Life at Criteo Australia: Behind the scenes

Are you curious to know what life is like at Criteo Australia? Through Lela's experience, let’s get a sneak peek at life in sunny Sydney!

Can you tell us about your background and current responsibilities at Criteo?

I have almost always worked in the media environment as I come from a publishing background. Originally from the UK, I have been in Australia for 14 years. I have lived in Sydney ever since I moved here, and I joined Criteo from a location tech business in July 2021. My official title is Senior Account Executive Enterprise which is mainly a client-facing role where I try to bring onboard new brands and companies to work with Criteo. If I had to sum up what I do, I'd say my job is to make Criteo more agency friendly.

Is this a global position, or do you focus on a specific market?

I only work with Australia and New Zealand. I used to focus on all of Australia, but as the local retail media market is quite dynamic and spread out, I now have a counterpart who looks after Melbourne, so I now focus on Sydney, Brisbane, and New Zealand.

Do you benefit from Criteo's Flexible Work Approach?

Yes! Thanks to the company’s flexible work philosophy, we can choose to work from home. We organize various social events to get together. I organize team events like the Christmas party or this year's Mardi Gras, which was a big thing since the Australian Government was so strict to try and eliminate covid during the pandemic. Every year, it is a massive party where people bring their kids and the whole city switches on party mode.

How would you describe the work atmosphere at Criteo Australia?

The team culture in Australia is simply fantastic! It's a very positive and inclusive atmosphere where you will find people genuinely supportive of each other. You will always have someone ready to stick their neck out for you and give you a hand if you need one. As I said earlier, we are a small team, so we need to work cross discipline sometimes, and in such context team spirit is even more essential. And even though it may feel like we are far away sometimes, I'd say being a multicultural office has made us better at connecting with our other counterparts in the US and EMEA.

Do you have a lot of different nationalities?

Yes! We have people from the UK, Italy, France, Australia; It is quite a nice melting pot! As a woman of color and who is not from Australia, being part of a diverse and multiethnic community is something I value, especially when working in tech, which used to be a rather male-dominant industry. There is a dynamic intake of talents in Australia, especially in the media business. We all know each other and even call ourselves the "Media Mafia."

How would you describe the company culture in a few words?

You can feel the global efforts to listen to employees' needs to make us happier, healthier, and, as an aftermath, more productive.

Were there some things that surprised you since starting at Criteo?

Coming from the publisher background, what struck me was the complexity of some of our products and the amount of engineering work they require. Sometimes the workflow and processes can feel a bit slow for an inbound tech company, but in the end, that is what happens with most global organizations. I always find the level of brain power within our staff to be astonishing.

Which aspects do you value the most for you to be comfortable in your job?

To me, feeling recognized by both your teammates and leadership is essential. I am not talking about economic recognition, but feeling that people are also interested in your individual evolution is very fulfilling.

Would you say Criteo provides the right environment for career growth?

I've learned so much since I joined that I'd say yes. At least for me!

Any anecdote you'd like to share to conclude this interview?

One thing that comes to mind is the story of our flight to Croatia. So, Criteo organized this summit in Croatia to gather our international community after the pandemic. Our team was super (perhaps too) excited to go there, and we had all gathered at the back of the plane to celebrate, until the captain made a complaint because we were actually tipping the plane. So, the stewardess came to tell us to split into two groups. If they could have kicked us off the plane, they would have. But the cherry on the cake was that as I was telling the story to a colleague at the summit, another Criteo overheard us and said: "Oh yes, we heard about you guys. You're the team that made an A380 tip." I thought: "Great, how is it possible that this has made its way to the conference already?!". So, there we were, the smallest but loudest team of Criteo. None of us had traveled for so long... I think we left an unforgettable memory for the crew there. It was a lot of fun!