What’s life like as a Compliance Director?
Our Global Product Compliance Director, Kelly Collins, speaks to us about negotiating with stakeholders, the data privacy revolution and her Italian water dog!
Q: Hi, first of all, could you introduce yourself, and talk a bit about what you do at Unruly…
I’m Kelly and I’m the Global Product Compliance Director at Unruly. I work with our internal teams, partners, advertisers and publishers to ensure that we comply with data privacy regulations and security while still delivering industry-leading products and services to publishers and advertisers.
Q: How did you find out about Unruly?
My first introduction to Unruly and its dynamic culture was when I attended two networking events in Unruly’s amazing Clubhouse. I was looking for my next opportunity when our Chief Product Officer, Jule Owen, forwarded me the job spec for my current role
Q: Tell us about something you’ve learned while working at Unruly?
I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning at Unruly as the digital landscape is constantly evolving around us. Although I’ve worked in advertising for over 20 years this is my first adtech role so the acronyms and architecture are fairly new to me. I think the most important skill I’ve developed is to stand back when the pastries and avocados are delivered for breakfast as it’s like observing the ad tech equivalent of a wildebeest stampede!
Q: What draws you to the type of work you do?
This role plays to the strengths and skills that I’ve developed across my career. I like to question and probe points, negotiate with internal and external stakeholders, and I’ve always played by the rules (which is essential to this role). I also think that privacy and security are critical to current data world and so it’s great to be working in an expanding area.
I also love getting out of the office to meet other industry professionals who share the same challenges and barriers that I do within their roles. Over the past few months, I’ve spoken at a number of events and conferences, sharing my knowledge and working with others to find solutions to the problems we face as an industry.
Q: What does a typical day at work look like for you?
A typical day could include team meetings, discussions with colleagues about the latest developments in data privacy and security, reviewing contracts and chasing my Lagotto Romagnolo (Italian water dog) around our office!
Q: From social media scandals to GDPR fines to the imminent launch of the CCPA, there’s a lot happening in the compliance arena at the moment! Why do you think this is?
People have only just started to care about who has access to their data. Previously very few users had any comprehension (until the Cambridge Analytica scandal) that their online behaviours were valuable.
I also think that it is has taken lawmakers and regulators time to catch up with the changes that technology brings and to work out how to future proof such laws. It is so much quicker for a technology company to innovate than a lawmaker to legislate.
Q: It’s the weekend: what do you like to do in your spare time?
Thanks to the amazing flexible working culture at Unruly, I work 80% hours so my weekend starts on Friday morning! My weekends are spent with my sons, husband and friends, eating, drinking, cooking, spinning and walking Cocoa.
Q: What’s the biggest story in your world at the moment that you think more people should be aware of?
For the UK audience, it would be the ICO report into ad tech and RTB (real-time bidding). The report focuses on the way the industry processes special category data and the contractual complexities of the ad tech supply chain. For global audiences I think the fine levied by the FTC against Facebook is an interesting one, I wrote in-depth about its relevance recently.
Find out more about working for Unruly and check out our latest job openings.
