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DMN 40Under40 2018: April Mullen Director, Consumer-First Marketing Adoption, Selligent Marketing Cloud

This year’s group of DMN 40Under40 winners have a few things in common. Well yes, they’re under 40. Also they have a proven track record of marketing excellence and leadership, whether they’re in roles supporting global brands, or leading their own thriving start-ups. Over the next few weeks, you’ll get to know our winners, and what they’ve accomplished. 

What has been your proudest career accomplishment to date?

My proudest career accomplishment was building a fully integrated CRM communications program at Scottrade (acquired by TD Ameritrade last year). I started in 2008 right as the economy was starting to crash, which was an uncertain time for the industry. At the time the brand was only sending a single, batch newsletter to a limited number of clients per month. By the time I left in 2013, we had hundreds of marketing and service communications that were fully automated or triggered, complex segmentation and full synchronization with the CRM system. The call center and branches had visibility into what clients received and could even be leveraged as part of the marketing process to close the sale. It was a major effort, but dramatically increased the value for our clients, thus driving a lot of revenue for the firm.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that my other proud accomplishment was co-founding Women of Email with Jen Capstraw, Kristin Bond and Laura Atkins. Women of Email is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that enables women in the email marketing niche to advance their careers through mentorship, speaking engagements, and peer support. Women of Email has grown to 2,500+ members in more than 30 countries across six continents since its founding in 2016.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to future 40Under40 honorees?

I’m a recovering workaholic, so my best piece of advice is to ensure you don’t make your work your life. It’s easy to become completely focused on work when you love it so much. That’s a dangerous path, though, as it can lead to burnout and exhaustion. Set personal goals such as getting enough sleep, working out, having date nights, and getting time with family and friends. Make sure you work just as hard on these personal goals as you would your business goals. It will actually make you more successful in business because you’ll be whole in mind and body and can bring your best self to your work every day.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?

I’m going to write a book. I’ve been thinking a lot about this over the last year or so and I just need to figure out where I can fit it into my carefully crafted work/life equation. I won’t wait too long, though, as that’s just not in my nature. Once I have an idea in my head to do something, it will pull at me until I get it done. And now that I’ve put this out there, I’m publicly going to be held to doing it!

What is one interesting fact about you that few people know?

I’m an adjunct professor of digital marketing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and have been since 2013. Academia has been slow to embrace digital marketing, so it’s been a real joy working for a business school that gets the importance of bringing real-world, applied content to students. Teaching is a passion of mine and I hope to continue doing it for many years to come.

Click here to learn more about the DMN 40Under40 Awards. 

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