As M&M Global kicks off its annual search for the brightest talent in international media and marketing, we take the chance to catch up with one of the ‘Class of 2015’, Renee Lee.

When we last spoke to Renee, she was operating as global account director for Heineken at Starcom MediaVest Group.

She has since embraced a dramatic career move, joining a China-based toy manufacturer to head up its international media strategy. We caught up with Renee to find out about how her career is progressing, and what advice she would offer to those starting out.

How has your career progressed over the past 12 months?

“My career (and life) has progressed in ways I could not have predicted. Shortly after ‘Meet the Millennials’ I made a huge jump from working in at Starcom MediaVest in Amsterdam on the Heineken account to an exciting opportunity to build up the marketing division at a China based toy manufacturer and distributor, Zuru Toys.

“I now live in Shenzhen, China and everything is different, but that’s what makes it exciting. I now oversee all marketing and media buying for Zuru Toys in six key markets around the world.”

What have been the highlights since you entered ‘Meet the Millennials’?

“This year Zuru Toys produced the top selling toy in America, Bunch O Balloons. A big highlight since I started has been defining the brands communication strategy for 2017 and creating new cross-platform content that has just launched and is proving highly engaging. A few other highlights includes taking some time off to travel South America and also getting the opportunity to interview at some pretty phenomenal companies such as Airbnb and Heineken.”

What impact has participating in ‘Meet the Millennials’ had on your career?

“‘Meet the Millennials’ was a great talking point when I was interviewing for new roles. Having something industry recognised on my CV especially when I was looking for career opportunities in different countries was really valuable.”

What advice do you have for those looking to start a career in media and marketing?

“Get ready for a fun, challenging and constantly changing career. I am a huge believer in diversifying your skillset while you’re young so don’t be afraid to jump into new areas and sometimes side-step to learn new things.

“Marketing and media are becoming more complicated and diverse so I think it’s really important to understand and experience all facets of the industry including media, creative, digital, tech, client side… the list is endless. But always make sure you have fun while doing it!”

What do you believe are the most important industry trends going into 2017?

“Data privacy concerns and aversion to advertising will challenge everyone in our industry. A more informed consumer will drive advertisers to be more transparent and deliver quality over quantity. It’s been really interesting moving into kids marketing where data and creative regulations mean we have to be really considered and extremely respectful in everything we do.

“Alongside this a trend we can’t ignore is the solidification of digital and media automation that will continue to dismantle everything we once knew; from how we develop creative, deliver campaigns and even the agency and client relationship. ZURU is investing vastly in manufacturing automation which is transforming their business. I find it very interesting the similar impact and learnings here as programmatic is having on the media space.”