Unsung Heroes - the data analyst: Tehila Oppenheim, Datonics

Why is your job important?

Being at Datonics for over 11 years, my job and role within the company have evolved through many iterations. I would say that what is most important about my job now is my ability to combine all of the details of my accumulated knowledge and connect the dots to form strategic direction and insights.

My role means to understand both the company legacy and vision, as well as the partner needs. I am able to draw on all of these attributes to create a high-quality product that uniquely suits each one of our customers.

What is the hardest and stressful part of your job?

The hardest thing about my job is keeping up with all the changes in the industry. Especially when it comes to data, there are many aspects that require constant learning.

The most stressful part is the emails and making sure I have time to read all of the emails every day. Lots of companies test our products and we need to make sure we give each of our partners a full package of our products. We must know our partners very well and understand their needs.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I feel very lucky because I get to do what I love. I also work with people I love. Our team has been together for more than a decade now! Which is a lot in this industry. The icing on the cake is that I get to learn new things every day.

While it might be hard to keep track of all of the industry changes, it is also the thing that keeps my job stimulating and exciting. I regularly get to explore new technologies, strategize new tactics and approaches, speak with new people and think differently.

First thing that comes to people’s minds when you tell them your job?

I think people admire my job. Many of my friends are from the industry and they see the passion that I have for my work. They are also amazed at how long I have been working in the same company.

For the ones who are not familiar with the digital advertising industry, they tend to ask about consumer privacy, since this is the area with which they are most familiar. It’s been part of my job – and a top priority for Datonics - to keep consumer privacy top of mind.

How would you correct/explain to them what you do then?

I explain to people about the value exchange that I help to facilitate. For example, advertising allows people to consume content for free online. The better targeted the ad, the greater the value for the consumer and the publisher.

People like to consume content, including ads, that are relevant to them and they are usually annoyed by content that is irrelevant to them. My role is to make sure that both consumers and publishers are deriving the most value.

Is there anything you want to change in your job?

I love my job, there is nothing I want to change.

Who is someone you want to emulate in your industry?

Mike Benedek, our chief executive officer. He remembers everybody, he knows all the companies and he is always positive and very open-minded.

In your role as head of data analysis and operations, what is the most memorable thing you have done?

There are two things that I am most proud of in my tenure at Datonics. The first is creating the custom segment team, which allowed us to improve our offering to our partners. The second is the changes I introduced to the taxonomy and the code definitions, which allowed our team to more accurately and easily match data.

If you weren’t the head of data analysis and operations, what would you be?

I would be a politician and work hard to make a positive impact on the future for our kids.

If you think of someone who deserves to be part of this series, please get in touch with Shawn Lim and nominate them. You can read the previous feature on the interactive producer, here.