A Day in the Life of Moody's Alex Phennah

Hi Alex, can you tell us a bit about your role and how you got here? 

I’ve been working in digital marketing since digital became a word in the field. In fact, it was called e-marketing when I first started. I started my marketing career at an events company, then moved to their sister company in a Digital Marketing Role. I have worked in a number of sectors including employee benefits, education marketing and a short stint agency side. Mostly, my experience is in B2B SAAS-type digital marketing. In July 2019, I joined Moody’s Corporation to run paid media efforts, working with the team to implement a new website and be the product owner of an email platform for our field marketers around the globe.  

Last year, I changed roles to lead innovation and enhancement projects for the Central Digital Team, working across the business on many different and exciting projects as we look to enhance the current MarTech stack and innovate through new technologies and processes. With the recent explosion of GenAI, I am also leading working groups to understand how AI will impact digital marketing and how we can leverage it to be ahead of the curve.  

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day for me starts with a coffee, reading the overnight emails, and planning out what I need to do for the day. I am based in London, but because most of my colleagues are based in the US and Canada, my mornings are my ‘get on with it’ time. In the afternoons, I catch up with my co-workers on the various workstreams I am either leading, facilitating or adding to as a subject matter expert.

What part of your role do you enjoy the most? 

As a person with ADHD, I love the interaction aspect and getting to work with so many people. Anything that involves collaboration – ideation, discussion, planning, workshopping. Sometimes I bring in music, moments of silence, reflection, or even shout a random fruit or vegetable when I need to get everyone back on track (it really works). My role allows me to embrace some of my chaotic energy and use it to my advantage. I also love that initial stage of a project, when everything is new and exciting, and I use that energy to power through, get my project plans in place, and facilitate meetings while injecting some fun.

Which top three skills are vital for this role and why? 

1. Active listening: I have to practice active listening daily, focusing on what is said, and not said (which is more difficult in a virtual environment, but easier to notate!) 

2. Stakeholder management: I work with a lot of colleagues from across Moody’s and from around the world. When working with people that have varying personalities and backgrounds, it’s important to adjust your approach, being culturally aware and adjusting the level of detail for the stakeholder is critical to effective communication and relationship management.  

3. Being comfortable working with uncertainty: With many of the projects I lead, it starts with a blank project plan. When working for a large organization like Moody’s, there are many different people you need to consult with and rely on – plans and priorities can change and shift, but being able to navigate and find success while working with the changing landscape is really important.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your role? 

Calendar management – especially when you have a lot of people who you need to get together quickly across different time zones. I am reallyv excited to see how GenAI will help improve these processes in the future, helping to find the space and time for groups to come together efficiently, while also freeing up valuable time.

How do you help others feel like they belong in your team/promote inclusion? 

I encourage people from across our team to get involved in the various Business Resource Groups we have within Moody’s. These groups provide support systems for employees, creating an outlet for diverse groups to come together – it’s an amazing way to connect with others and feel a sense of belonging. Also, I bring my authentic, tattooed, pierced self to work every day, which is welcomed and encouraged. Being able to be authentic, not masking disabilities, gender expression, or sexual orientation, removes a layer of stress and encourages others to bring their authentic selves to work, too. 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 

I really found a place at Moody’s, so I will probably still be here! I love working for an organization that empowers its people in so many different ways, and I get to work with some incredibly talented people, including all my fellow members of our EMEA Pride Business Resource Group Steer-Co.

Which podcast or Youtube series would you recommend to someone interested in pursuing a career in this area to help develop their skills/prepare them for the role? 

For my role, I had to learn Agile project management. One of my top resources I used while learning Agile was Atlassian, which has some great resources focussed on their project management tools. I’d also recommend trying to learn with Google, exploring resources from multiple sources – and not forgetting the Agile alliance of course (the founders of Agile)!