From Greek and Latin to clothing design and strategic planning — Tess Stobie has come a long way. After love brought her from her native England, she made Russia her second home and built up success for herself, having a good time along the way and learning a lot about consulting work here — valuable experience she imparted to The Leader.

The Leader: Where did you study?

Mrs. Stobie: Bristol University, U.K. I studied Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek) and graduated in 1991.

The Leader: Where was your last place of work, and what did you do there?

Mrs. Stobie: I worked in a small telecommunications business as marketing manager in London, while designing clothes on the side. The designing was a passion, but hugely unprofitable, though it was a great experience and lesson into what takes to makes a business succeed.

The Leader: What made you want to go into marketing?

Mrs. Stobie: I can’t remember. I guess it’s because it sounded like fun! Flippant, I know; but I was only 20 at the time! Seriously, I think it was because marketing offered the most interesting mix of psychology, art and business.

The Leader: Why did you come to Russia?

Mrs. Stobie: A very old-fashioned reason — I followed my man. I am really thrilled that I have had the opportunity to live somewhere other than West London. There are also many advantages to working in an emerging market — it gives opportunities to independent thinkers who want more challenges than developed markets often offer. I’ve been here for three and a half years.

The Leader: How does working in Russia compare to working in the U.K.?

Mrs. Stobie: It’s chalk and cheese. Working in Russia is hugely challenging, sometimes frustrating, always exhilarating. The rules are being created here, then broken and recreated. It’s not a place to sit back and rely on what has worked in the past; that’s a recipe for disaster.

The Leader: Could you tell me a bit about The Point? Also, is it Russian- or foreign-owned?

Mrs. Stobie: The Point is a communications consulting agency. We provide support to our clients on how they can build and support their brand with an integrated marketing approach. The Point was set up over three years ago with a BTL [Below The Line, or non-advertising-based] focus. However, we have grown to provide a wider range of services, following clients’ requests and now offer strategic planning for both ATL [Above The Line, or advertising-based] and BTL, on- and offline, creative and PR as well as promotions.

We now have over 35 marketing specialists, with a great range of experience and expertise and literally thousands of freelance project managers in over 35 cities across the C.I.S. There are five foreigners and over 30 Russians on permanent staff; in addition, we have access to hundreds of specialist project managers across the country.

It is foreign-owned. The American partners have lived in Russia for so long, they could apply for citizenship!

The Leader: What kind of misunderstandings can arise in a multicultural working environment like here, where Russians work alongside foreigners?

Mrs. Stobie: Yes, there are cultural misunderstandings from time to time, but they are just as likely to happen between English people, Americans and South Africans, as between Russians and non-Russians; all the non-Russians here speak the same language, but that doesn’t mean they always understand each other! But I presume you are asking about misunderstandings between Russian and foreigners. Yes, these do happen, but they are mostly short-term misunderstandings. I don’t expect my Russian (or other) colleagues to fit in with my cultural baggage; I take it as an opportunity to learn more about them and understand them better.

The Leader: You are director of strategic planning. Could you talk a bit about what that is?

Mrs. Stobie: Strategic planning helps clients define their marketing objectives.
The Leader: You say that the ability to think strategically is essential in your work. What do you mean by "thinking strategically?"

Mrs. Stobie: Strategic thinking is using everything you know about the consumer, the brand and the market environment to achieve the company’s objectives. This may mean going back to the client after receiving a brief to discuss their wider business objectives and help them determine what they are trying to communicate. It can be hard to make the best, most cost-effective suggestions of what marketing tactics to use if you do not understand the bigger picture. When planning a marketing campaign, it is important to consider long-term brand building and support as well as achieving shorter-term sales goals.

The Leader: Do you ever have problems with using marketing campaigns?

Mrs. Stobie: Responsible marketing is about understanding whom you are talking to and creating an appropriate relationship and dialogue with them. The more you know about your customers, the more relevant and compelling you can make the message. Inappropriate marketing is either ignored or, worse, can cause offence.

I see it as one of my roles to tell a client if I feel strongly that her marketing approach is in danger of alienating people. This is part of the reason I am working with the American Chamber of Commerce’s Marketing Committee to establish a code of conduct for marketers in Russia.

The Leader: Could you describe your main responsibilities?

Mrs. Stobie: From finding new clients, to making sure that projects are running smoothly, to making sure my team are working well and motivated. I am principally responsible for putting together communications and marketing strategies for clients that are realistic, achievable and affordable.

The Leader: Is your job stressful?

Mrs. Stobie: There is always a tremendous amount of energy flowing around the office, but it is not stressful in the way other jobs I’ve had have been. I find stressful situations come when the teams you work with are in conflict and I am very fortunate that at The Point I have a wonderful, supportive and inspiring team.

The Leader: What advice do you have for someone who would like to go into marketing?

Mrs. Stobie: Whether someone is thinking of going client- or agency-side, I recommend trying an internship with both, as they are very different. Gaining experience in both sides helps give you valuable insights to how the relationship between agencies and clients work.

The Leader: Of 35 members of staff at The Point, most are women. Does this affect the working environment?

Mrs. Stobie: Yes, the partners here are women, but it wasn’t a deliberate policy to create an agency predominantly of women. We are in a client-service industry and I would argue that globally, women are generally better at these kinds of relationships. In Russia, this ability seems to be more pronounced than in the West.

The Leader: What do you think it takes to make a successful "careerwoman?"

Mrs. Stobie: For many, money is seen as a measure of success and in many ways they are right. If you create a product or offer a service that people