Name: Adam Gillett

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Position: CCO and co-founder

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Years with the company: 7 years

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Before FanFinders, the most unusual or interesting job you’ve had…

I spent one summer putting up marquees for film sets all across the UK. I met lots of people – including some that were allegedly famous – but I didn’t watch TV in those days so had absolutely no idea who they were.

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The attraction of the FanFinders project…

The marketplace and that we were trying to do something different. The concept was familiar but the fact that this was specifically for the baby market and different life-stages was interesting. The challenges were more about the product and its presentation – along with not getting paid for two years. But overall, I knew that the direction the business was going in was a good one.

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The state of play in the baby market and marketing at the launch of FanFinders…

Baby marketing is a small but important niche. Traditionally, it was built on big brand sponsorship of things that didn’t necessarily have measurable results – a lot of sampling and coupons. What was missing from the market for a long time is brands actually being sure of the results they’re getting and everything being trackable. Even as recent as 2010-2012, there were set rate cards of x and y and no promise of results.

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And your view on where it’s heading…

We’ve seen lots of traditional programmes – based in having a physical presence and selling off data in bulk – killed by GDPR and the shift to digital. Apps and social channels have grown, performance marketing is growing, forums remain strong but don’t drive direct outcomes. The bottom line is that as e-commerce and data teams merge, and sales and marketing become one digital function – people will want to know where the results are coming from.

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Best thing about working at FanFinders…

I like the people. As long as people generally perform, we’re really good to those we have working for us. In my area, I much prefer to be performance-driven, rather than micro-managing or nit-picking. We try to create freedom for staff and it makes for a much nicer environment.

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Does learning in your role ever stop…

It’s a constant learning curve – between understanding vast cultural differences in countries and getting to grips with technologies. If you’re not learning anything, then I guess you’re probably not doing your job.

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Future aims for FanFinders…

The real hurdles are going to come with the speed of the plan of international expansion we have – that is about managing remote workforces, scaling up, building new revenue streams and interconnecting with the right brands globally. We also need to make the new version of our software the best yet.

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If you could switch your job with anyone else at FanFinders…

I’d love to be a talented coder like some of our team, but the reality is that while I have strong ideas, I don’t have the patience at all.

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One piece of your commercial knowledge to turn into a book…

I’ve been in the advertising industry for 22 years and lots of places I’ve worked were so competitive, with people stabbing each other in the back to get deals. We’ve not built this business that way, so when it comes down to it, I think there’s a career lesson in there: you don’t have to be a d*ck to get to the top of your game.

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Rating your garden skills, from zero to Ground Force…

8/10 – even as high as 9 for building decking and stuff. I’m only dropping points for the actual plant management side.

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On whether there is a need for more self-watering plants…

Yes – plants go on my terrace to die. I forget to water them or leave them out there in winter. I can do all the building and maintenance, but I don’t have the patience for proper gardening.

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Best holiday spot in the world…

The Philippines – good people, beautiful country and lots of variety in things to do.

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Something you’ve been streaming recently…

StartUp; and the reason I like it is because it’s about criminals, drugs and gangs, but they’re building a tech start-up based in Miami.

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