November Member Profile: Courtnie Watson
In celebration of Financial Literacy Month, we are pleased to highlight Courtnie Watson as our November Member Profile.
Courtnie Watson is the Senior Manager, Social Marketing Platforms at RBC. Her main responsibility is managing the middleware technology that supports RBC’s social media programs -- a nuanced role that her highly specialized skills and years of experience allow her to perform with ease.
Courtnie was raised in Jamaica, and is very proud of her heritage. This is also where she was first introduced to social media marketing in financial institutions, through community management and digital marketing. As she sharpened her skillset in various social media roles, she began to focus on compliance and third party platforms, making her a highly attractive candidate in the industry. Courtnie eventually landed her current role at RBC due to her unique understanding of this niche, strong business acumen, and proven knowledge of social best practices in the financial industry.
Courtnie advises other Black women who want to be successful in marketing to know their interests, find people within that space, and build a strong network. “It’s important to have people who are willing to vouch for you, and mention you in rooms you’re not in.”
In 2020 when racial upheaval in the US further uncovered the atrocities Black people continue to face, it caused a ripple effect that revealed the inequalities in the marketing sector. Courtnie was glad to see The Standard take initiative in carving a space for Black women in marketing to let our voices be heard. “I admire The Standard for banding together and saying ‘we are here, we’ve always been here, and we’re doing important work both in the boardroom and in our communities. Don’t count us out.’” She finds The Standard’s mission to be extremely important and is glad to be a part of it.
Courtnie learned about budgeting at an early age, when she'd receive an allowance for shopping trips. She recalls her parents saying "you can buy anything you want, but when the money is done, that's it". Courtnie grew up understanding the importance of personal financial literacy, and she encourages other Black women to learn as much as possible about saving, investing, credit, and taxes. “It takes cash to care, and saving is important but it won't make you rich. What’s more important is increasing your income, so never be complacent. Push yourself to seek out new opportunities, always negotiate your salary, and try to have multiple streams of income. A good place to start is to create some long term goals, and work backwards. Ask yourself, what kind of life do I want to live, and what does that look like? How can I get there? That’s where the financial planning begins.”
Outside of her role at RBC, Courtnie describes herself as a lifelong learner, snagging her CSPO certification in 2020, studying Multimedia Storytelling at U of T the year before, and completing the inaugural Business of Cannabis course at Ryerson University in 2018. She also enjoys DJingdance and electronic music. Courtnie is a dog mom to Tuesday the pomchi, a Pisces (which can be attributed to her diverse talents and interests), and an aspiring novelist currently working on her first project.
Follow Courtnie on LinkedIn and Instagram to see what she’ll get into next.
If you know a Black woman killing it in the marketing game, send a note to info@canadianblackstandard.com and we’ll do our best to profile them in the future.