Open to opportunities

Linda Sughrue

@lindasughrue

Executive operations leader driving customer growth, automation, and efficiency for media services and ad technology companies.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead customer growth and operations for media/ad-tech teams—modernizing workflows with automation/AI, owning P&L impact, and building high-performing, well-supported teams focused on proactive customer partnership.

I’m an accomplished SVP of Operations leader with 20+ years optimizing organizational efficiency and driving growth for media services and ad technology firms. In my current role, I’m stabilizing and evolving customer-facing operations end-to-end—owning P&L and leading engagement, customer success, and data automation teams while partnering closely with Sales and Engineering to modernize long-standing workflows.

I’ve repeatedly improved performance through strategic leadership and operational rigor—redefining team structures, shifting from reactive support to proactive customer partnerships, and using traditional and agentic AI approaches to redesign and automate critical workflows. Previously, at Locality Streaming (formerly Gamut Smart Media by Cox), I delivered a 40% revenue increase with no added operational headcount and reduced makegood cost, overdelivery cost, and improved delivery performance across thousands of targeted campaigns; I was also honored in 2022 by Cynopsis as a Top Women in Media Operational Front Runner.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

SVP, Customer Growth & Retention

Current

Whip Media

Apr 2025 - Present (1 year 2 months)

Joined during a company-wide transformation to stabilize and evolve customer-facing operations; led P&L, customer success, and data automation teams and shifted execution from reactive support to proactive customer partnerships. Modernized decade-old workflows using traditional and agentic AI approaches to improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.

P&L management Customer Success Leadership Data Automation Agentic AI Strategic Planning Stakeholder Management Team Leadership Performance Optimization

VP, Planning & Operations

Locality Streaming

Jun 2019 - Nov 2024 (5 years 5 months)

Led Planning and Ad Operations teams through organizational, market, and landscape changes, aligning structure, processes, and technology to standardize data capture and improve speed to market while reducing errors. Delivered a 40% revenue increase without operational headcount growth, reduced makegood cost by 20%, cut overdelivery cost by 27%, and supported 99%+ full on delivery across 3,000+ ta

Ad Operations DSP & Ad Server Management BI & Analytics Cost Optimization Go To Market Operations

Global Go-To-Market & Ad Ops

DATAxu

Nov 2009 - Apr 2019 (9 years 5 months)

Owned global go-to-market operations and led ad operations and customer success work across APAC and EMEA, including P&L management for 4 offices, 30 people, and $15M in revenue. Built and scaled teams and programs including expert-on-demand customer support and a global ad operations organization, improving scale, profitability, and customer experience.

Go To Market Operations P&L management Ad Operations Customer Success Leadership Account Management Portfolio Management Process Standardization

Senior Manager, Ad Operations

Nokia Interactive Advertising

Jun 2007 - Nov 2009 (2 years 5 months)

Directed regional ad operations leads and managed program managers and campaign managers to deliver mobile programs and banner campaigns, including work supporting WAP site construction. Developed ad operations processes covering publisher onboarding, campaign setup and optimization, and advertiser fulfillment and publisher payment, and translated product enhancement requirements into business-dri

Ad Operations Campaign Management Publisher Onboarding Optimization Advertiser Fulfillment Publisher Payments Business Requirements

Publisher Client Manager

Third Screen Media, Inc.

Jan 2006 - Jun 2007 (1 year 5 months)

Managed publisher client relationships and supported campaign execution through roles spanning Publisher Client Manager and Campaign Manager. Coordinated operational activities to help ensure smooth delivery and ongoing client support.

Client Relationship Management Publisher management Campaign Management Account Support Operational Coordination Reporting

Implementation & Account Manager

BlueStreak

Feb 2005 - Dec 2005 (10 months)

Led implementation activities and served as a senior account manager, supporting client onboarding and execution needs for advertising accounts. Ensured operational alignment between account requirements and delivery.

Implementation Management Account Management Client Onboarding Campaign Delivery Operational Support

Associate Account Manager

Harte-Hanks

Feb 2004 - Feb 2005 (1 year)

Provided associate-level account management support, coordinating client communications and operational follow-through. Assisted with maintaining account relationships as campaigns and services progressed.

Account Management Client Communication Campaign Coordination Sales Support Relationship Management