Maria-Luiza Popescu is a digital marketing powerhouse, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to her role as Senior Manager in Digital Content for adidas. With a solid background in digital communications, marketing, and change management, Maria-Luiza is responsible for the European activation of content for commercial campaigns at the sportswear giant.
Maria-Luiza is also a highly qualified and accomplished professional. She holds a distinction in CIM Level 7 Leadership in Marketing Qualification, a certification as a PRINCE2 Project Manager, a Level 6 CIM qualification, and a first-class honors degree in advertising and business. These impressive qualifications have made her one of the most sought-after digital marketing professionals in the industry.
Beyond her professional work, Maria-Luiza is also a passionate individual with a diverse range of interests. She loves the arts, music, mindfulness, health, and fitness, making her a well-rounded individual with a focus on personal growth and development.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Maria-Luiza Popescu:
Describe your background and what did you do before you started/joined the company?
Prior to joining the 3-stripe life, I spent about a decade working in the automotive industry, across brands like Maserati, Honda Cars, and Honda Motorcycles. I held several roles across these companies, which gave me a level of commercial awareness that allowed me to understand different business functions, such as sales, logistics, and operations, product management, and below-the-line and digital communications. I always knew I wanted to pursue marketing, however, these experiences at the start of my career set a foundation for becoming an all-rounder and increased my credibility as a business leader. Succeeding in the auto sector, as a young female, was also a bit of a challenge, seeing as this industry lacks diversity and room for individuals like me to grow, so I am very proud of my achievements and for being one of the youngest people at Honda to hold a senior role prior to joining adidas.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
adidas is an amazing brand and household name. I am so grateful for what I am experiencing working for this amazing company, which really takes the value of looking after its employees very seriously; whether that’s through an amazing workplace, inspiring stories, exchange sessions, or the values of the company that we apply every day: respect, integrity, courage, ownership, innovation, and teamplay. I can relate to these values on a personal level as well, making my journey in the company extremely organic and smooth.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
I think my perseverance has played a significant role in my success so far. When I set out a goal for myself, I just have to see it through. I don’t know if it’s my competitive mindset or my ambition, seeing as I tend to perceive the goals I set as personal tests of resilience, so I work hard on myself and the things I spend energy on, from my work to my personal endeavors. I mentioned having a challenger mindset before—I always start with challenging myself.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
When it comes to a company’s ‘successful’ culture, I think it is absolutely necessary that its foundation is solid. In my view, this is achieved by a harmonious synergy between its core, the people, and their relatability to the ethos of the business. Looking at my journey in my workplace as an example, I can strongly relate to the company, the brand, its values, and its future vision. This makes me passionate about my job and an everyday ambassador of the brand, contributing to the company’s culture and therefore having an impact towards on the success of the brand. A company’s culture can only be shaped by its people, and you need to build them, to ensure that ultimately the company is rock-solid.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Innovation is one of the company’s values. We are one of the world’s most renowned brands due to the innovative, challenger approach of the company throughout the years. Innovation is a broad term and can mean all sorts of things: exquisite design, application of technology, and contribution to society, to name a few. In the case of adidas, it is all of the above and more: whether it’s through collaborations to end plastic waste by exploring the concept of circularity in the Made To Be Remade design innovations, or purely putting the customer’s needs at heart of everything we do, it is only through innovation that we, or any company, can succeed in a marketplace that is becoming progressively competitive and where the customer is more informed and well-versed than ever.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes?
I think organizations need both individual heroics and team processes, first to create the vision through the visionaries, the leaders, and then to realize this vision through amazing teamwork and processes. I think there’s a sweet spot for achieving this balance of leadership and team structure to create success, and albeit what success means to every company may differ, there is an element of reliance on vision-seekers creating an element of trust from their teams and then carrying their company forward. There needs to be an equilibrium between the two for organizations to succeed: leaders cannot carry visions forward without teams, and teams cannot be led without a common vision shaped by leaders.
What are your responsibilities as the senior manager digital activation content of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
As a senior manager in digital content at adidas, I am responsible for creating and adapting marketing campaigns for Europe across commercial moments throughout the year, whether that’s gifting moments like Mother’s Day or big campaigns like Black Friday. What I really love about this role is that it enables me to explore my creativity while still adding a commercial, target-driven dimension to my role, as this pillar is responsible for a large piece of the business. I love how no day is the same, seeing as it’s a very dynamic workplace, and my absolute favorite part of my daily routine is my team. We are an amazing bunch of people: extremely hard-working, but also very fun to be around.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
The advice I would give someone going into a leadership position at the same time is to take the time to listen: to your team, to your peers, and to your senior management. Take time to understand the company’s objectives and what part your role plays in the big picture, so you can lead your team with passion, business-oriented goals, integrity, and good communication. Don’t forget to lead by example: sometimes you have to roll your sleeves up and put in some work that may or may not be part of your daily scope, but it gives your team that ‘we’re all in this together’ mentality, and builds an element of trust.
