Lindsey Toth is an experienced strategic market leader. She is an expert in digital marketing, establishing new brands, and revitalizing heritage business. After receiving her B.S. dual degree in Nutritional Science & Dietetics from Michigan State University, Lindsey Toth got her M.S. in Clinical Nutrition and Communication from Tufts University. She also finished her dietetic internship at the Tufts Medical Center.
We got a chance to interview Lindsey Toth about her career journey.
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In just a few sentences, please tell us about your current job/vocational endeavor.
I’m currently a Director of Global Marketing at Lonza, leading strategic marketing for their nutrition products and services. Lonza is the preferred global partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech, and nutrition markets. We focus on enabling treatments that prevent illness and support healthier lifestyles—for instance, we made the ingredients that produced Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. In my role, I lead a team that builds new innovation, messaging, and marketing strategies to reach companies in the nutrition industry.
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How did Friedman School influence your career/academic journey?
My time at the Friedman School significantly influenced my career journey. I came to Tufts knowing I wanted to explore the intersection of science and communications. Through my experiences, I was able to not only deepen my knowledge of science but I also learned how to apply that science in the real world—in the food industry, in advertising, in public relations, product packaging. All of this shaped and molded who I am today as a professional and what I was able to bring into my career right from the start.
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What advice would you offer to a student who wants to pursue a career path like yours?
Use your time at Friedman to build a network of people you can learn from and grow with—the people are amazing! Spend time honing your marketing skills—writing is a skill that never goes out of style, especially when you can communicate complex science topics. And finally, get outside of your comfort zone. Scared of public speaking? Take Toastmasters classes. Don’t understand social media? Find someone to shadow to learn more. Don’t be afraid to ask people for help—you’ll end up with new skills and a larger network that will help you find a career you love.
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Are there necessary hard or ‘soft’ skills for your job? If so, how do you recommend cultivating them?
Continuous work on soft skills is a must. I work on a global team, across a variety of diverse cultures, and variety of diverse backgrounds. Success depends on working well with others. Really understanding accepting your own strengths and weaknesses allows you to work on what you know is lacking, while leveraging where you know you’re strong.
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If you could leave yourself a message about career development (or life in general!) five years ago, what will that be?
Say yes a lot and take risks when you’re young—it will help you learn what you want to say no to later on in your career.
