Empowering Women in the Workplace: An Exclusive Interview with Karen Berman, VP of Digital Marketing at M2 Media Group

We are excited to bring you an exclusive interview with Karen Berman, Vice President of Digital Marketing at M2 Media Group. With the interviewer of HERS, Arzuv Nurgeldiyeva Head of Sales. Karen shares her inspiring journey and her insights on empowering women in the workplace.

How does your day at M2 Media Group look like?

Each morning I review all our numbers. I look at performance of new promotions, and on-going campaigns. I look at revenue for our B2B programs. Then I follow-up with any potential new partner I am trying to work with. Some days I spend time prospecting for new partners. I work on budgets/reforecasts, deal with staff issues, have team meetings 2x per week and brain storm ideas to increase performances on current promotions, solve issues or who to go after for new business.

While growing up, who were the women in your life that have served as an inspiration??

My parents divorced when I was 20 years old. My mother hadn’t work and had stayed home to raise my sister and I. She had to start her career at age 42. She did an amazing job working in Human Resources for the next 20 years and even graduated from community college with an associate’s degree at age 60. It was a lesson to me that while I am lucky to have an incredibly supportive husband, that I should always be able to take care of myself and not depend on someone else.

Empowered women, empower women, how do you, empower yourself and the women around you?

I try to be an example to my two daughters and women I work with. If you work hard and are an asset, you can be very valuable to corporations. If you don’t like something in your life, you have the power to change it. Have confidence but don’t be cocky. We all have a lot to learn in every stage of your career.

How can women support other women in various organizations and leadership roles?

We should always support each other and be comfortable enough in our own skin to appreciate everyone’s successes. There is room for all of us to shine.

What are some of your personal experiences (or reasons) that motivated you towards women empowerment?

Women are amazing multi-tasters in general. And we can accomplish anything we set our minds to.

What practical steps have you taken to reduce the barriers faced by women such as flexible working hours, remote working, maternity leave and work-life balance as a VP of Digital Marketing?

I have tried to be a trendsetter and mentor in this area. I have stayed in the work force for the last 32 years while raising two daughters with my husband. My first two years as a new mother, I drove from CT to Long Island to work at UBM because they had onsite child care and I was able to work 4 days a week. In my next job I worked every day until 3:00 so I could make the school bus and be there after school for my kids. I have always felt that it was a win-win for me, my family and my organization because I was valuable enough to have for the reduced hours. I probably gave them more than many people working full time. I was also willing to take some pay cuts along the way for flexibility. But I was also able to get promoted many times, because the production and work ethic was there.

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As a VP of Marketing, how has your role evolved since you first started?

I first started as a Controlled Circulation marketer at Ziff Davis working on tech magazines. We did a lot of direct mail back then and were at the forefront of having people respond back online rather than mail. So things definitely have changed over my career.

How do you prioritize work-life balance as a woman in a leadership role, and what strategies have worked well for you?

I think I have been very successful at it. I am very big on taking vacations and giving yourself that time to recharge. But I am also aware that it is ultimately my responsibility. I can run out after work and play tennis and then check emails later in the evening and make sure everything is ok. It is all give and take. But I do believe it is very important to maintain a balance. Life is short. I don’t wait to do anything. I have been to 47 countries and I am not stopping.