Friends, we’ve finally managed to get the interview we’ve been dreaming of for so long!

Our person in Switzerland. An incredible woman who has turned her career into a brand. A visionary who made the leap from a local business to a global stage. A top marketer managing large budgets and ambitious projects.

A Kazakh woman in Switzerland.

Meet:

Global Product Manager, Insect Control at Syngenta.

Certified CIM Marketer and CIM Expert.

Chartered Marketer.

Post-Graduate Diploma in Digital Business.

Professional Diploma in Management.

A dynamic speaker and a true leader – Madina Umbetova.

What is marketing for you?

Marketing is the art and science of creating value. It is not just promoting products and services, but a deep understanding of the needs of the audience, the ability to find growth points for business and build long-term relationships with clients. I like Philip Kotler's definition of marketing: "Marketing is the process of creating, communicating and delivering value to a target audience." In modern reality, marketing is analytics, psychology, technology, and strategy combined into a single system.

Why marketing?

Marketing chose me: as a student, I started working part-time at ACNielsen : first as a translator, then I processed questionnaires and two years later received an offer for a permanent position. Later, I saw that marketing combines logic and creativity, strategy and analytics, psychology and technology. This is a dynamic area where you can see real results of your actions, test hypotheses, influence business and consumers. Marketing gives you the opportunity to work at the intersection of various disciplines, constantly learn and develop. In addition, I have always been interested in how brands are formed, what mechanisms underlie successful marketing strategies, and marketing is an ideal field for this.

Why international companies?

Working in international companies is not only high standards and best practices but also an opportunity to learn from professionals from different countries, work in a multicultural environment and scale your knowledge. International marketing requires flexibility, adaptation to different markets and cultural characteristics, which makes the work even more interesting. In addition, such companies provide access to advanced technologies, big data, global trends, and the best educational programs.

What do international companies expect from marketers?

Companies expect marketers not just to have knowledge of tools but also a deep understanding of strategy, analytics, and digital technologies. Key requirements:

• Strategic thinking - the ability to see not only tactical steps, but also long-term brand development.

• Flexibility and adaptability - international companies operate in a rapidly changing environment, and a marketer must be able to quickly respond to trends.

• Communication skills – working in an international environment requires the ability to convey ideas, negotiate, persuade and manage projects.

• Cross-functional interaction – a marketer no longer works in isolation, he or she closely cooperates with finance, IT, sales and HR.

Digital literacy – the ability to work with given data, understand digital tools and platforms.

Advice: if you want to build a career in an international company, you need to upgrade not only hard skills, but also soft skills, and be ready for continuous learning and adaptation.

The Importance of CIM Education for a Marketing Career

CIM is not just a diploma, but international recognition of professionalism. This is an education that:

• Provides a structured understanding of marketing based on best practices.

• Helps develop strategic thinking and management skills.

• Allows you to build a career in international companies, as CIM is valued by employers around the world.

• Supports networking : CIM training is an opportunity to communicate with colleagues and experts from different countries.

• Teaches how to work with real business cases, which helps to apply knowledge immediately in practice. For those who want to develop in international marketing, CIM is an important step that opens up new career opportunities.

  
  

For those who want to develop in international marketing, CIM is an important step that opens up new career opportunities.

Modern CMO: strategist or innovator?

I would not contrast these two concepts, as they complement each other perfectly. Without a strategy, it is impossible to build long-term brand development, but without innovation, marketing becomes boring and predictable.

The best CMOs can see big goals and at the same time, are not afraid to experiment, adapt, and implement new approaches.

And it is important not to forget that the strategy often remains only on paper, so it is necessary to know and be able to implement the strategy and achieve the stated goals.