By Gregory Mark, Founder/CEO of Zelo Digital Recruitment
April 2022
Why did you get into the Ad tech Industry?
Entering the ad tech world wasn’t an active decision, but I fell into it. Although I had done my postgraduate degree in marketing, I had never heard of ad tech until that point.
The reason why I love ad tech now though is because it is the perfect mix of advertising and the technological execution of it. It’s such a dynamic and ever changing field, that you keep on learning and it never gets boring.
I personally find the tech behind digital advertising absolutely fantastic and I wouldn’t want to work in any other field anymore.
Tell us about your latest role?
I currently work as an international account director for client development. Right now I’m building out Magnite’s brand direct business across EMEA. I love my job, because I help brands build up their ad tech stack, understand the advertising ecosystem and help them set up their media buying.
Although my role is technically a sales role, it doesn’t feel ‘salesy’. I’m really involved in the strategy and buying processes of the biggest brands in Europe and work alongside them to achieve their goals.
What is the biggest challenge you have overcome in the work place?
Understanding internal politics, and as part of that the whole topic of visibility. Having grown up in Germany we were taught to never speak about our achievements, as it would be considered “showing off” and that exceeding expectations when it comes to work is the bare minimum (and thus not worth mentioning).
I had to learn the hard way that understanding office politics and increasing one’s own visibility within an organisation is crucial for career progress. Especially for women!
Great managers are hard to come by, who has lended a notable hand through your career?
My former manager Marco Godina (SVP of Product, Silverbullet) really helped me shape my career and believe in my skills. He’s the type of person you want to be surrounded by because he always made sure we felt challenged in a good way while providing everything we needed to set us up for success.
Another mentor, who has played a crucial role in my career development is Maria von Scheel-Plessen (Media Director, Gucci). As a woman in a male dominated industry it is so important to have strong female role models, and Maria shows every day what is possible if you work hard, keep on pushing and never let any outside factors stop you.
Best bit of advice you have been given?
Don’t be afraid of failing. Failures don’t exists, they are just a way of learning.
Stand up for yourself and know your worth. Don’t let self-doubt pull you down (aka don’t self-sabotage).
How do you stay motivated, any tips for our young professionals?
Figure out what you’re passionate about and what excites you (in your personal and professional life). Set yourself clear goals.
When I have phases at work during which I don’t feel as motivated as usual, I remind myself that everything I do is still leading up to my goal. Sometimes you just need to put things into perspective and re-align yourself to get that motivation back.
Describe yourself in three words?
Positive, Driven, and always looking for a challenge.
Where do you think the Ad market will be in the next 10 years?
I think we will see major consolidation of the different players within the ad tech eco system. We’ve seen this happening already, when it comes to DSPs buying SSPs, SSPs buying Ad Servers and creating their own targeting solutions, etc. The same will happen within the marketing agency field, so that brands don’t have to work with a multitude of agencies anymore to cover their social media, programmatic, content, etc. needs, but have one omni-channel partner, who will cover everything.
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