Rob Beeler + Katherine Tuluzova, CEO of Sigma Software (part of Sigma Software Group)
In this exclusive interview, Katherine Tuluzova takes the mic with Rob to share personal and professional milestones as she steps into her new role as CEO of Sigma Software (part of Sigma Software Group). In this conversation, Katherine reflects on her 10-year journey since moving to the US, including the company’s rapid growth, strategic acquisitions, challenges of building presence in a tight-knit industry, and focus on integrating AI into adtech.
Rob: Katherine, I'm excited to catch up with you. I hear you have some big news to share.
Katherine: It’s great to check in, especially as I've recently completed my third Half Ironman this year!
Rob: That's awesome. And you’ve also got some pretty strong professional news, right?
Katherine: I sure do. Sigma is growing as a group and we've recently acquired a new company, with more acquisitions in the pipe. And so we realized we needed both a group CEO and a company CEO. So Valery Krasovsky will become group CEO, and I will be taking on the role of global CEO of Sigma Software.
Rob: That's amazing. You've been a CEO for some time, and you're known throughout our community and at all the events, so it's great to see you take it to the next level - big congratulations on that.
Katherine: Thank you so much. To hear that I'm known in the industry - that warms my heart.
Rob: Now that you've finished your Ironman, and you've got this new role, what's next? What is Sigma up to?
Katherine: Well, like many of us, the next big focus is on Cannes. When I became global CEO, it became a standing joke that Sigma will only focus on adtech now, because I've been known to prioritize all things adtech. And so our plans for Cannes will certainly reflect what we're focusing on in adtech. We’re doing an event with Prebid around Prebid mobile and Prebid buy side, both of which we are heavily involved in. We're also doing an event with AWS and Ipsos around AI, which of course everyone is talking about now, including us. We’re integrating with some revolutionary AI products in adtech which is very exciting - stay tuned for more details on that soon! We're also doing a lot of proof of concept internally to see how we can best serve our customers with new AI products to help with everything from creativity to operations.
Rob: All those things you're talking about at Cannes are interesting because I think that's the role Sigma plays for a lot of your clients, in terms of where and how to integrate technology. And I'm sure you're getting tons of questions about AI, and all of the implications of implementing AI. How do you keep up with all of that change?
Katherine: It is definitely a lot of work. But I think there are two things that have helped. First, AI and Gen AI are not new. We've been working with machine learning for years and having that basis was really helpful for us when this revolution started. Second, we caught onto the revolution early in terms of building our own R&D and proofs of concept early on. So we’re not playing catch-up like some. But for sure, there's a lot of work and you just need to make sure you have resources you can allocate to learn new things, try new things, and that's exactly what we're doing - allocating the right resources.
Rob: So you moved to the US ten years ago. Can you talk a little bit more about that move?
Katherine: My husband and I relocated to grow our presence. We had some US customers and we felt it would be better for the company if we had a presence here. We actually grew 30 times in revenue in ten years which, when I think back on it, is a lot of growth! So it’s definitely been worth it, and I have been reminiscing a lot about those early years - it’s been a life-changing and character-building journey for sure. I wouldn't be the person I am now if we hadn't moved.
Rob: I remember a couple of years ago, you took the stage and presented at Admonsters - that must have been a proud moment?
Katherine: That was interesting. We'd been in adtech for 15 years, and at the end of 2022, we decided we'd been behind the scenes of adtech for so long that we wanted to take to the stage. It felt a bit intimidating as I didn't know anyone at the conference and so I was thrown into a situation where everyone had known everyone else for years, and suddenly I had to introduce Sigma, a relatively unknown company. And so I'm proud that we made that decision, and that today, people know who we are, what we do, and that we are experts in the industry. So when you say that I’m known, I’m really proud of that.
Rob: You should be. So what comes after Cannes? Do you have any other plans for the year?
Katherine: We will have our fourth annual Adtech Poker Night, which is always on the first day of Advertising Week (October 5), same place, mostly the same crowd, maybe some new people. We are very excited to have an annual industry event of our own.
Rob: I was at that location for a dinner, and some people who had been at the poker night commented how full it was and how fun it was - it’s a shame I missed it but fingers crossed for this year. And finally, the big question everyone has is, does a global CEO dance as much as ‘just’ a US CEO?
Katherine: We shall see…Cannes will be a good test of that.
Rob: All right, we will find out at Cannes. Katherine, congratulations. I'm so excited for you. And thanks for the update.
Katherine: Thank you so much for having me.