About fifteen years ago, Marietta Julissa Fulllink traveled to London to study advertising, and today she has become In the only Dominican woman, As far as is known, it is part of Google’s headquarters for Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Seems like “cliché”He confirms with confidence, but he was always absolutely clear: “I knew I would go too far”.
From her Google Ireland office, one of the tech and innovation giants through the platform, Marietta spoke to reporters at Listin Dario about her experiences before working as an expert in online advertising strategies for big brands.
Calvin Klein, Philips, Tommy Hilfiger, VodafoneSome of the internationally renowned companies with whom he has worked are “experts in display advertising and 360 video in digital media”, a position that the native of Villa Malala has held since 2021.
With a Dutch passport, a good command of that language and English, and curly black hair, many people are surprised when they learn that she is Dominican.
Like all beginnings, Marita was not easy, especially as a woman and Latina. However, sacrifice, perseverance and preparation have been the keys to achieving whatever it is that he sets out to do.
Everything was indicating his fate: Google
In September 2007, he moved to the capital of England, London, to study advertising and marketing at the University of Greenwich. Then his internship was at GoogleSpecifically how marketing is done with internet search engines.
“In my second year of advertising degree, I did an internship in a digital company and I saw all the opportunities there, I loved it because it is a very fun industry and you have to be friendly and as a Dominican, I ended Said in: ‘No, this is where I’m gonna go'”, says now advertising specialist for digital media.
On the anniversary of the search engine, at the advertising agency where he initially worked, he received biscuits sent to him by the company, and from that moment on he put up a picture of him that reminded him of the expression that day: “Don’t worry.” , I’m going to work there.”
His goal was clear, but nothing was easy. After 10 years in which he gained experience and demonstrated that he was the right person for the position, She was approached for this in the first quarter of 2020, during the pandemic and while she was in the Dominican Republic.
“I was at home, we made it virtual because of the pandemic and my nerves were on edge because I thought, my gosh, the power was going to go out or my computer was going to shut down,” he explains with a look that just happened. Can’t even believe how everything happened.
When he was working in a company affiliated with Google, this offer knocked on his door. The unit name Jellyfish gave them the opportunity of two years and seven months to provide marketing and digital transformation training as well as programmatic advertising to companies across Europe.
The interview was a complete success, but Google could not immediately hire him due to the uncertainty of the recent global COVID-19 pandemic.
“I came, but I didn’t”, was the thought that hurt him. However, the panic ended when, sometime later, he received an email expressing his interest in being a part of their work teams.
He started Google in London in February last year and moved to Ireland seven months later, Where is the headquarters of Google Europe and surrounding regions.
female reference
“When you go to an outside meeting, people don’t expect you to be an expert,” he says.
And they have lived it when they have had to consult in countries that are not so advanced in terms of gender equality within the technology industry.
At times she has been the only woman at the table, the only person of color with curly hair, or the only Latina in those in attendance; But instead of intimidating him, it makes him proud and serves as an example that it is possible to take leadership positions in large international companies, regardless of one’s roots.
“I take great pride in representing myself at tables where we don’t usually have space”She says and invites people who, like her, have big dreams to chase.
Interest in the digital industry arose when she was unable to attend a conference to which she was invited. Curiosity about the topics discussed and the event’s sponsors led him to investigate more about the companies involved, discovering an entire universe.
“Then I found out it was a business, an industry, and I asked myself: And how do you work there?” bill.
Her next step was to examine what kind of profiles these companies were looking for so that she could start tailoring herself to the requirements of the vacancies that caught her attention and she was excited to one day capture.
“When you have a vision, follow your dreams, study hard and don’t get bogged down in what your neighbor is doing, focus on your preparation. Opportunities sometimes seem far away, but they come with consistency and preparation.” come together, learning by listening to the advice of those who have already gone through some experiences”, he describes as the teaching of his entire process.
And in that sense of preparation, Google recently arranged to donate a millionaire budget so that the Latin American population would have access to the Grow with Google program, through which they offer free training.
“Knowledge is available online and for free, i.e. if someone insists on learning, I am not telling you that they will learn everything, but they will be on the right track,” he says.
experience cannot be improved
There is a popular saying that experience is not instantaneous. Prior to joining Google, Marita had grown in various industries, including banking. For example, at Lloyd’s Banking Group, he served as Programmatic Director of Marketing and Advertising; But he has also worked for firms such as Tiffany & Co and food product brands.
challenging road
The path that could have been considered successful has been very challenging. The first sacrifice he mentions is his distance from his family. About 7010 kms away, he migrated to pursue his bachelor’s degree.
From an office in Santo Domingo, he went on to work in a jewelry store, which he describes as a dealership in Elephant Castle, a Latino neighborhood in London, while he was studying.
“I had to be humble and work in positions that were not related to telemarketing or anything that I did in Santo Domingo (…) It’s temporary, I believe when I finish my studies Won’t be here”, he expresses before laughing, recalling: “Once I have this title, no one can beat me”.
Julissa, as they affectionately call her, points to other sacrifices such as going out with friends a little or not buying the things she wanted to live a hard life with: “I’m not daddy and mom’s daughter, it was based on a lot of personal sacrifice and a lot of work”,
In the second year, when she had one day off a week, she began an unpaid internship as a translator, but not just one, as she was taking her first steps into the digital world.
Adobe Advertising Cloud’s efficient frontier was where they managed search, social and display activity for some of Europe’s largest online advertisers, all four languages they speak.
From the Dominican Republic to the world
“little global”This is how Marita describes herself who was born in the so-called “City of Husky”, Villa Malay (Dominican Republic), but spent his childhood among different Caribbean islands. Curaçao and San Martín are some of them mentioned.
However, she did enjoy the summer in Hispaniola to practice Spanish and learn more about the culture that saw her take birth.
“Spanish was always spoken at home, they ate rice, beans and meat; The Dominicanness was so tangible, I never felt like I was out of the country”, recalls the young woman.
He spent his teenage years in the United States and attended high school there. By the age of seven he had mastered three languages, as the second language in his primary schools was Dutch. However, it was in North America that he mastered English because of his accent that he spoke timidly.
After completing high school, where he also studied French, he returned to his homeland and became a call center manager at the age of 22.
Today, although he enjoys his work, He says he misses the beach, the climate and the specific heat of the half-island where he was born, But above all he needs people.
