IAB

Okay, but seriously, IAB isn’t just shaping ads, it’s shaping your career while you’re at it.

In this episode of Culture Uncovered, Jena Dunay sits down with Amber Murat, VP of People at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), to explore how this nearly 30-year-old trade association powers the digital advertising ecosystem while building a culture that thrives on autonomy, accountability, and thought leadership.

Founded in 1996, IAB transformed the digital advertising “wild west” into a standards-setting powerhouse across streaming, social media, retail media, and AI. Amber shares how she was recruited on Instagram, how IAB empowers employees to grow their personal brands, and how the HR function has evolved to drive high performance, collaboration, and innovation.

What you’ll learn:

• How IAB shapes the digital advertising industry while keeping consumers in mind
• What a mission-driven, high-performance culture really looks like
• How IAB supports career growth, personal brand development, and skill “upgrades”

IAB Highlights:

• Founded: 1996
• Headquarters: Manhattan, New York
• Team Size: ~110 employees (including sister company TechLab)
• Industry: Digital Media & Advertising / Trade Association
• Culture: Mission-driven, collaborative, innovative, accountable

Unique Perks:

• Hybrid work with built-in remote weeks
• Unlimited PTO & over 20 holidays
• Quarterly wellness days for collective rest
• Tuition reimbursement & tech/cell stipends
• Flexible work hours & robust parental leave with ramp-back period
• Employee Resource Groups & coaching opportunities

To learn more about IAB:

Careers Page (They’re hiring!)

LinkedIn Page

Amber's LinkedIn Profile

Transcript

Jena Dunay: Hello friends and welcome back to another episode of Culture Uncovered where we go behind the scenes of the coolest companies to work for. And today we're going behind the scenes of IAB, Interactive Advertising Bureau for long. And we're here with the VP of People, Amber Murat. So Amber, thank you so much for joining us today.

Amber Murat: Hi, you're welcome. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Jena Dunay: Awesome, well why don't you share with us a little bit about what IAB is, what you guys do, tell us a little bit more.

Amber Murat: Yeah, so IAB, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, we're a trade association that powers the digital media and the marketing industry. We were born nearly 30 years ago, actually very exciting time because this year marks our 30th anniversary. So we're very excited. And we were born when the internet was the wild, wild west for advertisers. There were no rules, no standards and no real infrastructure. The IAB stepped in to bring order into the chaos, creating the guidelines, frameworks, and shared language that allows the digital advertising ecosystem to thrive.

Today, we continue to drive that mission forward across every corner of the internet from streaming and social media to retail media and AI and beyond. We're part think tank and part convener and part standard setters. We bring together platforms, publishers, brands, and tech companies to tackle the biggest issues in the industry, whether it's privacy legislation, cross-media measurement, or the future of cookies. And here's the part that makes me very proud. Everything we do helps both sides of the equation, not just the marketers, but also the consumers. We make the ad supported internet better, smarter, and more sustainable. So if you ever listen to a podcast, watch a YouTube video, read an article online, or bought something through a live stream, there's a good chance that we had something to do with that.

Jena Dunay: Interesting. So, okay, so we're obviously talking about what you guys are doing as an association, but you as an employer, it's very interesting to work probably for an association that's kind of got your hands in a lot of things. Tell me, how did you come across the organization to even work for them, right? I would think that for some people they're like, I wouldn't even think to look at associations to potentially work for. So what drew you to the organization?

Amber Murat: My story is a bit interesting because I was in healthcare for the last 16 years before I joined IAB. And I also, I have my own coaching business and a social media presence and IAB had hired a recruiter to search for their next head of people. And she found me through Instagram.

Jena Dunay: No way. I don't think I've heard a story about that recently, like in quite some time. Okay, so she found you on Instagram.

Amber Murat: She found me on Instagram, really loved my content, researched me, and then landed on my LinkedIn page and realized that I was in HR. And she recruited me through LinkedIn. And at first I was like, this is not real, because again, as you said, most people don't think of associations. And given my background, like this doesn't really align. But it turned out it was great. We had great synergy, values and I was really attracted to the mission. I've always been attracted to mission driven organizations and that's how I landed with the IAB.

Jena Dunay: Okay, you were recruited on Instagram and then some due diligence was done on you and LinkedIn. I love it. That's so random, so niche. And hey, it just goes to show that personal branding really does work. It does. Okay, let's go back to IAB. And I want to hear a little bit more about the size of the organization, how many people work for y'all and like, where are you located?

Amber Murat: Yeah, so total size is about 110 team members, and that includes IAB and our sister company, TechLab. We are located, our HQ is in Manhattan, and we also have a satellite office in DC. And then we have employees that work fully remotely in California and some in the Northwest.

Jena Dunay: Okay, very nice. Now tell us what the sister company, tell me the relationship to the sister company is all kind of underneath the same umbrella. Like what does that organization do?

Amber Murat: Yeah, it's all underneath the same umbrella. The differentiators that TechLab focuses on the technical standards of the industry, such as like the cookies, as well as the GDPR in Europe. It's the standards for technical advertising are more on a global scale where IAB focuses on setting the standards, whether that's measurement and addressability, privacy. So different components of the hub of advertising.

Jena Dunay: Okay, and then tell us a little bit about maybe the different departments that y'all have within both organizations. Like what are common jobs that people would have within your organization?

Amber Murat: And so I think that our unique value proposition is that everything that we do is rooted in a thought leadership space because we're here to guide the industry. So internally, what differentiates us is that we operate through centers of excellence that mirror the industry model. So we have our media center and that handles everything that streams audibly and video. So those thought leaders are responsible for putting out standards and conferences.

We have our experience center. So that focuses on gaming. And that is where do advertisers find a consumer that games, right? So you have the Twitchs of the world, the Roblox of the world.

Exactly. So through these centers of excellence, what's very unique is that we hire thought leaders to lead those centers and individuals. Those thought leaders have had experiences in the industry. They come from a unique background. You have to love thought leadership and be able to truly have a POV and be able to guide our members to what's happening next in the industry. And in order for us to do that, we need to have a culture that fosters not only autonomy, but also accountability. And that allows our people simultaneously to utilize the IAB established brand at the same time that they're growing their own personal brand in the industry, because everything they publish is under their name as well.

Jena Dunay: Interesting. Okay, so tell me a little bit about how you would describe the culture at IAB as an employee. Maybe not like as the culture of what is presented maybe as an association, but really internally, how would you describe the culture?

Amber Murat: I think it's for me, the way that I would describe it is one that's rooted in humanity and a high performance. We created a space where people feel seen. I feel very seen at IAB and I know that our team members do as well. We're heard, we're genuinely valued, not just for what we do, but also for who we are. It's collaborative, fast paced and deeply mission driven. We lead with transparency, built with intention and hold space for both innovation and accountability. But most of all, it's a culture where people are empowered to grow and think outside the box and to innovate as both professionals and humans.

Jena Dunay: Yeah. How does it, you said that I feel, I feel very seen and heard. How does that show up for you? I think it's always helpful for people to hear examples. Cause I feel like a lot of organizations will say, we have really great people and like we do these things. And sometimes it's like, okay, well, what does that mean on like a day to day basis? And I think you, Amber saying like, I feel really seen by my organization. How does that translate to you and your day to day work?

Amber Murat: It translates with intention. So I think that given, and I think most HR professionals would agree that the work that we do, if it's not supported by the intentions of other leaders, especially at the executive level, then it's not successful. And the work that we've done at IAB in the last four years, just transforming the culture, the successes that we've had has been because of the support of not only our CEO, but the entire executive team, seeing me, hearing me, and trust. So it's.

Jena Dunay: That's a really big thing though, Amber, because I do feel like I've talked to, and this is more for less for the job seekers that are listening, but more for the people leaders that are listening. I have talked to quite a few, obviously this podcast, people leaders where behind the scenes I ask them how can I help them and they're like, well, what advice would you have because my CEO doesn't really respect the people function. And that's unfortunately a more common conversation than I'd like for it to be. So it's great to hear from you that very practical example that the functionality of your work is appreciated at the senior level leadership and you've been able to enact change within your organization positively over the past four years to make that culture what it is today. Yeah.

Amber Murat: Yep. And I think that it takes a lot of education. It was a journey to get here, but it took a lot of education, not only for my CEO, but the entire executive team to truly understand the people function and partnership function of the people and how we impact the business strategy through the people operations and skillsets and competencies and models and comp. It's a big, big framework.

Jena Dunay: Yeah. What are some, you mentioned that we had some wins over the past couple of years. What are some of the wins that you're really proud of when it comes to the culture? Maybe it's specific benefits or perks or just reasons why people love coming to work there. What are some of those wins that you're proud of?

Amber Murat: One big win that has been consistent is that when I joined the HR function was kind of like non-existent, very typical of the startup world. They were coming out of COVID and there was very little HR presence.

Jena Dunay: Which the leaders were probably like after COVID, we need HR.

Amber Murat: Yes, that's exactly where I came in. And to go from employees not having a function, not trusting HR to where we are now, where we are viewed as partners and our team members are constantly looking to us for guidance, whether that's for career growth or we've brought coaching into the organization. So a lot of our team members come in for coaching to solve whether it's an interpersonal issue or collaboration issue. It's just been amazing to see the value of the people function grow with the people and the trust meter go up. And that's been a big win because we have been able to break down silos and help partner with the executive leaders and departmental leaders to really improve accountability and high performance in their team in a manner that's not punitive.

Jena Dunay: That's really good. What are some of the unique perks? I got a chance to look at your website of some of the things that you guys have listed, but I'd love to hear from you. What are some of the cool perks and benefits that y'all offer that may be different from other organizations or that just are standout reasons why people love working for you guys?

Amber Murat: Yeah, we offer some of the more common ones and some of the not so common ones. We offer tuition reimbursement. We have a monthly stipend for wellness. We also have a tech and cell monthly stipend. But I think what really sets us apart is not only our hybrid culture. We come into the office three days a week. And alongside that hybrid culture, we have baked in remote work weeks throughout the calendar year. We also offer unlimited PTO as well as over 20 holidays. And this allows, this was really intentionally done because it allows our diverse workforce to travel back to see family.

For example, in August, the last two weeks, those are fully remote. So I love to see the Slack lit up with the different locations that people are working from and them sending pictures and saying how grateful they are that they get to work from home the last two weeks of summer and we kind of become part of their worlds. And even now with the last storm that we just had in New York, the blizzard, our Slack was lit up with people just being grateful that they were working from home that Monday and they were able to clean the snow and shovel.

Jena Dunay: Yeah, we're able to do a little bit of both. But I do like that you guys have the set remote week so that encourages people to, there's something about being given permission. Like sometimes there's this controversy nowadays with unlimited PTOs, like well do you really expect your people aren't going to take it? They don't feel like they're going to take it. But it sounds like the recommendation and the intentionality around, hey, we're going to work these two weeks remote, like go wherever you want to. I think it just gives a lot of freedom to people and permission.

Amber Murat: It does. We also observe quarterly wellness days and that's to provide collective rest for everyone because obviously mental health is very important and we're small, we're nimble, but we work at a very fast pace. So often when people are off, you still have Slacks coming in and you still have emails. And we understood that a collective rest day quarterly really allows people to reset. So the last Friday of every quarter we collectively shut off and that's happening. We actually have one coming up in January because we didn't observe the December one because we're closed the last two weeks of December.

Jena Dunay: Got it. Very nice. And then I also saw on your website some of the other things that I really loved, like a robust parental leave, tuition reimbursement, you kind of spoke on that a little bit, the ERG groups. It sounds like there's been a lot of intentional things that you've helped put into place to make sure that it's a great culture where people want to come work.

Amber Murat: Yes. And our parental leave was something that we've implemented. It's been very successful, not only because of the time that we allow parents to be with their children, but when they come back, we also have a ramp back period. And that ramp back period allows them to only come into the office one day a week for the first 90 days back. So their transition is smoother.

Jena Dunay: Oh my gosh, as a mama, like I love that.

Amber Murat: Me too. And our people love that. And it does, as a mom or as a dad, you need that time to kind of get back to the school things.

Jena Dunay: Yes. Yeah, absolutely. It's a big transition. I remember having to drop my daughter off at childcare after the first day back and having to be back in an office five days a week was so jarring for me. I think I bawled every day. It was really hard. I was not productive that week at all. Why was I even back? The easing back shows the humanity of the organization and the caring of your people. I love that.

Amber Murat: Yes. We also offer flexible hours. Something when I started, our hours were eight to six, which were very antiquated. And obviously as a parent, daycare doesn't start till nine. It doesn't really start till nine. So our parents were really breaking. My intentions behind these policies were always to reduce the mental gymnastics and drainage that happens before you get to work or when the clock hits four and you're like, I got to run out of here and catch a train because my child is being released and no one's there to pick them up. So what we did, we introduced flexible hours. So now you have the option of coming in from eight to four, nine to five, or ten to six.

Jena Dunay: Love it. Love it. We talked about obviously all the amazing things about your organization. And I always joke that no company is perfect, right? No person's perfect. What are some of the things that you feel like maybe your team or just the organization as a whole has failed at or just opportunities that you guys could have maybe done better? What's not perfect about your organization is basically the question.

Amber Murat: For me, no one's perfect. And I think that I wouldn't call it a failure, but I call it growing pains. I think as we know, we're a trade organization with limited resources. And for many years, we were born out of an idea and we were really operating as a startup. And that meant unclear roles, just like a startup, undocumented processes and people in positions that didn't always align with their skill sets.

And as the industry evolved, because of what we do, we have to also evolve both our people and our operations to be able to keep serving them. So the shift that we had to make, which was the learning lesson, is one, reassessing the team structures and understanding the maturity level of the org. Because if we don't take time to pause, we just keep doing the same thing over and over.

And what I found when I joined is that there were a lot of cross functional collaboration issues, which really hindered the output of the IAB because everything we do is cross functional. And that was due to really not ever stopping to reassess the skill sets, the structure of the team, as well as the business objectives. Teams just kind of kept growing and growing and growing without having the framework and the structure necessary.

So when we reflected, we were able to realize that our org had matured. So when you think of the org maturity model, we were no longer operating in the early stages of scrappiness and chaos. It was calling us to add more order. And that's what really we've done. And it hasn't been easy, but getting our house in order has been highly rewarded and it's allowed us to better meet the needs of the industry and of our people. And it's also helped us reduce the role confusion and the burnout that happens in that startup environment because everyone's doing everything in a silo and it leads to burnout.

Jena Dunay: Yeah. And especially you mentioned, I think it's so important for the people leaders that are listening, the progression of moving from a startup to a more established organization, whether it's through volume of people or time in the industry, it's going to change. And it's okay that there's turbulence. There's going to be turbulence. And that turbulence is a sign that it's time for us to level up to that next level. We're not babies anymore or toddlers. We're in the teenager mode. So we need to start operating like teenagers and not operating like toddlers.

So how does that impact professional development and how you guys think about career progressions, career pathing, all that kind of stuff?

Amber Murat: It's impacted in many ways. It's led to departmental restructures. Last year we did two of them. This year we're getting ready to do another one. It's led to promotions and role eliminations at the same time. It's also led to formalizing leadership development within the organization, as well as career pathing, which is something that we're fully launching this year with competencies that are progressive by level and working with the department heads to understand what the progression looks like per level.

So it's led through a lot of internal movement, but it's allowed us to understand where we're going and our people needs need to match where we're going and also equip our leaders with the tools to make the right decisions. Sometimes the decisions are hard, but also giving them the business acumen to understand that all decisions need to lead back to the business.

Jena Dunay: Yeah, that's really good. When organizations get to a certain maturity level, the professional development also needs to mature. In the beginning, when you're part of a scrappy organization, you're just learning on the job. You're always professionally developing. But as you get bigger, those more formalized processes are necessary in order for people to feel like they're growing.

If there's a job seeker who's listening to this podcast and they're like, wow, I would have never thought to maybe work for an association. This organization's clearly touching everything that I touch on a daily basis multiple times a day. What type of employees really succeed at your organization and which ones are not a good fit?

Amber Murat: The people that succeed at IAB and TechLab are both curious, agile and mission driven. They operate well in a fast moving industry. What worked last year might not work tomorrow. So it's kind of having that agile mindset and open mindset to take risks, but also be adaptable. The folks who succeed here are the ones who lean into change and learn as they go. They're the builders. They take ownership of themselves and their progress and they understand the business, connect dots across team and the industry.

On the other hand, people who need rigid structures and who wait to be told what to do or who struggle with ambiguity may find this environment challenging. We are evolving quickly and the pace requires a mindset of continuous learning, especially when we serve the industry from a thought leadership perspective. Collaboration is key and being resilient and courageous. Ultimately, this is a place for the builders and the believers, people who want to shape the future, not just follow it.

Jena Dunay: It's so funny. I've interviewed a lot of people on this podcast that are largely smaller organizations in terms of volume of people or number of employees that work. And that is like the biggest thing. If you are not a person who wants to own your own career journey to some degree, yes, we do need some career path and support from our people leaders, of course. But if you are not somebody who likes that ownership piece and wants to have that seat at the table, because there is a responsibility that comes with having a seat at the table, and being a part of a smaller organization, it's not wise to be a part of a smaller organization. You are better suited for an organization that has very critical, if you like to be told I got to be here for two years and then I'm going to be at this level for the next two years and then after that, a small organization is probably not going to be a good fit. And that's important to know about yourself.

Amber Murat: Yeah. And I think also the other side of that, where in a bigger organization, you're going to be told what to do, but the impact that you're going to make is going to be kept in a very tight structure. In a smaller organization, you have a bigger opportunity to make an impact if you own your brand and your output, because you're going to observe opportunities and projects that you could get involved with. And you don't have the hierarchy or the bureaucracy of a bigger company. So you can expand your skills much more rapidly.

I like to say that for all team members, and I've said this for years as a people leader, I think we're like iPhones. Every year that you work, you are gaining skillsets, you're gaining knowledge, and you have to periodically go in and upgrade your LinkedIn profile, your resume. Because if not, as humans, we forget all the work that we're doing. But every year, like an iPhone gets an upgrade, you need to assess all of your learnings, all of the skillsets that you gained this year against your field, against your industry, and understand where you are measuring against where the industry is going.

And I think it's really important that people start to think that way because that provides them with ownership. I've seen a mindset of that's not my job, that's not my responsibility. Technically, maybe it may not be in your job description. But when you start to think from a skillset upgrade, and if you look at an opportunity show up, it may require you to do a little bit more, but what are you gaining from it? Are you learning strategy? Are you learning project management? What skillset is going to upgrade your brand from that project that you wouldn't be able to get if you just stayed stuck in your little job description?

Jena Dunay: The iPhone analogy is so good. Amber, I'm going to steal it, post about it, and give you credit for it. Because that is, I've never heard somebody say that before. And that's a great way to think about upgrading your skills and just reminding yourself what you did in the past year. We talk about that a lot where if you're a job seeker and you have not updated your material, honestly, my recommendation is a quarterly basis because you do forget so much of what you've done, not because you're looking for a job, but because you want to remember what you've done so that when the time comes, if something happens, you want to be prepared for that. So all of that advice, Amber, is so good for job seekers and just the idea of that personal brand. It's not something that you're ever taught in school. And it's such a shame because it really, at the end of the day, you have a personal brand. It's just a matter of whether you're cultivating it or not. And the goal is to be cultivating it, which is what you're talking about.

Amber Murat: Exactly.

Jena Dunay: Tell me about IAB's plans for the future. Tell me about hiring, tell me about growth. What does that look like over the next 12 to 18 months for y'all?

Amber Murat: We're really focused for the next 12 to 18 months on our AI leadership. Last year, we added a vice president of AI. It's a pivotal step in our commitment to shaping responsible and innovative use of artificial intelligence in media and marketing. And we're now recruiting for a director of AI. That job is fully posted to deepen our bench and thought leaders and operationalization of our AI agenda across the ecosystem.

Jena Dunay: I'm sure that that's a very big part of the future of your organization. It is for every organization, but I would imagine just the hubbub that I hear in the industry around AI and media, it's a thing. So I can understand that that would be an area of focus of thought leadership that you want to get ahead of.

Amber Murat: Yes, it's a big thing and it's really reshaping the world as we know it from a digital advertising point. And we really have to get ahead of it because it's kind of bringing that wild, wild west environment all over again because everything's changing.

Jena Dunay: So that's an area that you guys are growing in. How would you say, as somebody who's probably looked at resumes before and screened candidates before, how does someone get hired at IAB? Because I feel like a lot of folks will say, I can never get in at a company. What do you recommend to job seekers who just feel frustrated in general? And then specifically for IAB, how do people make sure that they are seen and potentially land a job?

Amber Murat: I think there's a couple of things. We post all of our roles on LinkedIn and Indeed and ZipRecruiter. So you have them all across the board. Once you apply, we do go through the resume. We're very thorough. We get back to the candidates.

I do a lot of outreach on LinkedIn to passive candidates, but a lot of passive candidates also reach out to me. If you go on my profile, I'm always speaking about the roles that we have open. So driving that conversation on LinkedIn. I would say contribute, don't be shy, reach out. If you've applied, I know most job seekers will say that doesn't work, but you'd be surprised how many even this week, how many people I've screened that just said, “Hey Amber, I applied for this role, you posted it. Let me know if you got my application or when you have a moment to connect.”

From there, that puts this person on the top of my mind. So then from there, I'll go back and check, was this person selected by the hiring manager? If not, I'll look at the resume. You do have to be proactive. For each role, we're getting over 200 resumes and it's painful. But if you want to stand out, you have to not be afraid to reach out.

Jena Dunay: That’s good! Such good advice! Can’t hear it enough for people and a lot of people doesn’t feel like it doesn’t work but I’ve talked to a zillion Chief People Officers and Talent Acquisition professionals and that’s what they all say. So, you heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Amber Murat: We also have a healthy referral bonus. People receive $1,000 post tax, so it's $1,000 clean, that they get for referring someone. So if we have a job that's posted and you know someone who works at the IAB, you can also go through that route because our people are more than happy to refer people.

Jena Dunay: Yeah, absolutely. Well, Amber, this has been really fun to learn more about your culture and dig into what makes you all unique. It sounds like a really cool place to work that's really shaping the future of what we all interact with on a daily, maybe hourly basis. But also just it is a cool place to work. And you guys are really intentional about the culture that you're building. So just want to thank you so much. And if you're interested in learning more about IAB, we will have the link to all of their job boards that they are listed on and more details around their organization for you to check out. So you heard it here straight. We will see you next week on another episode of Culture Uncovered.