Our Industry Profile takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
This week we speak to Foxcatcher managing director David Gaskill.
Time in current role/time at the company:
10 months.
How would you describe what the company does?
At Foxcatcher we make data simple to supercharge business growth by building connected customer strategies that can be activated across digital media at scale.
What do you do day-to-day?
I support and empower a team of the smartest and most driven people I’ve worked with to identify ‘what’s next’ and connect it with clients today. My role is to ensure ultimate client success and that we have fun delivering it.
Define your job in one word:
Innovative.
I got into marketing because:
Of the people. I also saw an opportunity to apply technology and methods that generate huge returns for hedge funds and asset managers to brands directly. Helping businesses grow.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Constantly bouncing from one lockdown to the next, it makes maintaining business momentum more challenging.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
The connection between marketing and technology, the CMO and CTO (more than a CXO!). Marketing generates such a huge wealth of data and insight that can inform business, product and growth strategy from the top down and mostly goes untapped. Businesses that most effectively connect the two will pioneer the way forward.
Previous industry related companies you have worked at:
Dentsu, Audience360.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
Sushil Wadhwani, CBE. Working with Sushil was a fantastic time, bringing significant diversity to my thought process and perspective on how to manage stakeholders across industry and markets. How to manage risk versus reward. Sushil reaffirmed for me when to take risk and go for gold.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours:
Understand why, be humble but at the same time make life your pitch. Surround yourself with great people and listen intently.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
Hanging out with my daughter Penny, being a dad, and putting together my next business plan.
My philosophy is:
I’d rather be lucky than good. The world is unpredictable, everybody needs a certain amount of luck. Recognise the stars aligning and seize it.
My favourite advert is (and why):
I like the symbiotic relationship between George Clooney and Nespresso. At first it was cheap, but then grew to a point where Clooney leveraged the smooth brand image to launch Casamigos tequila. There is also some serious depth to the Clooney/Nespresso hook-up.
Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to?
Spotify, Audible and Netflix.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
There’s not many secrets… I served Richard Branson champagne one time and he just went to space?
In five years' time I'll be:
Hopefully able to travel again.
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