2023 C-Suite Awards
Rising Star: Geralyn Hashway McGuinness Media & Marketing director of accounts and operations
GERALYN HASHWAY SOUGHT a new opportunity in the marketing realm by marketing herself.
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She had worked for jewelry maker Alex & Ani LLC for six years, but McGuinness Media & Marketing in Warwick caught her eye in 2019. Hashway subsequently sent Megan McGuinness, the marketing agency’s owner, an email asking if she could introduce herself to McGuinness.
“I sent Megan an email saying, ‘I know you don’t have any positions, but I’d love to just come in for an informational interview to learn about your company,’ ” Hashway said. “It was a fairly small team at the time – they probably had five or six employees. And I really felt like I could bring something to the company.”
Her persistence paid off. Hashway, 33, was soon hired as the agency’s first associate account director. About two years into her employment, Hashway spoke up about the possibility of a promotion. The agency was rapidly hiring and expanding its client base, and she wanted to take on more responsibility. Recognizing her contributions, McGuinness Media promoted Hashway to her current role as director of accounts and operations.
Hashway, who grew up in East Greenwich and studied public relations and journalism at Suffolk University, soon began leading day-to-day client service, managing co-workers and developing systems and processes to help the business grow. She also took a lead role in helping the agency adapt to the upheaval associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hashway says she feels empowered and supported by her mentor and boss, McGuiness, which has helped her grow. “Megan makes it a point to let me know how much she values me,” she said. “And that makes me just want to work harder.”
On the leadership side, Hashway plays a large role in interviewing and hiring candidates, as well as keeping the agency’s 20 employees engaged in their roles. One of her favorite aspects of her job is thinking of ways to make McGuiness Media a great place to work. For Employee Appreciation Day, for example, she created custom cards that listed every employee’s positive qualities, as identified and shared by their colleagues.
Another project involved creating an internal company newsletter to keep everyone notified of developments such as new clients and internal promotions.
“Coming back from the pandemic and operating under a hybrid model, we’ve been working really hard to enhance our company culture,” she said. “Coming out of COVID-19 was really difficult for so many companies, and we lost people due to the fact that we were coming back to the office.”
Hashway’s role at the agency also includes an array of internal- and external-facing responsibilities, from onboarding new employees to serving as a point person for its nearly 50 clients, including Bally’s Corp. and HarborOne Bank. In her role working with clients, Hashway helped HarborOne
Bank facilitate a spokesperson contract with New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.
“Again, as I do, I just cold emailed with agents, started a relationship and worked with them to negotiate a contract,” Hashway said. “That was huge for us as an agency. And of course, it was huge for the bank.”
McGuinness describes Hashway as her “right-hand person” at the company. “I vet all company decisions and opportunities through [Hashway] and more times than not, we end up coming to a decision together,” McGuinness said.
Shortly before Hashway joined the agency, at a time when she was feeling a little lost, she became a certified life coach. While she’s not currently pursuing that as a full-time career, Hashway carries the ideas conveyed in the training with her into her work at McGuinness Media.
“I did the certification at a time when I really needed a life coach in my own life, so I became one,” Hashway said. “Once I started here, that kind of fell to the wayside in terms of how much time I could dedicate to working with clients, but helping others achieve their goals is still something I really love and value.”
