Anna-Lee Bridgstock, director of data, intelligence and planning, LADbible Group

What has been your path to power?

I started my career as an insights analyst at a media agency in Sydney. I was trained as a quantitative researcher, running studies for brands like Microsoft. After this, I worked as an insights manager at nineMSN where my digital effectiveness journey began.

I then accepted a role to lead the data and insights for Volkswagen Group’s media agency, a role that transferred me from Sydney to Berlin. Here, I was the central go-to for 32 countries, covering everything from market segmentation to journey mapping. After this, my career shifted as I became Product Director for the development of a large audience insights, media planning and buying and measurement operating system. I then moved to creative agency Wunderman Thompson to build out a new team within the existing data department. This team focused on finding new business around the areas of social listening, SEO, research and data visualisation.

In the early months of the pandemic, I received a call that would change my career – I was asked to join LADbible Group, the world’s biggest social video publisher, and set up its first centralised data, intelligence and planning unit. Heading up a team of researchers, analysts, scientists, engineers, social planners and buyers, the team represents the future model of data teams; integrating data, planning and buying in one multi-disciplinary team.