Today, we’re excited to introduce Freestar’s first-ever Chief Operating Officer, Matt Whaley. As COO, Whaley will help us continue to build a strong, scalable global organization that focuses on our Publisher First commitment, further expanding our broad range of products and services.
Whaley has a strong background in ad monetization and working closely with publishers to reach their ad revenue goals. In 2014, Whaley founded StreamAMP, a full-service website revenue company and is considered an expert in his field paving the way for AMP monetization and navigating the industry’s ever-changing landscape on behalf of his customers. From there, he founded Triple13 in 2018, specializing in AMP monetization providing programmatic Prebid and optimization technology solutions. In 2021, Freestar acquired Triple13 and Whaley joined as VP of Product Innovation at Freestar.
At Freestar, Whaley has shown his value and dedication to our publishers. His level of expertise is evident in his collaborative experience of 17 years in the digital space. He has been the chair of two IAB groups and currently serves as a member of the Prebid board. To top it off, Whaley is also a Certified Data Protection Officer – GDPR.
Whaley resides in Weybridge, England with his wife Jo, their children Maisie & Ellis, the family dogs, Luna, Nelly and Poppy, and Riley, the tortoise.
Congratulations on your new role, Whaley! Get to know more about him below.
Note: Responses may have been edited for clarity.
What led you to this career?
I started working for a digital research company in Sales and it all went from there. I fell in love with digital advertising and it took me to where I am now.
What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
I personally believe that ad tech comes to some easier than others and gladly, I believe it came to me very easily.
What energizes you at work?
I enjoy getting things done and creating a slick operational process.
What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of?
An accomplishment I’m proud of is selling my company, Triple13 to Freestar and most recently becoming Freestar’s COO. Six months ago, I was very apprehensive to work for someone else after spending 15 years working for myself. I can whole heartily say I’m loving Freestar and really enjoy working with the team here.
What’s one thing you’re learning now, and why is it important?
Focus. The world of ad tech is full of the next shiny new toy and keeping focused is a hard task that needs to be worked on daily.
In this new role, what are you looking forward to the most?
I’m looking forward to supporting the company’s multi-year plan by expanding upon its industry leading processes and automations.
Lastly, for anyone looking to get into Ad Tech or grow in their career, what tips would you give?
I would say find a good company you admire and jump in with two feet. Ad tech companies are amazing at spotting talent and it won’t be long before you are flying. Interesting fact…I know very few people in ad tech that studied to be in ad tech, most have come from completely different paths. For example, I trained and previously was a Chef.
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