The Aston graduate living her marketing dream

Aston Business School graduate Evangelia (“Lillian”) Psylla completed her masters in Strategic Marketing Management in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lillian has since secured the role of Marketing Manager at BDO Greece, progressing from her current role as Senior Account Executive at Ogilvy Greece, one of the largest advertising and public relations companies in the world.

Lillian remarked that her time at Aston University helped her to prepare for her career by assisting with her professional development. The “best academic professors” equipped her with the best practical knowledge of marketing and helped her to build her CV. Together with the course being internationally recognised, it helped Lillian to secure her role at BDO Greece and Ogilvy Greece.

 

 

Lillian Psylla headshot

 

 

 

 

 

Outdoor marketing

Choosing a career in marketing

With advertiser parents who own their own family-run marketing agency, it would seem that Lillian would simply follow in their footsteps. However, she believes she took the wrong path during her bachelors degree by becoming an English student. It soon became clear that this was not for her.

In 2016, there was a clear turning point in Lillian’s career when her mentor at the American College of Greece reminded her of her true nature. This ignited her passion and gave Lillian the realisation of what her true calling is - marketing.

Lillian remarked that “marketing is a profession that identifies needs and addresses them; that can fill-in the gaps and enhance the gaps”. A multi-faceted field of business that is a “marvellous combination of the great sciences”.

Returning to her roots, Lillian has since embarked upon a successful academic and professional career within marketing that has convinced her that “marketing is the best profession”.

“Marketing is like a book with so many pages to discover.”

 

 

 

Digital marketing

A successful career in marketing 

Over the course of her career, Lillian has gained 10 years of diverse professional experience, including five years in advertising and promotion along with two years in media strategy, after gaining her bachelor degree. Since graduating from Aston Business School, Lillian secured her current role as the Marketing Manager at BDO Greece.

As a Marketing Manager, Lillian is responsible for all marketing and communications for BDO Greece. Within her first six months, Lillian has successfully increased their social media following organically by 110% and maintains a steady organic engagement of 20% on LinkedIn. Lillian has also managed to repurpose their brand and established well-founded relationships with the American and German Chambers of Commerce. This role has challenged Lillian in a positive way.

“My advice to anyone considering a career in marketing is to experiment as it is a broad professional field. It is important to explore different opportunities to find your true passion within marketing.”

 

So why Aston Business School 

When choosing a University for her masters, Lillian had criteria in mind for what she was looking for: best faculty, good accreditation, a vivid student life with a variety of clubs and societies available. The clear choice - Aston University.

Lillian studied MSc Strategic Marketing Management at Aston Business School between 2019 and 2020. The course allowed her the opportunity to apply the knowledge she gained from it, specifically working on TEDx Aston University “a great opportunity to build teamwork and organisational skills”.

For Lillian, Aston University has been the best academic experience she has had, enabling her to not only become more resilient but also allowed her to “gain so many skills that I can’t even begin to name them all”.

“My advice to anyone considering Aston University is that if you are searching for a university that combines the best academics, great curriculum, very good reputation and an amazing student life, then this is the best choice for you.”

 

 

 

Birmingham landscape

 

 

 

 

Online support

Challenges of studying during a global pandemic 

During her time studying at Aston University, Lillian has faced the challenges of studying during a global pandemic. These unprecedented times has resulted in lectures being delivered virtually and significant changes to the assessment processes of courses. Despite these challenges, Lillian has managed to achieve a distinction in her masters, as well as securing a graduate role, which she believes is due to the resilience and well-managed efforts of the University.

“I want to stress how helpful Aston [University] has been during the Covid-19 pandemic. Aston was very supportive and the measures it took shows how much it cares about its students and their successes.”

Applauding the efforts of the University, Lillian recognised the variety of steps Aston took, such as providing mental health services and academic support. To Lillian, it was clear that Aston University “took the best measures possible to protect its students and faculty” and is one of the reasons that she “loves Aston so much”.

The support of Aston University during these difficult times is what makes Lillian proud to be an Aston Business School alumni. She has expressed that she will “remain loyal to the University because of the support and acknowledgement I have received”. This strong connection to Aston has resulted in Lillian highly considering Aston University as the place to achieve her PHD in 2022.