Life moves so quickly at Google in a year, that I wanted to take stock and reflect on some of my favourite projects I’ve been proud to play a part in and to see come to life in 2023.

▶ More Inclusive Digital Marketing 

It was a privilege to collaborate with Disability Activist and Consultant Dr Shani Dhanda and Purple Goat Agency on this video about accessibility best practices for more inclusive digital marketing.  

The Think with Google Firestarters Podcast and Video  

The YouTube and podcast series really took off this year. A ten year campaign that began as a live event, became one of the UK’s most listened to podcasts in 2023.  One of my particular favourites is Lou Downe talking to our brilliant host Neil Perkin about the value in thinking about service design in all we do.

⏯ Watch the Playlist on YouTube

🎧 Listen where you get your podcasts

Interviewing Mary Beard 

It’s not often my Archaeology degree comes in handy at Google, but 2023 saw Eva Menger and I interview Mary Beard for a brilliant Think with Google article on how Roman Emperors can teach us all to be better leaders and marketers. 

“It’s important to recognise how some ancient ideas are still written into our assumptions of what it means to be powerful.” Mary Beard: ‘The emperors of Rome can help us redefine leadership’

Introvert’s quiet power

It was great to see brilliant Googlers with a unique perspective. And this year my manager Raja Saggi penned an article on the power of introverts. A quiet triumph that was published across the globe and US Queen of News Katie Couric herself picked up on. 

The power of introverts in marketing

”Organisations need to solicit a wide spectrum of voices — and that should always include the quiet ones.”

Neurodiversity in the workplace

Google is known for its ERGs (employee resource groups), and this year we were able to harness the community of neurodiverse Googlers to write this article on how to create a workplace for everyone. 

Diverse minds: Empowering neurodivergent individuals in the workplace and beyond

Audio narration on our articles

Leaning into AI and the power of inclusivity, this year Think with Google UK added audio narration to all our articles this year, for those who for whatever reason, find they prefer to listen rather than read our articles.

Proud to see this project featured at Google’s brilliant Accessibility Discovery Centre. 

The Drum Responsible Marketing Hub 

Making Privacy clear and understandable for marketers is a challenge I’m very happy to have accepted in 2023. Our partnership with The Drum brought helpful, simple and actionable advice to even more UK Marketers in 2023. And the content continues to scale in 2024. 

The Drum x Google Responsible Marketing Hub

Joining team Google Africa

My most exciting adventure this year was to join team Google Africa. Managing Think with Google Sub Saharan Africa has been the biggest pleasure. And our wonderful editor Rifumo Mdaka brought incredible stories of how marketers and consumers navigate challenging power outages with his articles on loadshedding in South Africa. 

Why load shedding doesn’t have to turn the lights off on your video ad campaign

A united English Language site for Think with Google EMEA

2023 also saw all the brilliant editors across EMEA’s five English language sites unite under one mega Think with Google site. That’s Africa, the Middle East, Benelux and Nordics, Central and Eastern Europe and the UK; all sharing one website, one landing page, and one united vision and strategy. It was a joy working with the editors in these regions to bring this to life and to steer this beautiful site full of vibrant stories across our region.

Think with Google EMEA – English Language

But that is by no means an exhaustive list, honourable mentions go to our YouTube Shorts series, bringing our events to an even wider audience on YouTube; speaking at Burning Pen (see what they did there), Google’s conference for writers and content strategists, and playing a small part in our wonderful Privacy events, that Lindsey Weedon managed so expertly throughout the year. Thank you to Eva Menger and Sherwin Coelho and Olga Trinder and the wonderful agencies and Googlers that helped with all these brilliant projects.