Tamara Littleton 00:12
This is the Genuine Humans podcast brought to you by Social Element. I’m Tamara Littleton
Wendy Christie 00:18
And I’m Wendy Christie.
Tamara Littleton 00:22
In our podcast, we’ll discover the stories of the leaders behind the brands and the trailblazers who are making a real difference in our industry. We’ll delve into how they got to where they are today,
Wendy Christie 00:33
and we’ll hear about the genuine humans who supported and influenced them along the way.
Tamara Littleton 00:44
Welcome back to Genuine Humans, and I’m here with my wonderful co-host, Wendy Christie. Wendy, how are you doing? What have you been up to?
Wendy Christie 00:51
Hello! I’ve been up to watching lots of Drive to Survive on Netflix because the start of the Grand Prix season is coming up. So I’m very excited. How are you?
Tamara Littleton 00:59
Oh, fantastic. And you’re actually going to go and see a live… I was going to say game…it’s not a game, is it a driving around? What do you call it?
Wendy Christie 01:06
We’re going to a live driving around. Yeah, we’re very excited. It’s bucket list stuff. So we’re going to see the Barcelona Grand Prix not till the beginning of June. But can’t wait.
Tamara Littleton 01:17
Oh, that’s amazing! Well, today we are incredibly lucky, because we’re going to be joined today by Tatiana Canessa, who is the Innovation Activation Manager for Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, based in New York. And Tatiana is joining us from New York. Thank you so much for being on the podcast. Welcome Tatiana.
Tatiana Canessa 01:36
Thank you so much for having me here. I’m very, very, very excited about this!
Tamara Littleton 01:41
Wonderful, wonderful. Well, we’re going to kick start with asking you, how did you get into marketing? How did you get into this industry? How did you get to where you are now? Do you want to share your story?
Tatiana Canessa 01:54
Yes, absolutely. So currently, I am, like you said, it’s a mouthful of a title, the Innovation Activation Marketer at Johnson & Johnson Innovation at JLABS, which is the innovation hub of Johnson & Johnson. So in my role, I develop and execute marketing and business development strategies through activations. And those activations could be events, could be programmes, could be anything and everything that my brain can come up with, so and all within the life science ecosystem. So I support a network of investors, startups and partners, and do all the large-scale activations that can help brand positioning through partnerships too. How I got there, that’s a totally different story that has nothing to do with healthcare. So in my early career, I started in Uruguay, which is where I’m from, all the way down in South America. And I started my career as a Marketing Associate, which was my first marketing role that I got, funny enough at the time, I actually applied for this IT role without knowing what IT was. So in my 18-year-old brain, I thought this was for “it” candidates. So I figured I was an “it” candidate. So that’s how I ended up landing my first marketing gig.
Tamara Littleton 03:17
I love that. Can I just sort of jump in, as in, like a, sort of like a, you know, “it” person that kind of like they’re looking for something,
Tatiana Canessa 03:23
Yeah,
Tamara Littleton 03:24
different. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Tatiana Canessa 03:25
I was like, I’m an “it” girl. I’ll, yeah, this sounds about right. Then, obviously, I learned what IT stands for. So I gotta, gotta give a big shout out to the person that hired me, because actually, they were looking for someone to support their marketing strategies. So it worked out perfectly. I then landed my first agency role doing social media at InPulse. So I was managing digital strategies for major entertainment clients, and that’s really when I fell in love with the power of social media. And then I moved, or decided to move, to the other side of the world, and I landed in Washington, DC, I took in a job that I forgot I applied for. So we’re seeing the trend within my application process.
Tamara Littleton 04:10
It’s a pattern.
Tatiana Canessa 04:13
So I forgot that I applied for this role at the World Health Organisation. And I could definitely say that was my introduction to public health, and it was the best first home away from home I could have asked for. Then I moved to New York City, which was a dream come true for me, and I continued to work in what I truly love, which is storytelling and content. Fast forward to when the pandemic hit. It led me to switch industries, like you know, it did to so many people, and I mean, for you guys, we were lucky enough that you decided to create this amazing podcast. So but I started leading business development and partnerships for a Fintech startup where I got to do all kinds of things. As you do at a startup. So from production to copywriting to pitch decks and everything in between. And lastly, I transitioned to Johnson & Johnson consumer health. Now it’s a different company. It’s called Kenvue, but I was doing content strategy for them, and I can definitely say that that that role allowed me to apply all the skills that I had learned in my career on a much, much larger scale, working with brands like BAND-AID and Avino, and also had a chance to work with amazing partners and support even amazing brands.
Wendy Christie 05:35
Fantastic. Thank you. I love that, and so you’ve started in marketing from really quite a young age, even if slightly by accident. That’s one of my favourite stories I’ve heard on the podcast. Can we go a little bit further back even, and think about, you know, what you were like? What was your childhood like? Obviously, you grew up in Uruguay. So that we’ll hear some different stories, I should think, than we’re used to hearing and did you have any idea what you wanted to be when you grew up?
Tatiana Canessa 06:06
Gotta be honest. For that one, I needed a little bit more background information, so I asked my mom the question of, you know what? What was I like as a child? Because in my mind, I had this perception of who I was, and I’m like, I might not be as objective. So let me, let me do some research. Luckily, my perception and hers aligned, so that’s good as a kid, I was very, very curious, but also very observant and a great communicator. I used to be very chatty to the point that in school, my teachers would always sit me next to the shy or the new kids so I can help them socialise in class. So from the first years in kindergarten, I was always willing to help others, you know, either sharing my food or often giving away my snacks. And I was very loving, always with a smile on my face and saying hi to the entire neighbourhood.
Wendy Christie 07:05
You were the “it” girl.
Tatiana Canessa 07:06
I was the “it” girl, wasn’t so off. After all, my mom always recalls that wherever she would go, whether it was the grocery store, the bank, it did not matter the place of business, they would say, Oh, you’re Tatiana’s mom, right? And I was, you know, 5-6-7, like she to this day, she does not understand how everybody knew me.
Wendy Christie 07:32
Love that. And did you have any idea of what your future career might be? I guess when you’re five, you’re not thinking in terms of, I’d like to work in marketing?
Tatiana Canessa 07:43
No, because you don’t even know what that is. No, I went through so many phases, but I think they were, like, heavily influenced by movies that I would watch. So for the longest time, what it was a cheerleader. That’s not such a thing in Uruguay, like we don’t even have that. And then, actually, when Legally Blonde came out, that’s when I was like, “Oh, I think I want to be a lawyer.” And I think that that movie influenced so many other girls and boys,
Wendy Christie 08:13
Oh, definitely!
Tatiana Canessa 08:14
Yes, who didn’t want to be Reese Witherspoon in a pink outfit? And the funny thing is that as like, years went by, I started to realise that I was actually really good at debating. And the worst part is that I actually liked it, which I don’t know if it’s a good thing, but yeah, no, and later on, when you actually learn what that means, I realised that following that career was not really transferable career for me, since I always wanted to live in New York, it’s not something that I could go to law school in Uruguay and then practice law in the States, right?
Wendy Christie 08:53
Yeah, Were there particular people when you were younger who you looked up to? You know, whether that’s a teacher or a parent or a movie star?
Tatiana Canessa 09:03
I looked up to my mother. She raised me as a single mom, and I have a brother who was 10 years younger, so we also, I say that we co-raised him. And, you know, the key takeaways were that she was a type of a person that has the confidence that gets politicians selected right, and that made me immerse myself in another level of possibilities. Even my good friend Sydney [Sydney Sumner], she would say to me, you live in a parallel universe where anything is possible. You’re so lucky, and I am, but it’s because I vibrate with that mindset that I was raised in.
Wendy Christie 09:42
I get that, I really like that. Thank you and sticking on the theme of people who you look up to, or people who’ve influenced you as you’ve gone through your career, have there been particular genuine humans who’ve supported you or influenced you along the way, who you’d like to recognise now?
Tatiana Canessa 10:00
So too many. I actually had to really think about this one to not take over the whole time you’ve got
Wendy Christie 10:08
you’ve got time, you’ve got the platform.
Tatiana Canessa 10:11
The thing is that the way that I look at it is, whenever I meet someone, it doesn’t matter the situation. It doesn’t matter if it was a good or bad interaction or experience, I always take something from it, and even if it was, let’s say, a good manager, I will take something positive from that experience. If it was a bad manager, I will take something from a bad experience and not repeat what I don’t like.
Wendy Christie 10:37
Yeah.
Tatiana Canessa 10:38
but you know, in terms of people that inspire me or influence me in my life, whether it’s personal, professional, definitely my mother and my brother, like you said, they’ve always been there for me, and they always will be.
Tatiana Canessa 10:53
But I had, I had a friend of mine, Danielle, she was someone that I definitely admire, and I speak in past tense because she’s no longer in New York City. So she, she was the kind of person that would do whatever it took to get things done. Definitely one of the strongest people I know. And till this day, if I’m in a situation where I started down myself, or I’m like, “Oh, should I do this? Should I not?” I think about her. I’m like, “you go for it.” That is definitely something that I still apply my good friend Jay became also a mentor in rock, and my personal and professional life always gives it to me straight and supports me in any way that I need.
Tatiana Canessa 11:36
Becky [Rebecca Cattaneo] was one of the best managers I had. She gave me the opportunity to join Johnson & Johnson Innovation, and she’d tell me how to be the best advocate for your team, trusting them and going to bat for them when needed. And I definitely took many of her leadership skills and made them my own.
Tatiana Canessa 11:59
And then Brandon has supported me in my personal life, and always presents a different way of looking at things. And it’s interesting, because sometimes we’re so focused on our day-to-day, or the type of people that we deal with, that we just assume that there’s almost like a standard default answer thinking. So he always reminds me of, like, hold on, someone might not be thinking the same way. Or, you know, maybe this is what they mean. So that’s really something I try to remember on a day-to-day basis. And then my New York City family, it’s nothing short of amazing. And then, last but not least, Linn [Linn Frost] and Ashley [Ashley Cooksley] for introducing me to the amazing humans behind Genuine Humans.
Tamara Littleton 12:47
Yeah, I’m sort of so grateful that they met you on that panel in New York. And, yeah, it was, it was really good that you got to sort of meet them. They are incredible humans.
Tatiana Canessa 12:58
They really are. They do not cease to amaze me.
Wendy Christie 13:02
I will be sure to pass that on, although they’ll hear it for themselves, of course, when they listen to the podcast.
Tamara Littleton 13:07
So, let’s bring it back to leadership, something I love talking about. So what is your approach, Tatiana, to leadership and empowering others?
Tatiana Canessa 13:16
Yeah, so I feel like I have a somewhat of a different approach. I would call it a selfless approach. So I like to make people feel like they can shape their role to align with their passions. At the end of day, we all work very closely with one another on a daily basis for long hours, you better enjoy what you do like there’s no need in making people do things that that they don’t like, but also that it’s not going to be worthwhile for them in the future. So when I look at hiring my team, I’m not really looking for people that have the same skill sets as me, because that’s not really helpful. I’m more interested in having people who are multifaceted and interested in becoming my partner in crime, and that’s literally how I sell it.
Whenever I’m hiring someone, I want them to believe in their strengths and improve their weaker points and focus on what they love so there’s, there’s many things that we do on a day-to-day basis that they’re almost routine, like things that we have to do, but there’s always a little bit of room to make things your own. So if, let’s say one of my direct reports is not happy doing XYZ, I’ll try to pick up the slack or find someone else that actually likes that and then trade their responsibilities, because at the end of day, leading a team is about empowering them and supporting them and believing in them and preparing them for their own future.
Tamara Littleton 14:48
So important, I think that motivation. So you know, you’re going to get the best out of people if they’re motivated and doing, you’re absolutely right, doing what makes them happy. So that’s, that’s really cool, and I know that your work focuses on innovation. So can you share with us what are some of the most exciting innovations or trends in healthcare that you’re currently seeing?
Tatiana Canessa 15:11
I might disappoint you a little with this answer, but something that I keep seeing in the healthcare industry is there’s a disparity between the content that healthcare professional gets versus the content that consumers get. And by that, I mean if, if, whether it’s a therapeutic, whether it’s something that you can buy over the counter, the healthcare professional, the doctor, the specialist, gets almost like a different spiel than the consumer gets. So then when you go see your doctor, you’re like, oh, you know, like, “I heard about this, and I think this might be great for me in this case”. And they can say, “actually, no, because this is what I got”, and that disparity, it might seem somewhat not as important, but it actually is, because at the end day, you’re talking about a product, you’re talking about something that will make someone’s life better.
So in order to highlight correctly those things, the two parties need to have the same information. And this happens, I don’t know how it is in the UK, but here in the US, all the pharmaceutical companies there, there’s many, many, many, many divisions. So then that causes lots of silos, and then you see that, let’s say one group of people are working on the content strategy for a medication, and that is only targeting the healthcare professionals. And then there’s another group of people that they might not even interact between them, that is doing the same thing, but for the customer of the same product. So, there are many inconsistencies between those two, that now I’m starting to see that they’re starting to bridge the gap. And for me as a strategist, it’s something that I find actually interesting, especially when you’re putting your customer head of your own needs as a company and I think that it’s great that companies are finally attending to it.
Tamara Littleton 17:28
And breaking down those silos as well, by the sound of it as well.
Tatiana Canessa 17:32
Yes,.
Tamara Littleton 17:33
So, going back to JLABS and Johnson & Johnson, and how do you go about fostering a culture of innovation and creativity, given that it’s such a large organisation, have you got some tactics that you use that you can share?
Tatiana Canessa 17:48
I wish I could give you like a secret recipe. You know, you found two ounces of magic, and then you have to add, no, it’s not easy. But I don’t think that it’s necessarily not easy because of the size of the organisation. In this case, at least, I think it’s mostly, mostly because it’s a heavily regulated industry. So most of the time, what really gets in the way of, let’s say, a fantastic activation, or something that’s that’s really engaging and interesting or eye catching. It’s really just compliance. So because we’re somewhat tied in what we can do because of the legal aspect of it, the way to sort of foster innovation, let’s say internally, is to apply new things to the problems that we face on a day-to-day basis, and that could be something like getting a new analytics tool to gather data that we didn’t have before, and might be useful. I always say that I like to colour within the lines with colours that we haven’t used before, so we’re keeping it cool. Everyone’s happy, but we’re bringing something different for, let’s say, external things, because my role, it’s very external facing.
All the activations that I do, they’re all open to the ecosystem and the innovation and life science ecosystem, and actually tailor to engage the ecosystem to make it something nothing short of amazing. So when you’re doing something that’s open to the public, to external partners, I always like to focus on partners that can actually provide that spark, that I cannot. So let’s say, a couple months ago, we did this amazing CEO Summit in partnership with the New York Stock Exchange. Very classic, beautiful, but there’s nothing too exciting about it. So I decided to partner with this interactive museum, and people also loved it, because they were looking at things that they will never see in the typical gathering or summit. So I think that there’s ways to play around it, but always making sure that you’re keeping your brand identity, obviously staying compliant, but finding kind of like loopholes to bring that spark to your audience.
Tamara Littleton 20:21
I love the sound of your job. It sounds like you’re doing some very, very cool stuff and then constantly coming up with fantastic new ideas. So hopefully I’ll get to see some of them when I’m next in New York.
Tatiana Canessa 20:33
I hope so too. It definitely keeps my brain overly active to see what’s the next thing I can do.
Tamara Littleton 20:39
Yeah. And bringing it back to you, how do you hope to impact the people that you work with and what do you want them to remember most about you? I suppose what I’m asking is what, what is your personal legacy?
Tatiana Canessa 20:54
I want them to remember me as a person who helped them grow and navigate towards their future opportunities. I want them to be able to, you know, grow into the professional they aspire to be, to be able to take on the next challenge, whatever that might look like, we’re all different. So we all have different interests, even if it’s not, let’s say with me, or if it’s not at the company that I’m working at, I think that giving people the freedom and the power to believe in themselves and root for them every step of the way. It’s something that you can always do. It doesn’t cost a thing. And as a leader, I think it speaks volumes.
Wendy Christie 21:32
Wonderful. What a wonderful legacy that will be. We’re going to move on to the final part of the podcast now, where we just ask a few quick-fire personal questions. So let’s start with, what’s your idea of the perfect weekend?
Tatiana Canessa 21:47
My perfect weekend? Definitely slow mornings,
Wendy Christie
yeah, with you,
Tatiana Canessa
yes, nice coffee, and then finding something to move my body could be a workout. Could be a walk, some form of self-care. Could be a facial massage, a mani/pedi, and definitely ending it up by dressing up and meeting with friends for a fun dinner. But the best part is the next day, when you get to sleep and do absolutely nothing, that’s a dream.
Wendy Christie 22:15
That does sound rather wonderful. Thank you. How would your friends describe you?
Tatiana Canessa 22:21
So, this was, this was a very interesting exercise. I definitely had to shorten things, but I’ll just, I’ll just go straight ahead, but please keep in mind, I’m quoting. This is not written by me, I can assure you.
Wendy Christie 22:38
So, you went and asked your friends in preparation. It’s what a great exercise!
Tatiana Canessa 22:43
I did, and it was so great because I could see the themes. But I asked, I guess, three of my good friends, and I could see some commonalities, but also some things that were different. I think that it’s because they get to see me in different scenarios, almost. But anyways, I’ll leave it up to them. So I’m just gonna paraphrase. My friends have described me as an impressive mix of strength, intelligence and warmth, that I’m independent, ambitious and determined, qualities that help me make a big impact after moving to a new country with zero assistance. They say that my natural leadership style feels effortless, cool, collected and maybe a little intimidating in the best way that I’m sharp with and always get things done. But beneath that strong exterior, I’m always incredibly caring and loyal, especially when it comes to my family and closest friends, I show my love through thoughtful gestures, whether it’s cute, cooking, giving gifts, or just being fully present and paying attention to the little things that matter. My humour, allegedly, is subtle but powerful, and I’m not afraid to put someone in their place with a well-timed joke or a perfectly delivered stare.
Wendy Christie 23:59
Fantastic. How did it feel to receive that feedback?
Tatiana Canessa 24:04
I was actually proud. I’m surprised that my tough love works so well,
Wendy Christie 24:12
So on a slightly different track. Now, no, we don’t know if you’re into karaoke. We’ll find out. If you do like karaoke, what would be your go-to song?
Tatiana Canessa 24:22
So, I love karaoke. Yeah, absolutely love karaoke, but I’m a creature of habit. I cannot do any other song other than Piano Man.
Wendy Christie 24:32
Oh, what a great song!
Tatiana Canessa 24:33
Right? Any other, it just doesn’t work. This is it for me.
Wendy Christie 24:36
What a great choice. Karaoke is important to Social Element. So we’re glad to hear that.
Tamara Littleton 24:42
Yeah, when we’re not working, we’re singing. And funnily enough, after this podcast, I’ve got to get over to a rehearsal to do a jazz song, because we’ve got a jazz night coming up, so I have to sort of fit this all in. You’ve got the two companies and all the singing as well.
Tatiana Canessa 24:59
So you rehearse for it. This is, this is serious karaoke.
Tamara Littleton 25:03
Well, this one is a bit different, we’re putting on a show. It’s this, this choir that I’m in, but we’re doing, like a jazz evening, and lots of people are doing solos, so I’ve got to do some rehearsals.
Tatiana Canessa 25:14
Oh, I definitely want a recording of that.
Tamara Littleton 25:18
So moving back to you, and not me, what would be the tagline on a poster for a movie about your life?
Tatiana Canessa 25:27
You guys love to ask very thoughtful and difficult questions.
Wendy Christie 25:32
Thank you.
Tatiana Canessa 25:33
Yes, I would say the tagline for movie “strong enough to break barriers, but wise enough to do it her way.” How about that?
Tamara Littleton 25:45
That is awesome. I can see the visuals and everything. Yeah, that sounds cool. I’d go and see that movie. And food. What’s your favourite restaurant or food experience?
Tatiana Canessa 26:00
So as you know, I’m from Uruguay. Our cuisine is fairly simple, but the staple by cuisine that I like, it’s, it’s something that’s the opposite of fancy. It is. It’s something called Choripán. I don’t think or expect that you would ever hear that before. But no, it is basically a sausage sandwich. It’s bread with a little bit of mayo, lettuce, tomato and a sausage cut in half. That’s about it.
Tamara Littleton 26:35
Oh, God, that sounds gorgeous. I’m hungry now, and let’s go for a nice, thoughtful one here. What advice would you give to your teenage self?
Tatiana Canessa 26:46
Hmm, I think that I would just tell her to keep dreaming big. I don’t really regret anything about my upbringing or life, or how I saw things, but I think that I would remind her to keep dreaming big, the way that I still remind myself to keep dreaming big.
Tamara Littleton 27:09
I think that’s wonderful. We’ve covered a lot today. Tatiana, is there anything that you wish that we had asked you, or I’m going to hand the platform over to you? If you have any closing thoughts?
Tatiana Canessa 27:21
I think that it’s really interesting when you have these type of conversations and sort of go back to basics from like when you started as a child, and start seeing the trends of, oh, I used to, I don’t know, give away my snacks as a when I was in kindergarten. So now I like to share XYZ with the people that I’m with, or I used to help children socialise in school because I was, I guess, overly social. Now I do that for a living, so it’s really interesting to see those trends. And we did cover a lot, but I think that as thoughtful and hard to really think about these questions are, they’re incredibly insightful.
Wendy Christie 28:11
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