at Samsung Ads, I jumped at the chance. Together, we tackle the challenge of building a powerful and distinctive media brand across the APAC region. Being relatively new to the market, we certainly have our work cut out for us. Yet, reuniting with Brig felt like coming home. While she tends to think of herself as chaotic, it was her calm, composed, and supportive nature that made my transition into the business seamless.
What makes our partnership thrive is the synergy between our different approaches. Brig, being the risk-taker that she is, constantly introduces audacious ideas and makes bold decisions that have driven significant growth for Samsung Ads. On the other hand, I tend to approach matters with a pragmatic mindset, providing a balanced perspective to our collaboration. However, I’m learning to embrace risk more with Brig’s help.
One of the remarkable aspects of working with Brig is her complete lack of ego. Her focus is always on achieving results, but she never loses sight of the human element. It’s thanks to Brig’s influence that we’ve nurtured a work culture that’s characterised by openness and transparency, and an environment where everyone feels comfortable bringing their true selves to work.
We both work incredibly hard, but we also know the importance of not taking ourselves too seriously and having a laugh (which happens daily thanks to Brig’s self-deprecating humour). I think it’s the balance between dedication and a light-hearted approach that ultimately makes our partnership work so well.
Brigitte on Samantha:
Most memorable moment with Samantha: It’s an embarrassing one! I was going off on maternity leave for the first time and Sam gave me some of her favourite kids’ books, such as The Little Green Sheep, which I can now cite from memory, some parenting books, and a beautiful bracelet. Well I thought it was a bracelet. In fact, it was a teething ring! Sam didn’t laugh, but gosh she must have thought ‘Brig is in for one BIG surprise’. Needless to say I read the parenting books ASAP and every time I read the kids’ books to my little ones I think how wonderful and thoughtful Sam has been.
Best word to describe her: MVP – most valuable player.
We frequently chant this at Sam, mostly for our enjoyment and much to her dismay.
Most annoying or endearing behaviour she has: Sam is by far the most organised person I have ever met, and I am her life-long apprentice.
She can also eat a whole bowl of ramen as big as your head. It is an impressive skill for anyone’s resume.
Samantha on Brigitte:
Most memorable moment with Brigitte: I’ll never forget Brig’s reaction when she was announced as the winner of the marketing category at a huge award ceremony. Her genuine surprise and utter disbelief highlight her humble nature despite having such a profound impact on both the business and the wider media industry.
Best word to describe her: Powerhouse.
Most annoying or endearing behaviour she has: I can’t look at her desktop, it gives me anxiety.
She is the master of puns and her sneezes can only be described as ‘next-level’.
Got a tip?
Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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