After working in media for 20 years, Grégory Blay-Desforges decided to embark on his next adventure on Uber’s newly formed Advertising team. Quickly growing, Uber Advertising connects brands with consumers across Ubers apps and as Head of Uber Advertising for France, Grégory is on the forefront of bringing this new business to brands across the country.
Tell us about yourself.
“I’m Parisian, born and raised, and a father of three boys. After graduating from HEC Paris with a specialty in Marketing, I have been working in the media industry for 20 years at companies like TF1, Google and Pinterest in various roles ranging from innovation and strategy to marketing and sales. In my personal life, outside of spending time with family, I’m an avid runner and play volleyball and football.”
You’re halfway to your 1-year Uberversary. Why did you join Uber and what have the first 6 months been like?
“3 factors helped me make the decision to join Uber. First, the scope of the role and Uber’s mission. Being at the start of a new division and building a business and team from scratch is really exciting! I was the first hire in EMEA. The second: Uber’s values. I sensed during my interview process how people were at the heart of the company, which is something very important to me. Lastly, my manager, who showed me right away that he would support me in being successful in this new role.
On my first day, my manager told me he was on this ride for the human adventure. I knew right there that I had made the right decision.
I’m happy to share that 6-months later, my expectations have been beaten on all levels! One of Uber’s values is See the forest and the trees. It’s a good summary of my debut here, balancing between strategy and execution, with autonomy that few companies offer.”
Tell us about Uber’s Advertising team and how you support Uber’s mission in EMEA?
“Uber Advertising is a new division dedicated to selling media on Uber Eats and Rides to media agencies and advertisers, connecting brands with consumers as they go anywhere and get anything.
Our role is to help advertisers reach their target audience, either to build their brands in a premium and safe environment, or to drive ROI through impactful retail media formats. In order to build the best solutions for advertisers, we designed a full suite of media formats supported by our capacity to target. This is an entirely new business line that will help us improve Uber’s bottom line across our mobility and delivery platforms.”
What surprised you about Uber after you joined?
“There are many things that came as a surprise when I joined. First, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the quality of people working at Uber. It’s very easy to start working at Uber, with people willing to help and work in the same direction. Second, I discovered how Uber is dedicated to execution excellence. As a delivery company, execution is key and operational metrics and processes are at the core of the business. And lastly, I discovered that Uber is more than delivery and rides, but also expanded into freight, business and health.”
Why’s now a great time to join Uber Advertising?
“Uber is in a strong position to keep thriving, whatever the future may bring. We’re innovative and agile. Despite the size of our business, we still operate as a startup, with an ability to see new opportunities and move fast on them.
On the Advertising team, if you’re looking for a place to work in a fast-paced environment, with a full responsibility on developing your business, this is the place for you to thrive!”
Posted by Uber
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