Our Industry Profile takes a weekly look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
This week we head to Sydney to speak to RadiumOne ANZ MD, Adam Furness.
Duration in current role/time at the company:
Six months as managing director and three years in the business.
In one sentence, how would you describe what the company does?
We find connections that matter for advertisers by joining the dots between paid, earned, shared and owned (PESO) media to drive business outcomes.
In one sentence, what does your role involve?
Being the face for R1 across ANZ, my role involves solving problems for marketers, setting our business direction, supporting the team to achieve and creating an environment where success is inevitable.
Within the last six months/year, what stands out as the company’s major milestones?
Understanding the problem we’re solving for advertisers (i.e. their current inability to join the dots between PESO to drive effective ROI) and having global alignment across all teams and functions internally to deliver and continually evolve the solution. The other major milestone in CY16 was the 8 awards we won for data driven marketing – this was a wonderful achievement for the team and great recognition of the value we’re adding to advertisers.
Best thing about the industry you work in:
Constant change. I get bored easily.
Previous industry related (ad land/ad tech) companies you have worked at:
Southern Cross Austereo, Macquarie Radio Network and Ninemsn (now Mi9).
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in three years time?
Still running RadiumOne across ANZ, with a couple of side ‘passion projects’ like podcasting platform Whooshkaa and media, marketing and advertising industry foundation UnLtd.
What is the elephant in the room? The thing that no one is talking about: but they should be.
In ad tech, there are a whole bunch of people and companies who have NFI what they are doing, why they are doing it or what problem they are solving for advertisers.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I’m very open, so they know most stuff, including details about some questionable dreams. I guess one thing they mightn’t know (although I have told the story a few times) is that I got bashed by a midget and still have a bump on my forehead to prove it.
Top networking tip:
Have a genuine passion to help people or find and connect others that can, and act on it immediately.
My favourite restaurant for a business lunch is:
I’m old school, so I like Kingsley’s at Woolloomooloo.
My favourite advert is:
Virgin Mobile, ‘Fair go bro', featuring Doug Pitt or the recent Qantas Ad 'Feels Like Home' which makes me emotional.
My must-have gadget is:
My iPhone, but that’s not really a gadget, so let me say my Bose sound link speaker as I don’t have many gadgets… My wish list on the other hand is a lot longer though and starts with a Tesla Model S, but this may be a few years away as my wife (Sophia) has ‘more important’ items on her wish list.
My favourite media is:
TV.
My favourite TV show is:
Silicon Valley.
The last book I read:
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
My mantra / philosophy is:
Evolve, connect, teach.
I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing etc because:
It doesn’t feel like work and you get paid to learn and have fun.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
On a Greek island with my family running a water sports business.
In five years' time I'll be:
Celebrating another record year with my team at R1 and planning a family holiday to an island location somewhere warm.
Define your job in one word:
Rewarding.
What's your poison:
Japanese whiskey .
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