Welcome to this month’s episode of Disrupt! In this episode, Hayley sits down with Sally Nursten, to discuss her journey into tech, transferable skills and perceptions and stereotypes in the IT industry.

Sally began her career as a ballet dancer, training relentlessly at The Royal School of Ballet and Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. After a career-ending injury, Sally swiftly moved into production where she worked as a runner and soon became the assistant producer. Finding love for media, she has worked in a variety of media roles, such as writing for Big Brother, PR and marketing consultancy. Sally is now the chief marketing officer at ITHQ an award-winning tech solutions company.

Discussion Points

• Intro [00:00 - 00:30]
• Sally’s path into tech [00:31 - 02:30]
• Transferable skills: ballet dancer to working in the media [02:31 - 04:44]
• First job: fake it till you make it [04:45 - 05:46]
• What drove Sally to learn media? [05:57 - 08:00]
• Which of Sally’s past skills have helped her in business today? [08:00 - 10:09]
• Ballet, tech or media? [10:10 - 13:02]
• What does a CMO do on a day-to-day basis [13:03 - 14:19]
• Perceptions of women in the tech world [14:20 - 25:42]
• Calling out behaviours in business [25:25 - 27:59]
• Tips on staying authentic and being truly authentic [28:00 - 31:43]
• Who inspires Sally the most [31:44 - 33:30]
• What advice would Sally give to her younger self? [33:31 - 34:55]
• Favourite pub snack? [34:56 - end]