Neurodiverse people bring a different perspective and way of working to marketing departments and organisations as a whole. But, there’s still some stigma attached to talking about this openly and it’s not as obvious how brands can tap into their potential, according to Cate McVeigh, European Senior Marketing Analytics Manager at Mars.

The reason Cate has chosen neurodiversity as her Shiny New Object is that there is a shift going on in the media around ADHD and diversity from this point of view. There are also lots of marketing and advertising professionals that are neuro diverse - but may don’t talk about it openly. In her view, it can be a superpower.

ADHD as a superpower

Working to deadlines and chunking projects to giver her direction makes Cate perform the best. On the podcast, she tells us why “deadlines are like a motor sitting underneath [her]” making her extremely efficient. To unlock this power, she has learnt that she needs to be transparent with her colleagues and explain what makes her productive and happy in the workplace.

The importance of psychological safety

ADHD and neurodiversity are not as “new” as they once were, but, unfortunately, there is still a degree of stigma or misunderstanding linked to them. This is why Cate thinks it’s important that workplaces and leaders create a climate of psychological safety, where people can not only share their condition, but also discuss freely how other can work with them and make the most of their talents.

Tune in to the full episode to learn more about the link between neurodiversity and marketing performance, plus get Cate’s top data driven marketing tip.

The host of the Shiny New Object podcast is Tom Ollerton, founder of Automated Creative.