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.
Tarlyn McStay: Victorian sales director at GumGum
Time in current role:
Two-and-a-half years as the Victorian sales director, six years total at GumGum (formally Playground XYZ).
How would you describe what the company does?
We use a blend of our proprietary technologies to provide contextual and attention-driven advertising solutions, helping brands reach their audience in the right mindset, while prioritising user privacy.
What do you do day to day?
Every day is a mix of strategy and problem-solving, as well as team & relationship-building. Adtech sales isn't just about hitting targets — it’s about helping brands navigate an ever-evolving landscape, and crafting strategies that drive business outcomes. From start-ups to global companies, agility is key. One moment I’m deep in data or product development, and the next I’m consulting on creative functionality. In between, I’m focused on long-term strategies to drive business growth.
Define your job in one word:
Dynamic.
I got into my industry because:
Like most of us, I more or less stumbled into media. It sounded fast-paced, relationship-driven, and full of energy. Right up my alley.
What immediately drew me in was the sense that success wasn’t tied to tenure, but to tenacity, creativity, and maybe a hint of charm. I’ve always been pretty outgoing, and thrive on problem-solving. Sales turned out to be the perfect fit; where strategy meets storytelling. And as it turns out, getting paid to talk, learn about tech and build great relationships is a pretty good gig.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
One of the biggest challenges in my role is balancing short-term goals with long-term business growth. Adtech moves fast — there’s constant pressure to deliver immediate results, but real success comes from building sustainable strategies, driving innovation, and staying ahead of what’s next. It’s a constant juggle, but that’s what keeps it exciting.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Differentiation is a huge challenge in adtech. With so much digital investment concentrated in a few major platforms, the rest of the industry operates within a highly competitive space. While we’ve always taken a transparent approach to developing our proprietary technologies, the broader landscape has become increasingly noisy.
Over time, this has diluted education and expertise, making it harder for advertisers to separate real innovation from recycled narratives. Context has been at the heart of our solutions for years, however as the industry pivots away from personal data, it’s suddenly at the center of everyone’s pitch. The challenge isn’t just adoption — it’s cutting through the clutter with trust, clarity and genuine innovation.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
I’ve been fortunate to work alongside many great leaders in the ad-tech industry, all of whom prioritise empowering others over directing them. Early in my career, Rachel Page gave me my first sales opportunity at Pandora and helped me find my own style. However, it was Karan Kent at Playground XYZ who had the most significant impact. He encouraged my curiosity, trusted my instincts whilst still challenging me, and gave me the space to dive deeper into other areas of business development. Karan’s belief in me built my confidence which in turn, laid the foundation for where I am today.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Collect mentors. Offering to buy someone you admire a coffee to pick their brain or learn about their career path, will always be welcomed.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
I love story-telling, so I like to think I’d be a journalist.
My philosophy is:
Embrace the chaos.
My favourite advert is:
One of my favourite ads is Always' 'Like a Girl.' I was struck by how the perception of that phrase changes with age — it was so revealing. As a mum to my beautiful daughter, it’s a great reminder to constantly empower her and help her believe she can do anything.
Music and TV streaming habits: what do you subscribe to?
Anyone who’s spoken to me in the last month knows how obsessed I am with Silo and Severance on Apple TV. I think I’m a sci-fi buff?
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I really am an open book! But I guess this is the part where I can tell people I live on a farm and have three goats.
In five year's time I'll be:
In a leading role at the next disruptive tech or innovation startup, launching exciting new solutions that shape the future of our industry. With more goats.
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