Career summary

Jessica Box completed her Bachelor of Performing Arts at Monash University in 2011, receiving the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence. After graduating, she completed her Master of Communications with Distinction. Jessica began working as a brand and marketing director for the next decade, where she built relationships with brands such as Lexus, Australia Post and Sportsgirl. She initiated business ventures and Victorian funded start-ups, including Melbourne’s Silicon Block Party. Jessica is now Head of Growth at the international organisation Linktree and Australia’s Managing Director for the global non-profit Girls in Tech. She also remains a member of the Victorian Innovation Taskforce.

Career pathway

2020 – Head of Growth, Linktree
2020 – Member, Victorian Innovation Taskforce
2018 – Managing Director, Girls in Tech Australia
2018 – Marketing & Growth Director, Finch
2017 – Growth Consultant, Finch
2018 – Startup Advisor (BlueChilli Xcelerate), Coca-Cola Amatil
2017 – Head of Marketing, IE Company
2015 – Co-Creator, Silicon Block
2014 – Marketing Director, BottledSnail Productions
2013 – Brand & Marketing Manager / Product Owner, IE Company
2012 – Public Relations Coordinator, Oglivy
2012 – Contributing Writer, Laneway Magazine
2012 – Master of Communication, RMIT
2009 – Bachelor of Performing Arts (Drama & Theatre Studies, Performance), Monash University

Why did you choose to do a Bachelor of Performing Arts at Monash?

I wanted to lean into an area I knew I was passionate about and that I was going to enjoy. Way back when I was five years old, I started dancing and performing so I always had a passion for being creative and for performance as an outlet.

I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do when applications were due in my final year of high school and Monash’s Bachelor of Performing Arts was really flexible. Monash’s performing arts program was of the highest calibre, and I also appreciated that you could pick other parts of the Arts degree to be involved in. I majored in international studies as well, so I was getting a hybrid view of all my different interests.

What are your current roles at Linktree and Girls in Tech?

At Linktree, I am the Head of Growth. This means I am responsible for the expansion of the product as well as new customers coming on board. It is a combination of data driven decision making and being creative and trying to find opportunities in different markets. Linktree is well-established in the US and because I have had experience in a range of different start-ups, I am one of the few people that are in a senior growth position in Australia.

As for Girls in Tech, I am the Managing Director for Australia. Girls in Tech is a global non-profit organisation with 52 chapters around the world. I head up the Australian chapter with a board of six people and a volunteer community of 120 across Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. The goal of the organisation is to engage, inspire and connect women into high-tech roles, which is something that I am really passionate about.

What attributes did you learn during your Bachelor of Performing Arts?

Everything that I learned during my Bachelor of Performing Arts forms the basis of my leadership style. I would say I already had a strong EQ (Emotional Intelligence), but I learnt more about how to tap into it through the degree.

I acquired the three pillars of my leadership practice whilst doing this degree. Through doing the Bachelor of Performing Arts, I learnt how to listen. It taught me to take the time to hear others and to be really considered in how you build relationships with people. The degree also helped me to be in touch with emotions and to be empathetic. Leading with empathy is crucial in this industry.

The third part is the importance of communication and storytelling. Understanding the mechanics of good storytelling definitely came through in performing arts. I do a lot of presenting and podcasts where you have to think about the narrative arc of what you’re going to tell, and how you’re going to say things. Through building your own stories and writing your own plays or characters you can think about the same sort of structure. I wouldn’t have the skill to do this without my performing arts degree.

Has your Bachelor of Performing Arts contributed to your success in the tech industry?

My Bachelor of Performing Arts gave me a different view of the different types of creativity. I can be innovative in selecting a tool or a system that can best suit our team to improve productivity.

For example, when I did Silicon Block - which was a community I created while I was at the tech consulting company IE - I had to design an experience for people that was going to create a certain atmosphere and facilitate connections. I was able to apply a lot of the building blocks of creativity into designing an experience that scaled up to having 1000 people attend and building a very close community for tech in Victoria.

What allowed you to pursue a career in tech?

While I was studying, I worked full time across different companies and publications to gain an understanding about what companies really do and the processes, tools and systems they use. Internships and experience are intrinsic to succeeding in any industry, but particularly in tech.

I got these positions through working really hard and I didn't take no for an answer. I figured out how to structure an email or conversation with someone where you would get a response, which meant I got some pretty cool opportunities, such as running content for a digital publication.

I also think tech companies are really good at allowing junior people to work their way up. They also have the time and space to utilise mentoring and allow people to learn through on the job experience, which is where the basis of my career formed.

What has been your greatest achievement after leaving university?

I am still really humbled by being a finalist in Google’s Women Leading Tech awards this year. I was proud because of the actual category, which was mentoring. I've ended up in leadership positions because of supporting and bringing everyone up and forward, spotlighting their achievements and making everyone own their success. I'm very passionate about that, so it's awesome to be recognised for it in an industry-wide level.

What advice do you have for students and graduates who want to experience similar success?

Being okay with asking for things is really important. Also, be okay with being knocked back. The resilience you build is almost as important as the response that you get. You will get knocked back even once you enter a company, so understanding how to adapt to that and to be okay with it is crucial.

I also think that you should always be learning, particularly in tech. This is a skill that was really emphasised in my Arts degree. Things are changing all the time, whether it's a new company coming out to challenge an existing infrastructure or whether it's a particular function of a business that didn't exist before that's growing or budding.