Our Young Gun profile takes a look at some of the young talent across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Today we speak to Index Exchange buyer services manager, APAC Miranda Vaughan-Floyd.
Time at the company:
Two years.
How long have you been in the industry?
Three years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
At university, I studied a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Marketing. The course did touch on Digital Marketing but I’d never heard about programmatic. Once I finished uni, I was interviewing for a number of different grad roles and one of them happened to be on the publisher side - that was the first time I heard about programmatic and clearly I’ve really enjoyed the industry because I haven't left since!
Who is your right hand person?
When I first started in the industry, I met Janette Higginson (head of demand, APAC at Index Exchange) and she’s been my right hand as both a mentor and a friend. Since starting at Index Exchange, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside two strong female leaders: Janette and our APAC regional managing director, Adele Wieser.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
It’s going to sound cliche, but absolutely the people! It’s always so interesting to cross paths with people from different professional backgrounds and hear how they ended up in their roles. Though they’re all very passionate, I doubt anyone said they wanted to grow up to be a programmatic manager! The best part about working with our partners is that we all come from different walks of life and enjoy spending time together inside and outside of the office.
And the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge is the pace of change and the constant emergence of new and complex products which keep you on your toes. Though this is a challenge, it’s also a great way to continue learning and share knowledge with peers amongst the industry.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
I love working with buyers and brands in the market and working with technology providers that build solutions that better the industry. So, I see myself continuing to grow and build my career in this space.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I seek inspiration from a number of places, my parents are definitely a great sounding board and help to provide insight and perspective. I also really enjoy reading books as they help to inspire me about the road towards success - the one I've found most interesting were “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell and “Bezonomics” by Brian Dumaine.
My favourite advert is:
Everyone who knows me, knows that I love a good sing-a-long so there’s a few that come to mind! My favourite would have to be the Carlton Draught “Big Ad”.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
To be honest I’m a bit of an open book! My housemate is also a colleague of mine, so I'd be surprised if there was something she didn’t know.
In five years' time I'll be:
I’d really like to see myself in a leadership position in the adtech space or as a fur mum to a Golden Retriever (life goals) - hopefully both!
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