Meet Team Zebra – Maggie Austen, Account Director

(Posted on 04/08/26)


Meet Team Zebra – Maggie Austen, Account Director

Get to know Team Zebra!

In this blog series, we’re going behind the scenes of Zebra to introduce our team.

In this article, we meet Maggie Austen, account director at Zebra Marketing and Communications Ltd.

 

  1. How long have you been at Zebra Marketing and Communications Ltd?

I joined Zebra back in 2016 – the last decade has passed in a flash!

 

  1. What enticed you to join Zebra?

Having started off in large PR agencies, I had been freelancing for several years. I then did a brief stint inside an agency again, working on a particular project, which made me realise how much I missed being part of a team. Shortly afterwards, a mutual friend introduced me to Clara. We met up, hit it off straightaway and the rest is history!

 

  1. What does your role entail?

As account director, as well as day-to-day account management, I manage client relationships, making sure that we deliver the highest quality work that meets their objectives, while identifying further opportunities to add value and improve results. Having worked at large consultancies, I much prefer being part of a smaller company where we can all be very hands-on. A small team means we all do everything, so there is plenty of variety too.

 

  1. What do you find most rewarding about your role?

I enjoy building long-term relationships with clients, getting a thorough understanding of their business and what they need from us. I like that fact that Zebra has a broad client portfolio, so the work is really diverse as well.

 

  1. What has been your greatest challenge?

It was probably having to work remotely during Covid lockdown, with no in-person client meetings and no client events to enjoy organising and attending.

 

  1. What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day involves writing and answering a lot of emails, a huge amount of writing, as content creation is a big part of what we do, and briefing suppliers on new projects, interspersed with Teams calls, face-to-face meetings and brainstorms to come up with new ideas that will have maximum impact for our clients.

 

  1. Why do you think clients enjoy working with Zebra?

I think clients appreciate the time we take to understand their specific business goals and challenges. Our team may be small, but we are very experienced which means we can call on decades of expertise to help come up with strategies and solutions. We take a very collaborative approach, working with designers, videographers and other specialists and we pride ourselves on a lack of jargon when we are speaking to clients – we never try to blind them with science, we prefer total transparency!

 

  1. What are your main interests outside of Zebra?

I enjoy challenging myself with strength training and HIIT workouts, and then relaxing by going on long walks with my dog (and husband).

 

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