This month marks our Account Director and Head of Operations, Hannah Thame’s 10 years at Resonates – and over 20 years working across the energy cleantech and technology sectors. We asked her how marketing has evolved, how the industry has transformed and what she’s learnt (often the hard way) actually makes an impact. Here’s what a decade in marketing taught her – about people, not just campaigns.
It’s easy early on to focus on output – content, campaigns, activity. But the real value comes from understanding why something should exist in the first place. The best work I’ve been part of has always started with a clear problem to solve.
I often explain it like baking a cake. The problem: you need a cake. The strategy: decide what your audience actually wants, and how you’re going to make it. The tactics: are the ingredients and the recipe.
Get the strategy right, and you’re far more likely to end up with empty plates and good feedback.
Not all briefs are created equal. Some are brilliant. Some… need work.
Learning how to challenge, shape and improve a brief is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. It saves time, builds trust, and leads to better outcomes.
It’s something we’ve written about in more detail in our blog: A brief look at the brief. There’s a useful template we use to help us capture conversations at the end too.
People don’t just buy ideas, they buy confidence in the people behind them.
One of our most valuable recent client wins came from a former client who moved roles and brought us with her. That didn’t happen because of one campaign – it happened because of the relationship we built over time.
It comes down to investing in trust with clients, working closely with partners and building strong relationships with colleagues.
Great work gets you noticed. Strong relationships bring people back – and keep them.
Understanding a client’s business and not just their marketing changes everything. Really think about how they make money, what success actually looks like commercially and where marketing genuinely adds value – because caring about the outcome is what makes you better. By taking this approach, you shift your perspective from simply delivering outputs to contributing real impact.
When you treat a client’s business like it’s your own, it changes the way you think, communicate and deliver.
Not every project needs to be a big creative moment. Sometimes the real value lies in speed, efficiency and delivering consistently. What I think is underrated is learning to take pride in being reliable, maintaining quality under pressure and simply getting the job done well. Over time, it’s that consistency and dependability that builds trust and makes you someone others can count on.
Early on, feedback felt personal, but over time I realised it’s one of the fastest ways to improve. I found learning to try and separate my ego from my work makes it easier to take input on board and actually use it.
Giving clear, constructive feedback to others is just as important as it strengthens collaboration and improves delivery.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the importance of staying adaptable. I currently wear two hats: Account Director and Head of Operations – one focused on clients and storytelling, the other on internal efficiency and running a business. I think shifting between these perspectives has made me better at both.
The more you can understand how different parts of a business connect, the more effective and adaptable you can be. And in a fast-changing industry, that ability to flex your thinking is what can set you apart.
Marketing is always changing, and no one has all the answers, so a skill set master is thinking on your feet and drawing from experiences. I think staying curious, being adaptable and being willing to test, fail and learn as you go is what really matters. Confidence doesn’t come from knowing it all, it comes from figuring things out along the way. I found that the faster I embraced this mindset, the more I’ve grown.
When I joined the energy sector, it was overwhelmingly male-dominated. I had to fight for a seat at the table and then fight again to be heard. That experience has shaped how I show up and how I support others.
I’ve had the privilege of training and mentoring many new team members and most recently our Account Executive. Seeing her grow in confidence, bring fresh perspectives and say she felt “at the table” under my leadership has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career. It’s something I didn’t always have and something I’m proud to now give to others.
Because real progress, in our industry and in the green transition, only happens when more voices are heard.
The projects you choose, the people you work with and the risks you take all compound over time. Being intentional about the opportunities you pursue, the experiences you seek and the kind of work you want to be known for can make a huge difference in how your career unfolds.
Having the confidence to say no is just as important as saying yes. It ensures your time and energy go toward the work that truly matters.
I think it’s also important to stretch yourself, keep learning and focus on the work that matters most to you – because those choices shape not just what you do, but who you become.
Over 20 years in, the biggest lesson isn’t about marketing – it’s about people, perspective and purpose. The best work happens when smart, curious, collaborative people come together to solve real problems. And that’s what’s kept me here.
In the energy and cleantech sectors especially, the role we play as communicators matters. We can shape narratives, influence behaviour and help accelerate real change.
That purpose is still what motivates me every day.
