June 6, 2022 | New York City

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2022 TOP WOMEN IN MEDIA & AD TECH HONOREES!

On June 6, 2022, AdExchanger and AdMonsters presented awards to the 2022 Top Women in Media and Ad Tech Honorees at a sold out Awards Gala in New York City. The Top Women in Media & Ad Tech Awards recognize, celebrate, inspire and bring together the women who are making an impact in the greater digital media and advertising technology community.  

This year, the awards program honored 130+ leaders who have made a lasting impact on their brands, organizations and markets.

Testimonials

“Receiving the inaugural Catalyst Award was an incredible honor. I’m grateful to Folio: for recognizing the achievements of women in the publishing industry, and for bringing together so many talented women in media to celebrate and inspire one another.”

– Sarah McConville, Harvard Business Review

2022 INDUSTRY IMPACT HONOREE

Megan Clarken is the Chief Executive Officer at Criteo. She previously served as Chief Commercial Officer of Nielsen Global Media, where she spent over 15 years in a variety of roles leading initiatives that allowed the 90+-year-old company to adapt and prevail in a time of change. Before she was dubbed “one of the most important people in media” by Adweek, Megan was an Olympic class athlete, using her perseverance and resilience to pivot into a successful career in technology. Today, she’s received several accolades including ranking #1 on the 2021 HERoes 100 Women Role Model Executives, being named Personality of the Year in the Adweek Reader’s Choice Best of Tech Awards and being recognized as a Campaign Female Frontier honoree. Originally from New Zealand, Megan previously held senior leadership positions for large publishers and online technology providers in Australia, including Akamai Technologies and ninesmn.

Megan Clarken's Full Bio

2022 Catalyst Award Honoree

As Senior Vice President of Kroger Precision Marketing, Cara Pratt is a passionate disruptor in the media advertising industry. Media is an important pillar of Kroger’s alternative-profit business, and Pratt oversees the product development, sales, and operations of in-store, onsite and off-site advertising. With a vision to create a more transparent and effective media landscape for consumer-packaged goods brands, she was instrumental in the creation of Kroger Precision Marketing in 2017. She leads a growing cross-functional team committed to ensuring Kroger Precision Marketing is more addressable, more actionable and more accountable than other media options. Pratt sits on the business leadership team for 84.51∞. Prior to 84.51∞, Pratt held multiple leadership roles with dunnhumbyUSA during her 12-year tenure. Pratt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Denison University.

Cara Pratt's Bio

Honorees

Winners’ Remarks

Changemakers: How do you conquer your fears?

“Acknowledge the fear, but push through.
Pushing through doesn’t mean success.
Pushing through means making the attempt.
And convincing yourself that you’re worthy
That you’re capable
That even if you fall, you’re better off for trying, instead of standing still.
Because “Conquering” happens one thought at a time, one action at a time.
The truth is, if you don’t believe you can do it, it really doesn’t matter who else does. So start with you and the rest will fall into place.”
Tiffany Ashitey
Director of Creator Network, US, Acast
“The best way to conquer fear is to embrace it! Fear is good for us – it protects us from danger by heightening awareness and increasing our physical and mental performance. Take advantage of this! Allow yourself to feel the fear and teach yourself how to make those feelings productive. And don’t forget to pay it forward – sharing your fear not only helps you but also shows others that even the most badass women share in the struggle.”
Stephanie Dorman
Chief Customer Officer, MediaOcean
“A framing I often use is “Be Curious, Be Accountable, Be Grateful.” When you are curious you will always ask “Why?” When you are accountable you will learn from your mistakes. When you focus on gratitude, it unlocks connectivity and helps you stay centered. All can be hard at any moment in time.”
Elizabeth Herbst-Brady
Head of Global Revenue & Client Solutions, Yahoo

Up and Comers: What inspires you? What inspired you to seek a career in media and ad tech?

“I've always been inspired by collaboration. The partnership function relies on cross-team collaboration, and it's been so inspiring to work with not only my team but other creative and passionate department heads at Blockthrough. I feel that their work elevates my own, and I'm so grateful.”
Rikki Decker
Head of Partnerships, Blockthrough
“My biggest inspiration would definitely have to be my team. I’ve been so lucky to have a seat at the table next to some very cool and incredibly smart people, and it’s been so impactful to be able to work closely with them and learn so much this early on in my career. It’s so important to be able to come to work every day to a support system where you can fail together, grow from mistakes, and win as a team when you finally get it right. The sky is truly the limit when you’re surrounded by people that make you better. That’s what motivates me to bring my best self to work each day, and I’m looking forward to progressing in my career so I can hopefully be that resource for others.”
Heather Petty
Manager, Client Services + Strategy, January Digital

Programmatic Storytellers: How do you keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in an ever-changing industry?

“Similar to my college love of Art History, I love Adtech because it synthesizes and reflects so many other aspects of our world in general. Adtech is about leveraging tech to help brands interact with consumers, otherwise known as people. Dynamics that evolve in society, be it economic, political, social or technological, eventually find their reflection in Adtech. So the way I keep on the pulse of Adtech is simply to live! I consume, watch, interpret and await the signs of innovation in Adtech that will inevitably arrive to reflect macro developments taking place in life. And then seek to tell great stories about these changes.”
Erin Madorsky
Chief Strategy Officer & Managing Director, MiQ

DEI Champions: Why is DEI important in our industry and how can we make it work?

“Thank you to everyone who believed in the importance of this work and in me. Thank you for enabling and fully supporting me to make real change!

We are known as an industry that is innovative and we operate as a big part of the human experience. We can apply our talents and skills in analysis, understanding of behavior, and ability to reach people in a way that is convincing, to also make sure our industry, and all it touches, is done with care. We rely on data to direct billions of dollars, and we can use that same data focus to better understand where we need to direct our energies so everyone feels a sense of belonging and inclusion every single day.”
Sara Axelbaum
Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity, MiQ
“DEI is very important in our industry, and we can make it work by leading with OPPORTUNITY.

  Several years ago, a colleague and I were invited to collaborate with Group M in creating an event attracting multicultural professionals who were looking for an OPPORTUNITY to work for the world's leading media investment company.

Hiring managers from different divisions were to be in attendance, and the North American CEO at the time was to deliver remarks. The day of the event I arrived to see over 600 attendees (although security told me it was close to 700); the entrance line wrapped around the block on 7th avenue filled with Multicultural media, creative, and business science hopefuls looking for an OPPORTUNITY to have their time with a hiring manager. I was in awe of the turnout and saw DEI as an action that moment forward.

  Whether I am in front of a marketing executive making the business case for targeting multicultural audiences through the powerful Zeta Global platform OR hiring the first Asian employee on a digital sales team, OR helping a large agency attract and retain diverse candidates – I stay focused on the OPPORTUNITY that my contribution will deliver to our industry. DEI works when you focus on the OPPORTUNITY you are creating for others.”
Imani Laners
VP of Partnership & Multicultural, Zeta
“I am honored to be standing in front of this group of women tonight. Coming from humble beginnings myself, I'm a big believer in paying it forward and investing in equitable opportunities for others.

However, this journey has not been a solo one. My success is the collective success of so many others that worked together to get here today. Many thanks to those that took a chance on me early on and stood by me throughout the years. I especially want to shout out those that have been next to me and helped to advocate for what we believe is right for the people at LiveIntent. There is so much more to do as the world continues to evolve and give us unprecedented challenges. I'm incredibly blessed. Thank you.”
Abby Hamilton
Chief People Officer, LiveIntent

Content Captivators: If you were asked to speak at a commencement ceremony, what would be the title of your speech?

“A huge thank you for this honor — to AdMonsters and AdExchanger for the platform, to my team and company, who make all of this possible, And to my mom who’s here with me on her birthday and has never missed being there for me.

I was planning something hopefully amusing for tonight. But I’m from Tulsa, Oklahoma, born in the hospital complex where there was a mass shooting last week.

My boss and fellow honoree Amber Bracegirdle is a San Antonio native, which is the closest big city to Uvalde.

So with that ever-present in my mind my title is: “Leveraging the power of content to advocate for common sense gun legislation””
Jenny Guy
Vice President of Marketing and Communications, MediaVine

Entrepreneurs: How has being a female entrepreneur changed you?

“Entrepreneurship has made me internalize this truth — Women lift women. Our customer base is nearly 80% female, all small business owners in their own right and what we do every day allows them to buy their dream homes, send their kids to ballet and art classes, and allows those same kids to finish college debt-free. Nothing is more important to me, and to us, than lifting these women up and helping their dreams come true.”
Amber Bracegirdle
Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, MediaVine

Tech Trailblazers: Where are women in Tech right now? How much ceiling is left to smash?

“Thank you again for the recognition and the opportunity -- it means so much, and I so value the AdMonsters organization. We must remember that, as women in tech, we are still women in the real world and we can't truly progress without reproductive justice and access to childcare.”
Nabiha Syed
CEO, The Markup

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For Sponsorship opportunities please contact

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