Asam Usman

Why did you want to work at Skyrise, and how did you apply for your role?

I was looking for the next step in my career. After a year and a half at a large group agency, I felt like a small cog in a big business. I wasn't seeing the progression I wanted. Skyrise offered a role that was similar, still programmatic trading, but in a more concise, independent environment. It felt exciting and a more meaningful experience. Somewhere I'd feel valued as a person and where there'd be a real focus on developing myself and learning more about the programmatic space as a whole. The size mattered, but so did the vision around growth.

I applied in November 2023 and started that December, so it moved fairly quickly. Both my interviews were in person, which I really valued. Meeting people face to face lets you understand how they carry themselves and helps you develop an early understanding of the personalities involved within the team.

It was clear straight away that Skyrise is built on trust, and that no one expects you to walk in as the perfect trader. Everything is about growth and development.

Describe a typical day in your role?

Some of the biggest tasks are building and setting up campaigns. As we grow, they're getting more complex, which means you're always developing new skills. We're always looking to push what we can achieve and set the bar high. Reporting is a big part of my role too. Traders report on active campaigns, offering insight into what's going well, what can be improved, and where the optimisation opportunities are.

What is your favourite thing about your role?

I specialise in the Digital Out-of-Home side, so I’m effectively the person responsible for putting adverts on digital billboards and screens. That in itself feels rewarding, especially when you go out and see your own adverts in the real world. With one of our sports gaming clients we had a lot of photography around Old Trafford, and I’m a huge Manchester United fan, so to see thousands of people walking past that, knowing I'm the one who got that up there. That is a nice thing to think about.

I also enjoy working on big clients and having that responsibility. Being trusted with the biggest campaigns we have is something I might not have had a year or two ago. But I thrive off it now, which shows how much I’ve developed at Skyrise and the trust people place within me.

What are the main skills needed for your role at Skyrise?

Your technical trading skills need to be strong: your number skills, the way you analyse data, how you use Excel. Those are things I've always been fairly good at, because I'm a technical person in how I process everything, so it aligns well with what the job is about. It isn't a creative role, it's analytical.

What advice would you give someone looking to join your team?

Don't think you have to know everything. Trading and programmatic have grown at such a quick rate, with so many DSPs and channels, that it can feel overwhelming. But our trading and operational systems break that down. Not every trader works across every channel, so people can specialise. That way you build real depth in your area rather than trying to cover everything at once.

What surprised you about working here?

The amount of knowledge and insight we have access to. It’s more than I expected. Especially the audience data. Here I can actually see where an audience has come from. At my previous company there was no clear path to that as a trader; I didn't get much insight into the origins of the audience data.

At Skyrise I'm visible to everything that goes on, from sales to account management to trading and then through to post-campaign measurement. Previously that was all much more isolated.

How would you describe life at Skyrise in one or two sentences?

Positive. Everyone's supportive of each other and has each other's backs. It's an excellent place to grow and develop, not just your technical skills but you develop as a person. Feeling valued and knowing your opinion counts, makes a real difference.