Skimlinks around the world… Meet Célia Dequeker

Welcome to our Employee Spotlight series where we get to know Skimlinks employees from around the globe a bit better. 

This time we feature Célia Dequeker who works as a Publisher Account Manager for the French market.

Hi Célia, let’s start with you telling us a bit about yourself…

I’m Célia, I’m from beautiful Paris which is the place I’m lucky enough to call home today. I’ve lived and travelled around the world, with a particularly soft spot for Italy. I love learning about other cultures and meeting new people. I’m a very social person, which is why I’ve always chosen to seize opportunities to work on a global scale and in partner-oriented roles, building experience in tech, marketing and advertising industries. Oh, and I am a language geek. Speaking different languages opens so many doors for new ways of thinking and expressing oneself! 

What languages do you speak?

Fluently I speak French, English, and Italian. Then I also speak a little bit of German, Spanish, and Polish. 

Very impressive! What has been the highlight of your week so far Célia?

I met up with some partners I worked with in a previous role in the industry, which was great to keep in touch. And I tried a spin class for the first time this week! It was hard but when it was over I was really happy with myself and had such a buzz. 

When and why did you join Skimlinks?

I joined Skimlinks in May 2022 to support the company’s growth in the EMEA region, specifically in France. Prior to joining, I was no stranger to the affiliate industry, as I was managing EMEA Publisher Development projects at CJ. Joining Skimlinks is a great opportunity to transition to now focus on content commerce publishers and take on new global expansion challenges.

What is your role in the EMEA team? 

As an EMEA Development Team member, a key part of my role is to grow and represent Skimlinks locally, liaising between international, and local Taboola teams and publishers. 

Then as a Publisher Development team member, my mission is to help media publishers unlock new revenue streams. Providing them with guidance and tools to take control of their content commerce strategy, and recommending and negotiating exclusive partner opportunities.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the French market right now in the industry? 

France is amongst the most mature European markets for eCommerce, and the past few years have only boosted this growth. The rise of the industry has happened so fast that regulations to monitor data protection and prevent fraud are still in the development phase. So the challenge is to ensure we are up to equipped to adapt to this fast-growing market and then the opportunities are vast.

What do you believe is the biggest opportunity in the French market now?

The rise of connectivity and eCommerce overall has brought lots of opportunities for businesses to grow online, and thus the number of options available to consumers is continuously increasing. This can make it hard for retailers to stand out, which is where commerce content can be a fantastic tool to aid this. 

Furthermore, recent world events have shed more light and raised growing interest from consumers on sustainability and work ethics, who tend to favour buying from fair-trade and ethical businesses more than ever before. This is an opportunity for such retailers to get recognition, and for all brands to align with these fundamental standards.

From a publisher’s standpoint, now is also a great time to bond with readers by providing authentic and constructive recommendations. During challenging economic times, consumers are likely to buy less, but better – meaning the interest in making informed purchasing decisions is only getting stronger. And in turn, consumers will look to commerce content for this insight. 

Where do you want Skimlinks to be in France in a year’s time? 

Activating a content commerce strategy is a safe bet for both publishers and advertisers. Using the right tools, publishers can easily unlock exponential revenue growth, and advertisers can benefit from risk-free premium visibility. It is a marketing strategy that has yet to reach its full adoption and potential in the FR market, and I’m confident that Skimlinks can make it happen in the next year.

What’s the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?

You only regret the chances you didn’t take – and if you never try, you’ll never know. I believe this to be true in all aspects of life, and it definitely makes sense in the workplace, especially in an industry that’s so rapidly evolving. 

I truly believe that ideas that may come off as unrealistic and tend to raise eyebrows are the exact same that will actually drive growth and overall progress. Having processes in place is absolutely essential to scale, but so is having room for flexibility, and I’m always open to hearing and sharing out-of-the-box ideas.

And let’s finish with your favourite idiom …

‘T’as un non, tu risques un oui!’ This is something that I’ve always heard my family say, which translates literally to “you have a no, you’re only at risk of getting a yes”. If you don’t take action to act on a situation, it will most likely remain unchanged. If you do, it can go two ways: worst case scenario, the situation will be unchanged, but you’ll have given it a try – or, you could actually get what you aim for!

Skimlinks is hiring now across all teams.