Interview with Melanie Dickie
Melanie has over 30 years’ experience in marketing and communications. She started her career in a communications agency and then worked as a PR & Marketing Manager for a video games publisher. Living in Paris, she found a really great job at Eutelsat and that was what started off a 25-year journey in the wonderful world of satellites.
Before the arrival of SpaceX, the space sector was a relatively unheard-of niche for marketing and communications professionals, so it was a very 'lucky accident' that brought me to this sector. From taking VIP groups to satellite launches in South America to supporting the roll-out of digital TV across Eastern Europe, this has always felt more of an adventure than a job. Last year, when for the first time after Covid trade show events started to bring people back together, it really felt a bit like a family reunion."
SVP Marketing & Communications
What’s your role at Rivada Space Networks?
I’m the SVP Marketing & Communications. It’s my job to ensure that our marcoms strategies and activities strengthen the company’s market position and achieve our business goals. I focus on getting our great story at Rivada across to all our stakeholders, including building relationships with media around the globe, creating brand awareness for Rivada and developing multiple outreach opportunities. I also look after internal communications, working to keep our employees connected and informed and creating a shared understanding of our company goals and values.
What's the best thing about your job?
Two things. The fact that no 2 days are ever the same and the people! In marketing and communications, you get to interact with every part of the company to understand what's going on and what’s ‘PR-able’. This means that you are learning new things all the time which keeps the job exciting. However, it is the people that really make a good job great. I've been incredibly lucky through my 25 years in the space sector to work with the most amazing and inspiring colleagues across the industry.
What is your most useless talent?
I would say it was creating a "satellite scent". Using the theory of olfactory marketing ie that a scent can create a lasting brand experience, I helped to develop a bergamot, lime and orange blossom essential oil to represent a fresh new satellite startup. We implemented it at a trade fair using an essential oil burner and whilst my boss was congratulating us that this innovation in space marketing had massively increased traffic to our stand, the oil burner exploded and that was the end of that talent!