Our Industry Profile takes a weekly look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
This week we head to Sydney MediaMath's VP platform solutions, APAC, Geoffrey King.
Duration in current role/time at the company:
Two years employed at MediaMath and another two and half years working as a MediaMath partner .
In one sentence, how would you describe what the company does?
Helping marketers connect with their best customers and prospects across all touch points, at scale, fuelled by data, powered by machines, driving business outcomes.
In one sentence, what does your role involve?
Driving this evolution of marketing both internally and externally whilst empowering my team to achieve big.
Within the last six months/year, what stands out as the company’s major milestones?
Released a real-time data management platform that challenges the preconceived notion of how data aggregation, analysis and application should work. I am constantly humbled by what our product and engineering teams are able to put out to solve industry challenges.
Best thing about the industry you work in:
Helping to realise real-world business outcomes that drive every industry in the world from selling burgers to driving awareness of policies.
Previous industry related (ad land/ad tech) companies you have worked at:
I was cofounder of a business called Kinected, worked at Sizmek both in APAC and the US, and Macquarie Radio Network prior to that.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in three years’ time?
With good planning and execution I hope to still be doing what I love with great people around me - a dramatically evolved product and service offering helping marketers to be more successful.
What is the elephant in the room? The thing that no one is talking about – but they should be.
Despite the amazing technology and innovation of this space, we are not adequately incentivising staff to implement change. We should encourage and motivate people to innovate and drive change and recognise that a little bit of effort to try new things can pay off in the long run.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I recently ate a 2kg burger in just over 30 minutes narrowly missing a bonus bar tab.
Top networking tip:
Take the time to ask questions and understand the perspective of the person you are speaking with.
My favourite restaurant for a business lunch is:
The Keg & Brew, but mostly for the craft beer selection.
My favourite advert is:
Dumb Ways to Die. Brilliant mix of fun with a serious message that aims to make the world a better place.
My must-have gadget is:
Phoenix 3 GPS watch from Garmin. Knowing your heart rate, geo-location, altitude and direction has never been more important.
My favourite media is:
Digital media of course.
My favourite TV show is:
The Walking Dead.
The last book I read:
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
My mantra / philosophy is:
Don’t complain about something without offering potential solutions.
I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing etc because:
Somebody thought I had some talent and was willing to pay me substantially more than what I was earning at the time. But really... I loved technology, coding and solution-oriented service but was sick of a desk job and wanted to be outside more, meeting intelligent people and being social. Ad tech is an amazing mix of all of those qualities.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
Professional Ironman triathlete.
In five years' time I'll be:
Helping to create and grow the next wave of innovation in technology.
Define your job in one word:
Rewarding.
What's your poison:
IPA beers.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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