Page 45 - ADNews magazine March-April 2022

However, Sigaloff says he has been faced with challenges while grow- ing the team.
“The biggest challenge has probably been the ‘growing pains’ as I like to call them,” he says.
“Our business has grown so quickly over the past few years that there’s been a few side effects we need to address: hiring new staff during an industry-wide talent shortage, operationalisation of new business, and maintaining our high standards of positive customer experience.”
Yahoo, which returned to its purple roots in a 2019 rebrand, offers client publishing and tech platforms. Its publishing brands include Yahoo, TechCrunch, Aol, and Engadget, alongside its business solutions including Yahoo Ad Tech, Yahoo Search, and Edgecast.
Looking into the future, Sigaloff says the business will focus on grow- ing its consumer audiences, increasing revenue, and building partnerships.
Sigaloff adds there will be continual investment in the people, with a focus on social impact and engaging with employees in a “purposeful” way. “We’re always focusing on our positive impact on the world, society
and people,” he says.
“This is a personal passion of mine and for many within the business
so we’re constantly seeking new ways to integrate social responsibility even further into each team’s DNA.”
One initiative has been its remote work policy, with staff free to use the office space as needed. The company also has introduced a ‘Work from Anywhere’ policy which allows employees to work abroad for up to 30 days a year.
“There’s the obvious benefits like flexibility, no commute, personal comfort and preferences, and more time to do the things you love (exercise, family time, sailing),” he says.
“But the more understated benefits I’ve noticed include higher pro- ductivity as people lead more balanced lives, plus a general shift towards greater empathy. We’ve gone through so much together and as a result it’s really changed the way we do business. We’re now human and helpful in every interaction.
To address the challenges with finding the right staff, Sigaloff says Yahoo has been investing in train- ing programs.
“We’re doing our bit to resolve this through upskilling and educa- tion,” he says.
“Yahoo Academy, for example, is a free educational two-day work- shop to support up-and-coming talent. Our online masterclasses within that are open to the entire industry and share soft skills to accelerate careers.
“Our Decoded series is another example, bringing together the best minds in the industry to dis- cuss the hottest topics. Forget the sales pitch, this is all about broad- ening your knowledge and finding answers to the big problems.
“Beyond technical skills, we’re doing our bit to weave more pur- pose into everyone’s roles. All our employees are encouraged to vol- unteer and incorporate UnLtd and its charity partners into their day-to-day.”
With the right team set in place, Sigaloff will be “ruthlessly prioritising” its avenues for growth. He is also mindful of the challenges ahead for the broader industry, particularly changes around user privacy.
“Looking to 2022 and beyond, there are some headwinds facing the industry but as a cornerstone internet company, Yahoo is well placed to solve these,” he says.
“A key one will be data head- winds - browser changes impact- ing cookies, increased privacy regulation and legislation, consent and the flow on impact to target- ing. Our identity solutions are tried and tested and already helping numerous advertisers.
“Another one is omnichannel - the digital ecosystem is growing. Traditionally, it was just display, video and native but as media becomes digitised this now includes connected TV, digital out- of-home, audio, etc. These changes can be frightening and complex, so through our adtech we help advertisers navigate this.
“And finally, measurement - quantifying and measuring impact can be a minefield but Yahoo’s platform makes it simple and avail- able in real time.”
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