Balancing the Grind with Alexandra Peek, Chief Marketing Officer at Bondi Sands

Alexandra Peek is the Chief Marketing Officer at Bondi Sands, where she oversees the brand, product development, digital, social and design teams.

1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

My career background is in marketing within FMCG (predominantly beauty). I joined Bondi Sands just under five years ago as a Senior Brand Manager and we were a small team of four.

Today, we have almost 45 staff across 3 offices globally and my current role is Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

I am responsible for leading the global brand and marketing strategy and overseeing many areas of the customer journey within the business including Brand, Product Development, Digital, Social and Design teams.

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

In the current climate, a lot of zoom meetings! It is really important I stay connected with my team so every day is filled with various meetings and staff catch ups.

Today, for example:

• kicked off with a team meeting reviewing plans for upcoming new product launches and campaigns
• reviewing and providing feedback on design assets
• setting key milestones for big projects and delegating tasks
• brainstorming brand copy for a new product launch
• connecting with our Head of Innovation for status updates on new projects
• calls with both business owners/directors
• meeting with our Chief of People to discuss applicants we have for current roles in market
• end of day catch up with our Global Marketing Manager and Marketing Coordinator to review our budget and setting our plan for tomorrow!

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

My role is quite flexible due to the nature of my position being global which means I work with each of our teams who are based in Australia, North America and the UK.

This can mean early morning and late night meetings to connect with the teams but I have full support from the business to manage my time as I best see fit.

For example, if I do have some longer days, I’ll try and finish earlier on other days. I thrive off structure and routine and exercise is really important to me which means if I know I’ll be working late or starting earlier than usual, I will still schedule in a workout around my hours or fit one in during the day.

Pre-COVID, I was predominantly office based which I love. I find the in person connection with the team invaluable and I’m really looking forward to getting back in at some stage. Now that we are set up to work remotely though, I do believe this will form a bigger part of the way we work together moving forward.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

Work-life balance means that I feel calm and in control of both my work and personal life. I seek to achieve this by following a routine and managing my time as efficiently as I can. I make it a priority to do something for myself each day outside of work.

This could be a walk, going to the gym or watching Netflix! When I find myself not having time to do any of these things, I definitely sense a change in my mood and mindset which I try and address as quickly as possible.

I also prioritise my sleep as I know this can have a huge impact in all areas of my life if I’m not getting enough.

5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

Over the past 12 months I have been very diligent with starting my day with a morning walk. I have always prioritised my health and exercise is a big part of my life but I was finding it stressful just waking up and getting straight into work mode.

I find a morning walk very calming and look forward to this time to myself to clear my mind and mentally prepare for the day ahead. I will either just enjoy the quiet or listen to music or a podcast depending how I feel. This routine has had a very positive impact on my mood, my ability to focus and my sleep pattern.

6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

I really enjoy podcasts as I can be multitasking or relaxing while I listen. I love Business Wars as it looks into huge global brands and explores their history, challenges and examines some really interesting topics.

I am a huge beauty lover so I really enjoy the You Beauty podcast and I also love a true story/crime based podcast – too many to name!

7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?

I know this sounds simple but I can’t live without my notes or calendar on my iPhone. I love being organised and I always have a million things running through my head so I can feel stressed if I don’t have everything written down.

As soon as I think of something or make an appointment or plans, it goes straight into my calendar. I often have ideas for work at night or on the weekend so I’ll send an email to myself so it’s sitting in my inbox as a reminder. Once I do this, I can switch off.

In regard to products, I have a very strict skincare regime so I would have to say my skincare products are something I can’t live without. I am also a weekly self tanner so my huge collection of Bondi Sands is also an essential. A fresh tan really is a mood and confidence booster so I have been tanning every week for the past 15 years!

8) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

Be kind to yourself and take the pressure off. We are all our own biggest critics and I think we always believe we could be/should be doing more.

Making time to switch off to relax and recharge is just as important as being productive so you should never feel guilty about it. I’m also learning that it is important to be selfish with your time.

You can’t be everything to everyone and trying to do this will lead to burnout. I find having a plan and structure for my day or week, allocating time to support others but also allocating time to achieve my own goals makes for a healthy work life balance.

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