Helen Chen 
Team Lead Publisher Sales at Fyber – a Digital Turbine company
"Personal growth, well-being, and happiness are key to driving the business goals we set for ourselves."
Helen Chen is Team Lead of Publisher Sales at Fyber – a Digital Turbine company. With her extensive background in the mobile and adtech industry, she is truly a powerhouse in this field. Helen shares with us what she loves about sales, the importance of persistence, advice about being a leader, and the importance of upholding diversity.
Helen also discusses work-life balance and the need to always cherish and make time for family. Read on to be inspired.
Q: With almost 7 years of experience in the mobile and adtech industry, what has been the biggest change you’ve witnessed in the industry?
There are two major trends in adtech in recent years that I see as the biggest and most influential: privacy and consolidation.
Privacy changes have been unfolding for the last few years and continue to evolve at full throttle. Apple’s changes, the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework and deprecating the identifier for advertisers (IDFA), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) vs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), user-first mindset, and Google’s recent plan to remove third-party cookies are all examples of privacy changes that users have demanded. Adtech companies are developing privacy-friendly solutions as they embrace this new reality.
Our industry has also seen a big wave of consolidation just in the last few years, with adtech companies merging, offering a wider service to app developers across monetization, user acquisition, and on-device capabilities. Fyber was acquired in 2021 by Digital Turbine, alongside AdColony and Appreciate, creating our independent mobile growth platform for developers and advertisers.
Q: What do you love most about being in sales?
"I especially enjoy the accomplishments and wins I’ve achieved with my team in this fast-growing and fast-paced industry."
The APAC and China region, where I am focused, holds incredible potential for mobile. I’m proud to grow our company’s presence and capabilities in the region, driving business and revenue that makes a real impact on our growth.
I also enjoy being the clients' first contact point, the face our solutions used to make their app business a success. Building and maintaining strong relationships with them is a priority of mine. These relationships also become friendly, and having them develop and succeed is a rewarding moment for me as a sales professional.
Q: Which skill is the most important to have when being a team leader in the mobile industry?
Flexibility and resourcefulness are key in leading a team in the mobile industry, which is a fascinating and complex market. Being flexible, thinking quickly, and staying creative help me support my team through the different challenges that our work presents. It’s also crucial to be curious, obtain a comprehensive understanding of the client’s product features, and stay up to date on market data trends that inform our service and support.
Q: What is the professional achievement that you’re most proud of, and why?
I had one client account I wanted to close and I had to keep chasing them for almost a year. I kept at it, continuously communicating, offering actionable solutions to challenges this prospect presented – and ended up winning them. The client added our Fyber’s SDK to their entire app portfolio, becoming one of our top three clients – and increasing revenue from just a few hundred dollars a day to over $30K a day.
Q: How important is diversity in cultivating creativity and problem solving within your team?
"I can see how our team’s diversity brings strengths to the table, challenging our thinking and helping us grow together."
I find it very important. I can see how our team’s diversity brings strengths to the table, challenging our thinking and helping us grow together. I believe in open and frequent communications, to lead and support my team. Sales performance is not our only KPI. Personal growth, well-being, and happiness are key to driving the business goals we set for ourselves. I look at our success as team success, first and foremost.
Q: Who do you look up to and why?
Sheryl Sandberg – Sandberg is one of the most powerful female business leaders in the world and has been an inspiration for me. Her powerful skills, diligence, and leadership inspire me to push myself harder.
Q: What are your favorite things to do during your free time?
I love spending time with my family, traveling, and enjoying our free time. I’m also an avid reader. I try to spend all my free time with my daughter and take her traveling every year. I want to catch every moment as she grows up and to be a great mom.
Shopping with good friends is always happy and enjoyable, and being fancy, wearing beautiful clothes is necessary! Cooking simple meals for my family and eating together during the weekend is also a time that I cherish.
Q: What are your top 3 most used apps?
- Tiktok - Usually, I will use it to post some interesting videos of my daughter, to record the important moments of her growth.
- TaoBao - I use it on daily basis to buy everything and watch Jiaqi’s (e-commerce) live stream to purchase products.
- I also play some casual games during my commute, like Match-3 games.
Q: What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” It’s a self-improvement book that helps me a lot in my daily work and in my personal life. It lists the habits that a successful person should have, how those habits affect our life, and how we can maximize efficiency. These are the habits that help us on the journey to success!
Q: If you could have any superhuman power, what would it be?
If I have any kind of superman power, I’d want to have the power to manipulate time. Every day for me is limited. I want to have more time, so I can spend more time at work and have more time with my family, my daughter, and visit my friends.
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