Empowering Excellence with Megan from Kijiji

Think imposter syndrome is a hindrance? Think again.?

In this edition of The Zap, I chat with Megan Kwon , Head of Product and Performance Marketing at Kijiji Canada .

We discuss her deep technical understanding of marketing which gave her a solid foundation to establish herself as a direct and empowering leader to her team.?

Kaley Ross: Let's start at the beginning. When was the moment you decided to pursue a marketing career, and how did you set off on this adventure?

Megan Kwon: So, the funny part is, I don't know if I 100% knew I wanted a marketing career right from the start.?

I studied marketing as a specialty in my Bachelor of Commerce at university, so I had a some exposure to it. But my first position out of university was actually as an analyst at Loblaw Digital. After some months, there was a need for a marketing specialist on the Online Grocery business. That's when I really made my foray into marketing. But in the beginning, it was a bit touch and go.?

I think I had the right milestones and experiences in place that allowed me to find an appreciation for marketing, both creatively and analytically, and so I made that decision more consciously.

KR: Was there a mentor who guided you onto that path?

MK: I would say I had and still have a few key people I lean on as I navigate in my career.?

First and foremost, my dad, who has been in business for a long time. He worked for Unilever, he’s worked in start up, corporate, and government, and he’s the most supportive. He had a deep understanding of what it took to be a marketer, especially in Canada, and in general what is means to work in the corporate space.

Professionally, the leaders I worked with at Loblaw Digital early in my career were instrumental, and some still are to this day. There’s Jeremy Pee, Herman Paek, Lauren Steinberg (who still leads Loblaw Digital today), and Adam Jardine (who I still work for today). They really helped me transition from an analyst to a marketing specialist, and then into the marketer, strategic thinker, and leader I am today, pushing me to refine both my strategic, analytical, leadership and marketing skills.

KR: That's awesome.?

When we worked together, you were so impressive to me. I'm not just saying that; truly, to this day, you're one of the best marketers I've worked with. You had such a technical understanding of marketing that I hadn't seen before.?

Can you tell me more about your process and how you balance the creative side with the technical?

MK: Yeah, absolutely. The technical and analytical side of my brain has always been rooted in systems thinking. I view marketing as a partnership-type function; it’s not something that can succeed independently. My time at Loblaw Digital really shaped that mindset, and the collaborativeness of the company culture really fueled and developed my understanding of technical spaces.

I joined Loblaw Digital as an intern, and when I came on full-time, I had early exposure to how technology and platforms worked. I was part of building e-commerce websites and businesses such as JoeFresh.com , PC Express Pickup & Delivery, and even the early early days of what is now BeautyBoutique.ca . Being in the room with very intelligent and technical people who were creatively solving technical problems helped me understand how things fit together quickly.

When I transitioned to marketing, it was very experiential—grassroots, even. But as we evolved, I became exposed to growth marketing and how data could inform bigger opportunities and experimentation. Plus, in retail, every dollar counts so being held accountable to communicating and quantifying my impact became almost second nature to me. My curiosity drove me to learn everything I could about different marketing channels, often by just asking others in the company to show me how they did things, and then finally developing the confidence to just give things a go.

Another big turning point was when I enrolled in Sarah Stockdale’s first ever growclass cohort (shameless plug: if you want to be an awesome, modern, impactful marketer….head that way as fast as you possibly can). That experience fueled my confidence even more and deepened my understanding of how many technical and performance based marketing channels have evolved. Today, I have a deep understanding and experience in owning and executing customer acquisition & retention strategies, growth hacking & experimentation, setting up CRM platforms, launching new performance marketing channels, and reimagining content creation for SEO. My technical knowledge has been piecemeal, but it’s been driven by strong role models and a desire to learn.

KR: That’s amazing.?

Was there ever a point where something felt really challenging, like the world was crashing down around you? How did you overcome that?

MK: There’s definitely been at least one moment in every job every quarter (hopefully). The most difficult moments for me have been when I’m trying something for the first time.?

I’m a self-proclaimed imposter syndrome champion. Growing up in the corporate tech space, especially being young, I often felt like I had a ton to prove.

As early on as I can remember in my career, I’ve always tried to keep the mindset of take ownership of something, try it, and sometimes it will flop, and sometimes it won’t. I approach each of those moments with the mindset of “Fail fast, learn fast, and iterate even quicker.”

Even if I was confident going in, I always had a contingency plan in mind for how I would start to think about things if they didn’t go as expected - who would I tap, what questions would I want to ask myself, etc. Even without knowing the problem or the solution, just thinking about the “what ifs” a little gave me confidence.

Back when we first started promoting offers for adoption of online grocery pickup, I can’t tell you how many times we crashed the checkout, or inundated the stores with volume because of an offer. But those moments taught me a lot about transparency, honesty, and accountability. They showed me that “failing” doesn’t mean you’re done; it’s an opportunity to learn, build trust and credibility, and keep a team-first mindset.

KR: I think just taking responsibility and being willing to learn goes a long way with people.

MK: Exactly.

KR: So, tell me about your leadership style. You’ve been at Kijiji for three years now, and you’ve had a few roles, right?

MK: Yes, I’ve been at Kijiji for three years. I started as the Head of Growth Marketing, and now I’m the Head of Product and Performance Marketing. My team has evolved quite a bit over the years. It was a small, lean team at first, focusing on the Seller side of our marketplace experience, but now it’s much more functionally specialized with demand generation, SEO, product marketing all collaborating together every day.

In terms of my leadership style, I take the route of building trust and setting high, but clear expectations. Being authentically me, I’m young, so I 100% have a casual demeanor with my team, but I am also very clear on what my expectations are (she’s not just a sassy pretty face haha). I’m available for coaching and support anytime anywhere, but I also try not to chase, I hold the team accountable for raising their hands if they need help.

I don’t believe in micromanagement because it doesn’t work for me, so I don’t build teams that require that either. I’m blunt about what needs to be done, but I also believe in creating a dynamic where the team feels safe to take risks, fail, and learn. In a space where we often face ambiguity, it’s important to be flexible and guide rather than dictate within reason.

KR: Can you say more about that ambiguity and what it looks like?

MK: Sure. Right now, Kijiji is in a unique position because we’ve gone through several strategic changes, including being acquired by private equity. This means that over the last few years how we do our work and where we focus our strategy has been changing often and quickly. We’re also in an incredibly competitive space with players like Facebook Marketplace, Karrot, Poshmark, and Fiver redefining what it means to be a marketplace, and that requires constant adaptation.

And so, you’ve got a very unique problem set where it's a prominent Canadian brand.? Everybody knows Kijiji. But at the same time, there’s a ton of opportunity to evolve quickly, overhaul experiences, and still fuel growth.?

KR: I got my cats on Kijiji!

MK: Exactly, there you go. See it works.?

In this environment, ambiguity is the norm. So, I focus on building a team that’s not only specialized but also capable of owning and evolving their work. I believe in guiding and coaching rather than telling (as much as I can) because, in an ambiguous space, no one knows the right answer out of the gate. It’s about fostering ownership, creativity, and a willingness to adapt.

KR: That’s a really thoughtful approach to leadership. When you’re hiring, what do you look for in candidates?

MK: I look for people who are not only skilled in their field but also willing to learn and challenge the status quo. In a dynamic environment like Kijiji, where things can change quickly, it’s important to have a team that’s adaptable and not complacent. I value transparency, accountability, and a willingness to engage with ambiguity head-on. And above all, I look for people who are passionate about what they do, because that passion drives innovation and success.

KR: There seems to be an attitude (some deservedly so) of being quite disenfranchised with corporations among younger generations these days - especially post-pandemic.?

How do you identify someone who’s driven, passionate, and really believes in your vision?

MK: When I’m hiring, what really draws me in is someone who can demonstrate a time when they tenaciously fought for something they believed in. It’s not just about being stubborn or relentless, but more about understanding what it takes to push hard, create buy-in, and navigate situations where not everyone is on your side, or there’s more than one possible side.

I’m looking for someone who’s not only persistent but also open to other perspectives during that process. So when I ask candidates to share a story like that, I’m trying to uncover their willingness to listen, their desire to resolve conflict, and how they handle situations where they’re unsure if they’re right or wrong. Do they just hammer their point home until the other person gives up? Or do they ask questions, gather more information, and genuinely try to understand the other side?

My interview style is pretty dynamic, fluid, and casual, which can throw some people off, but, like the work itself,? I’m more situational - I’ll ask, “If you were in this scenario, what would you do?”?

What sets people apart for me is how they approach difficult situations. Do they handle it with grace, collaboration, and consideration for others? Or do they try to bulldoze their way through?

In marketing, collaboration is key. It’s a partnership function as I said from the beginning, and if someone isn’t predisposed to, or willing to learn how to work in that kind of environment, they’re going to struggle. I don’t see marketers who can’t play a cross-functional role succeeding in the long term.

KR: Mmm, okay. That’s super interesting. I’ve done a lot of interviews myself, like when I was back in sales, and we had a pretty rigid structure - it was like an eight-hour interview for direct marketing roles.?

Honestly, within the first five minutes, I could usually tell how long someone would last, but most of the interview questions were more about getting a feel for them. It was like an energetic thing, seeing if they had the grit.

MK: Exactly.

KR: You’ve climbed a pretty significant career mountain so far. What does the view from the top look like for you? What are you most proud of, and what kind of long-term impact do you want to have??

MK: That’s a great question. Honestly, I don’t see myself on top of a mountain just yet. I feel more like I’m on a nice, steady hill.?

I just turned 30, and while I’ve accomplished a lot in my career, I still have so much time ahead of me. My dad once told me, "It’s not a ladder, it’s a big, grand winding staircase," and that perspective has really stuck with me.

Looking back, I’m most proud of being part of organizations during massive changes.?

At Loblaw Digital, it was all about growth - launching stores, websites, new products, and integrating with brick-and-mortar. I got to help rollout Click & Collect at Real Canadian Superstore, be a part of the PC Express brand launch, launch & rollout PC Express Delivery, see the business through a global pandemic, and build and grow some really awesome teams.

At NorthOne, I got to launch the entire CRM ecosystem with Braze, help customers through a massive system migration, and help define the Product Marketing function from the ground up. I played a lot of roles in those projects, and sometimes it seemed impossible at first, but I learned more than I can put into words…..and these were things I never thought I’d be part of.?

And then at Kijiji, it’s been an incredible journey as the company faces fierce competition, organizational changes, and is looking to refuel growth. Despite all the unknowns and challenges, the grit and determination here are amazing. The people are still eager to push forward, innovate, and win.

So, while I’ve done a lot, I’m sure there’s still so much more I can do. Right now, it’s less about climbing some “ladder” and more about finding a challenge that excites me. So for me, it’s all about experiences. At the end of the day, what matters most is how you make people feel, not just what you do or say. I’m drawn to people who make me feel good and who encourage me to keep learning and pushing myself.?

The rest - what I do and how I do it - follows from that.

KR: You’ve accomplished so much so far - it’s so inspiring to see your work ethic and brilliant marketing mind leading a team at such a big Canadian company.?

Thanks so much for sharing your insights with us Megan!

MK: Thank you, Kaley. I love that you're doing this.??

KR: Oh thanks, I’m really enjoying the process because as you mentioned above, I love learning.

It’s so fun having these conversations with friends and former colleagues - and hopefully, some new people I haven’t even met yet - and getting their perspective on things.