{"id":25474,"date":"2021-05-19T01:52:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T15:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-328533-4778250.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=25474"},"modified":"2021-05-20T16:04:34","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T06:04:34","slug":"rose-marie-pengelly-general-manager-at-the-arc-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balancethegrind.co\/interviews\/rose-marie-pengelly-general-manager-at-the-arc-factory\/","title":{"rendered":"Balancing the Grind with Rose Marie Pengelly, General Manager at The ARC Factory"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rose Marie Pengelly is the General Manager at creative communications agency, ARC Factory<\/a>, where she has been working for nearly 15 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Learn how the most successful leaders, artists, founders, executives, writers and athletes structure and manage their days. <\/em>Sign up and stay up to date<\/a>!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Photo credit: Bec Lorrimer<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’m a General Manager of a creative communications agency in Sydney. I\u2019ve been working at ARC, for nearly 15 years where I started as a Junior Publicist and worked my way up to my current role as General Manager. I manage a team of talented individuals, and work closely with my clients on developing integrated strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best things about my job is collaborating with a diverse and interesting blend of creatives, entrepreneurs and visionaries from the best in their field, fashion, beauty, design, lifestyle, entertainment, arts & culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought the coolest job in the world was becoming a VJ. As a kid from Borneo, that seemed so far out of my reach, so I settled for my two passions, writing and music. It led me to pursue a degree in journalism & advertising at Curtin University in Perth and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment I finished studying in Perth, I hightailed it to London and kick started my career working in the music & entertainment industry. I learned a lot quickly; it was incredibly fun and presented opportunities I never would have had in Australia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was when I really fell in love with live music, it is just next level over there. From then on, I moved into consumer tech and worked on the global launch of Napster, back then it was the first of its kind music sharing platform. Having soaked up all the experience I could in two years, I made the move to Sydney and have been here since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every day is different, which is great as it keeps things interesting and the creative juices flowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mornings aren\u2019t as Zen as I\u2019d like it to be, it\u2019s mostly a mad rush. Before my kids wake up, I\u2019ll do a Pilates workout either at a BodyMindLife studio on a Reformer, and if I can\u2019t get to the studio, I\u2019ll jump onto Fluid Form Pilates At Home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get my kids ready for school, do the drop offs and head into work. My commute to work is short, so I use the time to read through any urgent emails. I\u2019ll have catch ups with the Account Managers about job priorities for the day and help out with strategies when required. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the day is interchangeable, there\u2019s meetings about budgets, cashflows, HR, or meeting with clients on new product launches or brand initiative and brainstorming strategies with my team. Depending on the time of the year, there\u2019s also events and shoot productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been back working in the office since June, starting off with 2 days in the office to 4 days. Nothing really beats sharing a workspace with my team, the positive environment, the energy, the ideas, the conversations and the music. With the strategic and creative nature of our business, the size of my team and my role, it\u2019s more effective to be working together in one office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Work-life balance means that when I\u2019m at work, I\u2019m 110% focused on work and when I\u2019m at home I put that exact same focus on the kids and family. I haven\u2019t mastered it yet, as I still take a while to wind down when I\u2019m at home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My brain is still in work mode and I need to learn to adjust quicker; my kids need me to be their mum, not manage them. My kids are wonderfully impatient, they have many needs and questions that need immediate attention!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve learned to be more disciplined and set routines to keep the wheels turning. I didn\u2019t think I was disciplined enough to workout at home during COVID, but I was able to stick to it, resulting in working out 5-6 days per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I reduced my time on social media. I turned off notifications from apps that weren\u2019t vital to communicating with family and work. Scrolling became mind numbing at one stage, I was skipping between Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and my emails whenever I was idle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also moved my apps around, so it\u2019s not on my homepage and I deleted Facebook off my phone, I can only access it on my home computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Books:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n