What inspired you to pursue a career in ad tech/marketing, and how did you get started in the industry?
My degree is actually in Environmental Science. 😛 In college, I was interning for a government agency that focused on clean transportation energy such as EVs. Part of my role was to create marketing collateral of the benefits of clean fuels which allowed me to use both the science side of my brain and also the creative side. After graduating from UC Davis, I joined the WIRED (a technology magazine) team at Conde Nast as a Digital Campaign Manager.
What do you believe are the most important qualities of an effective leader in the ad tech/marketing space?
Empathy, effective communicator and storyteller, listens, big thinker/challenges the norm, kind, team player, teacher.
What advice would you give to young women looking to enter ad tech or any other technology-driven field?
Network – Of course get to know folks on different teams at your current company, but make the effort to attend industry events and meet other folks as the industry is much smaller than you think! You end up crossing paths with many of the same people at different times in your career so continue to foster those relationships!
Find and lean into a mentor/s. I’ve been so fortunate to have some amazing female mentors in my career who really took me under their wings and helped me grow into the marketer than I am today. I’ve kept in touch with many of these leaders over the last 10 years of my career as they continue to be a sounding board for me and inspire me to be a leader for the next generation of marketers entering into the industry.
Be kind. This is a big part in being true to who I am. I think it can sometimes be really easy for people to mistake kindness for weakness, especially in male dominated C level meetings. My former CEO used to call me a silent killer (sorry, can I even say that here?? lol) because in meetings I’m perceived as a soft spoken, kind, bubbly, and positive personality while on the backend was negotiating deals that led to massive savings for the company.
If there’s a woman who has inspired or mentored you in your career, can you share that story?
Ah there’s so many!
Kateland Aller – https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelandaller/ my absolute #1 mentor!
Kateland brought me on to the Acquisition Team at Madison Reed in 2016 and was my Director for about 4 years. She taught me the ropes of Paid Social and Offline Media while always challenging me with new perspectives and encouraging me to approach new campaigns and channels with a testing, data forward mentality. Kateland always had an open door and no question or issue was ever too small to chat through. She pushed me to become a better marketer every single year and for that I am forever grateful. You could genuinely feel the love and care she had for our team. She was not only a teacher, but Kateland also became one of my good friends 🙂 From talking about family to relationships to dreams, I’ve always felt Kateland’s support through the ups and downs of life, even 4 years later after we’ve both moved on from our the company. Kateland’s inspired me to take the next generation of marketers under my wings and to help them grow and challenge the mold.