Matt Smith is a Programmatic Strategist at Global for DAX and has held senior sales positions at Bauer Media, Express Newspapers and National Rail. We asked Matt to nominate his digital hero.
Who is your digital hero?
My digital hero is Sue Hunt. A compelling figurehead since the ad tech age began, she’s led from the front for the inspirational women who work in this industry, is a member and mentor for Bloom UK, and launched her own mentoring/training business in the midst of a pandemic
It’s important to mention others who have had a huge influence on my career to date, these are (and in no particular order!) Simon Haynes, Mark Evans and Elliott Donnelly.
What has she done to win hero status in your eyes?
Sue has an unrelenting passion and desire to succeed, which after working with her makes you appreciate the many important aspects to working in media.
How has their heroism helped drive digital?
Having worked at market-leading companies in this space, she gets it. Whether it’s display, video or more recently, DOOH, she pieces things together with ease and no task seems too small.
An all round brilliant leader of all things digital!
What are the biggest challenges in media we need another hero to solve?
Given the cookieless countdown is already underway, this is certainly not a challenge that that we need another hero or company to solve but it is one that is an exciting and important development for our industry.
Assembling a whole new suite of addressability is no mean feat however the future of data-driven marketing without the need or use of a cookie is somewhat exciting.
What is your most heroic personal achievement so far in digital?
Being part of a small but successful digital team at Express Newspapers who reimagined a sales strategy, overhauled a tech stack and led the digital transformation to become a widely regarded digital media owner.
