Each week Bristol Business News gives a prominent member of the city’s business community the last word on its weekly e-bulletin. This week Kate Sikora, managing director of digital marketing agency Noble Performs, answers our 10 questions.
What was the LAST: 
Film you watched? My husband and I watched Elvis a couple of weeks ago. It was a tragic depiction of his life and we were both surprised by how little we knew about Elvis and his heart-breaking demise. It was good to see Tom Hanks stepping into a different type of role – the Colonel was such a dark and complex character.
Book you read? My team often laugh at my long-standing crush on Matthew McConaughey. Probably spans a good 20 years by now. Anyway, I couldn’t have been more delighted when he released his autobiography Greenlights rich with scenes from his childhood to adulthood. Yes, I read the whole book in his voice in my head too – swoon.
Music you bought/downloaded? A few older albums have been having a bit of revival recently and one in particular is Texas and their album White on Blonde. Some cracking songs to sing very loudly in the car.
Concert or play you went to? Oh gosh, Stick Man with my little two-year-old girl. She absolutely loved it. I was curious to see how they were going to re-create the story on the stage and, without ruining it, it was really well done. Gearing up for more Julia Donaldson this Christmas.
Sporting event you attended? My husband and I were invited along to watch the mighty Bristol Bears with one of our fantastic clients at Ashton Gate. Such a great venue and it was great to see the Bears win.
Holiday you went on? We escaped to Pisa, Florence and Siena earlier this year and spent a glorious few days in a vineyard farmhouse in the country just outside of Siena. It was truly stunning. We ate in an incredible Michelin restaurant and the chef really took to my two-year-old – ended up giving her one of her pans – future chef!
Restaurant you ate in? I took the team out to lunch at the Quay Street Diner which is a stone’s throw from our new offices. They have a really good selection of American/Mexican food and their buttermilk tacos are soooo good. They also sell Sierra Nevada beer, which reminds me of Reno, Nevada, where the Noble US head office is.
Thing that annoyed you? We recently remodelled most of our downstairs at home, which included the addition of a downstairs loo! Hooray! When the builder plumbed my new toilet, he did so with the hot water pipe by accident… I was not very amused!
Thing that made you laugh out loud? Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend the global meet up for our agency network, Taan, in Toronto, Canada. It is always such a nurturing time, where agency owners are able to laugh and cry about all the challenges and success in the last year. I honestly couldn’t tell you what exactly made me laugh, but I do know there were some serious belly laughs by all – and it felt so good
Piece of good advice you were given? ‘There is a no in every yes. What are you sacrificing.’ This is one I am consistently working on. But every time I start to say yes, I now pause to ask myself what is going to be sacrificed – and, if it something important to me, or if it is moving a boundary that is there for a reason, it helps me to remember I can’t do everything, and that no is as viable a response.
Kate Sikora is managing director of Noble Performs, a performance marketing agency based in Bristol that specialises in search, display and social marketing. She’s always striving to ‘Be Better Every Day’ and heads up a team of equally passionate marketers to deliver results for their growing list of European clients. After earning her bachelor’s degree in English from Lancaster University, Kate achieved a master’s in journalism from the University of Nevada Reno. After almost six years at Noble Studios in the US, Kate moved back across the pond to establish Noble’s UK branch. She is a regular guest speaker at industry conferences and training events across Europe and the US. In her spare time, Kate enjoys running, yoga, and family days out with her husband and young daughter.
