Published on Career Center on ClassifiedPost.com
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Disney's queen of all trades

Published on
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Written by
Rick Gangwani [1]

As executive counsel of Disney's Asia-Pacific channels and media distribution team - a job that often sees her jetting across the region - it's hard to imagine that Bobbi Campbell has time for much else in her life.

Nevertheless, the seasoned attorney, who recently gave birth to her first child, continues to make room for friends, family, yoga and her flourishing organisation, Women Media Networks, which she founded in 2008.

"A lot of people feel that you can't do everything and can't have everything. But I think you can," Campbell says. "It's just a matter of being realistic and deciding how you have it. It's about prioritising and delegating."

In her capacity at Disney, Campbell oversees a team of lawyers operating across the region. The scope of their duties spans a broad range of areas - from contract negotiation to intellectual property - a sizeable portfolio that sometimes requires her to be a "jack of all trades" as she puts it. In terms of splitting her time among the segments, Campbell notes that it's largely about allocating the right amount of resources where needed.

"There are certain regions that, every now and again, require a lot more support than others," she says. "Australia, for example, is a very sophisticated jurisdiction, so it may not necessitate as much support as, say, Southeast Asia would."

As for stress, Campbell says it really all comes down to managing expectations. "If there's one thing I've learned in my career, it's that once you can manage people's expectations, you can eventually get to a point where you're comfortable with spreading yourself."

While she hasn't encountered any specific challenges pertaining to her gender per se, Campbell does feel that women approach their careers differently compared with men. "That's sort of why I started Women Media Networks. We have a different way of thinking about things," she says.

"At the end of the day, women don't want to go off and sit in a bar and network over a few drinks. They want to go home to see their family, see their husbands. With Women Media Networks, we try to provide a support network that recognises that."

As such, the organisation usually hosts mostly breakfast or lunch