Young Gun profiles takes a look at the young talent across the Australian advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector. Aiming to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Sandy Ma, associate performance director at GroupM Nexus
Time in current role/time at the company:
Four years.
How long have you been in the industry?
Five years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
I did major in Marketing but after graduating I was a bit of a lost lamb. After working a bit on agency side I stumbled upon Xaxis. I didn’t even know the definition of programmatic but before I knew it, I was a little executive exploring a whole new world. After a few years of learning about trading, tech and AI I was promoted to an associate performance director for Nexus where I now lead a team of four, two of which is offshore.
Who is your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
Jade Watson our head of programmatic for VIC/SA. She has been my day one since I started this role and has been a massive support for me. She has not only taught me so much about programmatic but also how to navigate the industry as a working woman. I don’t know where I would be without her in my life.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
Our industry is ever-changing, there is always new things to learn and new problems to solve so there is no room to be bored!
And the biggest challenge?
Like the point above there is always new things to learn and work through which can be difficult to grasp and overwhelming at times. Juggling that with the day-to-day role, it can be a lot to take in.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
I would love to continue learning about Programmatic and Ad Tech. Eventually I would like to be a part of the senior leadership team and lead a talented team of traders in a larger scale. In that regards, Sebastian Collins I’m coming for you.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
This is an easy but weird one - I just need some good food, it’s that simple. This is where I find I can completely reset my brain, get some endorphins in and is generally where I find the most productive thinking happens. I swear the most efficient meetings are when we’re eating!
My favourite advert is (and why):
Google’s Drop the Ball ad taking a bite at Apple. I love it when brands go at each other with some sass!
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I love to sleep, catch me in bed by 8pm and knocked out by 9pm.
In five years' time I'll be:
I’m hoping in 5 years I could also be a role model and inspiring the next generation of woman in tech. Having such a great support system now, I would love to extend this out in the future and guide young women navigating this world.
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.