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Louise Acheson

Tell us your story.

I've worked in communications and advertising for 9 years, and in digital for the last 6. Back when I did my Masters which was in Communications and Advertising, there wasn't even a digital component to the course so when I moved to Australia from the UK 6 years ago, I fell into digital as a bit of a happy accident. I have fallen in love with it ever since.

I was lucky enough to land a Paid Search job and ended up several years later working for the largest media buying agency in Australia. My clients ranged from government departments, banking, and insurance to tourism and not for profits. That's when I realised I loved the government and not for profit client accounts the most. I had to stretch budgets to work harder and be smarter about the campaigns we ran.

Part of my job also involved explaining digital to my clients and why they should invest in it. I became engrossed in the behavioural aspect of digital and why we market to consumers the way we do on digital platforms. Technology is ever changing so whether I'm learning about new adserving or platform changes from publishers, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram I simply don't see how I could ever get bored.

I started working with World Vision Australia 2 years ago in digital acquisition and now lead the social media team. Not only are we curating digital spaces for supporters to learn about world development issues and how they can help, but we've been contacted regularly on social media by people in developing countries all over the world.

One Syrian father contacted us from a refugee camp to say thank you for us talking about their plight on a Facebook post and using an image of his daughters a colleague of mine had collected a few weeks prior when she visited them. It's just one example of how technology is becoming native in countries and communities around the world that you just wouldn't expect. I heard one statistic that the mobile phone penetration in Kenya was greater than that of access to clean water.

I'm inspired by digital 'connectedness' to find out how we can better use technology in developing countries to provide access to health information, education and so much more. I recently watched President Obama give a live address in Ethiopia via Periscope, much before news and even newsfeed social media picked up the content and I'm so excited at the opportunities that digital connectedness brings.

What do you most want other women and young girls to know about being a woman in our digital culture?

Never stop learning. If you love the digital space not only will you actively want to continue learning, but know if you stop you'll have a lot of catching up to do. Part of the appeal of digital is the speed at which it moves.

Don't be afraid to challenge the status quo. As a female it may be daunting, particularly if you're young, to air your ideas in what can be a male dominated environment. Believe in yourself enough to back your own suggestions. It's now new ideas that become reality.

Pass it on!

I read a lot of tech blogs and met two of my digital idols at a conference last year; Pat Flynn and Rand Fishkin. I quietly nerd out over their minds...

I also read a lot so Susan Cain's book 'Quiet' and Sheryl Sandberg's 'Lean In' were both inspirational.

The Women in Tech campaign exists to help redefine what women in technology means in the 21st century. Started independently by a group of professional women who, after many impassioned discussions about women in tech knew we wanted to expand this definition beyond 'traditional' technology skills. To us, it includes most every current, emerging or evolving role within an organization. By featuring leaders and emerging leaders across industries who embody this we hope to collectively 'stand up', be proud of our place in the digital world and inspire young women or those new to the 'tech space' to get involved.