NEWS
Meet Sarah Hackett, your Senior Vice President of Growth
- Company update
- 4 MIN READ
- Jan 29, 2025
Summary
As we continue to grow our footprint, we recognize the need for new senior leadership roles that will help us better serve our clients and partners within our expanding ecosystem. We are pleased to welcome Sarah Hackett, our new Senior Vice President of Growth to the team, who brings over twenty years of experience to Apply Digital.
We connected with Sarah to learn more about her unique experience across small and large businesses, and how she fosters a culture of trust to drive growth and value for our clients. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Apply Digital:
You bring over twenty years of investment banking, agency, and consultancies experience to Apply Digital. What drew you to growth? How have your previous roles shaped your approach?
Sarah Hackett:
I like growth because it’s about people, and I really like people. Growth involves a bit of everything: you’ve got to know how to bring everyone along on the journey with you, so they can see the value you can create together. Whether it’s about processes or the culture itself, I believe that growth is as much an internal job as it is an external one.
I started my career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs, where I learned about the importance of working towards a common goal. It was that kind of real grounding in commercial acumen — we focussed on results, proven track records, and solving business challenges together — that excited me. During my time there, I worked for the Goldman Sachs Foundation that offered different programs that invested in small business; I managed that across UK and Africa for them. An incredible way to learn!
I eventually moved to one of the small businesses (a digital agency) I had previously managed in my Goldman Sachs portfolio, where I helped position it to sell. Being able to come in and build strategy, structure, and processes when it came to new business, growth, marketing, and client sales was really so much fun.
Working in a small business, working in a massive corporation, along with playing a leading role in two acquisitions along the way…the breadth and depth of my experience are quite unusual, and I think it's a value-add I bring to the team. One lesson I learned from my experience is that it really is about what you're saying and the value that you're adding. Keeping the value exchange that you're having with the client or the prospects at the core is key to building trust and creating change.
I like growth because it’s about people, and I really like people. Growth involves a bit of everything: you’ve got to know how to bring everyone along on the journey with you, so they can see the value you can create together.
Apply Digital:
How do you foster a culture of trust to drive growth?
Sarah Hackett:
A good idea can come from anywhere, no matter how much experience you have. I aim to create a space where people feel confident sharing ideas and working together to navigate the inevitable highs and lows of solving complex business problems.
Whether I’m working with internal teams or clients, here are three key habits I encourage in every interaction:
Approach conversations with openness and transparency. It creates the space for people to feel confident to speak authentically. I use confidence and transparency to build trust, which is key to creating fantastic relationships with clients and partners.
Address the elephant in the room, whatever that may be, and turn it into a strength. It’s better to own the narrative and set the tone. That way, you can clarify expectations and create space for alignment.
Look for diverse voices. A different perspective can be highly effective in achieving outstanding results. That energy of valuing different ideas, especially when combined with a humble attitude, is particularly important when creating strategic change.
Apply Digital:
What do you wish more people understood about growth?
Sarah Hackett:
One of the best pieces of advice I was given is “say less.” A crucial element to growth is listening: 75% of every meeting should be active listening. This practice gives you a chance to understand the problem and pain points. Only once you’ve clarified the problem can you truly offer the best value exchange. And that’s key to building trust to drive growth.
As a final thought, I want to share that I’m excited to join the talented team at Apply Digital. I look forward to collaborating with our amazing clients to solve complex problems and drive sustainable growth together.
Welcome to the team, Sarah. We look forward to working together to drive impact for our clients. To connect with Sarah or learn more about Apply Digital, please reach out to us at hello@applydigital.com.
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