A FORMER Greenwood Academy pupil has been named as one of the 'rising stars' in her industry at a UK wide awards ceremony.
Emma Malcolmson, 24, took home the 'Rising Star of the Year' title at the 2022 Global Digital PR Awards.
The recognition comes less than two years after the Dreghorn woman took up her current role in the industry.
Emma was in London with her employers Yard Digital for the UK Search Awards when she received the prize. This award ceremony took place on November 30, with the The Global Digital PR Awards handed out the following day, online.
The two ceremonies celebrate the expertise, talent and achievements of the search and digital PR industries and are regarded as the premier celebration of SEO, PPC and content marketing in the UK!
Emma works as a digital PR executive with Yard - who took home eight awards over the three days.
Digital PR is a creative, measurable and tangible promotional tactic used by digital marketers to increase a brand's online presence.
Speaking to the Times after her big win, Emma was struggling for words to describe how she was feeling.
She said: “It feels a bit surreal to be honoured in this way, to be honest, especially when so many other talented and deserving people were up for the same award.
"It’s easy to suffer from imposter syndrome, especially as a young woman just starting out in the world of work, so I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t also really validating!
"Overall, I think chuffed is the best word to use.”
PR, or public relations, wasn't always an industry Emma saw herself going into, but she says she hasn't regretted stepping into the field ever since she joined Yard.
She commented: “I’ve always loved anything that allowed me to be creative, and English and art were my strongest points at school. The trouble I had was finding something that would allow me to combine the two, so I studied journalism with the hope of going on to get myself a job as a reporter.
“However, on a whim, I decided to apply for Yard’s ad to work in their Digital PR offering. It wasn’t something I had considered before, but after a wee research into the UK’s digital marketing industry, I decided to chance my luck. And lucky I was – I got the job in April 2021 and haven’t doubted my decision since.
“The digital marketing industry is constantly growing and won’t be slowing down anytime soon. I think the words ‘digital’ and ‘marketing’ might scare creative minds off; they’re not particularly sexy. But I honestly couldn’t recommend it enough.
“I'm always happy for anyone thinking about giving digital marketing a go to contact me at emma.malcolmson@yard.email!”
Now, as the new year appraoches, Emma hopes to use this award as a springboard for further success in 2023.
She said: "The sky's the limit, eh! Anyone who knows me knows spontaneity is my strong point so who knows where I'll be in a year's time.
"I truly love the work I do, so continuing to conceptualise and create impactful campaigns that truly have a purpose is the ultimate goal!
"But that can't be done without a good stream of inspiration, so travelling as much as possible is definitely on my 2023 agenda.”
And while it is Emma herself who has been recognised, she was also keen to thank those who helped her get to where she is now.
She added:"There are so many people who I have to thank for helping me achieve this award. I'm so lucky to have such an immense circle of friends and family around me that each and every one of them played a part in my successes in some way.
"Whether that was helping me through an existential crisis when I had no idea what to do with my life, scolding me for leaving a uni assignment to the day before or giving me a pre-interview pep talk.
"Professionally, I can't thank my colleagues enough for their genuine help and support as I navigate the 'big girl' world!
"But mostly, I'd like to thank my manager and mentor, Lou, for everything she has taught me over the past year of knowing her. Lou has supported me exponentially in all the exciting projects I've worked on with Yard and allowed me to flourish and build my confidence in my abilities.”
For more about Yard Digitial, visit: weareyard.com/.
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