**Next week (1-2 Oct) the Performance Marketing industry will descend on the Sands Expo Centre in Singapore for Affiliate Summit APAC. The two-day exhibition will be packed with hot topics for the SEA region including; fraud prevention, attribution models and mobile apps.

We caught up with Optimise SEA, Head of Client Services - Karla Mullarkey, who will be at the exhibition on the Optimise stand - No.22.**

How long have you been with Optimise and what is your role? I joined Optimise 4 years ago. I head the Client Services team for SEA – working with some of the biggest brands in Performance Marketing.

Why did you pursue a career in performance marketing and what was it about Optimise which stood out to you as an employer? I have always been interested in Performance Marketing since I started in SEM 12 years ago.

At Optimise, we not only commit to campaign delivery but also on high-quality campaign performance. It makes me feel proud to be part of a company with that kind of credibility.

Also, as an employer, Optimise has given me a lot of flexibility in terms of how I manage work and how I can achieve my goals within my organisation. I like that we are encouraged to suggest new development ideas and propositions and are able to drive these forward and champion these changes.

What’s been the highlight of your career with Optimise to date? During my first year with Optimise, working within the Business Development team, I onboarded many clients who are still on our Network.

When I moved to Client Services, I found a role where I could truly flourish. I’m fortunate enough to also love what I do. We have many clients who have chosen to work with Optimise exclusively and they often share feedback that our service is exceptional. It feels great when the team’s hard work is being recognised by our clients.

We know we have done a great job when our clients become friends and regard us as valuable partners. If they ever decide to move on to another company, they seek our partnership, choosing to work with us again.

What other achievements come to mind during your time at Optimise? I would say – team achievement! I am mostly client facing in my role at Optimise, meeting clients and the day-to-day engagement.

We have achieved synergy within SEA teams instead of working in silos. We are successful as a team in managing the top-tier clients because we have operations and tech support that are willing to work under pressure – either from me or directly from the client.

Another thing is collaboration internally, working with other Optimise offices globally. We have developed and grown to scale local campaigns globally.

How do you think performance marketing has changed in the last few years and where do you hope for it to go? There have been a lot of changes in terms of reporting and attribution. Furthermore, clients are now conscious of how to properly attribute conversions to the different channels involved.

Fortunately for Optimise, we have the technology and solutions to meet the clients’ demands. We have the data – and we are accomplishing some amazing things for the clients using it.

I am anticipating that more and more clients are going to shift their media spends to performance marketing - where every campaign can be measured according to their goals. There has been a demand in the past year from our clients!

**What are your key motivations for success? ** My family is a big motivation for me. My husband has been very supportive of my career – especially at the times when I am required to travel. When my 4-year-old-daughter tells her friends that I am a busy working mom but can still make great school lunches – that is a huge success for me already.

**Any top tips or exciting developments you can share about Optimise and its developments? ** I am excited with the rollout of the new Optimise Insights Dashboard. With new features including; Cashback and Voucher Analytics and Customer Journey, there is just so much more that we can provide to our clients in their media and budget planning. I find these new tools very useful especially in the ever-changing method of attribution. It will be essential in making decisions that are based on real-time data and market trends.

What key trends are you seeing in the industry right now? On the performance side – Influencer Marketing is kicking in just as expected within the SEA region. We have a great deal of demands from our clients and our KOL partners are also open to different engagement models.

On the Reporting Side – Data is GOLD! I’m just glad that we have rolled out our Insights Dashboard. Clients are demanding more and more insights and reports that are not just plain tables and charts – but a readable marketing data transformation.

On the Client Services side – human touch never gets old! Our clients still prefer to meet us and catch up with us. This is one thing that AI cannot replace.