A Conversation with Elsa Demain-Griffiths, Director of Digital Sales & Innovation at The Telegraph
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 Elsa Demain-Griffiths, Director of Digital Sales & Innovation at The Telegraph. Elsa discusses the importance of balancing direct and programmatic business with the reader always front of mind, what drives and energizes her work, the importance of asking questions, and much more.
Q: What energizes you most in your current role, and what keeps you motivated in such a dynamic industry?
A: In my current role, I oversee all digital advertising revenue at The Telegraph, whether through direct sales via our team or through commercial relationships with third parties, including supply platforms. My role is broad and exciting because I get to work with two very different sets of personalities, both within my department and externally. Sometimes I’m the client; other times, I’m on the direct sales side helping my team with pitching. One focus is engineering meaningful programmatic growth, while the other is nurturing our direct sales space, two halves of the same ecosystem, but with very different behaviors.
Working with programmatic third parties is fascinating. My team’s conversations center on commercials, contracts, and being on alpha/beta product roadmaps with partners. I also tap into my analytical side, looking at data to understand yields, sell-through rates, inventory permutations, and how we can model future initiatives.
At The Telegraph, we were early innovators in adopting a subscription-first model, empowering teams to explore what that means for advertisers. Being subscriber-first is ultimately advertiser-first, it’s about creating a beautiful reader experience across web and app and treating advertising with the same care. We’ve stripped out unnecessary code, improving speed while reducing carbon. Central to our approach is owning first-party data and building effective products. With over one million subscribers, we deeply understand our customers to create better experiences for them and for advertisers.
Overall, I’m energised by the constant change in this industry. It never stands still, and every challenge brings new opportunities to move forward and shape the future together.
Q: What do you wish your ad tech partners understood better about working with a premium publisher, and what does value look like to you in a successful partnership?
A: I think the partners we work with have all been brilliant. There’s always an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback in the right way. It all comes back to relationship-based conversations, whether you’re on the direct side of the business or the programmatic side. There’s often a misconception that on the programmatic side, relationships aren’t as valuable, but they’re incredibly important, and I make sure to lean in.
Here’s an example: for curated marketplaces, from a publisher’s point of view, what matters most to us is having the ability to control and overlay our own rules to safeguard as much as possible. It’s about allowing for that control in a meaningful way. We bear responsibility for the advertising experiences that our readers are exposed to and they need to adhere to the highest quality.
My message to our tech partners is that we are here for innovation and want to be at the forefront but always through the lens that the more access we have to guidelines and tools, the better.
Q: What’s a decision you made that felt risky at the time but turned out to be pivotal?
A: This is so clear in my mind, it was jumping into the programmatic space. During my university sandwich year, I worked at Microsoft in their Xbox advertising department, which gave me the hunger to return to advertising afterward and start my career there. Luckily, I then secured a role at Ad.com, which was owned by AOL. I was on the publisher services team, building out the non-UK version of Ad.com supply, and this new “programmatic” terminology kept cropping up. What did it mean? What was it?
I jumped in and became the only Europe-based person working with our US product teams, helping to shape the SSP connections in the AdLearn Open Platform, their DSP at the time, and I found that experience fundamental in understanding the cogs and pipes of the industry. If I hadn’t jumped into programmatic at that time, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I was that geek at the front, raising my hand, just trying to understand.
From that experience, my biggest piece of advice is to stay curious and hungry with your questions, there’s never a dumb or silly one.
Q: How would your colleagues describe your leadership style?
A: It’s interesting you ask this because quite recently we did the Hogan test, and it was remarkably reflective. I remember thinking, How does it know so much about my personality through such simple questions? But it really captured me accurately.
I’d describe myself as quite an empathetic leader. I know it sounds a bit corny, but I want every voice to be heard. No matter your background or experience, you’ve always got a seat at the table and something valuable to contribute. I really resonate with the idea of helping open doors for others. I’d also say I’m decisive. I’m analytical, but I also trust my gut, that comes from years of experience and knowing intuitively what works and what doesn’t. Lastly, I think I’m resilient. I’ve worked with many versions of commercial teams, and you’ve got to embrace change and go with whatever evolution is happening because it’s there for a reason, and it’s moving you forward.
Q: Do you think there’s a difference between how you would describe yourself as a leader and how your team would describe you?
A: That’s a good question and maybe I should ask my team that! I really hope it aligns with what I’ve said. I strive to lead with authenticity, and I hope they see me exactly as I am.
Q: Do you have any small ritual or habit that keeps you grounded, both at work and at home?
A: As a mum to two young children and having recently returned from my second maternity leave, I made a conscious decision to ensure I have quality time in the evenings with my children. It’s about being intentional with that time. It doesn’t always happen, no one’s perfect, but simply having that intentional mindset keeps me grounded.
Q: If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
A: When I went on my first maternity leave, I signed up for an online psychology course, and I loved it. I’ve always been interested in psychology, and there’s something deeply fulfilling about helping others. I could see myself working as a counsellor or therapist. As I mentioned, I like to think I’m empathetic and attuned to people’s signals, their body language, the unsaid parts of how they present themselves. I really enjoy learning about people.
Q: Finally — coffee, tea, or something else altogether?
A: Coffee, all the way. I have at least three cups every day. I know it’s bad, but with two little kids, I still sleep just fine!
