My name is Ellie Cotterill, and I am currently a Social Media Assistant at Toyota GB.

I attended Newquay Tretherras 2015-2020 and NT Sixth Form 2020-2022.

I completed my Year 10 work experience at an Estate Agents in Newquay.

I started a Dual Honours Undergraduate Degree in Business and Psychology at Keele University in September 2022 after completing my A-Levels. During my degree I have gained experience and understanding in how psychology and business organically interact, and how consumer behaviour and cognitive thinking are particularly relevant in the marketing field. As someone who had never known what direction I wanted my career to take, I started to explore the elements of my university course that I was interested in, as well as focusing on my personal aptitudes, and what I wanted out of a career: creativity, flexibility and team working.

I am now working in a placement as a Social Media Assistant at Toyota GB (TGB) in Epsom, Surrey. As a part of the Content Team, I am lucky enough to work with both Toyota and Lexus brands on a wide variety of projects.

My job requires me to collaborate and communicate with different departments from all over the company and there are never two days that are the same. I get to participate in content planning, go on photoshoots, attend events, be a leader of content projects, aid in the editing and scheduling of social media posting, report and analyse performance analytics, and review and personally manage/co-manage multiple content platforms including Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube. I am also a member of the Influencer Team at Lexus and get to work alongside high-profile influencers to plan and action content collaborations – a role that recently got me invited to London Fashion Week.

I am fortunate that my job frequently takes me out of office. Meeting with professionals who work for different social platforms at their HQs across London, going on location for photoshoots, travelling for conferences or meetings, and (of course) driving around in some really amazing cars! Another bonus of working within the TGB network is also that there is a culture embedded throughout the company that encourages learning across departments, so not only do I get to do my job, but I can oversee and be involved with what other teams are doing and gain a wide understanding of roles, exploring potential future opportunities in other departments.

After completing my placement, and my university degree, I aspire to either return to TGB in one of the graduate opportunities that they have available or take the skills that I have learnt here into another social media management or marketing opportunity.