Our ‘Profile: A Day in the Life of’ feature takes a look at some of the global professionals working across performance marketing. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the flourishing industry.
In this edition we head to Singapore, to speak with the network director of The Affiliate Gateway (Asia).
Name:
Max Bush
Job title and company:
Network Director at The Affiliate Gateway (Asia)
In one sentence, how would you describe what the company does?
We are an affiliate network with a focus and expertise of the Asia market.
What are the company’s unique selling points?
We are the largest affiliate network in South East Asia with local marketing knowledge and presence across the whole of Asia Pacific.
Our platform was built entirely in-house with the backing of The Collinson Group, a privately owned company, that has been in business for over 30 years and have supported our growth by leveraging the wider group resources.
We also have our own affiliate inventory in the form of our client’s loyalty sites with a customer base in excess of 30m users for the likes of Cathay Pacific Airlines, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia and more.
Within the last six months/year, what stands out as the company’s major milestones?
As a privately owned business things operate somewhat differently. Our greatest accomplishment in the last year has been our ability to introduce performance marketing in to some very under-developed markets and we are already see some really interesting results. Our team has grown to support the demand for our services in markets where we initially were not focused.
Duration in current role:
I have worked within the group coming up on 10 years however I established the business case and team to build The Affiliate Gateway around 7 years ago.
Where are you based?
Singapore, although a lot of time is spent around the region including an inordinate amount of time sat in Jakarta’s traffic jams.
Previous performance marketing-related companies you have worked at:
I have not worked for any other performance marketing related companies and my previous experience is from a design, client-side and agency background.
What are your main job responsibilities?
- Revenue growth.
- Pitch to and win new clients.
- Manage, train and support the team (in various time zones).
- Provide performance marketing/digital insight and support to the wider group.
- Ongoing technical development and maintenance of all The Affiliate Gateway platforms across APAC/Europe.
- Strategy/Direction for the business.
Take us through what you get up to on a typical working Monday:
I’m not sure that there is such a thing as a typical Monday (apologies for the cliché). It might be straight in to a merchant pitch, working on some technical developments, meeting with one of our partners or assisting the team.
What top three websites can you be found browsing during your lunch hour?
When I have the time it would be Tech in Asia, Marketing Interactive and the est1892 forums.
What are your top three tips for someone looking to get their hands on a job like yours?
- Don’t wait for things to happen. If things are not going your way then persevere and find your way around the problem rather than allowing it to dictate the pace at which you move.
- “Jack of all trades, master of none” – would immediately be interpreted as a negative, however I’d readily admit that my team understand their specialities better than myself. To do this job, a good understanding of every part of the business is required including financial, legal, technical, BD, account management, staffing, marketing, etc.
- Use all resources available to you and any resources you don’t have, find a creative way to fill the gap.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in three years’ time?
I love my job, the people I work with and the digital marketing industry. I hope that The Affiliate Gateway will continue to grow and expand and that I will be there to see its future successes. That or retired on a beach in Bali.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I only came to work in marketing when my course in Nanotechnology was cancelled.