A Conversation with Sara Vincent, Managing Director UK at Utiq
Welcome to Industry Perspectives, the content series from Onetag where we highlight leaders shaping the future of programmatic and ad tech. Each edition features real voices from the field, sharing valuable insights, lessons learned, and visions for what’s to come.
In this edition, we’re thrilled to speak with Sara Vincent, Managing Director UK and Utiq. Sara shares insights on driving innovation through collaboration and experimentation, building scalable, privacy-safe infrastructure and navigating industry noise, to leading with context, curiosity, and a human-first approach in the age of AI.
Q: What energizes you most in your current role, and what keeps you motivated in such a dynamic industry?
The industry itself. We’re in the middle of this huge innovation in technology and learning how to do things better than we’ve ever done before. In my role I get to work with technology that’s emerged out of necessity, which is an exciting place to be. Solving for the challenges of the past whilst also future proofing for a better advertising ecosystem.
The people in our industry are also amazing and a huge part of what’s motivating. I’ve got peers I met twenty years ago who are still thriving and there’s always new talent joining the industry which we can all learn from. When you’re working with amazing peers and friends it keeps everything lively and energising.
Q: What makes your company different from the rest?
We’re a joint venture owned by four major European telcos – Telefónica, Orange, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom – and we now collaborate with more than 30 telcos across Europe. Getting that many large organisations aligned so quickly is quite something. The result is accurate addressability at real scale for the open web which is exactly what buyers want and are missing today. It’s revolutionary to take infrastructure from another industry and apply it to digital advertising at this level.
We use telco identification technology to create a stable persistent ID for the open web enabling accurate frequency management, a huge suppression in ad fraud and deterministic cross-browser, cross-channel marketing. The outcome is a more efficient media buy and, on average, about a 25% increase in results.
Q: What industry trend do you think isn’t getting the attention it deserves?
Less of a trend more of a phrase but “Test-and-learn” isn’t getting the adoption it should. We hear a lot about the need for a test-and-learn mindset in industry discussions and on panels all the time. There are a number of pioneering partners that do invest in this approach, but there is also a lot of talk where there isn’t necessarily the commitment to back it up.
New innovative solutions need test budgets to provide the proof points, and testing means trying these new approaches – not just doing what you’ve always done.
As an industry we talk often about our concerns with big tech platforms, the control they have and that we’re beholden to them. However there is much that’s within our control and opportunities to take back control, so I urge everyone to adopt more of a test and learn mindset in order to drive innovation adoption and improve the outlook of digital advertising and especially the future of the open web.
Q: If you could wave a magic wand and solve one issue in ad tech overnight, what would it be?
It would be having a solid infrastructure and ensuring that the digital advertising industry is built on a foundation of scalable, privacy-safe, user-friendly technology for the long term. This doesn’t require a complete re-write, but it’s important that at the foundational level we are considering user experience, focussing on building trust and operating within a consented framework.
Q: How do you navigate the noise in ad tech to make smart decisions about partners and platforms?
It’s a challenge; there is a lot of noise that you need to sift through, whilst at the same time ensuring that you are giving the right amount of attention to new partners and new technologies that will improve and help grow your business.
When it comes to making decisions about technology and platforms, I would say do your due diligence. What’s behind the glossy deck? How do they do what they claim they’re doing? What data is backing up the claims and what processes are being used in the generation of the technology? Particularly in the identity space, it’s worth checking that the processes used to obtain identifiers and increase addressability are compliant and privacy-safe. Do they create exposure and risk? Do your homework and have your questions ready to ask every vendor that you may potentially want to work with.
Lastly, look at the company they keep. See who they have worked with in the past, who they are partnering with now and seek their feedback and insight to help inform your decisions. Transparency helps build trust.
Q: What challenges keep you up at night – and how are you addressing them?
Time is a huge challenge on so many levels. We have to move and act faster as an industry if we want to build a sustainable future-proofed advertising ecosystem. In a complex industry, we need to simplify decision making, reduce wasted time and positively impact efficiency and revenue.
Q: Looking back at your leadership journey, what key lessons have shaped the way you lead today?
Providing context is really important. I have found success in leading a team when you can provide clear context around the “why” rather than just dictating the plan. This helps build a good level of trust and understanding, and it also gives others an opportunity to see the whole picture and brings people along with you. Providing context feels so much more collaborative. Giving your team space for their views and thoughts ensures you can get the best from everyone.
Another aspect of leadership that has served me well is being very specific about setting expectations. This encompasses not only clarity on timelines and deliverables to minimise friction points but also expectations of each team member in terms of role and accountability.
Q: What does great leadership look like in today’s media-tech environment, and how do you think it will evolve?
So much is changing. Work is very different today and priorities have been shaken up in the last few years. However, it’s important to remember the key lessons of leadership are still about having a vision and strategic foresight but with the ability to adapt. Have a considered plan but recognise that paths to get there might change over the course of weeks or months and that that’s fine. Have a solid vision and overview and then adapt where you need.
With AI developments it’s also worth restating the human-centric piece of leadership is still vital to ensure collaboration, build trust and empower teams. Let’s make sure those human skills that help us work together, deliver, grow and be successful are not lost. I think that’s going to be incredibly important.
Q: Who has been an unexpected mentor or influence in your career, and what did you learn from them?
My very first boss was a big influence on my career and the way I think about things generally. He was very considerate of his employees and advised us to always keep perspective in your life and recognise what is important. A key piece of advice was “love your partner, your kids, your dog – but keep perspective when it comes to work and don’t burn out working all day and night at the expense of everything else in your life”. I don’t always heed this and tend to throw myself one hundred per cent into the companies I work for and love them, but I try hard not to lose perspective on what really matters in life: get the balance right and you’ll be more effective.
Q: What’s your go-to productivity hack?
Recently I’ve been listening to podcasts with Mel Robbins who devised the “Let them” theory. It’s a very simple but effective philosophy around how to be calmer, more focused and let go of things that are not in your control.
I have stolen one of her productivity hacks; which is if you’ve got a very long to do list, think about where you need to start then count backwards from five to focus your mind, and then start the task. The principle is if you’re counting backwards, you’re thinking about the counting rather than getting distracted again and not starting the task. By the time you get to zero you’ve cleared you mind for progressing faster and more efficiently.
Q: Coffee or tea?
A nice oat milk cappuccino in the morning but then I switch to decaffeinated tea after 2pm. So, the best of both worlds
