How did you get into the industry and what has been your journey so far?
My path in AdTech started in 2019, and before joining this industry, I devoted five years of my life to jurisprudence. That was an interesting experience, but I wanted something fully different. I strived for new challenges and opportunities – that’s when I discovered AdTech and decided to try my hand at programmatic.
Obviously, that was a step out of my comfort zone, as everything was totally new to me. Fortunately, Attekmi (still SmartHub at that time), an AdTech technology provider, is always ready to support your endeavor. That was the first company on my AdTech path, and I still work there and help it evolve and conquer the industry. Over these seven years, I have made an incredible journey from an Account Manager to a CPO.
Working as an Account Manager enabled me to understand what AdTech is and how things work here. Then I became a team lead of the account management team – this allowed me to enhance my leadership skills and broaden my AdTech expertise. The next step was the role of a Project Manager – again, I learned multiple new things and got a deeper dive into the programmatic technology nuances. Actually, in the case of AdTech, you never stop learning.
Now I’m Attekmi’s Chief Product Officer, and I’m proud of being a part of this team. Together, we create amazing solutions for the AdTech industry (from SSPs, ad exchanges, and ad servers to custom platforms) and help our partners achieve their goals in a streamlined manner.
What struggles, if any, have you had as a women in the industry?
Well, the main challenge for any woman is to balance career growth and family life – you must combine carrying out your responsibilities, evolving as a professional, and raising children. However, when you have a supportive team and a loving family, everything is possible.
I would also say that AdTech is often considered a male-dominated industry, just like any other technology niche. Fortunately, we are steadily moving away from these stereotypes. Gender, race, or any other factors don’t matter. What is really important is your experience, knowledge, and readiness to evolve continuously. AdTech never stands still, so you must be ready to learn something new all the time – otherwise, it will be difficult for you to remain competitive.
As for me, I faced no gender-related challenges – the switch from jurisprudence to AdTech was a true challenge of its own. Fortunately, my team has always been extremely supportive and ready to help me overcome any obstacles and enhance my skills.
However, regardless of gender, being a CPO is a challenge as well. For instance, I need to keep our programmatic solutions relevant, but planning the updates can be a complicated task due to the industry’s volatile nature. To address this, my team and I prioritize our clients’ needs – such a customer-centric approach allows us to stay competitive. By collecting feedback from our partners, we decide on the next steps and identify features and solutions that have to be introduced.
At Attekmi, we are ready to meet any needs, and this became possible exactly because we focus on our partners instead of just releasing new platforms and functionalities.
Which women do you look up to and why?
Actually, I’m proud of every woman working in AdTech. That’s a complex industry, and becoming a professional there is a true achievement regardless of a job position. However, I especially look up to my colleagues and friends who balance work with motherhood. Delivering great professional results while raising your kid is something incredible, and people who manage to combine these two fully different areas of life are real heroes to me. I’m proud to be one of them. Sure, that’s a challenge, but at the same time, it’s a strong motivation to move forward.
Where you would like your career to go over the next five years?
Currently, my Attekmi team and I are working on loads of new things. No spoilers for now, but something big is on the way to the AdTech market. Bringing these plans to life would be a great achievement for us and for me personally. So far, I plan to work even harder than before to help Attekmi enter the next stage of its evolution and maintain our position as an AdTech industry leader and trusted programmatic solutions provider.
What advice would you give other women in the industry?
Well, first of all, never be afraid to pursue your dreams, even though sometimes they may seem unattainable. If you learn and work hard, everything is possible. Also, never be afraid to take ownership when something happens and to perform above expectations – this helps you grow.
In the case you’re only thinking about joining AdTech, consider starting small. This will help you gain all the essential knowledge and learn everything about your product. With this background, you will be able to move forward effectively. Besides, never stop learning. AdTech is evolving all the time, and so should you. Keep enhancing your skills every day – this is the way to remain a true AdTech expert. And remember – there is nothing impossible for women.
Olena Chudinovych, CPO at Attekmi