Raushida Vasaiwala is the Global Senior Vice President – Commercial at Humology, with over two decades of experience in AdTech, MarTech, and SaaS. She’s scaled teams across Asia-Pacific, built double-digit revenue growth engines, and driven GTM strategies in some of the most complex markets.

But her career isn’t just about metrics. It’s about solving hard problems with clarity, precision, and empathy—on the frontlines of tech and leadership.

What’s one lesson from your life that’s shaped how you lead and sell today?

As a single mother building commercial teams across time zones, I learned that precision beats presence. Sales isn’t about being always on—it’s about knowing when to be on, and making those moments count.

The best conversations happen when you solve complex problems across multiple stakeholders and tie it all back to ROI and operational efficiency. It’s never just about hunting or farming—you need to match the buyer’s maturity curve in real time.

How have your SaaS sales principles evolved to meet the speed and outcome-driven demands of AdTech today?

I’ve sold everything from enterprise SaaS to mobile campaigns across Jakarta, Singapore, and beyond. What’s clear is this: the best sellers today don’t just pitch — they educate and evangelize, especially in sectors like gaming, where many decision-makers are still catching up to the attention economy.

Value-based, outcome-driven selling still holds — but AdTech requires a commercial Swiss Army knife. You’re not splitting roles; you’re proving value campaign by campaign, often to the same client.

In APAC, in-game advertising is still early-stage. Some brands are experimenting, but most don’t yet have the strategic muscle or measurement maturity. So you’re doing two jobs:

• Educating early adopters to improve ROI through better targeting, creative, and insights.
• Translating gaming’s reach into business results for slower adopters — and making the cost of inaction clear.

As a single mother leading across time zones, I’ve learned precision matters more than hours. Sales is about solving real problems, across layered buying groups, and tying everything back to ROI. You move at the buyer’s speed — not your own.

How different markets are approaching performance-driven advertising within gaming environments—including attention-based inventory, immersive ad formats, and ROI-led campaign strategies.

Southeast Asia’s mobile-first economies—Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines in particular—are redefining performance advertising inside gaming. With mobile game ad spend exceeding $1.7B and video ad completion rates hitting 65–90%, the trend is clear: interruptive ads are giving way to immersive commerce.

The focus now is full-funnel engagement that starts and ends inside the game. We’re seeing:

• Immersive product placements and shoppable moments that boost brand awareness without breaking immersion.
• Plug-and-play, no-code integrations allowing publishers to activate branded content instantly.
• In-game coupons, deal unlocking, and peer sharing that plug into CPI/CPA models while also nudging mid- and late-funnel actions.

Southeast Asian gamers respond well to rewarded video formats—especially when incentives include early access or exclusive rewards. These drive CTRs and ROAS of 1.5x to 3x within 30 days.

With over 60% of gamers in the region actively shopping online, commerce-led engagement is more than viable—it’s expected. The best performance campaigns don’t push products; they let players pull brands in, naturally and on their own terms.

You’ve emphasised that attention—not viewability—is the key metric. How do you measure true attention in gaming and social media to drive meaningful outcomes?

Viewability is easy to measure — but dangerously misleading. If you’re optimizing for eyeballs instead of engagement, you’re already losing the game.

In mobile gaming, attention is everything. Players are immersed and in control. That makes passive impressions nearly worthless. Through our Unity SDK partnership, we measure real attention signals — things that tie directly to outcomes, not vanity metrics.

Take a simple example: a player races past a branded billboard. Did they slow down? Was it centered in view for 3+ seconds? That’s visual engagement. But the gold is in intentional interaction — like tapping a virtual kiosk to launch a branded animation. That’s conscious, opt-in attention — and it’s measurable.

Even with rewarded video, completion rates can lie. We use attention decay curves to find the exact moments that matter — typically the first and last three seconds.

If your strategy still hinges on impressions, you’re leaving real business impact on the table. Attention isn’t just a metric — it’s a competitive edge.

With shrinking agency margins and increasing tech fragmentation, what strategies do you recommend for balancing performance delivery with profitability—particularly in the context of in-game advertising?

There’s a quiet crisis brewing in the AdTech world: pricing pressure is squeezing margins across agencies and vendors alike. The solution isn’t more scale—it’s smarter positioning.

In-game advertising is a high-impact, underutilized channel—and perfect for agencies looking to differentiate. But you need to play it right. Here are three strategies that work:

• Design for attention, not just delivery. Contextual creative that blends into gameplay commands higher attention and justifies premium pricing.
• Streamline execution. Multiple platforms and measurement tools eat into margins. Simplify with interoperable tools and automated workflows.
• Anchor value to outcomes. Stop pricing on impressions. Tie pricing to engagement and completion rates. It’s a tougher conversation, but it positions you as a strategic partner.

In a fragmented landscape, the most profitable agencies will be the ones who do fewer things better—and focus relentlessly on what actually drives results.

You’ve built and led high-performing teams across APAC. What traits do you prioritize in today’s hybrid environment?

Leading across cultures taught me quickly: you can’t copy-paste success from one country to another. What works in Singapore might fall flat in Vietnam.

My leadership focus today is shaped by four key principles:

• Clarity and autonomy. People need a clear definition of success—and space to get there their own way. That’s how you build ownership.
• Cultural humility. You can’t lead APAC with ego. I’ve learned when to be direct, when to step back, and how to flex across communication styles.
• Coachability beats experience. In AdTech, curiosity and adaptability win over static playbooks.
• Consistency matters. Hybrid work risks disconnection. I stay visible with check-ins, shared goals, and real talk in 1:1s.

Trust isn’t built in all-hands meetings. It’s built in the everyday interactions that show your team you’re not just available—you’re present.

You also mentor women and single mothers in tech sales. What barriers still hold them back—and how can companies drive real change?

The myth that top sales performers are always-on extroverts still dominates the industry. It hurts everyone—but especially working mothers.

I’ve learned to sell by selling myself first. Not every deal is closed over dinner. Not every buyer wants entertainment. Often, there’s a parent on the other end, too.

The barriers are systemic and internal:

• Companies reward visibility over output.
• Women internalize outdated rules about how success should look.

We need to rewrite the script. That starts with:

• Sponsorship, not just mentorship. Someone advocating for your growth.
• Redefining success. Make it about outcomes, not optics.
• Strategic boundaries. Setting limits isn’t weakness. It’s smart planning.

I’ve found that compressing work into focused hours drives more revenue than grinding through long ones. Flexibility isn’t a benefit—it’s a high-performance lever.

The future of sales? Precision over presence.