Insiders' Guide: Right Media

Via a real-time online auction, we enable the automation of buying and selling online ad space, bringing benefits for advertisers, agencies, publishers and ad networks.

Number of people in your team?
We have 10 based in London: three in business development, five in account management, one in technical support and one in marketing.

Who does what?
The business development team is led by Damian Scragg, who focuses on ad networks, with Paul Turner on publishers and Charlie Neer on agencies. Our account management team - Helen Foot, Roli Okoro, Frederic Lutt, Jamie Geoghegan and Nitin Gupta - have their own countries to look after, so they obtain strong market insights. Finally, Roger Williams is responsible for international marketing.

Who's the biggest character and why?
Paul Turner because he is taller than the rest of us. He is a good salesman and an incessant talker who keeps us amused. Paul also has a fear of germs and is often seen liberally applying antibacterial hand wash.

What's your office atmosphere like?
We are owned by Yahoo and have them as a client on the Exchange. As a result, we are a separate enclave within the global business that is Yahoo - we have the best of both worlds.

What stands you apart from the rest of the industry?
Being the largest ad exchange in the world is a good start. Although the technology is still seen as very new in the UK, Right Media has operated an ad exchange for three-and-a-half years, meaning we have more experience than any other company in this field. And, as we operate internationally, we have a great insight into how exchanges can run successfully in different markets.

What does it take to get a job in your team?
A willingness to take responsibility and develop and build your own role, and a positive, can-do attitude.

How are staff encouraged to hit targets?
We all have individual, quarterly MBOs (management by objectives). Successful completion of these drives bonuses. The MBOs also include personal development to encourage each individual to focus on growing their skills and knowledge.

Where do you let your hair down?
Getting together can be difficult, because our conference calls to the US often take place later in the day, and most of us have a long commute. However, we do sometimes pop in to the pubs on the way to Charing Cross for a "swift half".

This article was first published on Media Week