WoW Woman in WearableTech | Amanda Willis, Marketing Manager at Tended

Interview by Marija Butkovic

Amanda Willis is Tended’s Marketing Manager, specialising in brand building and developing strategies to scale the business. An award-winning tech startup based in Lincoln, UK, Tended uses wearables to create advanced safety solutions to improve personal safety for both B2B and B2C markets. Amanda started her career working for international companies overseas. She has worked across a range of industries, which along with personal experiences, have given her an insight into the diverse safety challenges that people face. She is passionate about technology and how it can be used to have a positive impact on people’s lives.

Amanda, tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.

My background is as far from technology as possible, having predominantly worked in construction and architecture before working at Tended, showing that if you’re passionate enough, you can venture into any industry. After graduating with a marketing degree, I moved abroad, doing freelance marketing in Thailand and ended up working for an international architecture practice in Brisbane, Australia. After two years overseas, I decided it was time for a new challenge and returned to the UK. I then worked for a construction company, heading up the marketing for their construction, quantity surveying and property development sides of the business before joining Tended. Starting at Tended and joining the world of tech was an unexpected step, but I have never looked back. It’s fast-paced, exciting, and you’re constantly surrounded by innovation. Everything is always evolving, which means I am always learning, and have to make quick decisions. My main motivation comes from working to bring products to market that can have a real impact on people’s lives.

How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?

Learning about Tended and the safety challenges it was looking to solve, I was very interested in getting involved as it’s a cause close to my heart. Working within the construction industry, I witnessed first-hand the safety challenges that come with working on site. From moving machinery to working at height or with electricity, there’s no shortage of hazards.

Outside of work, I used to spend a lot of time with horses and ride out around the countryside on my own. When something goes wrong, you realise very quickly that it can be very difficult to let someone know!

The company was growing rapidly when I first approached Leo Scott Smith, Tended’s founder and CEO. I had known   Leo for a few years prior and had followed some of his previous projects. When I joined, the company was in its very early stages, and I was its third full-time employee. This made the process fairly straightforward, and there was a brand new role for me to fill.

 What does your current job role entail?

My role has evolved so much since I first started at Tended! Working at a young company means I have had the opportunity to be involved with so many different aspects of the business, which is incredibly insightful. My job involves overseeing all marketing efforts at Tended with a particular focus on strategy and growth. I generally get involved with all marketing aspects, including product marketing, content creation, branding, advertising, and working with external agencies. We have both a B2B and a B2C product, so there’s a lot of planning, forecasting and research involved, especially as the markets for each are so different.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

We’re working on some very exciting technology that extends beyond accident detection, and I’m looking at ways to bring partners on board to help us develop these solutions. I’ve begun to focus more on Product Marketing recently, something which has been a really interesting change from what I’ve done in the past. Rather than spending a lot of money on ads and PR, we’ve started to look at how we can increase revenues by creating customer advocates through better customer experiences and journeys. I’m also working on the launch of our B2B safety solutions and everything that product launches entail, including a complete website redesign.

 How long did it take you to be where you are now?

It’s taken me 9 years to get here. For the most part, I’ve always worked in Marketing, just across different industries. The great thing about marketing is that you’re always pushed to learn and grow, no matter what industry you’re in, and diving into a tech industry has only pushed me further!

What was the biggest obstacle?

Moving into the tech industry, especially into a startup, was quite a challenge for me. I started my role at Tended with no experience in the tech industry and no technical knowledge, and at first I questioned myself a lot. I spent time researching to keep up with the terms being thrown around the office. I had to learn on the job, especially as tech moves so quickly. It’s definitely part of the appeal though: you can never stay still!

Aside from this, I was also the first female to work at Tended. There is a general lack of diversity in Lincolnshire, especially within STEM roles which tend to be gender biased. Being a woman in tech can be challenging in general - we’re roughly outnumbered by 5:1, and there’s lots of work to be done to break down the barriers and help get women into tech, and to help them stay and progress into leadership roles.

 What are your biggest achievements to date?

Being selected as one of the 30 under 30 Rising Stars in Lincolnshire. I was selected for helping to build Tended from a team of three full-time staff to 30 based across the UK and China, and for supporting not just marketing but growth, PR and investment securement. This felt like a huge honour, as I was selected alongside some really influential and inspirational people from around Lincolnshire. Another huge achievement was writing a funding bid in only 3 days, which was successful in securing us over £220k, funding which was critical in leveraging the further £1.2m in private investment we took shortly after.

What does the #WomenInTech movement mean to you? What are the challenges of being a woman in wearable tech / STEM?

For me, the #WomenInTech movement means breaking down the barriers and then supporting women to stay and progress in their STEM and tech roles once they’ve got their foot in the door. I feel we should lift women who work in these roles and celebrate their success. Dr Katie Bouman and her work in contributing towards the first black hole ever photographed last year is the perfect example of how we need to uplift female role models in STEM.

In your opinion, what will be the key trends in the wearable tech and STEM industry in the next 5 years and where do you see it heading?

I think there’s going to be a big push towards biometric technology. People are becoming increasingly interested in their health, and I think wearables that could be used to detect underlying conditions or manage individuals post-illness is where we’ll see growth in the next 5 years. People are ready to move beyond the norm in the wearable market of step/ distance tracking and heart rate and look for data that can tell them more about their health, rather than just general monitoring. This is where I think the tech for good movement will play a huge role in the next five years too, as people begin to be more conscious of their data and wearable technology, and how we should be utilising these progressions for ‘ethical’ purposes.

Who are your 3 inspirational women and / or businesses in wearable tech and / or STEM?

I’m inspired by anyone who is disrupting the industry as from a marketing perspective, I know how difficult that can be! The top 3 I would choose are Anne Boden, Bethany Koby and Mathilde Colin. 

I saw Anne speak at the Telegraph’s Tech for Good Awards event last October, and was completely inspired by her approach to bring innovation into banking and make the whole process easier. She isn’t afraid to redefine an industry once dominated by a few big players, and I think that’s really powerful.

Bethany Koby is CEO of Tech Will Save Us, a business focused on getting children into coding and technology through toys. It’s a great way to get children into tech from an early age and bring more females into STEM.

Mathilde Collin is the CEO at Front, who provide a collaborative inbox for companies. She has a great approach to transparency and I’m also inspired by how she is helping to disrupt a traditional way of working and helping to bring teams together.

Follow Tended:

Website: https://tended.co.uk/

Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship and diversity. Visit marijabutkovic.co.uk or follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic.