Meet Ewelina Woldan, who has nearly 18 years of experience in IT marketing and public relations. In this interview, Ewelina shares her career journey and insights on brand reputation and offers valuable advice for those starting their careers in communications. 

Interviewed by Anna Marin

What initially drew you to the field of Public Relations and brand marketing? Can you share some pivotal moments in your career that led you to your current role at Lenovo? 

My entire professional career is related to marketing and communication in the IT industry. I've been doing this for almost 18 years, and I actually got into the industry by accident. But from the very first day, I really enjoyed the dynamics of the technology market. My first job gave me an insight into many areas of marketing, and I had different responsibilities. One of them was communication, and I must admit that this is what interested me the most straight away. I like to interact with people, and I love to use my creativity, and PR allows me to do that. I really feel that I can develop in this area. 

I think the opportunity to learn about many areas of marketing was something that shaped me and allowed me to take my current position at Lenovo. PR best suits my personality, as well as the goals I want to pursue in the future. I believe everyone should explore different options to determine their best career path. This will help us find a fulfilling profession. 

PR best suits my personality, as well as the goals I want to pursue in the future. I believe everyone should explore different options to determine their best career path. 

Can you elaborate on your day-to-day responsibilities as a Communication Manager at Lenovo Poland? How do you approach building and maintaining Lenovo's brand reputation through PR? 

Over the years, I have developed a certain professional routine that I follow. Every PR specialist's day should start with media monitoring. That's what I do too. I check information concerning not only Lenovo, but also the market. I read about world events, and I don't skip social media. For those concerning the Polish market, I focus primarily on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. This knowledge allows me to determine the activities that will be performed that day. 

Of course, a big part of my job is preparing presentations and statements, managing the day-to-day work of strategy development and implementation, and interacting with people who support us in the agencies. Each day brings new findings, new material for acceptance, and new challenges. To sum up, I start the day with an analysis, and then there is time to accept ideas and implement various actions. 

Building Lenovo's brand image through PR activities is a long-term project that we plan on a quarterly basis. Every day, we add new elements to the various activities that take place throughout the year. It is very important to us to stay close to our customers, consumers or counterparties. We spend a lot of time on analysis to understand their needs. And it is through communication and PR tools that we strive to meet them. The activities that make us stand out in the market are certainly the organisation of many events, conferences or webinars, the aim of which is to pass on knowledge of new technologies or innovations in an accessible form. We adapt the message to the right audience so we can reach them with the information they are looking for. 

Each day brings new findings, new material for acceptance, and new challenges 

As Lenovo is operating on the technology market, which is highly competitive, how does Lenovo differentiate itself from other tech giants? What role does PR play in maintaining that competitive edge? 

Lenovo has succeeded as the world's largest PC company, with a full portfolio of AI-enabled devices and those capable of applying AI solutions. The vision of Lenovo is encapsulated in the slogan Smarter Technology for All, now expanded to: Smarter AI for All. It means that every day Lenovo delivers technology that enables users around the world to work better, faster and more efficiently. These are smart solutions that make our lives better and have a positive impact on the world. 

We also take a comprehensive approach to communicating with our audience, using a mix of marketing activities. The role of PR is very important. We work very closely with the media, and our activities cover many areas. Lenovo's products are aimed at different audiences – end customers and business customers. This is why we strive to deliver effective marketing and PR campaigns tailored to each audience. Our goal is to be close to these people, close to the market. We organise events where knowledge is shared by our experts showing customers the solutions that are currently available. The technology market is extremely dynamic – there are new innovations presented every month, and it is also our role to show our customers what will be ideal for them. 

Our goal is to be close to these people, close to the market. 

In your opinion, what are the most critical skills and strategies needed to succeed in the PR industry today? How do you stay ahead in such a dynamic field? 

I think the main qualities of people who want to work in PR should be great flexibility and openness to other people. It is also very important to be able to manage appropriately – both one's own work and the crisis situations that also occur in this industry. At such times, the ability to solve problems quickly comes in extremely handy. 

There is no time for boredom, and every day can bring new challenges. A person working in PR and marketing should constantly keep an eye on trends and events. This offers many new opportunities, sometimes not obvious, which can have a really positive effect. An important part of working in PR is networking, which often leads to various interesting collaborations. As an example, Lenovo events have been a huge success and other Polish companies are following suit. These are events that we create in cooperation with brands outside the IT market, such as the automotive and beauty industries. We create formats that are out of the box and innovative. We invite experts, media and creators to participate. It turns out that this formula, which we introduced two years ago as the first in the market, is very attractive to visitors and, above all, generates interest – both among traditional and social media representatives. As a result, we achieve a very large reach –  we connect brands, people, as well as budgets. 

Personally, I am constantly trying to develop my skills. I attend industry events and conferences and spend a lot of time meeting new people. People are the greatest value – we can not only learn a lot from each other but also create new formats together that will bring business success. 

I think the main qualities of people who want to work in PR should be great flexibility and openness to other people. There is no time for boredom, and every day can bring new challenges. 

Given the rapid changes in digital media and consumer behaviour, how do you envision the PR industry evolving in the next few years? What opportunities and challenges do you foresee? 

Today, PR plays a huge role in brand communication, especially with experts representing the company. It is very important that materials are factual so that audiences can access proven content and avoid misinformation. A lot of material nowadays is produced automatically, and the audience cannot tell which message is actually true. Our role is to carry out communication that will make knowledge widely available and in an accessible form. I believe that building an expert brand image and creating content tailored to the target audience will bring the desired result. 

I think the PR industry will continue to exploit the potential of collaborations with other brands in the future. By combining our resources and the values represented by Lenovo with other strong brands, we can achieve spectacular results. 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time to relax and unwind from the pressures of work? Are there any hobbies or activities that help you recharge? 

What I enjoy most is travelling, exploring new places and their culture and history. Most of my free time is spent with my family and playing sports. Time for myself is equally important to me. I enjoy solitary walks in the woods, it makes me incredibly calm. 

For people at the start of their career in PR, marketing, or branding – do you have any advice you want to share or any words of wisdom? 

Having worked in the industry for almost 18 years, I can say that I strongly agree with the statement that if work is your passion, you won't overwork a single day. I think it's important to look for your speciality, which will not only allow you to develop and fulfil yourself but, above all, will bring you a lot of joy.

Video Edited by Morgan Rachel Geyer