Mover and Shaker: Christina Smedley, Brand and Communications Officer, PayPal

“The skills you need to navigate the corporate world are ‘earned,’ not ‘learned,’” says PayPal’s Christina Smedley, who is quick to clarify that doesn’t mean that newer professionals don’t offer value to add. She believes that you have to find ideas from anyone around you and cites her experience with creative interns as an excellent example. “Ideas come from everywhere but some skill sets take time to learn.”

Born in Jamaica, Smedley grew up in England and had her first job on a factory line, where one of her tasks — inspecting clear shampoo bottles for flaws – provided her first entrée to the importance of quality control and paying attention to details.

Prior to joining PayPal, Smedley worked for Edelman, where she was global chair of consumer marketing which entailed telling stories for big brands. One of her many initiatives during that time was helming Dove’s award-winning “Real Beauty” campaign where she helped change the way that people look at beauty — an important crusade both professionally and personally, as she has a teenager daughter. Prior to that, she handled worldwide communications for Amazon, helping change the way people would shop during a time when most people had never even heard of the website or the concept of online retail.

In her current role at PayPal, she is responsible for communications and marketing for global consumers and making sure the company is connecting them with tools to move money more simply.

“Money is such an intrinsic part of life, and it is changing faster in the next three years than it has in the past 20 years,” she says. “It’s exciting to be part of that narrative, and it’s why I’m passionate about what I do.”

At PayPal one of her roles has been to unify the brand globally including rebuilding the website and launching a new brand image; previously, due to its meteoric growth, the brand looked different in Australia than in Germany, for example.

And that’s what keeps her inspired in her day-to-day work: the opportunity she sees ahead to make it simple for people to move their money and provide a secure, effective double-sided network for merchants.

Sponsors and Mentors Play Valuable Roles

During her career ascension, Smedley has benefited from both sponsors and mentors and sees a role for both. Her trusted mentors have been people with whom she can share dreams and aspirations, but her sponsors have been those who have pushed her in ways she didn’t even think she was ready for.

“A sponsor might put you forward for a stretch assignment you hadn’t considered or a promotion you weren’t even asking for. Women tend not to put themselves out there, but you have to push yourself even if you think you aren’t ready; just take that deep breath, jump in, and ask for feedback.”

Along the way she has worked with women whom she says have left an indelible mark as mentors, and she’s also able to find qualities she’d like to emulate throughout different business units within PayPal. For example, she feels inspired by the customer service team, who can ably handle tough moments and respond positively under pressure.

Continuous Learning

She acknowledges that it’s as important to have a pause in your career as it is to drive forward, though assuming that philosophy can be challenging for individuals who are focused on advancement.

“We have so many influences and when you’re in the middle of a dynamic industry, it’s sometimes challenging to just stop for a moment and assess what we’re trying to do as a team, but that’s when you’re learning nuances and skills.” She says that she underscores that concept to those she mentors – that doing the same job for a period of time allows to you to hone the craftsmanship that will ultimately make you a better professional.

Smedley actively supports PayPal’s Women’s Initiative, a company-wide initiative that enables women throughout the organization to advance their careers through conferences, networking and continuous learning.

Smedley says she loves to travel and has brought that drive to her family, including her 16-year-old twins. In addition, Smedley is passionate about literacy and supports programs that advance the skills in her native Jamaica, since she has seen the impact that learning and reading can have on communities. “It’s vital to me to look after my homeland,” she says.

By Cathie Ericson