BHM – Sonia

Throughout Black History Month, we’ll be celebrating our amazing black colleagues by bringing you stories from across the business.

All the colleague profiles we publish on myroyalmail.com will also appear on our dedicated Black History Month homepage. If you know someone who has inspired you as a great role model for others, someone who you think deserves recognition, please send your nomination to groupcommunications@royalmail.com with the heading ‘Black History Month’ in the subject line.

Today, we hear from Sonia Danner, senior marketing manager at Royal Mail MarketReach.

‘I started at the business in 2014 following a successful and varied career working in both marketing agencies and client-side leading campaigns for brands such as O2, the Department of Health, Virgin, and News UK.

‘So, what attracted me to Royal Mail? Well, its reputation was a big factor but also MarketReach was a relatively new part of Royal Mail and the business had recently become a private sector organisation. I saw this as a challenge and an opportunity to really contribute my commercial marketing experience.

‘What I love about my role is that it’s constantly evolving. I’ve learnt so much through my own training and development and from some hugely talented internal and agency colleagues, particularly in the digital marketing space.

‘As a marketer, I truly love creativity and driving results and in my first year, I managed what became a multi-award-winning marketing campaign, known as “Mailmen.” This was widely recognised as being ground-breaking, helping to elevate the mail advertising channel in an increasingly digital world and position Royal Mail as a credible advertising media owner for the very first time.

‘The media landscape has become more competitive over the years, which has impacted on the letters market. But as a team, we always strive to adapt to the challenges and produce great campaigns that support our sales teams. I’ve had the opportunity to help pioneer a number of successful initiatives, including new innovations in mail such as, Programmatic Mail, Royal Mail Hybrid Mail and promoting the first ever mail measurement tool “JICMAIL.”

‘A stand out for me this year, has been being part of the “Thumbs Up for Your Postie” campaign. This was such an amazing team effort across Royal Mail at a time when everyone, particularly colleagues on delivery, needed a nice positive lift and to hear how much love and support there is out there from our customers!

‘I’m also passionate about giving back and helping people reach their aspirations and goals. In my spare time, I volunteer as a specialist marketing mentor for The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme, which helps thousands of brilliant young entrepreneurs to start and thrive in business. I also joined the Royal Mail BAME mentoring programme last year and have helped to nurture and inspire four amazing mentees to progress in their careers. It’s been a very mutually rewarding experience.

‘For any new starters, I would say grasp the opportunity to be brilliant, network across the business, be brave and don’t be afraid to shine.’

Supporting our BAME colleagues

Making our business a place where black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues can achieve their potential remains a priority.

Career progression is a key focus as we work towards improving the representation of colleagues from BAME backgrounds across all levels of the business. We need to build greater awareness that the network exists and is there to support our people and shine a light on all the positive things we are doing across the business. 

If you are thinking about holding a BAME cultural event in your unit, and need some help, please reach out to the BAME steering group, or volunteer to help out with their activities. You can contact the group by emailing bame@royalmail.com.