The combination of Ekaterina’s wealth of international experience and curiosity as a social scientist distinguishes her from many other professional marketers. Ekaterina leads the digital and social media team at Ascend Marketing and oversees Ascend’s internal marketing and public relations initiatives.   

Outside of work, you might find Ekaterina creating visual art or traveling with her family to foreign countries to enjoy new cultural experiences. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekonovalova/

Where did you grow up?

Krasnodar, Russia. Many people don’t realize that there are regions in Russia with humid subtropical climate where you can enjoy warm winters and palm trees. I grew up close to the Black Sea, and some of my fondest childhood memories include swimming in the Black Sea and growing organic vegetables and fruits in my garden.

What is your volunteer role?

I am helping the Austin AMA chapter find panelists and speakers for professional events.

What is your day job?

I lead the digital team at Ascend Marketing, a marketing services firm that specializes in journey marketing and customer engagement. I enjoy helping my clients, large international enterprises, create and execute effective marketing campaigns that increase customer engagement and improve the bottom line.

How did you get involved in the AMA?

I initially joined the AMA DFW chapter as a special interest group volunteer for the Market Research SIG. Later, I led the Mentor program at the AMA DFW, where I paired senior marketing executives (Directors, VPs and C-level executives) with junior professionals. This role allowed me to meet over a hundred marketing professionals and form a tight marketing community over the course of two years. I moved to Austin over a year ago, and I’d like to continue to create strong connections within the marketing community in the Austin metro area. 

Name three of your must-read blogs or sites for industry news:

• www.ama.org blog
• https://ascend.marketing/frontier/ – A shameless plug – Ascend’s Frontier blog, an e-trove of content related to journey marketing, marketing automation and AI.
• martechtoday.com – a great resource for marketing technology news

You’ve got a free afternoon in Austin. Where do you go?

If it is not too hot outside, I may take my daughter for a stroll at the Pioneer Farms. Surrounded by a forest, this living history museum always brings me peace and tranquility. It also reminds me to be grateful for modern day technology such as the air conditioner, washer, dryer and other things that we tend to take for granted.

On a hot day, I like to paddleboard in Colorado River or chill at the pool.  

Describe yourself in one word: 

Driven