The Fishbowl: Ryan Rummery, Global’s DAX

The Media Leader’s interview series asks the media industry’s top salespeople 10 revealing questions, drawn from our fishbowl. The questions will be drawn at random and contain some tricky posers set by the commercial chiefs themselves.

This week is Ryan Rummery, commercial DAX director at Global.

Ryan Rummery started his career at The Financial Times as a sales and marketing executive.

He then moved to The Telegraph Media Group and held a variety of digital, sales and leadership positions over seven years.

Rummery joined Global’s Digital Ad Exchange (DAX) in 2014 as head of DAX digital and mobile sales and progressed to commercial DAX director by 2022.

**Peer question** What superpower would you choose?

I think I would go for speed… Superman-style! For those that know me will know that I am constantly on the move and juggling numerous projects, client meetings and presentations, so having the ability to get everywhere I need to as quickly and efficiently as I can (without breaking a sweat) would be a dream!

Question set by Emma Elford, commercial content director, The Independent

What are clients most excited about right now?

In the world of digital audio and outdoor — which is where I spend the majority of my time — there’s a lot of excitement about the growth of programmatic outdoor and the creative opportunities it brings for clients and their digital media plans. The flexibility and ease of access, twinned with dynamic creativity and real time data triggers, is transforming how outdoor is planned and I think we’ll see more brands embracing it in 2023.

From an audio perspective, we’re seeing a lot of excitement from clients when it comes to podcasting. The unique, intimate, one to one listening experience matched with the quality of podcasts being produced with amazing talent, not to mention growth of listening figures, is such an enticing proposition for advertisers.

Elsewhere, mobile gaming is a hot opportunity for advertisers and games publishers! Over 3.1 billion people around the world are playing mobile games and with technology thanks to our friends at Odeeo, we can now insert non-intrusive audio ads into the game play. It’s really opened up a whole new world for brands to reach new audiences through audio.

What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?

Mindset by Carol Dweck. I was recommended this book many years ago by a good friend in the industry and it’s now a firm favourite. I re-read it before Christmas and it was a timely reminder of the power of a growth mindset and how approaching everything I possibly can in this way can have such a positive impact on all parts of my life and those around me.

In many ways, my job as a commercial director is all about facing new challenges on a daily basis, so being open to new ways of working and approaching these with the right mindset can be transformational. I’d highly recommend it to anyone working in a similar area, or equally, anyone wanting to achieve new personal and professional goals too.

If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?

I wouldn’t change too much, but I would love to spend more time with clients to really get under the skin of their long-term objectives and creative ambitions.

The power of sharing business challenges and having open and honest conversations can unlock opportunities that can often get missed in the fast-paced environments we all work in.

**Peer question** Where or what do you get your best creative inspiration from?

I find that I’m most creative and have the best ideas when I am away from my desk, outside on a morning run or during a lunchtime walk.

Being able to free my mind of the daily to do list, incoming emails or teams messages gives me time to think, and I often find myself rushing back to my desk wanting to jot down ideas or excitingly calling one of my poor colleagues to download my ideas!

Question set by Katie Bowden, director of commercial audio, Global

What is one of your greatest achievements?

Aside from my four children, I am really proud of becoming a mentor at the Creative Mentor Network. The CMN is a charity supporting diversity and inclusion in the creative industries and I had the pleasure of mentoring one of our Global Academy students last year which I learnt a lot from, in particular how a simple introduction to the right person, or how the guidance and support we often take for granted can have a long-lasting impact or even change someone’s life.

What is one non-work-related goal that you would like to achieve in the next five years?

After recently (ish) turning 40 I promised myself that I couldn’t rely on my past sporting conquests and had to set myself some new challenges that could keep me motivated, so I would like to complete an Iron Man (sticking with the superhero theme — I may need that superman speed after all).

I would also like to become a certified coach. During lockdown, especially the first year, like many I had to adapt to a totally new way of working with people. I found through various coaching courses, books and training sessions, it transformed the way I approached conversations and management and helped me truly understand the value of listening and asking the right questions. I’d love to share some of those learnings with other people to help them unlock their potential. Sometimes being brave enough to keep asking questions and remaining inquisitive and engaged can help get to real answers. Giving someone the tools to do this can be incredibly empowering

**Peer question** What (if anything) keeps you awake at night?

I was going to say a really bold statement about the state of the economy or political landscape, but having four children who are always full of energy, when it hits 10pm, there is very little that can keep me awake after a busy day at work!

Question set by Ed Couchman, former UK general manager at Snap, now head of sales for UK and Northern Europe at Spotify

Who is the smartest person you know?

It would have to be a Global alumnus — Dr Mark Bloomfield. Mark has the ability to take the most complex topics and explain them in a way that everyone can understand. When we worked together, it always blew my mind.

He was also instrumental in setting up a higher learning programme at Global and led our sustainability strategy. A real influencer who inspired me on a daily basis and no doubt continues to wow people everywhere he goes.

**Peer question** What if anything is your business planning on doing differently in 2023?

In terms of business planning, I think we’ve all become used to the fact that we need to be able to adapt whatever plans we may have.

One area worth highlighting is our continued emphasis on creativity – be that creativity in solving client challenges, creativity in technology and data science, and the power of creative campaigns to inspire and move people.

We’re living through some tough times at the moment and creativity is something that has the ability to generate positivity and influence remarkable change.

Question set by Richard Bon, UK managing director and Europe commercial lead at Clear Channel