By Anastasiia Lushyna
We are starting our series of interviews to get you more familiar with our team and the programmatic industry in general. Today, we are interviewing Hanna Zhukovska, our amazing project manager.
Thanks for joining us today! How did your career path lead you to programmatic?
Thank you for this opportunity! It’s incredible to reflect on how my career in the industry began roughly seven years ago. What started as an intuitive leap into the unknown has turned into a journey that makes perfect sense in hindsight. My diploma labels me as a telecommunications engineer (sounds fancy, right?), but by the time I graduated, I had already realized that was more of a “backup plan” than a passion.
I got my first job in AdTech because of being fluent in English (thanks, Mom, for insisting on me learning it since kindergarten) and my willingness to jump into the deep end of something new.
My first role as a junior account manager at an ad network required me to learn everything from scratch since I didn’t have any relevant prior formal training. It was challenging, but within my first year, I was recognized with a company award for “Best Progress”, which was a huge confidence boost and validation of my decision to pursue this path. Constant positive feedback and recognition from colleagues and clients throughout the years keeps further reaffirming this was the right choice.
Since then, I’ve explored various roles and had a lot of those "first" moments: first remote work, first business trip, first team leading role, first participation in DMEXCO, and first closed release as a project manager at Attekmi. Each step has expanded my skill set and reinforced my commitment to continuous growth. Attekmi, in particular, has been a fantastic platform for this, offering opportunities to push my boundaries and evolve professionally. And there are more "firsts" to come I am convinced.
Of course, this career comes with its fair share of challenges: tight deadlines, constant learning curves, and the need to adapt quickly. But those challenges have taught me invaluable skills – resilience, collaboration, proactivity, and self-discipline. Fun fact: I’ve been mastering remote work long before it became mainstream.
Looking back, I’m immensely grateful to a dear friend who introduced me to this world. Their advice set me on a path that’s been both fulfilling and exciting. Programmatic is a space where no two days are the same, and that’s exactly why I love it.
What is the biggest challenge in your work at Attekmi, and how do you overcome it?
I joined Attekmi as an account manager almost two years ago, and the company continues to challenge and inspire me in unexpected ways. Probably the biggest one so far was to make a transition from account to project management. Because it required a huge step out of my comfort zone. To be more specific I will share a couple of examples of my personal hills I had to climb on.
Many of my colleagues who will read this interview might be surprised to find out that I am a very introverted person. It took me time to get used to the amount of communication required to stay in the loop of what's going on in the team on a daily basis. I thought I used to talk a lot while being an account manager – that's until I discovered the number of meetings and sync-ups I will have to have as a PM. Sometimes after work, I keep silence for hours because it feels like I have used up all my words for the day.
Multitasking is something that I also thought I was used to. However, the PM role introduced an entirely new dimension of managing simultaneous requests, tracking project timelines, and troubleshooting on the fly to my daily routine. Staying organized became not just a skill but a survival tool.
At the end of the day, a lot of responsibility lies on the shoulders of a project manager. This means I had to overcome a fear of making mistakes and deal with my perfectionism to make sure we get the best results possible but also get them soon enough. In this industry oftentimes a good solution presented a few days too late - is already not good enough.
On the positive side, I have to mention that I feel every day that I make a tangible impact on the progress of our platform. And that motivates me to keep climbing those hills. Together with our cool team that I know has my back and is always ready to provide me with their expertise and support when required. Together, we tackle challenges, celebrate wins, and keep pushing forward.
And what about achievements? Is there anything you are really proud of?
I see myself as someone who is constantly evolving. What was a big challenge yesterday often becomes today’s achievement, and I’m proud of my journey overall – especially the place I’ve reached in my career so far. Time and again, I’ve surprised myself by accomplishing what once felt impossible and even outgrowing those accomplishments.
If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be planning releases and discussing new features regularly, I would have found it hard to imagine. Yet here I am: already lost count of the releases, feature launches, investigations, and process updates I’ve managed so far.
Each step of the journey has taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, adaptability, and the power of collaboration. I’m excited to keep pushing the limits, taking on new challenges, and continuing to grow both personally and professionally.
What inspires you in your career?
What inspires me most in my career is the feeling that the sky is the limit. My ambition adds extra stress to my life, sure, but it also brings so much joy. The more I achieve and gain confidence in my capabilities, the more motivated I feel to keep pushing forward. Each step opens up new opportunities and fuels my drive to explore what’s next.
I also find huge inspiration in the support I receive from my team, friends, and family. In case you wonder how to be there for someone who "suffers" from being a PM: sometimes that looks like giving me time to stay in silence, sometimes – to remind me to eat and have some rest. And very often - to just be patient and understanding.
What qualities does an effective programmatic project manager require?
On top of what I have mentioned before, that helps me to cope and grow I would say that the main quality is patience. As a project manager, you have loads of responsibilities related to both your team and partners. And you have to balance everything to reach the best results for everyone.
Also, communication skills make a huge difference. A long time ago I even published a post on LinkedIn about it trying to explain and remind people: there is a real person behind the screen. No matter if it is a team member, a manager, or a client – kindness and understanding can go a long way. There is a reason why Smarthub in the past and now Attekmi gained various nominations and even awards as Best Customer Support. It is in our philosophy to aim to be there for each other and our partners. And it has always been my value too.
Why should project managers be proactive with clients?
At Attekmi, we usually refer to our clients as partners. And in my opinion that also reflects an important part of our philosophy: our cooperation with partners is all about trust and reliability. So being proactive in this case means being considerate of the needs and challenges they face.
As a project manager, you should always think and plan as many steps ahead as it seems possible. My aim is to try to combine two parts of the process:
putting yourself into the client's shoes to see solutions that will cover their current or future needs and understanding of the resources at hand.
And when it comes to risk management – not only intend to cover potentially problematic situations but also find a way to inform partners where their own risk management is needed.
Often solutions have to be provided quickly - which means it is crucial to stay prepared for everyone involved.
How do you ensure your clients’ success?
Ensuring client success is a complex process that requires well-coordinated teamwork.
When I was an account manager, my focus was on providing partners with timely, efficient support. Now at the PM position, my goal is to ensure delivering the most relevant solutions the soonest possible. And my efficiency depends on established cooperation with other teams in the company:
With the AM team to collect feedback and suggestions from partners.
With the Business Analytic team to research the trends of the industry in order to prioritize the most relevant things.
And, of course, with the developer's team as their expertise is a key part in the implementation of the solutions that can cover the needs of the clients.
The combining factors here are the quality of communication and clear internal flows.
At every stage of the process, people need to understand the importance of their contribution and what it should look like.
This is how I know my team always has my back. No matter the complexity of the case, we tackle it together, sharing insights from multiple perspectives. Just be warned – this approach often leads to long brainstorming sessions and plenty of sync-ups, but the results are always worth it!
What is the best way to disagree with a client’s idea?
To give them a better one. But that's only a part of the answer, actually. Because different cases would need different approaches. Sometimes, it’s about clarifying potential risks or current limitations. Other times, it’s about presenting a more efficient or feasible way to achieve the same goal.
The key is focusing on the client’s core need. Regardless of how they present their idea, they’re ultimately seeking our support and expertise. This requires from us clear, respectful, and considerate communication tailored to their unique situation. By giving them pros and cons and sharing our experience that informs our perspective and decisions, we can foster trust and collaboration. In fact, handling disagreements constructively can often strengthen partnerships and deepen mutual respect.
How do you keep up pace with the evolving nature of the programmatic ecosystem?
News spread quickly. Whether it's official resources, updates shared by our partners, sales, or business analytic team – I always try to keep an eye on the current trends.
Any recommendations for those planning to join the programmatic landscape as project managers?
Think about it as not just a job title, but a mindset. You have to have soft skills in your toolbox that can help you deal with all the challenges that will come your way.
First and foremost, be ready to learn constantly. My background as an account manager gave me a solid foundation: I already understood the project and field specifics. However, if you’re new to the company and especially the industry – brace yourself for a long adjustment period before things start making sense.
Here’s my advice:
Seek mentorship from people you respect and trust.
Balance guidance with independent research: be humble enough to ask, but brave enough to explore.
Stay patient: If you’re dedicated, positive results are just a matter of time.
The skills and knowledge of every team member are exactly what enables Attekmi’s success – and we want you to succeed as well. We are always ready to assist you with any AdTech matter and share some actionable insights to help you grow.
Need an ad exchange solution or a custom AdTech product? Let’s talk.