How Karen Woodhead shapes
Smoothwall’s story

At first glance, Karen’s story involves a fantastic career, from working in the charity sector to owning her own marketing and brand consultancy business. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that what really drives her are her formative experiences travelling and working around the world, especially a two-year stint in South America, which forever changed her outlook on life.

While Karen’s journey has had many twists and turns over the years, her career story is woven together with a common thread: a deep care for others and a desire to contribute to the betterment of humanity.

As Smoothwall’s EVP - Global Marketing, Karen has a vast range of responsibilities. On any given day, you might find her writing strategy, reviewing campaign progress, planning for the next quarter, writing copy, creating new value propositions, meeting colleagues around the world, or generally supporting her teams.

When Karen describes her favourite part of the role, it’s clear she has a talent for telling our story.

“I love having a product on one side and the audience on the other, bringing them together in a convergent space. I work with the engineering teams, listening to how they develop the product and learning the features. Then I tell that story to our audience, laying a path for customers to come to us. I aim to understand their pains and frustrations, then put our solution in their path. That whole process requires empathy, data, creative thinking, strong writing, and an understanding of what motivates the human mind.”

Karen says a combination of creative thinking and understanding commercial needs is an important skill set for anyone wanting to join the Smoothwall marketing team.

“Creativity gives us the spark, and the commercial framework is what keeps us moving forward. You need to have an appreciation of the commercial environment in which marketing functions. Even if you’re very specialised in one area, it’s important to understand the bigger picture.”

If you’re able to bring your creative marketing skills to the table, you’ll find a rewarding career in a place with people who truly care.

“When you ask anyone why they work here, they’ll all say the same thing: it’s about doing social good by keeping kids safe. That’s the passion that drives us all. Whether you’re writing code, managing a team, or educating parents or teachers, we’re all working towards the same goal.”

For Karen, doing social good is a necessity in a workplace. Throughout her career, she’s focused on positively contributing to the world around her. It’s a core value for Karen - one that was planted early in her life during her time in South America.

Karen majored in media and Spanish at university, which included studying in Madrid for a year. When she graduated, Karen knew she wanted to work in marketing, but wasn’t ready to jump straight into corporate life. So, she flew to South America, teaching English and basic marketing subjects at a university in Colombia for two years. It was an experience that entirely changed Karen’s life. She came face to face with poverty, social and political instability, and even faced death herself during a run-in with a guerilla group. (But if you want that story, you’ll have to talk to Karen yourself - and bring the popcorn, because you’ll feel like you’re listening to Hollywood’s next action thriller!)

Upon her return to the UK, Karen knew she wanted to make a positive impact in the world. She cut her teeth on marketing in the public sector, working hard to establish a successful career. Karen was working as Marketing Manager for a national charity when she met her future husband with whom she decided to start an agency. For 17 years, Karen and her husband developed their business from start-up to one of the UK’s top 100 agencies.

“The bigger the company grew, the further away from marketing I became,” Karen explains. “It was rewarding to develop something that was of such a high quality, but after nearly two decades of hard slog, I was exhausted. When we sold the company, I wanted to get back to my true passion - marketing.”

Now, Karen’s found a place where she can focus on her passion for marketing. We couldn’t be happier to have her on our team, and we’re excited to see where she leads us in the future - a sentiment Karen shares.

“I’m excited about the future! I’d like to see the Qoria family come together into one recognisable and highly respected brand that is instantly associated with keeping kids safe online.”