The Hive has recently made a number of new additions, including Shawna Hayman—who joins the agency’s executive leadership team as vice-president of client services.
“She brings great energy and business acumen to the agency, along with a proven and demonstrated commitment to people and to nurturing relationships both within the agency and among clients,” says The Hive President and CEO, Jared Stein.
Hayman joins from Cossette, where she most recently helped lead the McDonald’s Canada business. Prior to that, she had career stops at John St., 6degrees, and Loyalty One.
We asked Hayman to tell us more about herself by answering some of our “Getting to know…” questions. Here’s what she told us:
About that picture: My husband and I eloped and this was our first dance in a bar in Nashville. Pretty epic day.
Are you a sports fan: Favourite team and favourite player? I enjoy sports here and there, but my husband is a golf nut. Because of that, I know more about golf, PGA golfers, drivers, famous golf courses, and every championship that Tiger Woods has ever won than I ever expected. Our TV is on the golf channel 24/7, and I have to say it is way cooler than I thought. But I do not plan to start playing. I prefer a glass of wine over the 18th hole.
Favourite thing about weekends? Sleeping in, grocery shopping (I know… but I really enjoy it), happy hour with my husband, clean sheets (weekends are for laundry) and family. My parents and my brothers live nearby with their partners—it is so nice to hang out all the time.
Movie you love that almost nobody else likes? Michael with John Travolta. The one where he is an angel. I love a classic soundtrack.
Do you have pets: what are their names? My husband and I have an almost three-year-old Bernedoodle named Cash, after Johnny Cash. We are country music lovers, and actually met (and one year later got married) in Nashville near the Johnny Cash museum, so it was only fitting. It’s safe to say we are pretty obsessed with our pup.
Most important person in your professional life that you do not work with or for? She might be surprised to hear me say this and she shouldn’t be: Robin Whalen, the president and CEO at Church+State. I worked for Robin for three years at Real Interactive, and learned first-hand that you can be yourself—honest, emotional, funny—and still be professional, respected and smart. As women in business we are taught early on to be tough, keep a straight face, etc. Robin taught me that I can 100% be me, start a meeting off with a smile, get lost in conversation, and then get to business.
What did you want to be when you grew up? I actually have no idea if I even knew. At about 18 I decided I wanted to be a wedding or event planner, and apparently so did everyone else because all of the event jobs were unpaid. I happened to fall into advertising by fluke. My dad was visiting me in the U.K. (I lived there for three years) and he met a woman at the airport bus stop who was on the way to visit her husband who was a business lead at FCB. She gave my dad his business card, I got in touch, interviewed and got a coordinator job—the rest is history!
Favourite thing about this industry? Doing cool shit with smart people. This industry really has the best people.
Least favourite thing about this industry? Missing an opportunity to create something great.
