Meet the team: Q&A with Jigsaw’s Managing Director, Katie Cannon

There has been a lot going on at Jigsaw this year with its acquisition by Tillo, so we sat down with Managing Director, Katie Cannon, to talk about everything that’s happened (and more). 

Katie has been at Jigsaw for over eight years and is so passionate about what she does. She loves her job, and she loves working in the gift card industry, read on to find out why.

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I live with my husband, my dog, and my cat. I really love what I do, so even in my personal life, I talk about work a lot! Outside of work, I love singing and amateur dramatics; it’s always been a big part of my life, and I even started studying it at university. 

What drew you to the gift card industry?

Honestly, I kind of just fell into it, I had no idea the gift card industry existed. Initially, the draw was more certainty and challenge in a role as my organisation was undergoing a restructure; the founder of Jigsaw (John), reached out to me on LinkedIn and asked me if I would be interested in a career change. 

I’m not usually someone who would jump at a risky career move, but he was so passionate about what he was building, so I went for it. I couldn’t imagine myself working anywhere else now. There’s constant innovation in the industry, which means it’s always exciting. 

Can you tell us a bit about your career path? 

🎭  Started at drama school: Kicked off my journey at drama school for two years, but soon realized acting wasn't my future.

🎓  Studied PR at University: Switched gears to study PR with Events Management and Marketing at university—thanks to drama school, I was already a pro at presentations and pitches.

🏦  First job at Lloyds Bank: Jumped into the workforce as a cashier at Lloyds Bank, gaining experience and keeping the bills paid.

📈  Climbed to Branch Manager: Worked my way up over six years to become a Branch Manager—learning a ton along the way.

🤝  Tried my hand as an Executive Assistant: Took on a role at the head office as an Executive Assistant to one of the directors, but quickly realized it wasn’t where my passion lay.

🧩  Opportunity knocked at Jigsaw: Amidst changes at Lloyds, I was approached by John, Jigsaw’s founder, on LinkedIn, which led to an exciting new chapter.

💡  Became Head of Operations at Jigsaw: Joined Jigsaw as Head of Operations—when the team was just three people!

🎯  Promoted to Client Director: My love for working with clients and pitching led to a promotion to Client Director—where I really found my stride.

🚀  Stepped up as Managing Director: Took on the role of Managing Director, pouring my heart into Jigsaw and our incredible clients, while closely partnering with Tillo.

How has becoming a part of Tillo changed your role?

The whole way through my career at Jigsaw, I’ve worked really closely with Tillo. So, when it came to the acquisition, it made perfect sense as the businesses complement each other so well. The acquisition has given me a whole new opportunity to learn and work with different people. I can’t wait to see what happens next. 

What does a typical day or week look like for you?

This has shifted significantly since the acquisition. With Jigsaw still being a smaller business, there were still bits I was dipping my foot into that I probably shouldn’t have been. Now, my role is to lead the team and grow the business. I manage Jigsaw as its own business so it’s important I’m able to report back to my peers in the Senior Leadership Team on the success and challenges I am seeing.

I spend a lot of time with my team and everyone who reports to me in 121’s. I’m also working very closely with our Business Development Director for now whilst we build our pipeline and attending pitches as we’ve switched to a brand focus (rather than buyer). There’s been a lot of change with the teams in terms of restructuring, so recently a lot of my time has gone into making sure that is working. Mostly, it’s staying in touch with stakeholders. I’m shifting into a more forward-looking and planned approach now, which is great. 

What advice do you have for someone who wants to do what you do?

🔑  Self awareness is key. Work on your own emotional intelligence because so much of my role is working with people and knowing how different people work, because you can’t manage everyone in the same way. You need to know what drives people, what motivates them, and how you can support them. You also need to have a good understanding of yourself. 

🧠  Relinquish control. Trust your team. You can’t know and do everything and that’s okay. 

💜  Self belief. Impostor syndrome can be such a big thing for people, but it’s really important to remind yourself of how far you’ve come and that you deserve to be there.

📖  Don’t stop learning. Surround yourself with people who push you to be better and keep you learning. Don’t worry about making mistakes - every failure is just a new learning. “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.”