Congratulations to Bospar’s Account Supervisor Cara Fender, voted by her peers as May’s “Bospartan of the Month, Baby” (B.O.M.B.). Cara approaches everything with a smile and a can-do attitude. Find out more about what made her switch from her childhood dream of becoming a marine biologist to taking a deep dive into technology media relations.
What industries/technologies are you most excited about?
I’m most excited about our fintech clients at Bospar and the exciting work they are doing in payments, banking, crypto, and insurtech. It’s not an industry I expected to find myself in, as numbers have never been my strong suit, but I love how much innovation is happening in this space right now. There’s a lot of truth in Plaid’s statement a few years back that “every company is a fintech company,” as more and more companies, from Apple to Meta, are looking for ways to be involved in financial processes and, ultimately, to benefit us, the consumers.
Tell us about a recent win on behalf of a Bospar client.
Anytime our clients are pleased with the outcome of a particular initiative, it’s a win in my book. One recent instance is a Wall Street Journal story for our insurtech client Parametrix. It sticks out to me because it’s a perfect example of relationship-centric media outreach. As a direct result of introductory pitching that led to an open-ended conversation with Parametrix, the WSJ did an in-depth feature story. This emphasizes the importance of getting to know your media audience and their interests and then communicating with them on a personal level.
What was your dream job as a youngster?
Marine biologist. And, even more specifically (according to my mother), a dolphin trainer. I think I’m much better suited for PR!
Who is your professional role model, and why?
I’m inspired by all of my Bospar colleagues each day and their smarts, enthusiasm and genuine commitment to each other and our industry.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Something that gets me through my hardest days, both personally and professionally, is, “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” I can remember my parents saying this to me growing up and it still reminds me to do my best work in everything I can. There is no limit to what I set my mind to, and at the same time I must remember not to take on more than I can reasonably handle. That’s really important in PR, and it’s why you need to surround yourself with good mentors, clients and colleagues. Because we’re all on the same team, together we can do anything.
When you’re not working, where might we find you?
Ideally, on the water somewhere with my husband and our golden retriever Peach. If that’s not possible, the backyard will do!
