In the High Flyers spotlight this week is Catherine McLaughlin, marketing manager at Blk Box in Belfast
What was your first job?
It was teaching sailing in my local yacht club in Cushendall. I was 10 years old and thought I was the luckiest girl in the world. Looking back, I really was.
What qualifications do you have?
An MSc marketing degree from University of Ulster and ILM level 3 in leadership and management. I am also a qualified personal trainer, pilates instructor and RYA senior dinghy instructor.
What do you attribute your success to?
Hard work, passion, consistency and surrounding myself with the right people.
How would you describe yourself to someone who’d never met you?
Hard working, enthusiastic and a home bird. Most definitely a home bird.
Who do you look up to in business?
My father, Tom McLaughlin. He could have gone back to school at 16, but instead bought a book on how to build a boat. Dad founded Red Bay Boats in Cushendall over 40 years ago, that has built over 1000 boats across 30 different countries around the world. He sees his work as a hobby, and in my eyes, that is the secret.
How do you get the best out of people who work for you?
Let people know they’re being heard. It sounds simple, but it’s something many of us can forget to exercise. People want to know someone is listening—really listening.
If you could change one thing about doing business in Northern Ireland, what would it be?
I believe businesses in Northern Ireland shy away from celebrating their own successes. I am an avid listener to the Best of Belfast podcast and blown away by how well-known companies are on a global scale, yet we know very little about them.
What website or app could you not do without?
Spotify. 2020 has made me realise how important a part of my daily routine music and podcasts are.
What was the last book you read?
Traction by Gino Wickman. Our management team was tasked with reading this book and it outlines a powerful yet simple operating framework for businesses to set goals and achieve them.
What car do you drive?
I finally grew out of the Volkswagen Polo after about five difference models and now drive a Mercedes A class.
Tell us something interesting about yourself?
I have my own personal training brand called CFIT alongside my full-time role within Blk Box. It has been going for just over eight years.
What’s your greatest passion outside work and family?
The west coast of Scotland. Having grown up surrounded by boats, I spent my childhood on Jura and Gigha island and the smell of whisky and sound of bagpipes sparks great memories for me.
