How often do you get to sit across a table and brainstorm with brand strategy gurus, customer insight ninjas, technology experts, and media mavens and bring up the M word?

(Measurement.)

Not very often, I’m guessing.

But I get to do this everyday at a&g because a&g is at the very core of this integration.

A firm believer of “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” I am a crossover marketer, someone who used to avoid anything to do with math.

As a contributions analyst at a&g, I support the digital and social media measurement practice for clients like MFS, Bright Horizons, Berklee College of Music, and Hannaford. I am excited about using data to tell a compelling story that helps clients optimize their marketing programs. Path-breaking analysis is a futile effort if it cannot be communicated the right way, to the right audience in order to make it actionable. This is where I exit the world of Excel sheets and put on my data visualization hat I love so much.

Before joining a&g, I enjoyed the beautiful lakeside campus of Northwestern University in Chicago, pursuing a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications with a deep focus on data-driven marketing. I spent a wonderful summer at DraftFCB, tackling both media mix modeling and Michigan Avenue shopping.

In a previous life, I earned an MBA from India, worked in marketing and product management for a consumer broadband brand, and handled business development support and marketing communications for a global IT and business process outsourcing provider. With a foundation in business, integrated marketing communications, marketing research, and product development in technology companies, I enjoy the challenge of coming up with big-picture solutions.

Originally from Madras (Chennai), India, I have lived and worked in three cities, interned in Germany, flown over the Serengeti in a hot-air balloon, and danced with the Masai tribe. My free time is spent exploring the vegetarian cuisine of Boston with my geeky scientist-runner husband, or talking to friends and family back home via free long-distance Internet telephone. My happy place is listening to my favorite music while driving. If Excel sheets start blurring in front of my eyes, i may decide to turn my culinary experiments into entrepreneurial ventures.

I’m also an “Us Weekly” subscriber & new year’s baby & scary movie non-appreciator & traveler of far distances for friend’s weddings. Dressed in a sari for a wedding in India? Been there, done that!

I pretty much have the lowdown on all your favorite stars, so if you’re looking to chat about the latest celebrity breakups and hookups or “who wore what,” I’m always game. If you’re looking to chat about the ever-changing trends of digital media, I can do that too.

I’ve worked at a&g for almost a year as a Senior Digital Media Planner, where I have had the chance to work on many great accounts, such as Hannaford Supermarkets, MFS Investment Services, Bright Horizons, The 99 Restaurants, and Toy State.

Before joining a&g, I worked on the Bayer Pharmaceutical and Gallo Wines accounts as a Senior Planner at MediaEdge in Washington D.C. Prior to MediaEdge, I honed my media skills through media planner positions at Time Life and spent the 2006 election season working at a political ad agency.

I loved living in D.C. after attending The George Washington University, but my roots don’t start there. I was born across the pond in England, and though I maintain my dual citizenship, I grew up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

It wasn’t long until I moved back to New England in the summer of 2008 (just in time for my wedding!) and joined a&g soon after. While working here I have met an amazing team of people, continually find myself challenged by my job and love the excitement that comes with working in the digital space.

I’m an Interactive Producer & adrenaline junkie & shark lover & wannabe chef & perfectionist & EXTREMELY organized & office candy supplier & horror movie aficionado.

I think I have the best job at a&g because I get to interact with every department in the company.  I get the scoop on what you are looking for from our Marketing team, then I meet with everyone from our Connections to Contributions teams to put the rest together, and then I devise a budget that fits your needs. I ensure that your project stays on a very strict timeline (that’s where the “EXTREMELY organized” comes in) and, most important, on budget! I work on clients such as Hannaford, Toy State, New England Baptist Hospital, Bright Horizons, & MFS, and I’ve been known to crack a few whips to get the job done.

I’ve been in advertising for about four years now.  I started my advertising career at Arnold.  Here’s a funny story: I was hired to work at Arnold on the Volkswagen account, but they lost the account the day before I was supposed to start! As you can imagine, I was freaking out as I had already given my notice at my prior job. Lucky for me, they ended up putting me on their RadioShack account. After Arnold, I moved down the street to Carat where I worked on pretty much every client that came through the door (John Deere, Reebok, Marriott, Wachovia, Cablevision… and RadioShack again!)

Some personal stuff about me — I’ve been skydiving and bungee jumping, and my dream is to go great white shark diving in South Africa. Great whites are known to breach there — and they jump clean out of the water! When I’m not leaping from airplanes, I also love to cook, host martini parties, and spend quality time with my husband, family, & friends.