Editor’s note: In an ongoing series, INMA is profiling our most engaged members — our super fans. At a time when we have less face-to-face time, we hope this gives members a chance to learn more about each other. Today we profile Håkan Hamrin, head of programmatic for Stampen Media in Gothenburg, Sweden.

As head of programmatic for Stampen Media, Håkan Hamrin is ready for the exciting journey ahead. The combination of TCF-related problems and the third-party-cookie apocalypse will lead to more changes in the industry, he said, and he is eager to see what happens next.  

“I’m in my 20th year in the media business. And the reason I’m still here is all the changes that have been over the years,” Hamrin said. “You won’t get bored.” 

INMA recently caught up with him to learn more about what’s on his mind.

INMA: What big lesson have you learned over the past couple of years that helped shape your plans for 2022?

Hamrin: Some things you can’t plan! You need to have a strategy and a way forward. But you also must be ready to change your way. And sometimes it’s important to be ready for several scenarios but have a chill attitude so you can wait for the decision. 

INMA: If you had your career to do over again, what would you want to know in the beginning? 

Hamrin: You don’t have to prove yourself all the time. Just do your job, try to learn new things, be curious, and you will deliver. You don’t have to overperform all the time. 

INMA: What makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning?

Hamrin: Yesterday’s revenue is the first thing I check on my mobile. (But that is still in bed so that won’t make me get out of bed.) What gets me out of bed are all the exciting meetings with colleagues, suppliers, and partners. I really like it when you can find good cooperation where both parties get value.

INMA: What success within your company are you most proud of right now?

Hamrin: Two things: The rise in programmatic revenue we’ve had over the past years. And also, the user interface for the salespeople that we launched a couple of years ago that won a prize in the INMA Awards. Most of all, I’m proud of the benefits the salespeople get from the interface.

INMA: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career? 

Hamrin: Be prepared! Things happen and you can’t always choose for yourself. So you have to be prepared for the changes and the things you can’t [control] yourself. 

INMA: What do you do to relax?

Hamrin: Spend time with my family and training. I spend a lot of time on badminton, both on the court and also off the court, helping the club to develop.

INMA: If you hadn’t gone into news media, what was your back-up plan?

Hamrin: My plan was to work with marketing.

INMA: What is your favourite thing to read?

Hamrin: Biographies and crime fiction. Ghostman by Roger Hobbs is a good book I recently read.

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