In this series, AdNews takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. This time it's Vudoo CEO and founder Nick Morgan.
Time in current role:
I founded Vudoo in 2017 and have been CEO for seven years.
How would you describe what the company does?
Vudoo is an award-winning, category-defining, commerce media product that enables seamless shopping in any online environment, empowering consumers to purchase directly through content and ads, right there and then.
What do you do day to day?
I live and breathe the servant leadership approach, so a lot of my day is spent running with my sleeves rolled up, while working on the big picture stuff, such as shaping our roadmap and supporting our scaling efforts across Europe and the US.
Define your job in one word:
(The) Glue.
I got into my industry because:
It felt inevitable to enter the industry, given that my dad worked in advertising his whole life for industry legend Neville Jeffress, founder of Media Monitors Australia (now Isentia). So it was a path I was destined to follow.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Building high-performing teams. Exceptionally good people are very hard to come by.
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
I’d like to see more hunger for innovation, especially here in Australia. The industry should question the norm, be more daring and take on more risks instead of conforming and following the herd.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
I've had numerous fantastic mentors, but the one who had the most significant impact was actually the worst boss I ever had. This person taught me everything I don't want to be as a leader, a colleague, and a mentor - and for that, I am grateful for the invaluable lessons they provided.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Speaking as a founder, be prepared to make massive sacrifices in both your personal and professional life, and get used to being comfortable with wearing risk.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
I would’ve been a chef.
My philosophy is:
Lead by doing and make it rain (aka make things happen - it's all up to you).
My favourite advert is:
Any of those classic campaigns which were created by The Campaign Palace; they’re timeless, clever and a part of Australian folklore.
Music and TV streaming habits: what do you subscribe to?
I am an avid Spotify user, I love music and podcasts. As for TV, I rarely have the time to watch, but when I do, I enjoy losing myself in a good movie.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I can commit recipes to memory; once I’ve done it, I can remember the whole thing.
In five years time I'll be:
Fingers crossed, cooking on a beach somewhere far, far away.
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
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.