Nina Skyrud, Search Manager
It was a sliding doors moment that saw Nina leave Norway – and Europe - for the sunny shores of Wollongong.
Looking to study her master’s abroad, she always assumed she’d go to London until a friend convinced her to join her at the University of Wollongong, just south of Sydney. While her friend pulled out at the last minute, Nina saw her commitment through and is still here more than seven years later.
Nina began studying her master’s degree in strategic marketing and management, while offering social media management and content production services on the side. After graduating, she joined a Sydney-based digital marketing agency where she worked in Search and Account Management before starting at Connected.
Nina is officially Connected’s longest running team member, having joined just after founders Laura and Josh had leased their first office. Nina was brought onboard to help grow the Search arm with Josh taking her under his wing. In the next few years, the business grew fast, and Nina worked as both Search Coordinator and Account Manager.
Personal circumstances saw Nina move back to Norway for two years, where she continued to work with Connected for a period, before two stints at Norwegian agencies. Soon after moving back to Australia at the start of the pandemic, Nina was welcomed back to Connected and helped with different projects before getting back to her Search roots.
“Laura and Josh have created this dynamic, flexible culture and I was really stoked to come back to that,” said Nina.
As our Search Manager, Nina works across new client onboarding and SEM team management, while also managing SEM clients such as IMB.
“The people are what make Connected such a great place to work. Laura and Josh have put together an amazing team, who they aren’t afraid to showcase when meeting with potential new clients. I love the mix of experience and personalities combined with a transparent culture where we all go above and beyond”.
5 fast facts about Nina
Nina made it back to Australia just before the borders shut at the start of the pandemic, making her one of the first people to stay in hotel quarantine. She didn’t know what to expect, but did manage to keep her exercise routine up, even clocking 3km on one of her ‘runs’ back and forth across her hotel room.
Her biggest surprise about life in Australia is the sheer amount of birds she comes across in her day-to-day life. To help manage this, she avoids running outdoors in peak magpie season during spring.
Her favourite Norwegian food is waffles. Not to be confused with Belgian waffles, Nina’s Norwegian waffles are made of a pancake-like batter that’s topped with sour cream, jam and brown cheese that has a caramel-like taste. She occasionally makes them for the office.
As a lover of learning, Nina is an avid podcast consumer and listens to them whenever she has the chance. Her current picks include Offline, Who What Why, and several Norwegian comedy series.
A creative at heart, Nina is an ex-dancer (of jazz, modern, ballet and more), styling enthusiast, and occasional photographer. Still life photography is her favourite form, with flowers and nature as her favourite subjects.
