Jennifer Davison is the founder of Sleek Events, a full-service experience marketing agency that was placed #19 on the Sunday Times Fast Track 100.
Having run for over a decade, Jennifer’s passion and commitment have shaped Sleek into a symbol of excellence in event management. Starting with an impressive freelance career across multiple brands and agencies, Jennifer honed her skills, laying the foundation for Sleek’s success. As the founder, she leads a dynamic team, delivering exceptional events for global brands in sectors ranging from technology to automotive.
Jennifer’s expertise spans large-scale exhibitions to intimate dinners, managing budgets exceeding £8 million. Her client portfolio includes industry giants like Amazon Web Service, Rubrik, Toyota, Rapid 7, Volvo, Unilever, IBM, HP & Rolls-Royce Motorcars. Beyond professional success, Jennifer is passionate about her team’s wellbeing and a culture of collaboration within the industry. She has also been a part of Goldman Sachs 10KSB Alumni and was included on the shortlist for NatWest’s EveryWoman Awards.
Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your current role.
I’m the founder of full-service experiential marketing agency Sleek, which I started 10 years ago – I can’t believe it’s a been decade already! I have an incredible team that delivers exceptional results for global brands across a variety of sectors.
My role has evolved as the business has grown. I now find most of my time is spent supporting the team to solve challenges, meeting different entrepreneurs to share learnings or at board meetings as well as growing the business and pushing our new business pipeline.
Prior to Sleek, I was a freelancer where I worked with multiple brands and agencies which definitely helped equip me with the skills needed to launch my own company.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
I didn’t sit down and plan to build a business that employs over 40 people. However, I do make a point of creating vision boards once a year to give me smart goals to work towards.
I believe planning plays an integral role in my own personal development too. It provides a structure to follow and ensures I’m always learning and pushing myself.
Have you faced any challenges along the way?
I feel like I’ve faced a few challenges throughout my career.
Professionally, the growth of Sleek has been a tough learning curve as I’ve had to learn who I can rely on. Over time employees have come and gone which has helped me understand what skill sets work for Sleek and the team.
I’ve also faced personal challenges, such as becoming a mum and trying to balance it with my career. When I returned after maternity leave, I had to work out what my new role was and where I fitted into Sleek again.
And I can’t ignore that Covid was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever been faced with. We had no idea whether events were ever going to return, but thank goodness they did!
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
My biggest win was rebuilding Sleek after the lockdown. As I’ve already mentioned, it was unclear what was going to happen to the events industry. It was of course a tough time, like it was for so many, but we returned more established and educated than before, and for that, I’m really proud.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
My past has made me want to do better and constantly strive for more. I’m clear on what I want out of life, and this definitely helps guide me.
How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?
Mentors can definitely add value, but ultimately it’s down to the mentee to make the relationship beneficial for them. I’ve had business coaches in the past and have learnt a lot from each one. I think they worked for me because I know why I had chosen them as my mentor and what I wanted to get out of the time spent together.
If you could change one thing to accelerate the pace of change for Gender Equality, what would it be?
Choosing one thing is tricky so I’m going to pick something that will impact the most people. If those in a position of power or leadership role all focused on Gender Equality, we would be in a much better place.
Even though we’re a small company, we ensure that men and women have access to the same benefits and pay. For example, not having to take a holiday to go for a baby scan – everyone can take it as a doctor’s appointment.
I always strive to make Sleek an equal place to work.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be?
Always challenge the status quo – nothing is set in stone. I believe there is always room for improvement. Whether it’s a process you’ve created or taken from someone else, there will be a way to build on it and improve things.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
Sleek is evolving, which involves me focusing on empowering the team and supporting them to feel confident to propel the business forward whilst I look to take a step back.
This is my next challenge and where my energy will be focused for the foreseeable future.
A longer-term goal of mine is to give back by inspiring people to follow their dreams and help them achieve their goals – but what this looks like I am still working on!
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