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.
Veronika Warren: Head of SEO at Orange Line.
Time in current role:
I’ve been at Orange Line for 4 years and was recently promoted from Senior SEO Director to Head of SEO.
How would you describe what the company does?
Orange Line is a digital marketing agency that helps businesses grow through strategic marketing, but we do a lot more than your typical agency. We work closely with private equity and venture capital firms, which gives our work a different dynamic. People might call us a full-service agency, but we’re involved in so much more, like handling due diligence before company acquisitions, which keeps things really interesting.
What do I do day to day?
A bit of everything. On the client side, I am responsible for client leadership and strategic direction, developing and maintaining client relationships and exploring growth opportunities for these businesses. From a team leadership point of view, I look after my team’s happiness, growth and development on both a personal and professional level. It is my belief that ensuring a positive and happy work environment for the team, where team members feel safe and can be themselves, is crucial for success. This allows everyone to deliver best-in-class SEO services that make a difference to us, as well as our clients.
With the changes we are experiencing in SEO, I also enjoy exploring opportunities to embrace new technologies and integrate them to achieve positive change.
Define your job in one word:
Ever-changing
I got into my industry because:
I fell into this industry purely by accident, when I was a student back in Germany and I joined a marketing agency. I found my skillset aligned well with the role which I really enjoyed. After a couple of years, I then decided to move to Australia to further my career and landed a job at Resolution Digital as an SEO Manager. That was almost 10 years ago. After 5 years at Resolution, I went on maternity leave and returned to work at Orange Line and have never looked back!
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Collective burnout and fatigue. There are many agencies that treat SEO as a conveyor belt product, where team members are expected to manage 30-50+ clients end to end, often without adequate support. Employees in these environments end up wasting their potential and experiencing burnout, as their main focus becomes producing as much work as possible rather than developing their skills. This leaves little to no time for meaningful problem-solving or skill growth. I’ve encountered candidates with many years of experience who haven’t had the opportunity to build a well-rounded skill set and are therefore not at the level they should be in their careers. Luckily the agency I work for prioritises a healthy work-life balance and a collaborative culture that allows their people to build strong client relationships and grow their skills.
Previous companies:
In reverse chronological order: Resolution Digital (Australia), C&A GmbH (Germany), SUMO GmbH (Germany) andLuna Park GmbH (Germany).
Notable campaigns/initiatives:
There are too many to choose just one, every campaign I have worked on was unique and interesting in its own way.
Who has been a great mentor to you?
Christian Vollmert is the founder of Luna Park GmbH, the first agency I joined at the start of my career. He introduced me to SEO, and his drive, knowledge, passion and kindness was truly inspiring.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours:
Allow your thinking to be challenged by change and progress.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living:
I’ve always loved fixing things, and as a kid, my dream job was to be a mechanic. So if I wasn’t working in agency land, I think I would be getting my hands dirty fixing cars (not that I have ever fixed a car in my life!).
My philosophy is:
Try to take one day at a time and appreciate the little things. I have a four-year-old daughter, and every night we go around the dinner table asking “what was your favourite thing that happened today?”, with the intent to make everyone appreciate their day, and what made it special.
Music and TV streaming habits:
Aside from the standards (Netflix etc), the ABC podcast ‘Conversations’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski is my favourite. They interview people who share their life stories. It’s incredibly interesting, sad, happy, funny and inspiring.
In five years time I'll be:
In five years, I see myself continuing to advance my career while raising my daughter. I’m passionate about my work and want to keep growing professionally. At Orange Line, I’ve discovered that it’s possible to have both—a fulfilling, dynamic career and a thriving family life—without having to choose between the two. The support I’ve received here has been invaluable in helping me find the right balance between my professional ambitions and family responsibilities.
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