VICTORIA LANGDON: DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AT SUNLIFE FINANCIAL

Tell us a bit about yourself. (Personal, academic, and professional development)

I’ve been fortunate to have a really diverse and varied career. After studying criminology, psychology and sociology at the University of Toronto, and taking some additional professional development certifications, I have spent time leading teams both big and small in retail and hospitality, financial services and politics.

Working in leadership roles for global companies afforded me exposure to some truly excellent training and development programs, and a lot of international travel and related learnings from inspiring colleagues and peers. As Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Burlington, Ontario during the pandemic, I gained an unexpected but highly appreciated expertise in crisis communications and media relations as one would imagine. My learning and growth continues every day.

I’ve also edited and co-authored books on financial literacy and recently joined my first board where I’m honoured to contribute to my local hospice in that volunteer advisory role.

At the heart of most of my work has always been a desire to communicate and inspire through written and spoken content and I’ve worked hard to stay on top of emerging tech and leverage constantly evolving and growing channels to reach diverse audiences all over the world.

 Why communications?

I love everything about words and language. You’ll find most of the art in my home is actually reflective of that, whether it’s the framed names of my favourite songs in a gorgeous font, or paintings I’ve done myself of a favourite poem on canvas. I am consistently awed by our ability to verbally communicate as human beings, and by how we use it to share information, to make each other laugh or cry, or to inspire one another. Leveraging that skill in my chosen profession feels meaningful and impactful every day.

How has your role in communications begun to transform as we move into the digital age?

As much as I still adore putting pen to paper, and will never give up my daytimer in favour of a digital calendar, I have to stay on top of digital tools and platforms so that I can continue to reach audiences wherever they are spending their time. It can feel overwhelming at times to stay on top of emerging tech but it’s essential for success.

My approach is to start out with a playful mindset and learn through experimentation and testing how things work and how it can best be leveraged. Whether it was launching a blog on Blogger back in 2008 and seeing how specific words could impact search engine optimization, or when hashtags first started to drive eyeballs to Twitter posts and Instagram accounts, or more recently seeing how ChatGPT can create content in seconds – it’s a constant education! I have to not only stay aware of the newest tech, I also have to know how to use it. There’s no substitute for learning it firsthand.

What has been one of the most memorable experiences within your career?

My proudest accomplishment was in keeping people informed and empowered with timely, accurate and helpful information during the pandemic when I worked for the Mayor of Burlington. Having to pivot very quickly to learn about topics that were completely new to me like vaccines, health implications, and the countless changes that were being made to our freedoms at upper levels of government was a 24/7 job. The number of people in the community who were counting on that information to keep their families safe and healthy was truly momentous, and despite how intense and busy it was, I felt a great sense of meaning and impact every single day.

What is one of the biggest obstacles you have had to overcome throughout your career?

Enabling financial advisors to leverage social media for business purposes was a bit of an uphill battle when I first started doing that in 2010. Wealth management is a highly regulated industry, and so much thought and care needs to go into social media content in this age of cancel culture and societal division. One wrong word can not only cost you friends or business relationships, or create reputational issues for your employer, it can also get you in trouble with regulatory and compliance organizations who diligently oversee sales and marketing content as they seek to protect the public. I was really proud to overcome a lot of skepticism that it could be done safely and effectively without creating additional risk for the advisors or the firms they represented. It is now a very common practice and I am glad to have been a part of making that happen.

Any advice for young women beginning to enter the workforce?

 My best advice for anyone, regardless of gender, would be to be kind and respectful to others, have integrity in everything that you do, and to ensure you have balance in your work and personal life.

Kindness and respect go a long way to building collaborative relationships, to help you understand people’s motivations and challenges, and to moving through the world with more joy and peace.

Integrity is important because you need to say what you mean and deliver what you promise in order to move upward in your career. I have always found that if I make decisions in the best interest of the customer/client and the company – before my own self-interest – success will always follow. When you do the right thing, people notice.

And balance is just essential for mental and physical well-being. You cannot pour from an empty cup. Finding ways to take care of your body and mind, to nurture relationships with friends and family, to give back to your community, and make time for nature and play – all those things create a well-rounded life that lets you give the best of yourself.