AdTechGod Pod – Ep. 116: Leadership Insights with Julie Van Ullen (President & CRO at iSpot)

Date: January 13, 2026
Host: AdTechGod ("ATG")
Guest: Julie Van Ullen, President and Chief Revenue Officer, iSpot

Episode Overview

In this dynamic episode of AdTechGod Pod, host ATG sits down with Julie Van Ullen, a recognized leader in advertising technology with a storied career spanning IAB, OpenX, FreeWheel, Rakuten Advertising, and now iSpot. The episode centers on Julie’s personal leadership journey, insights into adtech’s evolution, her advocacy for authentic leadership, and practical advice on mentorship, measurement, and navigating gender dynamics in the industry. The tone remains candid, insightful, and at times humorous, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in the people and strategies shaping adtech’s future.

Key Points & Insights

1. Julie’s Career Path and Leadership Philosophy

• Authenticity is Key
  Julie credits her career progression to staying true to herself, emphasizing authenticity over adopting a “corporate veneer.”

  • Quote:
    “At the center of everything that I'm proud of is the fact that I am very much the same human being here on this podcast as I am out at drinks, as I am on Bloomberg, as I am behind the desk every day.” — Julie [02:53]

• Influence of Early Mentors
  Nine foundational years at IAB under Randall Rothenberg shaped her industry knowledge and leadership style.

  • Quote:
    “Randall is one of the most amazing human beings… he has such a holistic and clear view of where the industry is headed.” — Julie [05:15]

• Building a Personal Advisory Board
  Julie always consults her mentors, especially Randall, when making pivotal career decisions or addressing challenges in her roles.

2. The Power of Trust and Human-Centric Leadership

• Transparency and Candor
  Julie stresses that with the pace of change in adtech—whether layoffs, acquisitions, or tech shifts—leaders must foster environments of trust and open communication.

  • Quote:
    “The only way through [constant change] is to build trust and candor with your team. They're all adults… The more you try to create narratives, the more you don't tap into the human rationale and trust them with why we're doing what we're doing, I think the more we, we go askew in building teams that really want to follow you into a war zone.” — Julie [08:32]

• Feedback Culture
  Both ATG and Julie highlight the importance of encouraging honest feedback internally over waiting for external, potentially damaging criticism.

  • Quote (ATG):
    “I'd rather get feedback from someone internally than get feedback from a paying client… this is our opportunity to filter before we push live.” [09:23]

3. Navigating and Shaping Adtech’s Evolution

• Passion for the Open Internet
  Julie describes her core motivation as protecting and empowering the free, ad-supported web and fostering win-win-win relationships among advertisers, publishers, and consumers.

  • Quote:
    “I fundamentally love the free Internet, I love free media. I will do everything in my power to make sure that it remains that way.” — Julie [10:37]

• Transition to Measurement
  iSpot represents, for Julie, the next frontier in proving the real impact of advertising, transitioning industry thinking from basic reach to actionable, real-time measurement that links directly to outcomes.

  • Quote:
    “Can we bring the industry along to actually move in new ways and take advantage of data and capabilities that get away from the ancient buying and measurement techniques of the past… and make measurement equal revenue.” — Julie [12:32]

• The Critical Role of Real-Time Measurement
  She underscores the rising importance of independent, outcome-based measurement as user behavior fragments across traditional TV, CTV, social, and creator platforms.

  • Quote:
    “The criticality of measurement… is to be the source of truth and to be an agnostic source of truth. The consumer demands not seeing the same ad over and over again.” — Julie [13:58]

4. Positive Industry Trends for 2026 and Beyond

• Integration and Openness in Walled Gardens
  Julie is bullish on “actionable, agnostic” measurement making inroads even within previously closed ecosystems (“walled gardens”) such as Roku.
  • Quote:
    “There's an understanding that [grading your own homework] isn’t going to work and they're turning to folks like iSpot to help bring those pieces together for marketers.” — Julie [16:24]

5. Women in Adtech & Building Inclusive Cultures

• Reflecting on Gender Dynamics and Barriers
  Julie openly discusses navigating male-dominated environments early in her career, sometimes feeling pressure to downplay her identity. She’s since made a point to champion women and others facing barriers.

  • Quote:
    “I internalized being kind of one of the tech bros… and I'm so embarrassed by that. I think it was a survival mechanism and I've been trying to make good on that since... Stand on the shoulders, let others stand on your shoulders, and if something’s not working for you, find the next thing.” — Julie [18:45]

• The Importance of Mentorship and Support
  Both agree that supporting others—especially those who are different or more challenging to relate to—is a defining trait of great leaders.

  • Quote:
    “A really world class leader versus an okay one is one who can really distinguish what are you good at, what are your superpowers and how do I, how do I wrap my arms around that and make that work for the organization; it’s like sprinkling the fairy dust.” — Julie [21:43]

• Action Over Talk (Especially on LinkedIn)
  ATG calls out the difference between performative support and genuine, practical help during layoffs and industry churn.

  • Quote:
    “It’s very easy to post how much you would love to help people impacted by a layoff. It’s very rare that you find someone actually DM someone and say, hey, I noticed you were a product manager… There’s a very big difference between talk and actual action.” — ATG [22:24]

Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• [02:53] — Julie: “At the center of everything that I'm proud of is the fact that I am very much the same human being here on this podcast as I am out at drinks, as I am on Bloomberg, as I am behind the desk every day.”
• [05:15] — Julie: “[Randall] has such a holistic and clear view of where the industry is headed… I count on his futurism to really help me...”
• [08:32] — Julie: “...the only way through [change] is to build trust and candor with your team. They're all adults.”
• [10:37] — Julie: “I fundamentally love the free Internet, I love free media...”
• [12:32] — Julie: “...can we bring the industry along to actually move in new ways and take advantage of data... and make measurement equal revenue.”
• [13:58] — Julie: “The criticality of measurement… is to be the source of truth and to be an agnostic source of truth. The consumer demands not seeing the same ad over and over again.”
• [16:24] — Julie: “...there's an understanding that [grading your own homework] isn’t going to work and they're turning to folks like iSpot to help bring those pieces together for marketers.”
• [18:45] — Julie: “I internalized being kind of one of the tech bros...and I'm so embarrassed by that. I think it was a survival mechanism and I've been trying to make good on that since... Stand on the shoulders, let others stand on your shoulders...”
• [21:43] — Julie: “A really world class leader versus an okay one is one who can really distinguish what are you good at, what are your superpowers and how do I...make that work for the organization; it’s like sprinkling the fairy dust.”
• [22:24] — ATG: “There’s a very big difference between talk and actual action. And I think that’s something that frustrates me on LinkedIn...do something.”

Episode Structure & Timeline

• [01:15]–[02:53]: Julie’s introduction and leadership philosophy
• [02:53]–[07:12]: Importance of authenticity, mentorship, and early career influences
• [07:12]–[10:37]: Navigating organizational change with trust and transparency
• [10:37]–[13:58]: Julie’s motivation for moving from CTV to measurement; the power of actionable, outcome-based data
• [13:58]–[16:24]: The rising importance of independent, real-time measurement in a fragmented media landscape
• [16:24]–[18:45]: Positive trends for 2026: data integration, openness in walled gardens, industry collaboration
• [18:45]–[23:42]: Julie’s journey as a woman in adtech, advice on overcoming barriers, building inclusive cultures, and practical mentorship

Takeaways for Listeners

• Be authentic—true success and meaningful leadership stem from bringing your full self to work.
• Seek out and nurture mentorship; cultivate an “advisory board” of trusted advisors.
• Lead with transparency, candor, and trust to build teams ready for rapid change.
• Measurement and actionable data are central to the future of advertising—beyond just reach, to true outcomes.
• Champion diversity, lift others up, and prioritize action over talk in supporting colleagues and building strong industry cultures.

For more insights from leaders like Julie Van Ullen, follow AdTechGod Pod and connect on social media or join the ATG Slack community.