Employee Spotlight: Melanie Deneau

Melanie Deneau is our Director of Client Services in the EU (non-DACH). She first joined Sourcepoint as an account manager in 2018. She also previously worked as an account manager for ResearchGate and a Team Lead for Medigo. 

How do you start your day as Director of Client Services?

I look at Slack for any urgent items from the team or our clients–I manage a team of four, so messages are fairly constant. I am located in Berlin and our engineers are mainly in New York so I check to see if anything has been deployed or changed. I also have quite a few calls. On average, I have 8-10 calls a day. 

What has been your favorite project so far?

My favorite aspect of Client Services used to be visiting clients in London and Paris, being able to visit them face-to-face. Sourcepoint definitely puts an emphasis on face-to-face interactions which was key for building those relationships. Of course, we are still having video calls and virtual interactions during the pandemic, but many of those relationships have been based on that foundation and philosophy. 

The best thing now? Getting an email from a happy client. 

What are you the most proud of ?

I was very proud when our team won the Sky News RFP. We worked incredibly hard on the RFP process and now we are implementing our CMP across their properties. It’s been an interesting challenge working with a really large team in a complex organization. 

How did your career lead to client services?

When I graduated university, I originally looked for account management positions, but there were a lot of sales and customer success roles. My first job was actually in business development; I have also worked in HR and recruiting. All the work I have done before is directly related to the work that I do now. I had managed teams before, worked on RFP processes before, recruiting—it has all built up to my role as a Director of Client Services. 

I have really enjoyed working with clients all over Europe, especially because I have been able to utilize my language skills. Out of all the courses that I took in university, language skills were the best investment. Being able to communicate to clients in their language was very valuable. 

What drew you to Sourcepoint and the privacy sphere ?

Funnily enough when I applied for a job at Sourcepoint, we had not developed a consent management platform yet or at least it was in its very early development stages. When I joined Sourcepoint, our products were centered on presenting users with content compensation choices.

I had applied because when I read about Ben and Brian’s profile, I saw that they had significant experience in the past with startups. In the other startups that I had worked at, it was the founder’s first company and I was looking for founders with more experience. I knew that these guys knew what they were doing and it was not their first time at the rodeo.

I was also interested in the world of programmatic advertising and the changing ways of the internet. The laws were changing, and it was affecting how we are able to move through the internet. I wanted to be involved in that evolution — and I haven’t been bored since. 

Where do you see the industry going? How has it changed?

Regulations are continuing to evolve; there are more and more countries that will develop their own laws. Currently, the industry and the privacy landscape are quite fragmented, but at some point, there will be more standardization and that will make enforcement easier. A lot of companies that have been able to skirt data regulations and consumer privacy won’t be able to much longer. There will be stricter regulations and more innovation in privacy protection and technology. The industry has become more focused on the needs of the consumer. 

How do you view Sourcepoint’s role in the privacy space?

Sourcepoint has a very influential role. Because of our privacy measurement and analytics tools, we have a unique position where we can see what’s happening not only with our client base – which is very broad – but in the industry overall, and with our competitors. We are consultants, but we also drive conversations in the industry and push for change and increasing data ethics. Our role is very much multidimensional.

What is your career advice for people starting their careers – or looking to change direction?

Find something that challenges you. A great job is a job that piques your interest and keeps you on your toes. Especially given the way that the world is right now. What has helped me get through the past year is this job. It has kept me focused and engaged. As soon as you get bored or lethargic, that seeps into other aspects of your life. The more challenged you are at work, the more energized you will be about everything else.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry? What do you wish you had known?

Don’t be afraid to start early. I wish I would have entered the tech industry earlier. I didn’t think about it as an option when I started because it wasn’t a focus in my studies. I ended up in technical positions because Berlin is a tech-focused city. I wish I had been more exposed to different kinds of skills earlier like coding.  

I would also say, don’t let your lack of experience limit your job search. There are so many jobs that can teach you skills on the job. Before this role I was in more sales-heavy account management roles, so most of the technical skills I have, I learned on the job. That challenge was the most interesting and rewarding part. 

What role can male team members play to best support their female peers in the business and tech world?

Male team members should be more aware of the challenges that women in the workplace have to face that they have no concept of. A friend of mine was talking about whether she should let her company know whether she was pregnant because she was up for a promotion. Her male friend had no idea why that might affect her promotion and was totally oblivious to the specific challenges that women face in the workplace. 

Baseline respect is also important. I have heard a good many sexist comments in my professional career. If a man hears something from another man that is sexist or misogynist, call him on it. Men need to be comfortable making the work environment safer for women. 

Interested in joining our team? Check for roles on our Careers page.