Leading With Passion: Meet Bethany Sanker

Of course. My career has spanned about 23 years, mostly in building products, construction or related sectors. I started on the agency side. In those early days, I managed accounts for brands like Coors, AutoTrader, Home Depot Canada and James Hardie Building Products. 

Eventually, I realized my strengths were better suited to business-oriented roles, so I transitioned into corporate America for over 13 years. Most recently I was VP of Marketing at Aeroseal, an HVAC startup, where I established its elevated brand, implemented measurement systems, drove PR and content strategies and launched its growth marketing program. Throughout my time in building products, I hired and watched talented people grow into senior leaders, learned from experienced mentors and gained valuable insights from partners, contractors, builders and architects.

Now, in my current role at Interrupt, I help clients address challenges, develop strategic marketing plans and turn marketing efforts into a meaningful business impact.

I’m proud of having progressed to leadership roles and companies large and small. I’m proud of leading groups of really talented people through times of company transformation. And I’m most proud watching people I’ve hired, mentored and helped develop succeed.

I’ve had to become very flexible and resourceful as I’ve taken on many different and challenging roles between different companies. Change was difficult at times, but I learned I thrive in fast-paced environments with lots of moving parts, and that I have a passion for building strategic frameworks, organizing teams and leading executions.

The change from agency to client-side corporate was a huge step forward for me as it accelerated my business knowledge, commercial experience and corporate progression. I’d say similarly, my recent shift back to an agency leadership role now allows me to take all of my background and experience and provide guidance to clients facing the problems I’ve dealt with in my past roles.

Yes, both subtle and blatant. It’s hard to know unless it’s obvious. While my experiences are isolated, I have encountered situations where my presence was questioned, such as being asked by a contractor (customer) if I was at an event because I was someone's wife. In these instances, I focus on maintaining professionalism and addressing questions objectively. I also recognize that unconscious biases exist and do my best to present alternative ways of thinking and try not to assume malicious intent.

My experience has generally been positive thanks to the great people I've worked with and the corporate cultures established by leadership. I appreciate that this industry allows me to be authentic, and it gets easier with maturity. The main challenges related to authenticity have involved finding my voice in senior leadership, managing work-life balance and combining my own personal development needs with coaching my teams.

Yes to both. In my experience, women are more represented in corporate/professional roles than in field and trades roles. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for example shows that women are most concentrated in office/administrative and professional roles, with far fewer in construction and extraction jobs.

I’ve seen marketing teams grow and shift from sales extensions to valuable functions within organizations, often retaining more women than men. I’ve seen some companies with internal management programs that give people opportunities for exposure, mentoring and leadership training, which can help diversify the areas women populate. 

Separately, promoting trade school as well as traditionally male-oriented majors as respectable options for women could help address this gap, especially given the ongoing demand for skilled workers.

I like seeing continued growth in women moving into bigger scopes and leadership tracks. At the same time, it is still relatively uncommon to see women in the most commercially visible roles, especially those where customer-facing credibility has traditionally been associated with a very male profile.

Broad perspectives, in any setting, enhance firm growth and innovation. Rather than focusing on gender differences, organizations should prioritize equality, equity and inclusion to ensure the best ideas and strategies emerge. All groups, genders, races and personalities bring valuable strengths.

I’m optimistic about the pipeline. I’m seeing more women coming into adjacent disciplines like analytics, CX, product management, sustainability and technology, then moving into leadership tracks in building products and construction. That cross-functional mix is exactly what modern organizations need to grow.

Learn the commercial engine of your business early: how money is made, how margin moves, what drives share and what the customer actually values. In this industry, credibility compounds when you can connect marketing, product and strategy to real commercial outcomes.

I wish someone would have told me to approach mentors early. I am very independent and regret not seeking out more support, guidance and feedback in my beginning years.

In my mind, the most inspiring leaders are those who:

·    Have a vision and communicate it clearly, consistently, confidently
·    Treat others with respect
·    Develop strategy and make execution decisions
·    Hold themselves as well as their teams accountable

It was my pleasure, thanks for the opportunity to share.