Mollie spotlight: Marina Pape
“Mollie aims to be the most-loved payment service provider in
Europe, and then the world — it’s a massive ambition. So now is a
good moment to join.”
Mollie’s Marketing Manager for the UK, Marina Pape, is a good
personification of everything our company aims to be: bold, authentic,
creative, and determined to create positive change in the payments
industry. Currently in London preparing for our official UK launch, we
caught up with her to find out more about how she became a Mollie, life in
London, and why auditioning for a choir is easier when you do it in the
pub.
Marina's journey to Mollie
Born and bred in Cape Town and based in London, Marina loves working
out what makes people tick. She’s used that passion to help lead
marketing teams for e-commerce firms in South Africa and the UK. A real
rising star in her field, what was it that first brought her to Mollie?
“The very first time I heard the word Mollie was in a LinkedIn message
from someone who was already working at the company, (Global
Partnership Manager) Boris Lindgren,” she says with a smile. “I had been
in marketing for more than a decade, working my way up to leading
marketing teams. Eventually, I decided to try consulting. I picked up some
clients and was really enjoying it. But then Boris reached out to me, and I
couldn’t resist the opportunity to join Mollie.”
A marketing dream comes true
While we’d always like to think joining Mollie is an easy decision to make,
it sounds like Marina’s consultancy was on the up. So, was it hard for her
to give it up? “I looked into Mollie, I read about the culture and values: The
employer branding marketing worked on me! I looked on Glassdoor as
well, and saw lots of positive reviews and comments,” she beams.
“I also saw that Mollie was launching in the UK. That was exciting because
with a new launch you’ve got more creative freedom. For a marketer that
is the dream — to have a blank canvas and money to spend. It’s so rare to
have those two things together. That really excited me about the role.”
Joining Mollie during the pandemic
If it wasn’t clear already, we’re happy to report that Marina certainly
seems thrilled to have joined up with us. But in life, nothing is simple. In
fact, she started her career here when the pandemic meant we couldn’t
be in the office. “I actually did my onboarding from Cape Town, where I
happened to be for the summer holidays,” she explains. “That was an
unusual situation, but everyone made me feel so welcome so it wasn’t too
bad.”
Finally, a month after joining up with us, Marina spent her first day in the
Mollie London office. “I worked remotely for several years,” she says, “ I
was very used to connecting with people digitally and building
relationships that way. So, for me, coming to an office was completely
bizarre. It was amazing having colleagues, a coffee machine, and being
able to plan events and socialise with my new team — all these tangible,
exciting experiences of office life.”
Discovering new skills and getting creative
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Marina is already making waves
at Mollie. So, how has her time here been so far? “In one word:
exhilarating! At Mollie you never stand still. I worked on the partnerships
team for three months, then moved over to work in the PR and brand
department. PR is where I had the least experience, but Mollie said ‘go for
it’. That’s one of the things I love about working here: you can always get
involved and take things on”
Standing from the crowd
Now a few months into her Mollie career, what is Marina’s favourite thing
about working here? “We have a really strong brand DNA,” Marina says
without missing a beat. “Mollie has a very clear and distinct voice. Also,
the calibre of people across the marketing department is very high. It
seems that we always hire people who are really passionate about what
they do.”
And what’s next on Marina’s agenda at Mollie? “We’re getting ready for
our official launch in the UK. I am super excited!” she exclaims. “I can’t
wait to start helping UK customers. We all feel that the UK is underserved
in terms of payment service providers: It’s a very crowded market, but it
still feels like more can be done for SMEs. I’m really thrilled to take all the
things that have made Mollie special and successful in Europe to the UK
market.”
Life in London when you're a Mollie
As we get ready for our UK launch, the London team is still growing. And
Marina is effusive about her colleagues in the English capital. “Everybody
is very close; we have lots of fun. Our country manager in the UK, Josh
Guthrie, has played a big part in that. He puts a lot of effort into matching
people so they can create something special together. That has a
snowball effect and now we all love working together.”
Does that mean she would recommend joining Mollie to others? “Due to
the pandemic, there’s so much potential in e-commerce and payments. If
you’re an ambitious person it’s a great industry to be in. Mollie is coming
in with fresh eyes, funding, resources, and a disruptive spirit. That’s an
exciting thing to be part of. Mollie aims to be the most-loved payment
service provider in Europe, and then the world — it’s a massive ambition.
So now is a good moment to join: It’s still growing, and new starters can
really make a meaningful impact.”
One way to be bold: audition for a choir in the pub
As a brand, our motto is ‘be loved, be bold, be authentic’. What does that
mean to Marina? “I love music and singing. I’ve joined an a capella choir,
which I’m really enjoying. My little bit of boldness: I had to audition, which
was quite scary. It was kind of like the film Pitch Perfect: We had to do all
these rhythm exercises. But it was in a pub, so you were allowed to have
a drink first.
“In terms of being loved, giving back is something I’m passionate about. I
know that there’s an appetite for that within Mollie. We’re always looking
at how we can help others, whether that’s our customers, charities, or
people in need.”
Mollie London is growing rapidly, and we’re looking for great
people to join the team. Is that you? Find out more HERE and see
if we have the perfect opportunity for you
