Meet Jessi Manansala, Account Manager/Team Lead

What is your role, and how did you get there?

As an Account Manager and Team Lead, my role is to act as the bridge between our talented team and our valued clients. I represent Ortus both internally, coordinating with our various departments, and externally, interfacing directly with clients to ensure their event marketing needs are met with excellence.

My journey to this position was an organic progression within the company. I started out as a Project Coordinator, getting my feet wet with the nuts and bolts of event operations. As I gained more experience, I advanced to Assistant Team Lead and then Team Lead roles, respectively, honing my leadership abilities. The opportunity to become an Account Manager then allowed me to fuse my operations expertise with direct client relations.

With my hands-on experience powering world-class events, I now lead a team of highly skilled professionals dedicated to making each client’s vision and goals a reality. My path has given me an inside-out understanding of what it takes to deliver an extraordinary event experience.

How did you decide to join The Ortus Club?

For me, the decision to join The Ortus Club was driven by my passion for building meaningful relationships and the company’s people-centric mission that resonated deeply with my own values. I knew I could not only contribute meaningfully to building opportunities for collaboration but become a better leader by embracing them as well.

I thrive in an environment where building connections is put at the forefront— working with the team, clients, emcees, guests, and everyone involved in the event experience has been such a pleasure.

Being able to play a part in the incredible learning experiences that occur at each Ortus event is also a privilege. Every occasion we host is an explosion of insights from executives at the pinnacles of their careers and impressive roles across all sectors of society. For someone always seeking to grow, the opportunity to soak up that collective wisdom and implement it into my own professional journey is invaluable.

What’s one achievement you are particularly proud of?

One of the achievements I’m most proud of during my tenure at Ortus Events is the vital role I’ve played in fostering the growth and development of my team members’ careers. Helping others reach their full potential and building trusting relationships with our clients is incredibly rewarding.

Over the years, I’ve had the honour of mentoring coordinators and assistant leads, imparting the event marketing expertise I’ve gathered to help shape them into confident leaders in their own right. Watching them take on more responsibilities, solve complex challenges, and flourish into essential team members has been immensely gratifying.

Equally rewarding has been the deep relationships of trust I’ve cultivated with our prestigious clients. By being a consistent and attentive partner, I’ve been able to gain insights into their unique needs and tailor our approach to exceed their expectations event after event. Those hard-earned bonds are a point of pride.

Who are some of the clients that you work with?

Over the years, I’ve had the immense privilege of partnering with an impressive roster of clients across diverse industries – AWS, Visa, Ekata, Terrascope, Bright Data, Zoho, Ping Identity, and Flutterflow, just to name a few. Most of our clients are amongst the largest companies in the world, and it’s humbling to be able to be part of their marketing strategies and business development.

In your experience, why do clients choose to work with The Ortus Club?

The most common feedback I get from clients that I think truly differentiates us is really the incomparable experience they get from our team, how friendly, reliable, and responsive everyone at Ortus is, specifically our ability to seamlessly execute complex events so that our clients can focus solely on the outcome. From a more tangible perspective, many of our clients also appreciate the unique opportunity we create to gather unfiltered insights directly from their target audience through our curated insights and case studies, survey reports, and the actual discussion during the event. All this, as well as the fact that we take on the most challenging part of event management, which is the outreach, email marketing, retention, and overall guesting, requires a lot more technical expertise than ever before.

What is your Ortus superpower?

If I had to name one superpower, it would probably be my adaptability. I’ve had the opportunity to take on numerous responsibilities, and with each new position, I was able to rapidly adapt in the role to start delivering quality results within just weeks or months.

Being able to change my mindset, apply myself, and consistently perform well, no matter the role is a skill that I something that I’ve proudly worked on from my past experiences! Whether interacting with C-suite executives, event guests, or vendors, I seamlessly adapt my communication style to ensure every interaction is productive and positive. One moment I’m handling operational logistics, and the next, I’m taking a call to meet partners. It can take quite a toll sometimes, but it’s nothing that a fun after-work hangout with my team can’t fix!

When you’re not at work, how do you spend your time?

Outside of my work at Ortus, I make time to unwind through a few enjoyable hobbies. Gaming, specifically Valorant’s competitive scene, provides an adrenaline-fueled outlet. For more physical activity, I take to the roads and trails for my morning runs. I also love being in social outings like karaoke nights to connect with my friends! For my quieter interests, I love going on shopping trips or lounging at home with the latest shows and movies. These pastimes allow me to recharge and maintain a balanced lifestyle away from the office.

What are you most excited about thinking of the future of The Ortus Club?

I’m really excited about our ability to keep reimagining event experiences and pushing the boundaries to gain more insightful conversations between industry experts. Our recent efforts in hosting tailored events for our valued clients showcased our innovative mindset. Beyond flawless execution, curating bespoke experiences for our guests positioned us as an industry-leading partner for companies looking to find more growth.

Our team loves pursuing new ideas, whether it’s finding unique ways to connect industry leaders with new platforms, exploring and featuring stunning venues worldwide, or further developing our expertise as event marketing pioneers. By absorbing and sharing insights shared during our event discussions, we stay ahead of industry trends and shape the future needs of the companies we work with.