Here at Emodo, we’re defined by our strong, lasting relationships. Our people are behind everything we do, and we firmly believe that with teamwork and partnership, our success knows no limits. Together we are committed to being bold, driving impact, seeking growth and leading with integrity.

Our leadership team is a mighty force that drives these values every day and we are lucky to have each one of them. They embody a wide variety of inspiring traits, thoughtful insights, and fascinating experiences – all of which we wanted to highlight through our “Meet the Leader” series.

To get to know each of our #teamodo leaders a bit better, we asked them a few questions. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say:

Q: What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Megan Saunders, SVP, Global Marketing & Growth: “Be a duck. When things are chaotic and overwhelming, act like a duck: above the surface look composed and unruffled and below the surface, paddle like hell to get it done.”

Jeremy Lockhorn, VP, Head of Global Innovation: “I’ve got two, and they are thematically similar. ‘The future does not fit into the containers of the past,’ and ‘Change sucks. Irrelevance is worse.’ Both from Rishad Tobocowalla, whom I was lucky enough to work with for a few years at Razorfish. Those phrases have stuck with me and guided me ever since – curiosity, continuous learning and constant reinvention are so important in any field.”

Kelly Anderson, SVP, Privacy, Compliance & Sourcing: “Whether making a decision in your work or personal life, Empathy is always the answer.”

Q: What is a memorable fact about you?

Lee Karchawer, VP, Sales East: “In 2011, I founded a national non-profit organization, called Pay Away the Layaway, with the goal of inspiring hope and spreading kindness by paying off layaway balances with gifts and essentials for kids. To date, the organization has helped thousands of families across the globe.”

Damian McKenna, Chief Operating Officer: “I have always wanted to be a father since I could remember. I told my grandfather this at the age of four. Today, I have three great children and relish even the tough times.”

Q: What is the most memorable book you’ve read, and why?

Priti Ohri, VP, Global Product Strategy: “The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. This book has a way of tying together simple life lessons with magic and wonder, leaving me inspired and hopeful after every read – 1.) Identify your personal legend 2.) Don’t fear failure 3.) What is true will always endure 4.) Your success has a ripple effect 5.) When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

Dan Lee, VP, Product, Demand & Data: “The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Growing up in England, The Outsiders was a captivating book and an eye into US youth culture in the 60s. I remember being blown away after I had finished the book, that it was written by a 16-year-old young woman. It was a reminder about not making assumptions!”

Thomas Anderson, Chief Marketplace Development Officer: “Ready Player One!  As we think about what the metaverse could someday become it’s the perfect book to get your brain thinking about Web3 and the future!”

Q: What are you most excited about in Emodo’s future?

Donal Kane, VP, SSP: “I’m excited to see us deliver on the promise of using our proprietary creative formats, enriched with our data to deliver performance at scale for our advertisers and suppliers.”

Allison Willis, VP, Ad Operations: “Emodo has so many exciting initiatives and goals for 2023 – but the thing I’m most excited about is achieving these (while having fun!) alongside the outstanding team members that we have.”

Westley Gillard, VP, Business Development EMEA: “Our newest offering (Emodo Adapt) allows us to have a major role to play in shaping the new digital creative gold standard. Combined with our future-proofed AI-driven audience targeting capabilities makes for a highly unique, compelling and effective advertising proposition.”

We’ve loved hearing these insights and experiences from our leaders and know that we have so much to learn from each other. Learn more about our team & culture here and stay tuned to hear from more of the Emodo team in 2023!