We're delighted to welcome Sonia Sakaria to LAVA's growing team as our new Senior Marketing Manager, bringing 14 years of experience across education, FMCG and beyond. With a strong focus on the numbers, our new metrics maestro will fit right in with our super techy deal team, whipping our data into shape and owning insights and reporting across all our channels.
With a particular interest in data, performance, and understanding what makes people tick, Sonia brings a valuable mix of creative and analytical expertise to the team. Her experience spans everything from developing campaigns and refining messaging, to understanding audience behaviour and using data to improve results.
Having spent much of her career in education, where marketing plays an important role in helping people make important decisions about their futures, Sonia was keen to return to a sector where she could see the impact of her work. The opportunity to join LAVA and help business owners navigate some of the most significant decisions of their lives was a big part of the appeal.
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I wanted to do something where I could really see the difference our work makes. What attracted me to LAVA was the opportunity to help people through such an important stage in their lives, while continuing to develop my skills and work with a brilliant team. I'm really excited to be here and keen to get stuck in.
Sonia Sakaria Senior Marketing Manager, LAVA
Sonia’s route into marketing wasn't entirely planned. She originally considered a career in medicine, before deciding she was a little too squeamish, and then law, inspired partly by a love of arguing with her dad. But a change in circumstances led her to study business management instead, where an opportunity to work in university marketing outreach sparked an unexpected passion.
She went on to spend four years working in university marketing, followed by another four at Pearson, before moving into other sectors, including FMCG. Throughout her career, she's developed a particular interest in how people respond to marketing, why some approaches work better than others and how changing technology continues to shape the industry.
Looking ahead, she's keen to build on her experience in marketing analytics and performance, becoming a go-to person across the business for understanding what's working, identifying opportunities and helping the team make more informed decisions.
It's fantastic to welcome Sonia to the team. As we continue to grow, having the right people and expertise in place is increasingly important, and Sonia's experience and analytical approach will be a real asset to our marketing efforts. We're looking forward to seeing the impact she'll make and delighted to see the LAVA team growing once again!
Hamish Martin LAVA Partner
Outside of work, Sonia loves travelling and seeing as many new places as possible, and when she can’t get away she can be found in the kitchen, having spent lockdown perfecting her baking. She’s also a dab hand at tennis and sure to be inducted in the world of PE Padel any day now!
Welcome to LAVA, Sonia!
