Tell us about your role
I am a Senior Manager in the Commercial Media team, which is part of the Customer and Revenue directorate at TfL.
The main aim of my role is to generate as much revenue as possible from a portfolio of advertising assets – mainly our vast physical advertising estate across the Tube and Bus network but also TfL’s digital platforms like tfl.gov.uk.
I work closely with our Tech and Data teams to deliver new initiatives that can generate additional revenue. This could mean new ad units on the website or using TfL’s data to better understand how digital screens or poster sites are performing in our stations.
I have been working at TfL for 7 years. Prior to this I worked at LOCOG (London 2012 Olympics Organising Committee) in their Sponsorship team, managing global clients like Coca-Cola and Samsung. I started my career at TfL in the Commercial Partnerships team and was fortunate enough to work on some transformative projects. A highlight was securing Santander as the new sponsor of the Cycle Hire Scheme. This ended up being the largest public/private sector sponsorship deal globally. It was great to be part of a team that secured this deal and rewarding to see bikes all over London changing from blue to red – ‘I did that!’
Why is your role important to TfL?
Advertising has always been part of TfL’s history (think of the old Oxo adverts on buses), but the revenue we generate has never been so important. Since our government grant was taken away, TfL must now finance itself. Our largest revenue stream outside of fares is advertising and it’s imperative we generate as much revenue as we can to maintain and improve our services.
All these initiatives keep London moving and compared to most major cities, we do it rather well.
What’s your favourite thing about what you do?
I don’t think anyone else offers a brand and advertising opportunity quite like TfL. London is one of the best cities in the world to live, work or visit. Mix this in with our globally recognised and iconic brand, world class innovation and unrivalled scale – this all makes what I do hugely interesting, relevant and attractive to advertisers. I have always enjoyed jobs that focus on generating revenue, but TfL adds in a relevant social purpose which is very motivating.
What’s one thing you would like our customers to know about TfL?
It may not always feel like it when you are waiting for your bus or train, but TfL really is a global leader in many ways, from contactless payments, to digital advertising. All these initiatives keep London moving and compared to most major cities, we do it rather well.
——-
How Digital works with Commercial Media
There’s a balance to strike between showcasing advertising and letting users do what they need to do on our site. By working closely with Commercial Media we hope to integrate advertising into our digital services in a more holistic way as we work to improve our products.
