Hwyl, the Welsh term best described as the passion you feel being a part of something and truly belonging is Marisa Kacary’s favorite word. Kacary, Managing Director of Brand Marketing and Communications at AMS notes that it says a lot about her heritage and the core of who she is.
Driven by her natural-born competitive spirit, Marisa is scrappy, loves a challenge, and can often find her way around any obstacle. Many of these attributes paved the way for Marisa to lead marketing for one of the largest workforce solution firms in the world, AMS. Previously Alexander Mann Solutions, Marisa helmed the recent rebrand to AMS, with the hope of leading the new world of work through workforce dexterity, allowing companies to evolve and “thrive in an age of constant change by building, reshaping, and optimizing workforces.”
But before Marisa joined the exuberant AMS team, she started her early career in telecommunications, a heavily male-dominated industry. Although she was set on a career in marketing straight out of college, she accidentally fell into this sector like many in the recruiting and staffing industry. But after ten years in the space, Marisa credits her endlessly varied and interesting career to this experience alone.
As life kept on, Marisa set up a consultancy agency of her own to gain better flexibility at work when she welcomed her eldest daughter 18 years ago. That same daughter is now playing football (or soccer) at a level that would be profitable if she were a man. Marisa and Leslie question if there is an opportunity for change in sports that would help transcend equality into business, and Marisa notes it’s difficult to avoid frustration when looking to the past. She shares that she’s an optimistic person, though, that likes to focus on the future. Based on recent events like sponsorships and TV ratings, she is hopeful that change is coming to the sports world and beyond.
As the conversation continues, Marisa and Leslie also discuss her experiences with imposter syndrome, her top tricks for quieting her brain and unplugging, her proudest professional moment and her greatest lesson as a competitive junkie: it’s better to lose the fight than the war! We hope you enjoy this episode.
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