The IZEA team is growing around the world, and we recently expanded into Europe with our launch into the U.K. market. Meet Sylvia Enotiades, our U.K. Country Manager. She’s an influencer marketing thought leader leading our expansion into the region.
Sylvia works alongside Harriet King, Client Partner, to lead IZEA into the U.K. The pair previously worked together and have many connections in the industry.
“When I was building together a plan, I thought, ‘Who can I hire that obviously, I know quite well, works really well, knows the industry, and that is able to support me from the beginning and be able to integrate and grow quite quickly?’ So I was quite lucky with that,” Sylvia said about Harriet.
Sylvia’s experience includes many years of working in influencer marketing, sales, social media and advertising. She’s even worked for Pottermore, J.K. Rowling’s digital website, as a freelancer. But her interest in influencer marketing began when she wanted to be an influencer herself.
“I was trying to be a mini influencer with one of my best friends because we were always going out and posting about all our food that we were eating, and everyone was just saying, ‘Oh, do you guys just eat out all the time?’ So we decided to make a page that was just dedicated to food, and it was called Two Foodies, No Diet.”
IZEA tapped Sylvia to lead our U.K. team because of her knowledge of the differences between influencer marketing in the U.K. and the U.S.
“People are really still quite skeptical about going into influencer marketing and asking who can they trust. Will there be brand safety?” Sylvia said. “There’s still quite a lot of education or a re-education that needs to happen in the U.K. for brands and clients to understand that yes, influencer marketing does work if it’s done properly, based on data and trends.”
Sylvia says the reception to IZEA’s launch in the U.K. has been positive.
“A lot of people have been quite interested because some have heard of IZEA before, and then others who haven’t really heard of us are more curious as to who we are. So I think it is quite good,” she said. “We’ve had really positive responses.”
When Sylvia’s not working on building our U.K. client base, she likes to try new restaurants, travel and stay active.
“I’m always looking for new places that have opened and trying new foods. I’m always trying to find somewhere different to eat at.”
Her love of travel might have something to do with her childhood in Zambia and South Africa.
“I’ve got quite a lot of like international friends, so I’m quite lucky to be able to travel and stay with people who I know.”
It was in Cape Town where Sylvia attended boarding school and picked up a love of surfing.
“I used to surf quite a bit when I was younger in Cape Town. I didn’t surf for a while, and now I’ve started surfing again this year. So I brought my surfboard back, and it’s just sitting in my flat here in London.”
She’s also a runner.
“I’m going to be running my first marathon in March next year in Barcelona,” she said. “So I’ve joined like a running club in London, and that’s really fun. They’re always doing like lots of nice social things, which I’ve started to get involved with.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Want to join #TeamIZEA? Visit the IZEA careers page.
Marette Flora is IZEA’s Content Manager. She writes and edits content about influencer marketing and all the latest #TeamIZEA happenings. When she is not at work, she can be found writing her personal blog, crafting personalized gifts or exploring Chicago where she lives with her husband, two daughters, dog and plants.
