20 years with Åsa Aspelin
Today we want to celebrate the 20th work anniversary of Åsa Aspelin. She is one of our Product Owners and a part of the Development Team. So, Åsa makes sure that our products work as expected.
About
If you were a food, what would it be and why?
I enjoy the contrasts in life, so maybe a Cesar salad could reflect this: cold salad, warm chicken, crispy bacon, smooth dressing, and the toasted breadcrumbs on top.
If you could repeat one day from your life, what would it be and why?
I love skiing ever since I was little and enjoyed so many great ski trips so far but one day was something extra special that I would like to repeat again. It was an early morning in February 2010 in Zermatt in Switzerland when I took the first gondola up to Europe’s highest mountain station 3 883 metres above sea level. The view up there was awesome that day as the sky was blue and clear, the air was crisp and thin, and I knew I had a day full of skiing ahead in this magical place.
What did you want to be when you were little?
Supermarket cashier, I wanted to handle loads of money.
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
I took a swim (or very quick dip) this winter in the sea where I live in Sweden – crazy cold. This coming winter I will try the sauna before I take the bath.
Part at Tradedoubler
What is your current position, and what do you mainly have to do?
I am one of the Product Owners at Tradedoubler and I work with the “Platform Team” which is part of our great Development Team at Tradedoubler. The Platform team and I are responsible for a handful of solutions as part of our back-end services at Tradedoubler. That means that we make sure that our products work as expected “under the hood”, that they cope with load and usage, and that we maintain and develop them according to new and changing requirements.
What do you like the most about your job, and how would you describe your working environment?
I like the fact that we work in an ever-changing environment facing new challenges every week that we need to understand and solve. I get to face these challenges together with great people with different backgrounds and experiences at work. Without the different teams and the team effort together, it would not be as much fun, and sometimes not even possible to solve some of the challenges. I am happy that we have a working environment where teamwork is key to our success and something we put effort into and that we have processes in place to incorporate it into our day-to-day operations.
Past
How different was life at the company compared to today?
It was 20 years ago so both the company and the industry were just “babies” at the time. Tradedoubler as a company had a very entrepreneurial spirit at the time and most of us were very good friends that hung out with each other in our spare time as well. We were first in the market with the affiliate offer so almost every client and publisher were new to the marketplace and that came with other challenges than we face today. We tried out many things and explored the business model and the revenue streams a lot at the time, some better than others but some of them are still around and have been since then.
With which position did you start at Tradedoubler?
I started off as Account Manager for clients in the Nordic countries working for TD Nordics. We were less than 10 people in the Nordic office at the time and the one sitting next to the office door also had to “act as the Receptionist”.
Career
What would you say was the best decision in your professional career?
I have a business degree in Finance from University and started off working for a bank after my graduation. It wasn’t really what I expected so one of my friends at the time had a sister who worked at Tradedoubler and suggested I join them, “they have so much fun”. I was impressed by the simple but great business model at Tradedoubler: A win-win model where the company earned money if we generated business for our clients. I am so happy I took the chance and joined the digital marketing industry through my position at Tradedoubler at the time and left the planned career path in banking, a great decision I never regret.
What are your views on why you got the opportunity and trust to take on new roles and grow within Tradedoubler?
Good question, I have changed roles many times at Tradedoubler throughout the years. I started working with clients and publishers and then moved along to HQ and worked in Product and with the Development Teams. It feels like I have been in many different companies throughout the years as I have worked in so many different roles in different areas, in different stages of the company’s growth, with different teams, and with different managers. I feel humble and happy that Tradedoubler has constantly given me the opportunity to evolve and take on new roles at Tradedoubler and it seems I managed the changes so far with every role. It has been a great 20-year journey!
Thank you, Åsa, for this very informative Interview. You did fantastic work, and we don`t want to miss you!
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