International Women's Day
At LoopMe, we celebrate the success of women today and every day. On this International Women’s Day we’re celebrating the strong and successful women of ad tech here at LoopMe.
We’ve interviewed LoopMe women across the globe, including Lauren Bigland (Head of Marketing, London), Helene Bouteille (VP of Client Services, London), Evelyn Yan (Digital Planning Sales Manager, New York), Annie McNamara (Head of Sales APAC, Singapore), Amanda McCoy (Account Manager, LA) Nazanin Motallebi (People Operations Manager, London) and Anna Shabaieva (Senior Account Manager, Dnipro).
We asked our Loopers advice they would give to other women looking to break into ad tech and who they look up to as a role model.
One major piece of advice that all of the women had to offer for breaking into Adtech is to stay on trend. Helene Bouteille says “Knowledge is key to be and to stay on top of your game and employment competition. Be assertive and vocal.” She stresses getting your opinion heard and that all opinions matter, being quiet can be misconceived as being unknowledgeable.
Getting your voice heard was also a big piece of advice from Lauren Bigland, “Always value your opinion and ideas – experience is a relative term. The Ad tech industry is fantastic at recognizing young talent and promoting based on merit, so don’t be afraid to share your thoughts – as long as they are backed up with examples, evidence and data.”
Amanda McCoy believes in being proactive to break into a new industry, “Schedule informational interviews with leaders in the field, and ask them smart questions. Read descriptions of roles and find those that align with your current skill set, and take steps to fill in any gaps.”
Nazanin felt that working at a start-up helps to expand your skill set, explaining “You will have an opportunity to wear many different hats and have exposure to numerous parts of the business which would never be possible in a corporate. Be confident and have a voice”
Anna felt that nothing should hold young women back from participating. “Stay informed, fail and learn and find a mentor to guide you. At LoopMe I’m lucky to work with amazing people who are eager to offer advice and wisdom to help me follow in their footsteps.”
A role model for your career can be someone you’ve worked with or someone from your personal life. For Evelyn Yan, it was her previous boss. “She always had a solution for any issue.” Evelyn continues, “She was a great mentor and leader, with a positive attitude with the passion to guide others down the right path.”
“In a way, I look up to so many people everyday yet no one in particular is my role model,” Nazanin commented. “My mother, my father, Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, Sophia Amoruso, Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Angela Merkel the list is (very) long. They all inspire me and I learn from them in completely different ways.’
Anna felt that working in tech is challenging for women “as it can be difficult to overcome stereotypes that exist around women in technology. That’s why I admire and try to learn from the women who work in our tech team.”
For Annie McNamara her role models were present in both her professional and personal life. McNamara relocated to start up our APAC office in Singapore and was influenced by two women in her life to make this decision.
“When I was a Sales Manager at YuMe (now RhythmOne) I remember meeting Miryana Joksovic VP of Global Growth. Miryana presented at a Europe offsite and I was instantly fascinated with the stories of crazy business meetings in China and go to market strategies for launching a business in new countries. I knew then that I wanted to take a similar path for my own career. When I mentioned I wanted to relocate to Asia, Miryana always encouraged me to stop thinking about it and to make it happen.”
Another role model is a close friend of McNamara’s, Erica Harrison. “Erica has spent the last 4 years in Singapore working for Google as a Developer Relations Program Manager. Erica spends her time helping start-ups and developers across the region. Erica wouldn’t let one WhatsApp conversation go by without insisting I relocate here.”
International Women’s Day is about women’s empowerment and celebrating the strides we have made and continue to make in the workforce. We’re very proud to work with the intelligent and hardworking women featured in this article, and around the globe.