Meet Frank Dawson, our Business Growth Manager in the US. Keep reading to get to know Frank and his role at ironSource a bit better.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career leading up to ironSource.
I’ve always had an analytical mindset, and growing up on the east coast the obvious way to utilize that professionally was to study finance and pursue a career in the banking industry. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a concentration in finance, I spent the next 6 years doing just that at two of the country's largest banks. The banking world helped me build some amazing skills and took my analytical mindset to the next level.
What led you to change your career path from finance to the App Economy?
In 2017, I knew I was ready for a career change but wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do. As an avid believer that being a ‘lifelong learner’ is the key to long-term professional success, I knew going back to college part-time to earn an MBA would get me out of my comfort zone and build a bridge toward my next career pivot. Working full time, mapping out my career plan, and going to school part-time was challenging, but it set me up to move to ironSource - making the busy time well worth it.
In a few sentences can you explain what you do at ironSource today?
ironSource is a business platform for the App Economy, which means we work with app developers to help them turn their apps into successful businesses and with telcos to help them engage with their users throughout the device lifecycle. As a Business Growth Manager, I oversee a team that leads Business Intelligence, Strategic Growth, and Live Operations. My team and I are consistently challenged to take a data-driven approach to generating the next innovative growth strategy and to build bridges between global stakeholders. I like to think of my role as a project manager with the flexibility to select a focus based on where I can drive the most value within the organization.
How has your previous experience in finance helped you grow your career at ironSource?
On the surface, banking and the App Economy don’t have much in common. However, my early conversations with ironSource helped me quickly identify that at their core these industries are built on the same foundation: ‘supply and demand’. This commonality allowed me to quickly pivot my analytical mindset to the mobile app space and make an immediate impact at ironSource.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into the App Economy?
Go for it! This space is evolving rapidly and it is exhilarating to be at the forefront of continuous innovation. All of us use apps on our phones and each of those apps is someone's business. And with the huge number of apps in the world (in 2020 there were over 200B apps downloaded), this is a huge ecosystem and being part of it is super exciting.
In a few sentences, how would you describe working at ironSource?
To find satisfaction in a role, the most important things for me are first, the ability to scratch that ‘life-long learner’ itch, and second, making an impact. The open-mindedness of ironSource has created an environment where I can do both day-in and day-out. ironSource has created a world-class collaborative culture that teaches me something new every day and allows us to continuously challenge one another. Throughout my three years at ironSource, I am constantly encouraged to challenge the status quo and feel comfortable taking risks. This expectation of all employees fuels the innovation that has established ironSource as an industry leader.
