Employee Spotlight Series: Maria Fernanda Abella Avila

Maria recently joined Sourcepoint as a Technical Account Manager based out of our Berlin offices. Previously, she worked as a Partner and Customer Success Manager with Nosto and as a Publishers Business Development and Account Manager at BidderPlace. 

What does your day to day look like?

I help new clients to implement and onboard our CMP product, as well as ensure that clients are satisfied with our products and services. I resolve client issues and I optimize their implementations to drive the best performance on their digital properties.

What has been your favorite aspect of the role ?

I love interacting with our clients and any type of client-facing work. I enjoy optimizing and building best-in-class messages for clients, introducing clients to the UI and to new features. It’s rewarding to help them achieve better consent metrics and help them achieve their business objectives. 

How did you get involved in this particular industry?

When I graduated with my Masters of Science in Business, I felt a little bit lost in terms of career path. However, I have always been very interested in technology and publishing. The industry was also growing at such a fast pace, so I thought it would be a good place for me to start my career. In my last role, I was working in e-commerce so I was familiar with the need for compliance to data protection regulations, but Sourcepoint is my first direct role with compliance, which is very exciting. 

What do you love most about what you do?

The opportunity to learn about privacy and the exposure to new industries has been the best part. I think it’s so important for businesses to be able to be transparent about their data usage, and I’m proud to be a part of the process that builds transparency and trust between the users and service providers across diverse industries. The tech part is also new to me–my previous role was also focused on customer success, but it’s been eye-opening to dive into the technical aspect of account management. 

“Stay curious and open to learning about new trends.”

What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?

My former boss at Nosto, Camille Aassila, would always say “Be proactive.” She always encouraged me to take initiative to follow up with clients and react to their needs to push things forward. In the account management role, it’s very important to be able to show strong motivation and expertise to help clients reach their goals. 

What do you think is the key for success in a role like yours?

I think the key for success is to be able to build strong relationships with clients based on trust and professionalism. To show enthusiasm and persistence to help them succeed in their monetization and compliance efforts. On my end, it’s especially important to keep myself updated with recent changes in industry regulations and updates in our product to serve as a trusted partner and react in a timely manner. 

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

Stay curious and open to learning about new trends. The adtech industry is still growing and has a lot of potential for women considering a career, especially with startups or mid-size companies that are expanding. When you enter a company, whatever your role may be, you are going to have opportunities to help out in different fields and learn from different departments–be open to it!  Also, don’t be afraid to share your ideas and offer your opinion on potential areas of improvement because your voice is valuable. Don’t feel like you have to be quiet even if you are more junior in experience: speak up. 

Why do you think it’s important for more women to join the tech industry ?

We need to show that men are not the only ones that belong in the tech industry. Women belong and can be leaders in privacy and ad tech. Women can be revolutionary, creative, and modern. 

“There’s not enough being done to support women who want to go into these roles when we see mostly men in tech.”

Do you think enough is done to help women get into the tech industry? If not, what would you recommend?

I don’t think there’s enough being done – on the part of companies or society-wide. There’s not enough being done to support women who want to go into these roles when we see mostly men in tech. On one hand it is a problem of leadership; women early in their careers need to see themselves reflected in their leaders to be able to imagine a path for themselves. 

At the same time, we have to dismantle stereotypes and cliches that women still have to face: that women can only do certain roles, that they will always work under men, that they can’t be their own bosses, that they can’t be other peoples’ bosses, that they can’t lead in technical roles like product. We can combat narrow-mindedness through education, and through opening more doors in the tech industry for women.

For more Employee Spotlights, read our last interview with our SVP of Product, Chloe Grutchfield. Interested in joining us? Check out our careers page.