“You have to be open to change; there’s a level of adaptability you need to succeed” — The Espresso with Amy O’Donovan

Sanaa Siddiqui

19 September 2024•2 min read

What’s it like to work at 9fin? Instead of a lengthy deep-dive, we ran a quick-fire round with some of our employees (9finners) in this interview series. Their answers were punchy, powerful and full of energy — just like an espresso ☕

In this interview you’ll hear from marketing executive Amy O’Donovan, on strong team culture, 9fin’s social presence, and musical talents.

Hi Amy! Firstly, what does the marketing team do?

We’re a close-knit team, and our main priorities are on elevating the brand and driving growth. We develop different strategies to connect with our audience, generate leads, and ensure our messaging is consistent across our channels.

We work closely with most teams, but especially sales, editorial and product, to position 9fin as a leader in the debt capital markets space.

Describe your team in three words.

Responsive. Motivated. Collaborative.

“Everyone is super approachable and willing to help each other out … there's a collaborative atmosphere which makes work enjoyable.”

What made you decide to join 9fin?

At the time, 9fin only had one person in its marketing team. I thought it was a good opportunity to join an early-stage team and help build that function from the ground up.

You get to shape new processes and new initiatives as the team grows, which really interested me.

The second factor was the company culture — 9fin really sounded like an employee-first business and I thought it would be a great fit for me.

What’s the one thing you’d tell people about 9fin that they can’t guess through the website?

I would say how friendly and supportive people are! Everyone is super approachable and willing to help each other out, even if they're in different teams. There's a collaborative atmosphere which makes work enjoyable.

What makes people successful?

Having a space where people can share ideas freely. Mutual success is also a big deal — individual wins are great but a win for one person is a win for the team, and it’s great to share that success with others.

“Our processes aren’t set in stone, and there’s a level of adaptability you need in order to succeed.”

Can you share your biggest achievement so far?

A work-related achievement is being able to grow the company’s social presence — we’ve managed to triple our followers across social media platforms. Plus, our visual assets are so sharp and really set us apart from the crowd.

Also, kickstarting our in-person events, which will be key to growing the 9fin brand by strengthening community engagement and building deeper connections with both current and future customers.

A non-work achievement is that I’ve passed all my piano grades.

That’s great — what’s your go-to song?

Somewhere Only We Know, by Keane!

Do you play any other instruments?

I can play the fiddle and the accordion. I also learnt to play the tin whistle when I was at school.

What advice would you give someone who wants to join the marketing team?

If you’re creative and want to be part of a growing team, then it’s definitely right for you. You also have to be open to change — our processes and workflows aren’t set in stone, and there’s a level of adaptability you need in order to succeed.