International Women’s Day: The Experience That Shapes Us

At Lotame, we talk often about experience, about the kind you can’t fast-track, automate, or replicate with a slide deck full of buzzwords. This year, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re honoring something deeper: the compound experience built over 20 years by the women who show up, speak up, adapt, lead, and keep learning, especially when the industry shifts beneath their feet. 

Adtech moves quickly. Priorities change. Headlines shout about the “next big thing” or the “death of” something else. But real expertise isn’t built in the noise. It’s built in the doing. In the uncomfortable conversations. In the early mornings and late nights. In the challenges that stretch you and the communities that steady you. 

Below, the women of Lotame share the lessons experience has taught them, the advice they’d send back to day one, and the small rituals that help them recharge so they can do it all again tomorrow. 

Kelly Johnson 

Head of Global Customer Growth & Enablement 

Time-Capsule Advice: 
I’d tell my first-day self: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Speak up, let your voice be heard, raise your hand, and say yes to new opportunities. You never know what doors it might open. More often than not, taking a chance is what helps you grow the most. 

Personal Recharge: 
I like to unplug by slowing down and doing something hands on – like trying a new recipe, working on a home project, or crafting. And whenever we can, I recharge by traveling with my family and exploring new places together. 

Early Bird or Night Owl? 
I was a total night owl for a long time but lately have been shifting into an early bird. I’ve started to really appreciate a quiet morning and getting a head start on the day. 

Alison Harding 

VP Data Solutions, EMEA 

Lotame Insight: 
During my time at Lotame, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, is the importance of community and visibility in a fast-moving industry like adtech. Technology evolves quickly, priorities shift, and the landscape is constantly changing. What’s helped me most is realising that you don’t have to navigate that pace alone. Getting involved in communities that champion women in our space has been invaluable—groups like Bloom, AdTech Chats, Digital Leading Ladies, and The Women in Programmatic Network. Being part of networks like these helps you grow, learn, and connect with incredible people from every corner of the industry. 

I wouldn’t single out any one person in particular, but I take inspiration from all around me. I’ve been especially motivated by the many female leaders in our industry who are juggling kids, careers, and everything in between. Seeing how they lead with confidence, resilience, and empathy has shaped the way I approach my own work—reminding me that ambition and balance aren’t mutually exclusive. 

I stay curious, I make a point to be visible, and I continuously invest in learning. Most importantly, I try to pay that support forward—encouraging others to step up, speak out, and build their own communities along the way. 

Personal Recharge: 
Your physical and mental health should always come first, so always take the time you need to recharge and reset. If you prioritise tasks using a to-do list or time-blocking techniques, then you can stop yourself from getting too overwhelmed. I personally love to swim and go on dog walks. 

Early Bird or Night Owl? 
Early Bird. Mornings tend to be quieter and free from interruptions, and my brain is definitely at its sharpest in the morning so I try and structure my life around my natural energy patterns whenever possible. 

Rayanne Hipsley 

VP Controller 

Time-Capsule Advice: 
You will not have many days where you are bored. One of my favorite things about Lotame (besides the people of course) is that we always have a new challenge to tackle. As Lotame has grown and evolved over the years, we have had to adapt from a finance perspective. We have had new products that we had to learn how to bill for, we have had many new system integrations, and created many efficiencies along the way. I love that I am able to do what I love and continue to be challenged. 

Personal Recharge: 
I float between being my kids’ number 1 fan on the soccer sidelines and just getting lost in a book or hanging out with friends and family. 

Early Bird or Night Owl? 
Early Bird for sure, my favorite part of my day is the quiet time in the morning with my coffee before everyone else gets up for the day. 

Jamie McConville 

Senior Director, Sales Operations 

Time-Capsule Advice: 
Ad tech and the broader online ecosystem will evolve faster than you can imagine. Privacy regulations will shift, identity solutions will transform, and platforms will constantly change, with some rising, some falling, and others pivoting. Roll with the punches. Stay curious, nimble, and solutions oriented. Adaptability will be your superpower. 

When the going gets tough (and it will), hang in there. You’re surrounded by smart, driven teammates who genuinely support one another and care about what you’re building together. 

Stay flexible. Stay resilient. Keep learning. The hard moments are where the growth happens and the team beside you makes the journey worth it. 

Personal Recharge: 
My favorite way to recharge is spending time with my family, most often on the soccer field cheering on my boys. There’s something about being outside, fully present, and caught up in their games that helps me completely unplug. 

And when we get some downtime, I’m just as happy lounging on the couch together for a good movie or catching up on Survivor or other competitive reality tv that we enjoy. That balance of high-energy sideline moments and easygoing family time is the perfect reset for me. 

Early Bird or Night Owl? 
Night Owl, no contest. That late night quiet is my prime time. 

Danielle Smith 

VP of Marketing 

Lotame Insight: 
Adtech loves its jargon and ‘death-of’ headlines, but a decade of experience at Lotame has taught me something that trends simply can’t: how to cut through the noise and remain agile. 

I’ve learned that true success doesn’t come from chasing every hype cycle or fancy acronym; it comes from the hard work of demystifying the complexities of our industry for our clients and partners. By staying anchored in our company’s core values and the compound expertise we’ve built as a team, I’m able to approach marketing with a blend of perspective, education, and creative edge. 

At the end of the day, it’s about knowing what has real substance versus what’s just passing through—and remembering that behind every campaign, we’re marketers simply connecting with fellow marketers. 

Personal Recharge: 
My favorite way to recharge is reclaiming the early morning as mine. Getting in a workout before my kids are awake allows me to start the day on my own terms and sets the tone for everything that follows. That, and a very necessary first cup of coffee! 

Early Bird or Night Owl? 

Early bird! Shifting from night owl to morning person years ago was a total game-changer. Starting each day with a workout, clear head and a boost of energy makes my day more productive and leaves my evenings free for family time. 

Corrie van Hemert 

Head of Data Partnerships 

Time-Capsule Advice: 
You don’t need to have all the answers—focus on asking better questions. Say yes to the uncomfortable conversations, speak up even when your perspective feels unfinished, and trust that clarity comes from doing the work, not waiting until you feel “ready.” 

Invest early in relationships. Listen closely, build trust, and understand what truly matters to the people you partner alongside—those relationships will become one of your greatest strengths. Every partner conversation and tough negotiation will build confidence that only experience can create. 

Over time, you’ll realize your value isn’t just in managing details, but in forming connections, shaping direction, and advocating for work that moves the business forward. Own that sooner. 

Personal Recharge: 
Taking a walk – preferably a beach walk to look for shells. 

Early Bird or Night Owl? 
I wish I was an early bird, but my circadian rhythm disagrees – I’m an unwilling night owl. 

Lana Warner 

Senior Director, Partnerships & Strategic Solutions 

Lotame Insight: 
While it had always been obvious that adtech, and the technology sector more generally, is and will continue to be ever-changing, I think my time at Lotame has taught me to look at that change as an opportunity for innovation and creative thinking. I’ve had the privilege to work with and for some incredibly talented women at Lotame as well, and I would say their flexibility to embrace change in a very human, empathic way has also inspired me to ensure I am resource to all those around me, and that our teams work more collaboratively to deliver on that promise of creative innovation. 

Personal Recharge: 
Glass of wine and a book (preferably Sci-Fi or Fantasy). 

Early Bird or Night Owl? 
Night Owl 🦉 <- where you can find me finishing “one last chapter” in a nail-biter at 1am 

20 Years of Experience—Built Together 

Experience isn’t just time served. It’s lessons learned the hard way. It’s confidence earned through repetition. It’s perspective sharpened by change. It’s the steady accumulation of moments, big wins, tough pivots, early mornings, late nights, that compound into something powerful. 

For 20 years, Lotame’s story has been shaped by women like these: women who adapt, who build community, who cut through noise, who ask better questions, who lean into innovation, who balance ambition with empathy, and who find ways to recharge so they can keep going. 

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate not just individual achievements, but the collective expertise built together—day by day, challenge by challenge, opportunity by opportunity. 

Because experience isn’t built overnight. It’s built by people.