5 minutes with: Hannah Hodgkinson, Head of Marketing of Tech startup

Tech-based divorce service amicable was recently accredited as one of the Best Companies To Escape To in 2019, achieving the highest possible score in the Mission, Innovation and Workplace Culture categories. The company exists to give separating couples an easier, cheaper and less emotionally draining way to divorce, providing the infrastructure and guidance necessary to create positive futures for separating couples. We chatted to amicable’s Head of Marketing, Hannah, to get the low-down on what makes the company stand out.

What inspired you to join amicable? The founders, Pip and Kate. When I met them I instantly wanted to work with them. amicable was created as a result of Kate’s traumatic and expensive divorce. I will always respect Kate for turning a difficult personal experience into a Top 100 UK startup that helps people. 

What did you do before moving to amicable? I worked in marketing for Save the Children for over five years, in London for the majority of the time, with a stint in Melbourne too. When I returned to the UK, I worked for a recruitment consultancy in the City, setting up their marketing function. Once I’d proven myself there, I wanted to return to a company that had a strong social purpose, that’s when I found amicable.

Is the job how you thought it would be before you started? No! I don’t think you ever really know what a job will be like until you start. 

What does amicable do differently from conventional companies? amicable offers a kinder, better way to divorce and separate that doesn’t involve lawyers or cost the earth.  amicable is a very different to anywhere else I’ve worked. The flexibility and trust here is kind of unheard of. Pip and Kate, the founders, have ‘been there and done that’ in regards to working in and running big corporate companies, and understand that being chained to a desk from 9 to 5 doesn’t get the best out of people. 

So, what’s the best job perk? The flexibility mentioned above and the coaching and professional development I get from Pip, the CEO. 

...and what do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy how varied and often random the job is. It’s a constant merry-go-round of strategy, delivery and firefighting, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

What personal qualities are important to have for your job? Marketing is about serving needs and creating change. You have to be a problem-solver, ‘doer’, communicator and, crucially, you’ve got to believe in what you’re marketing or no one else will. 

What is the best career advice you’ve ever received? If you’re clock watching then it’s time to move on and try something new. 

In 5 words, why should people make a career change? Life’s too short to wonder.

Left to right; Tim Vine, Kate Daly (Co-founder), Pip Wilson (CEO), Hannah Hodgkinson (Head of Marketing), Jacqueline de Rojas