Tee Twyford, former ‘Gadget Girl’ on TVNZ’s Breakfast, is preparing to step into a new role as head of content for luxury London-based beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury.
“It feels weird talking about it before I start, but I’ll be responsible for creating and managing the brand’s content strategy – basically anything you see online or on social media,” she explains. “I have a great team of high-performing content, social and video specialists who will help me bring it all to life.”
The Auckland University of Technology alum previously led the digital marketing strategy at Burberry Beauty. Instrumental in launching the brand’s Discover channel on Snapchat (an industry first) and in bringing about a collaboration with Pinterest which enabled customers to receive personalised content based on their own makeup routines, Tee also had a hand in the creation of a chatbot that allowed users to virtually experience Burberry’s spring/summer 2017 show at London Fashion Week via Facebook Messenger.
Prior to this she was living in Amsterdam, doing similar work for Tommy Hilfiger. But it was her role as general manager and editor of nzgirl that started it all.
A smartphone savvy crowd got snap happy at Burberry’s SS16 show in London.
“It shaped my experience of the world of digital,” says Tee of the online magazine founded by industry trailblazer Jenene Crossan in 1999. “It opened my eyes to everything I love about the industry: the pioneering nature and entrepreneurial spirit, the partnership between insights and creativity, the democratisation of established industries and the ability to connect with other like-minds.”
It was Tee’s own entrepreneurial spirit and her belief in the value of connectivity that saw her and a friend team up in 2011 to create Cloudsourcing – an online support hub for New Zealand women living in the UK and working in the creative industries. To date, ‘Cloudsourcing’ has more than 650 members.
“A cloud is the term for a large mass of birds moving together, and that’s what the group embodies,” says Tee. “It’s an instant network of inspiring girlbosses.”
As for women who inspire her, Tee again credits Jenene Crossan. “She was a real visionary, creating a platform for Kiwi women to connect digitally and be entertained and inspired 16 years ago. I continue to be awed by her.”
