Day in the Life: Chiara Bruni, Account Director, Demand – Italy, Spain & MENA

Chiara, one of our account directors, takes us through a typical day in her life in Magnite’s Milan office.

Magnite’s Day in the Life series dives into the various people and teams that make up the world’s largest independent sell-side ad company.

How would you explain what you to do to someone outside the industry?

This is always the trickiest question to answer! My daily work involves supporting media agencies and brands, helping them maximize the return on their online advertising investments. I provide personalized consultations on technological solutions and also organize masterclasses on specific topics designed to deepen our clients’ understanding of all subjects of their interest.

How did you first break into ad tech?

Everything started from Rubicon Project (before the creation of Magnite), where I did my first internship some years ago. After graduating from the University of Milan, where I studied political science, I was keen on further developing my creative and traditional advertising skills, so I pursued a master’s degree in communication and digital media at 24ORE Business School. During the course’s final project, I had the chance to delve into ad tech by connecting with one of my professors who worked for Rubicon Project. After completing the master’s program, she offered me a job.

This opportunity was perfect for me. I soon realized that what I initially perceived as overly technical provided me the chance to hone my relationship-building skills and work in a stimulating and vibrant environment brimming with ideas, opportunities, and great people to work with.

How does your department help support Magnite and Magnite’s clients as a whole? What other departments do you interact with the most?

The Demand Facilitation team’s mission is to actively engage with the market and offer consultancy and solutions to brands and agencies with their campaign buying management. We support them with inventory recommendations and provide products that help them better reach their KPIs. As the client’s primary point of contact at Magnite, we always have a proactive approach to understanding their needs.

We collaborate and sync daily across the wider team, from the seller, DSP partnerships, and demand solutions teams to the marketing, product, legal, and business intelligence departments. It’s really a team game!

What does a typical day at Magnite look like for you?

I don’t have a fixed routine, but that’s the beauty of it! Some days, I head straight to the office and participate in internal alignment meetings with teams based in other countries. On other days, I go directly to meet clients for breakfast or attend industry events and conferences – sometimes both!

A common thread in my days is interacting with others, from clients and tech partners to local or international team colleagues. This collaboration allows me to advise buyers on the various ways to optimize their campaigns or how they can include CTV or other formats to reach their intended audiences and meet campaign goals. I also help my clients develop strategies and provide them with useful documentation, from inventory lists to details of new product releases. It’s a highly dynamic role that leads me to interact with many people, making it interesting and stimulating.

Talk about a recent project that you’re proud of yourself/your team for accomplishing.

A project that sits close to my heart is an initiative that my colleagues and I have developed designed to empower women across the ad tech industry in the Italian market. Magnite is always attentive to various social themes and has given us the space we need to put this into place. Our goal is to establish a hub for women in ad tech in Italy, providing opportunities for us to connect regularly, exchange ideas, and build relationships. We plan to do this by organizing occasions to bring people together with activities like thematic dinners, presentations by experts on current social topics, and creating more occasions for public speaking at events. We are in the early phase of this project, but initial feedback has been extremely positive, and I’m excited to see where we go next with it. Seeing the enthusiasm and eagerness for collaboration among women in the industry is truly inspiring, and I am very excited to be part of this truly rewarding initiative. 

What do you enjoy most about your role?

It’s impossible to get bored and each day differs from the previous one! I can provide personalized consultations to clients who have different needs and often live in different countries. I enjoy facing their various challenges and finding creative ways to achieve results. Moreover, working in an international company allows me to travel and interact with people from different cultures from whom I can always learn new things and local trends. 

Do you have any advice for people looking to learn more about ad tech or your particular department?

The key is always to remain curious and not become your own limitation. When I started working, I thought I needed to be more technical and analytical and would struggle to learn all the different technical products. But if you have perseverance and are willing to learn, be flexible, and be open to opportunities, there is nothing you cannot do! This industry allows people with diverse skills to find their place. This is a very flexible environment that gives you the opportunity to learn and work with lots of great people.