Andy Heald is Publisher Team Lead in the UK for Index Exchange and was previously at Bumble and Celtra. We asked who his digital hero is.
Who is your digital hero?
I’d like to nominate Kim Bolsoni, who was my account rep at MoPub, and who until recently was heading up its client services in EMEA.
What has she done to win hero status in your eyes?
In the three years that I worked with her while I was at Bumble–where MoPub was our primary ad server–she was fundamentally responsible for ensuring the success of our partnership.
By providing multiple technical resolutions and support throughout the partnership, she helped drive increased revenues for Bumble. She was always on hand, supportive, friendly and knowledgeable!
How has her heroism helped drive digital?
Throughout my career, it’s the technically-astute team members who, on a very fundamental level, make things happen. When something goes wrong–if you can’t get that campaign live on a Friday afternoon, say, we rush to the technical superstars with requests for urgent support.
In my whole time while working with Kim, she was there to connect us with those technical solutions while ensuring we were using the best technology available for our digital campaigns.
She showed me that every programmatic company is only as strong as its technical team. By launching campaigns in a timely manner and offering innovative technical solutions to help customers, she and other technically-adept team members are the often unsung heroes that build trust and drive the next evolution of our business.
What are the biggest challenges in digital we need another hero to solve?
Digital advertising is at a really interesting crossroads here in the UK. While its addressable market grows every year, it still experiences mistrust from its customers, such as through the perceived lack of transparency in the programmatic supply chain. That said, I think we’re in the midst of a real evolution towards a more accountable industry that gives greater value to media buyers and owners..
Building trust is the most crucial element in moving towards this. This will come most of all from people who, like Kim, work with customers on a daily basis, who give careful support and lead the way with new integrations and technical possibilities.
This constant push, to evolve and transform across the industry, is precisely why it’s such an exciting field to work in.
What is your most heroic personal achievement so far in digital?
While I don’t have the same backend technical expertise, my ability to connect with people from across the ecosystem and build relationships is key on the frontline. Relationships are so vital in this industry.
By forming these connections–from our buy and sell-side customers, to fellow tech providers, we can start to overcome some of those challenges that programmatic faces.
I have an amazing team here at Index, and I think my big achievements come from my ability to motivate them. I provide them with the learnings and resources that allow them to build on the skills they already have. Through this, my team and I are able to tackle daily obstacles and help our customers supercharge their digital strategy.
