My Career: ‘It’s not just about being creative, it’s about what will actually work’
Nicola Rea started her career in aviation as cabin crew with Aer Lingus, and later Etihad.
Nicola Rea
39
Clonakilty, Co. Cork
Marketing Manager at Fernhill House Hotel & Gardens
Enough to keep me happy and support family life
Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing, followed by further study at degree level, and currently completing a Masters in Digital Marketing Strategy at MTU. I also come from a background in aviation, sales and customer service.
Running, travel, long walks, time with my two daughters, and being by the sea.
Strategy, content, brand, results, growth.
Driven, grounded, creative, practical, resilient.
You need to be adaptable and fairly practical. It’s not just about being creative, it’s about what will actually work and bring results. Resilience is a big one, not everything works, you need to learn from it, keep going and be confident in your decisions.
Just over a year in my current role, with several years’ experience in marketing, supported by a background in aviation, sales and tourism.
I started my career in aviation as cabin crew with Aer Lingus, and later Etihad, where I also delivered sales and customer service training. I lived in Dublin, Abu Dhabi and Switzerland during that time, which gave me a strong understanding of people, customer experience and different cultures.
After returning to Ireland with my two daughters, I focused on building a career in marketing. I worked as a marketing executive before moving into my current role at Fernhill, while studying part-time at MTU. My work across digital marketing and content helped open that door. It wasn’t a straight path so I stayed open to opportunities. Even if they don’t seem like the perfect fit at the time, they can lead you to where you’re meant to be. Building connections and putting your work out there can lead to the right ones.
There’s no single route, but a strong understanding of digital marketing is important. Experience matters just as much, especially understanding how a business works, what drives revenue, and how your customers make decisions.
No two days are the same. A typical day could involve reviewing campaign performance, planning content, managing social media, updating the website, or attending internal and external meetings. There’s also a lot of coordination with the wider team and external partners.
The main focus is making sure everything we do supports bookings and builds the brand at the same time.
Currently I work three days a week (around 24–26 hours).
I feel it is a mix of both.
Not directly day-to-day. It’s a good thing to have a mix and different perspectives.
Around a 7. It’s fast-paced, with constant deadlines and pressure to deliver results. You’re often managing multiple projects at once, and a lot of the work is very visible, so there’s accountability attached to it.
A mix of both. I work independently but also closely with a wider team and external partners.
I have no set plan as long as I’m enjoying it and still learning, I’ll keep going!
Seeing ideas turn into real results and knowing your work is driving bookings and revenue.
Pressure to deliver results, especially when some factors are outside your control. Marketing can also be underestimated at times.
Be willing to start anywhere, build your skills over time, and stay curious. The industry changes quickly, so you need to keep learning.
Marketing today is as much about data and strategy as it is about creativity. The strongest marketers are the ones who can balance both and it’s important to maintain a good work-life balance alongside it.
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