Name: Sean Mathews | Designation: Brand and Marketing Consultant | Company: Independent | Place: Toronto
(June 19, 2023) As a young undergrad student in the Mumbai of the 1990s, Sean Mathews happened to take up a job with a small advertising agency. At that point, he did not know the world of advertising. However, as he began talking to people in the industry and started following campaigns created by iconic agencies such as Lintas and Ogilvy, the more he found himself being drawn into the world. He’d found his calling. Today, with a 17-year career in the industry with international agencies like Young and Rubicam, Saatchi & Saatchi, Dentsu, and Wunderman Thompson, Sean is considered a veteran.
Growing up in Mumbai, Sean remembers leading a wholesome childhood, riding the city’s packed local trains and hanging out at Baghdadi restaurant near the Taj or Leopold Cafe at Colaba. As he was pursuing his Bachelor’s in Commerce at Mumbai University his encounter with the world of advertising left him wanting more. “From then on the dream was to work with one of those mega advertising networks creating campaigns that I could tell my friends about,” he says, “The reason I went ahead and got myself an MBA was because it was a prerequisite to get into one of the global network agencies. From then on it was a string of great agencies and brands that led me to where I am today.”
Sean Mathews.
Along the way, Sean happened to work with some of the top global names across India, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, and Canada. Sean is also a member of CMOx, an accelerator and consortium leveraged by Fractional CMOs to pool resources and visions as they evangelise. A couple of years ago he decided to branch out on his own and turn independent consultant. As independent brand and marketing consultant, Sean currently leads a team that provides SEO, email, content, and social strategy for the Ventures. “My role is to help brands understand and create their uniqueness in the market. The job involves gaining a thorough understanding of the audience, competition, category, culture and brand, and distilling that understanding to develop the positioning, value proposition, messaging, tactics, and channel plan.”
As he works his way across the Canadian market, Sean says that networking is key in any job market. “If you’re looking to settle in Canada then I’d recommend learning how to network and make a conscious effort to do so. The art of networking is to be genuinely interested in learning about the other person and not just ask them for a job. It’s important to give before you receive and to stay in touch even when you don’t need a job,” he says.
A typical day for Sean begins with a round of meditation as a way to stay calm and reduce stress. At work, he collaborates with different ventures and cross functional teams to deliver brand and marketing communication strategies. “In the evening I take my kids for their after school classes before we make it home for family dinner where we each talk about our day,” he says.
Sean Mathews with his family.
With work-life balance featuring very high on his list of priorities, Sean says that his move to Canada stemmed from this very reason. “Ever since we moved here, I’ve kept regular timings at work. I almost always log off at 5 pm and spend the evening with my family. This is in stark contrast with Singapore and India where we would often work late nights and head home just in time for bed,” he says, adding, “My weekends here are sacred. In the summers especially, we spend almost every weekend outdoors either going on picnics, cottage stays or barbeques.”
As a family, they also enjoy travelling either within Canada or the US. “When we lived in Asia, we explored the continent extensively. Now, our focus is North America,” says Sean, who also enjoys gardening and watching movies. That apart, Sean also makes it a point to devote some time mentoring newcomers in Canada by guiding them on how to navigate the new landscape.
Takeaways:
- Always keep an open mind. You never know when an opportunity will come knocking at your door.
- Give back to society by sharing your knowledge and skills with the younger lot.
- Networking is key in any field. Make sure to give before you receive and to stay in touch even when you don’t need a job.