The Women Shaping AdTech: 3 Execs on What it Means to Lead

We’re kicking off National Women’s History Month early by spotlighting three women who have been driving meaningful impact in the AdTech space for years, if not decades. Their influence extends far beyond their titles, shaping client experience, culture, and the future of advertising overall.

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Meet Big Happy’s trailblazing leaders:

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Gabby Stoller, Chief Revenue Officer: Since joining Big Happy in June 2025 to spearhead our DOOH division, Gabby quickly rose to the role of Chief Revenue Officer, now leading the full Revenue Organization. With over 10 years in the industry at Walmart Connect and Vistar, she pairs sharp commercial strategy with an authentic, people-first leadership style.

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Jen Klein, VP Head of Design: Over the last four years, Jen has led Big Happy’s visual design, 3D & animation, and UX teams, driving some of the most innovative and agile creative in the space. With a background at Foundry, she has a unique ability to pair bold creative vision with efficient execution, which has made her team the company’s trusted engine for high-performing, next-generation creative.

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Maria Bromley, SVP Client Services: Maria came to Big Happy from companies like Giphy and Verve, and has been leading the client services team for 5 years, shaping it into a 20+ person powerhouse. A strategic and people-first leader, she pairs operational excellence with deep industry partnerships and a strong commitment to mentorship and development.

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Career Growth

We asked our leaders to reflect on their time spent in the advertising industry, from their first jobs learning the ropes to leading fully-developed teams.

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What led you to the AdTech Industry, and was it intentional?

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Stoller, who worked at the New York Times for over six years, shared how she was drawn to AdTech as someone with a passion for working in uncharted territory: “Coming back from maternity leave after 5+ months gave me perspective. I asked myself: ‘If I’m going to build the next chapter of my career, where will I be learning the most?’ AdTech stood out because the rules are constantly being rewritten. It felt challenging in exactly the right way.”

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In Klein’s case, the journey was less linear, paved by purpose-driven work. She explained, “I was doing graduate coursework while working as a design project manager on digital public health initiatives. I worked on a campaign supporting new mothers in Indigenous communities in Alaska, where infant mortality rates were high. That experience was transformative. I learned how to dig into a problem, understand the human context, and develop thoughtful digital education strategies. That work in geolocation and audience strategy unexpectedly led me into AdTech.”

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It’s that same blend of empathy and data knowledge which now defines Klein’s creative leadership, where design decisions are not just made by aesthetics, but by audience behavior and performance outcomes.

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Navigating Challenges

In such a fast-moving and competitive industry, these execs have picked up a thing or two about adapting under pressure and turning obstacles into opportunities.

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What helps you stay confident in high-pressure environments?

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Stoller shared, “As a female leader in Ad Tech & Media, pressure isn’t the exception, it’s the environment. Through the years, you start to see that while the variables change, the fundamentals don’t. If you understand your product, your numbers, your customer, and your team, you can navigate anything.”

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What's one career myth about AdTech you wish people would stop believing?

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Despite the perception that AdTech is purely analytical, all three leaders pushed back on the idea that creativity plays a secondary role.

Bromley explained the common misconception: “It's a myth that there isn’t much creativity. Yes, it’s more tech and data heavy, but there are really wonderful companies out there that are keeping the focus on delivering impactful, thoughtful, and engaging creative.”

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Klein agreed with Bromley,  sharing her experience from the design side of the process: “In the early days, the online advertising model was kind of broken with lots of inventory, and unclear value…Adtech changed all of that. Advertising shifted from being solely relationship-driven to being powered by data, algorithms, and real-time. Designers weren’t just responding to a client brief anymore. We had to understand audiences, performance metrics, user trust, platform constraints, and device interfaces. All of these elements shape what we do at the creative level.”

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Mentorship in Motion

If career growth explains how they advanced, mentorship explains why they continue to lead. All three women emphasized the importance of mentorship and the power of supportive collaboration with their teams.

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How do you support and uplift other women in the workplace?

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Stoller displayed true passion in speaking about advocating for women in the workplace: “I believe in sponsorship over simple mentorship. I actively advocate for women to be in decision-making rooms, to own revenue conversations, and to be seen as commercial leaders. I’m also committed to transparency. I speak openly about my health journey and being a breast cancer survivor, leadership pressure, and about motherhood. Vulnerability builds stronger, more loyal teams. I try to model that strength and softness can coexist. You can run revenue, lead high-performing teams, sit in boardrooms...and also be human” Stoller’s emphasis on sponsorship over mentorship signals a broader shift in leadership, moving from advice to true advocacy.

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Klein shared an inspiring story of her career trajectory, having had the opportunity to work under many talented Art Directors who were women. One of her past mentors led with the surprisingly simple notion of '“just help.” She emphasized, ”Help people make the connections that change their careers. Help them access the resources and knowledge they weren’t handed. Help them step outside the version of themselves they think they’re supposed to be, and grow into who they actually want to become.”

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What change would you love to see in the industry, or what’s one thing companies can do to better support women in AdTech?

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While progress has been made, gender equity in AdTech leadership remains uneven across the industry.

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Bromley noted, “I am fortunate that I am at a company where the ‘Women in AdTech’ stats don’t define us. We have fierce leadership at Big Happy where women are a large component, and our diversity brings out the best in our ability to problem-solve as an organization. I’d love for the stats to shift towards a more even gender distribution like the one we have here at Big Happy, and that starts with the women in current leadership roles continuing to send the ladder back down while male allies advocate for the change.”

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On Leading at Big Happy

We also discussed how being at a company like Big Happy has shaped their careers, accomplishments, and leading style

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How has being a part of the Big Happy team influenced your growth in the industry?

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Bromley’s response stresses the importance of having leadership that’s built on trust and autonomy as she reflected: “I think one of the things that makes Big Happy so special is Johnathan [Frohlinger]. He gave me the space and trust to grow into my role and lead a team while creating processes for the organization from scratch. Ultimately, that freedom and trust allowed me to explore Product and help create a platform that every team at Big Happy can leverage. I’m not sure I would have gotten the opportunity to lead, create process, and also step into a whole different function at any other company.”

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Across every response from these Big Happy’s leaders, one theme continued to emerge: leadership is not a fixed title, but an evolving responsibility. Whether they’re building new products, bringing in critical revenue, reshaping creative strategy, or scaling client services from the ground up, these women are redefining what AdTech leadership looks like. As the industry evolves, their leadership is building a stronger, more inclusive foundation for the next generation.