Landscapes of Leadership with Bronwen from Finisterre

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How does one become a leader?

Bronwen Foster-Butler , CMO at Finisterre , believes every experience shapes who we become.?

From working her way up at global brands to immersing herself in nature in the Cornish seaside with her team, Bronwen has developed her leadership style over the years to come from the heart.

In the latest edition of The Zap, I chat with Bronwen about the invisible thread connecting early work experiences that lead to big time career opportunities, and how she not only holds CMO as title, but is intentionally becoming the change she wants to see as a leader in marketing by building her personal brand on LinkedIn.?

Kaley Ross: Hi Bronwen!?

Bronwen Foster-Butler: Oh hello Kaley Ross, long time no see!?

KR: Oh my gosh I know it’s been years. How’s life by the sea?

BFB: Life is good - it’s chaos but good.?

KR: Well I’m so excited to chat with you and hear more about these beachside meetings I’ve seen in your LinkedIn posts!

Let's start from the beginning. How did you decide to pursue a marketing career, and what led you down this path?

BFB: It's funny because I didn’t set out to become a marketer. I actually started in advertising, something I’d been thinking about since I was a child. There was a game we played in elementary school in Canada when I was around 10 —it was called the Game of Life. We were each given a job card, complete with a salary and hours, and for six weeks, we lived as though we had that job.

The job I was given was Advertising manager. I had no idea what that meant, but I remember thinking it sounded creative, which was something I was drawn to even as a kid. I grew up in a small town with no exposure to that type of job, but that moment planted a seed.

KR: Oh, we love some IRL foreshadowing. How did your education shape your career from there?

BFB: I did my degree in European Studies, which was focused on European politics, but the beauty of it was its variety. Half of it was about the EU, and the other half allowed us to pick electives, including a European language—I chose French—and business management. That's when I really started to discover marketing. I was drawn to the marketing and creative side more than accounting or finance.

While I was still in university, I co-ran a promotional modeling agency with a friend. This was back in the early 2000s, and it gave me a taste for marketing, specifically promotion. We managed brand ambassadors—people handing out leaflets or working events—and that experience solidified my interest in how communications can impact business results..

After university, I applied to graduate programs at advertising agencies and was fortunate enough to get into JWT, one of the largest ad agencies in the world. I started on the agency side but quickly realised I was more drawn to the client side of marketing, which led me to switch from advertising to full-scale marketing after a few years.

KR: It seems like that was a key shift for you—moving from agency to client-side marketing.

BFB: Absolutely. When I joined Burberry, I realised that marketing was so much more than just advertising. It was about the broader picture, which included strategy, branding, and the entire customer experience. That’s when I knew marketing was the right fit for me—it allowed me to combine creativity with strategic thinking in a way that felt right.

KR: Was there a specific moment that felt serendipitous in your career path, where you thought, "Yes, this is the path I want to go down"?

BFB: When I was at JWT, I was working on big oil client Shell, and while it was a great learning experience I knew it wasn’t what I was passionate about.?

When the opportunity at Burberry came up, I felt an immediate connection to my more creative side. The recruiter reached out because the hiring manager at Burberry wanted someone from an agency background. Despite having no experience working on fashion or apparel brands, I could speak about my exposure to the industry through my brief stint in modelling (which I did as a teenager in Canada) and the promotional agency I’d run.

That moment made me realise how my seemingly unrelated experiences—modelling, running a promo agency, and even working minimum wage jobs—actually contributed to my path. It taught me that everything we do, especially early on, shapes who we become.

KR: Now you say that actually I wonder if I would have gone for the lululemon store role when I moved to London if I hadn’t had extensive retail experience.?

What if I never met you in the store and didn’t get my first job in social? I can’t imagine where my life would be, as that Social Media Storyteller role launched my marketing career.

Can you share a moment where it felt like everything was crashing down and felt like a major challenge you had to face in your career?

BFB: Definitely. I applied for a promotion once, knowing I wouldn't get it, but I felt like I had to try. The process was long, painful, and personal.?

When I didn’t get it, I experienced true sleep loss for the first time in my life. I remember saying to my mentor, "I feel like my life is hurtling towards mediocrity," which was terrifying because that’s not how I ever lived my life.

But, in hindsight I’m grateful I didn’t get the job. If I had, I wouldn’t have left that company, and I’m so thankful I did because it led me to where I am today. I remember crying in a spin class—like, back-row, full tears. My identity and self-worth were so wrapped up in that job. Not getting the promotion forced me to leave and figure out who I was outside of that company. Now, I have much healthier boundaries between myself and my work.

KR: I've experienced that too, being in a toxic environment where my whole identity was tied to work. Since then, I’ve learned not to wrap my self-worth into my job.

BFB: Exactly. I think we underestimate how much the person we work for matters, sometimes more than the company or brand.?

On my next round of interviews after that experience I asked myself, "Do I want to work for this person? Will they bring out the best in me? Will they support me when I fail or set me up for success?" It makes such a difference.

KR: So true. Speaking of, how would you describe your leadership style now as a CMO?

BFB: I always say I lead with love, which might sound corny. But I don’t mean it in an unhealthy-boundary kind of way. I mean it in the sense that I see the wholeness of people.?

My job is to get the best out of the people I lead, and that means acknowledging that everyone is both light and dark, great and flawed. As a leader, it’s my responsibility to create conditions where the good shines through most of the time.

When people mess up, it’s okay. My expectation is they’ll fix it, and I’ll help them if they need it. I’ve been in places where I was made to feel like it wasn’t okay to mess up, and that didn’t make me a better worker. I don’t want anyone I lead to feel that way.

KR: I love that. I aspire to create that kind of environment when I’m eventually (hopefully!) leading a team.?

So, I’ve seen posts about your team brainstorming and having meetings on the beach! Tell me more about how your leadership style ties into the culture at Finisterre.

BFB: I’m fortunate to have joined a company that already has an amazing culture. Our founder, Tom leads by example—if the surf is good, he’s in the ocean. There’s a humility that runs through the business. Yes, we make great products, but we all know that everyone’s lives are more important than just work.

Our head office is literally a hundred feet from Trevaunance Cove in Cornwall with the North Atlantic crashing on the shore. It's wild and romantic. The environment is so connected to nature that you can’t hide from it.?

Every Tuesday, we have "Sea Tuesday," where the first hour of the day is protected for everyone to connect with the ocean in their own way—whether that’s surfing, swimming, or just taking a walk.

KR: Oh my gosh that sounds so ideal.?

I think with the shift to remote work over the last few years, people have reevaluated how they work and would like to structure their days.?

It’s refreshing to hear how Finisterre brings a sense of adventure and balance to the workday.

BFB: Exactly. Especially in marketing, our job is to be the voice of the customer. You can’t do that sitting at a desk all day.?

We learned that at lululemon, too—spending time in studios, working out, living the brand.?

It’s the same at Finisterre—our customers want to be in nature, and it’s our job to create products and stories that inspire them to do so.

KR: What’s your unique POV as a CMO?

BFB: There’s no silver bullet in marketing. It takes hard work, trying things, and being willing to celebrate both successes and failures.?

Influencer marketing has given people the false idea that one mention from the right person will create sustainable growth. But that’s rarely the case. The core principles still apply—you have to know your customer and focus on them, not try to be everything to everyone.

KR: Love it. It’s amazing when a marketing team has the support of the wider leadership team who understand the need for that room to experiment with the long game in mind. You’ve built a strong personal brand on LinkedIn. Why do you think it’s important for marketers to market themselves?

BFB: I tell my team all the time that they need to be posting on LinkedIn.?

I started because I used to complain about the lack of female leaders in marketing. Then I realised, "Well, I’m a woman in a leadership role, so I should be part of the solution."?

Posting regularly on LinkedIn helps me connect with others and share experiences that might help someone else feel seen.

It’s also a great way to learn. LinkedIn humbles you—you might think a post is brilliant, and it flops. But it teaches you quickly what resonates with your audience.

KR: Such great advice. What tips would you give someone just starting to build their LinkedIn presence?

BFB: Keep posting, even if it’s not perfect. You don’t have to write essays—sometimes, the simplest posts work best. Stick to your pillars and don’t be afraid to experiment with different formats, but always focus on what your audience wants to hear from you that you are uniquely qualified to deliver.

KR:? So, you've been climbing this career mountain for a bit. What does your view look like? What are you most proud of today, and what’s your vision for the future?

BFB: Well, I still feel like I’m very much in the foothills of that mountain.

But I’m really proud that I’m doing this job because I was told I couldn’t. At that time when I wanted the job but didn’t get it, I was essentially told, “You’re not ready, you can’t do it.” But I knew I could. I didn’t accept that as the truth. I’ve forgiven those who doubted me, and I’ve moved on.

Most days, I still don’t know what the answers are. But I’m curious. What I’m most proud of is gaining the confidence to show up knowing it’s okay not to have all the answers. There was definitely a time, especially when I was a manager, where I felt like I had to know everything to prove my value. But now I know my value comes from not having the answers and being willing to ask the questions.

The view from here? I look back and see a lot of hard work and lessons, and I’m really grateful for all of them.? I also see a lot of people who have guided and supported me along the way.

Looking ahead, I feel so lucky to be where I am right now. I’m part of something special at Finisterre. And I feel grateful to have the role that I do on a team that feels incredibly progressive. We are a fully balanced C-suite team which is sadly pretty rare. As an industry, there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality in leadership roles - so I'm grateful to those who came before to show me the way - and hope that as a team we can inspire others to follow suit.

KR: Yes, I feel that.?Curiosity is such an important quality to have.

Well as I said before, I love seeing your updates, and look forward to seeing you continue to crush it. Thank you so much for chatting with me!

BFB: Honestly, I’m so honoured.? So thank you.?