By Agency Works 
Next up in our Meet the Team series, it’s Kate Bastable, Principal Consultant, fitness fan and ex-horse riding teacher to the stars...
Tell us about your early career... What was your first job? How did you end up here?
"Like many people in our industry, I fell into the agency world… Originally, I worked with horses!
"That career stemmed from a love of horses when I was younger. I used to help out at the local riding stables to earn riding lessons; I’ve never been afraid of hard work! I’m a qualified riding instructor. I’ve worked at an event yard, but my favourite time was my final role in the horsey world as Yard Manager – this was basically Ops Manager equestrian style!
"Although I loved the nags, I wanted to get a job that didn’t involve early, muddy mornings.
"My first agency role was in a creative agency as an account manager. I’m not saying it was a long time ago, but we used to get artwork approval by fax, send spray mount mock-ups via couriers, and send CMYK repro film to magazines… It was all a bit crazy back then. They were great days!
"Later in my career, I veered more into the ops and finance side. The hours worked better for me as I was a busy mum of 3 and preferred that role. I was instrumental in building our own job management system, eventually replacing it with Synergist as the agency grew and became harder to manage."
What do you most enjoy about your role at Agency Works?
"The best thing is, without doubt, the people. Not only are they cool and awesome, but they’re all super knowledgeable and authentic.
"I work in the Client Success team, which involves looking after our existing clients. Our client base spans full marketing agencies, energy consultants, and everything in between. The nice thing about working with clients is they already know a lot about Synergist, but a tweak here or there can mean they suddenly have a whole host of new reports or a new way of working. Or maybe they’re completely re-implementing the system; seeing a rejuvenation in an agency is exciting!
"What I really love is the wide range of people I work with, which means I’m not only helping them, but I’m learning from them too."
What do you like about agency life?
"I just love the industry, really. Creative people are just a bit different and so much fun. I love that vibe. I think even if you’re in more of an ops role, the creativity kind of wears off on you a little bit. It's just quite infectious.
"At my old agency, we used to do a team Christmas card every year, and it was up to me to do everything, like buying all the costumes, getting all the props, organising the photoshoot. We did everything from Downton Abbey and Polar Express to East 17’s stay another day (that was my favourite). Sounds a lot like project management, I know, but when you’re normally knee-deep in utilisation or recovery reports, it was like a breath of fresh air – and meant I could get my creative boots on!"
What value do clients get working with you? What do you bring?
"Because I’ve got agency experience, I can understand their problems. I joined my old agency when they were going through growth, so I was putting in a lot of processes and working closely with the finance teams. I wore a lot of hats, and I think that all-around experience really helps me in my role. I can come with a lot of empathy to what they're trying to achieve."
Seeing how everyone does things differently means I am always learning, and I then can push those learnings on to other people as well.
What would you be doing if you weren't in this job?
"I love history, so if I won the lottery and could do anything, I’d probably go back to university and study archaeology or something like that. I love watching Dig for Britain and all those sorts of shows. I’m addicted to them!
"I'm sure in reality a lot of it is really boring. Probably most of the time you’re just scraping away at some mud but, in my mind, I’d be discovering treasure."
Do you have any unfulfilled life ambitions?
"I'd like to travel more. There’s definitely lots more of Europe that I’d like to see, because there’s just so much history to it."
What do you like doing when you're not at work?
"I've got a little dog, Pheebz, who’s a Pug/Jack Russell cross, so I spend a lot of time out walking with her. I love reading. I get through about 30 books a year, mainly fiction. My fave authors are Sarah Winton and Rachel Joyce.
"I've always been quite active. I used to run lots but I’ve kind of fallen out of love with it over the last few years, so I’ve recently got into CrossFit instead. I like the fact that there’s a real community around it and, now I’m in my 50s, I’ve realised I've got to look after myself. I want to be an active granny. I don't want to be the one sat in a home in a chair!
"And obviously I love spending time with my three boys… they are all grown men now, and it’s great when we are all together, which isn’t very often, so it’s super special time when we do (it normally involves the pub)."
And finally, any interesting talents or claims to fame?
"I’ve got a few going back to my equestrian days… one of the people I taught to ride was Ulrika Jonsson. And I met Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford when they were staying at a very posh hotel where we would take the horses into the grounds for any guests that wanted to go riding. She was lovely…
"Another claim to fame is that I won a silver gilt medal at RHS Chelsea. It was a group entry from when I studied garden design at college when the boys were young – but I’m still claiming it! The gardening hasn’t stuck so much, but I’ve still got the medal haa!"
