Megan Clarken
- Megan Clarken is the CEO of Criteo, an internet advertising platform for brands and retailers.
- As a teenager, Clarken was an Olympic class athlete in track and field, until a serious knee injury ended her hopes of an Olympic career.
- After this setback, Clarken decided to pursue a career in business, and worked her way up from a computer operator to become chief commercial officer at Nielsen Global Media before joing Criteo.
- Clarken credits her accomplishments to setting her sights high despite not having a four year degree, and says it’s important to be confident that you can learn and overcome any challenges thrown your way.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
People are quick to assume that as a business leader, I went to college or had some higher tertiary education. The reality is, I didn’t.
I’m a former Olympic class athlete in track and field. I began my journey at 17 only to have a serious knee injury at 19, which ended my athletics career. When most people my age were well into their degrees, I was not — and worse, my dreams of an Olympics gold medal were gone.
But I did have something not everyone did: early experience with serious career setbacks.
And even more so, I had learned grit and resilience, how to overcome those setbacks, and create a path to success.
Megan Clarken
Sure, not everyone reading this article is a former athlete, but we’ve all faced setbacks. In a world full of rules, norms, and expectations that come with being a successful businessperson,
I’m proof that you can use your own smarts, drive, and courage to achieve what you want — and bring with it a diverse outlook that opens up new possibilities. Here are three things I’ve learned.
1. Be curious and never stop learning
Through chance and determination, I was offered my first role as a computer operator working on an old IBM Mainframe. While I may have gotten the role because of how quickly I typed (thanks to some previous work in data entry) I like to believe that being open, personable, genuine, and curious is how I ultimately sealed the deal.
When starting somewhere new, it's critical to do your homework. You're not just going for a job; you're selecting the place where you want to work. Study the company so you can ask the right questions that demonstrate you've done the leg work and simultaneously feed your own curiosity.
Doing your homework doesn't end at the CEO, surrounding yourself with trusted advisors is equally important. I've received tremendous guidance over the years, and one piece of advice from a friend has stuck with me to this day. When I was struggling with the decision to leave a company, he said, "Look back but don't stare. You are starting something new that you can create and shape yourself. Let that invigorate you."
2. Embrace the bumps in the road and keep it moving
When I retired from my Olympic track and field career, I decided that I would always be fully in control of the life I create, and I've never looked back. Anyone looking to succeed in their career needs to find their voice to act and be confident in the choices they make along the way.
My strategy has always been to get in control of the situation. If I feel overwhelmed, I line up the options and possible alternate paths I can take. Do your research, ask questions, and make a choice that will alleviate the sense of helplessness and allow you to move from a place of strength.
But, here's the hard truth: you won't always win — and that's OK. As an employee, this can be difficult to wrap our heads around. Sometimes the bad days come a day after your most perfect day, but when that happens, you need to pick up the pieces and keep going.
For example, early on, I worked at a new startup during the dotcom crash, and we had to let go of all our employees. It was one of the toughest environments I've been in professionally, but I knew I couldn't let it stop me. When facing a setback remember this: Take time to accept it, assess what you've learned from it, and gain clarity on how to move forward.
3. Be confident in your adaptability
The most important thing to keep in mind in your career is that you're never actually starting from scratch, even if it feels like new territory. Emphasize your transferable skills from previous experiences, especially when interviewing, to show employers that you can easily adapt to any work environment.
Be confident that you can learn the specifics of a new industry reasonably quickly, too. The hardest skills to learn (and what hiring managers are looking for) will be the skills you gained from past endeavors — teamwork, problem-solving, and effective communication. These are skills that must be earned through trial and error, and they're skills that have been key in my transition to the corporate world.
My final advice is this: Don't let a four-year degree overshadow the greatest asset — life experience. My journey to CEO, as a woman in business without a college degree, has been unpredictable and full of twists and turns. However, I've been able to use my background and the lessons I've learned along the way to shape myself into the business leader I've become today.
Megan Clarken is the CEO of Criteo. She previously held numerous senior positions at Nielsen including chief commercial officer of Nielsen Global Media, president of Watch, Nielsen's Media Measurement services, and president of product leadership. Prior to Nielsen, she held senior leadership positions for large publishers and online technology providers.