Erin Schaefer, Senior Vice President, Publishing, Sales and Global Operations at Niantic

Erin Schaefer is Senior Vice President, Publishing, Sales and Global Operations at Niantic, Inc. In this role, Erin is responsible for game publishing, business operations, brand partnerships, and trust and safety. Before Niantic, Erin spent over a decade at 谷歌 , where she led global teams in multiple operating functions across Advertising, YouTube and Google Cloud.

What is your motto or mantra in life??

I have two mottos.

The first one is the often-repeated quote from Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I certainly think this is relevant to relationships with family and friends, but I also find it to be relevant in the workplace. While I firmly believe that what you say and what you do absolutely matter (and you better do what you say you’re going to do!), I find it’s critical to remember that the HOW matters as much — or in Maya’s words, more — than the WHAT. When I think about how to work most effectively with peers, how to influence partners or customers, and — critically — how to motivate a team, I find myself returning to Maya’s advice and trying to ensure that I approach all these endeavors with empathy.

The second motto that often runs through my head comes from a dear friend: “It’s not enough to be smart. You have to be curious.” Today, the growth mindset is extolled in schools, but it is also just as important for adults — from learning a new sport (skiing a few years ago for me) to learning a new technology (GenAI now). Being curious about yourself — why did I react that way? What stories have I been telling myself? — is critical. And being curious about others — seeking out other people’s views, putting yourself in their shoes, and then, if you have something to contribute, helping them achieve their goals — is equally important.

What advice would you give yourself a decade ago?

Ten years ago, I was a relatively new mom, still figuring out how to navigate both a career and parenthood, wondering what the optimal timing would be to have another child. I was nervous that a second maternity leave would slow my career progression, delay the next promotion. I had the opportunity to raise my hand to be Google’s Country Manager for a major market on the other side of the world, but I kept it down, closing the door to an overseas experience with my young family, something that feels much harder to pull off now with kids who are embedded in elementary and middle school. Another time, I was asked to make a big functional switch and consider being Head of People for a startup that became one of the most successful and fastest-growing companies in the past few years. I did not say yes fast enough, and someone else was hired. Whoops!

I wish I could have told young mom me: Stop thinking about your career so linearly and narrowly; it’s still the early innings of a long career and life game! Take the risk — move to another country, try a completely different function, move from the big company to a start-up. Above all else: optimize for learning and people (bosses and peers). Ten years later, I know that climbing the learning s-curve - not the linear job ladder - is the key to career growth (and personal growth). And taking big risks - especially one involving a move - never gets easier… though it’s never too late!

Was there an unconventional decision that helped shape your career? Tell us about it.?

As someone responsible for revenue, this may be an unconventional answer, but at the time, I made the decision to take my first sales role, it was very unusual, at least among my peers. Coming out of business school, most of my classmates pursued roles as financial analysts, consultants, product managers, or marketers. Like many of them, I initially worked as a financial analyst. However, instead of joining an investment bank or a hedge fund, I chose Google, which was my first unconventional decision. My initial project as a new Googler was to develop financial plans for new products that would apply the real-time auction model of buying advertising (think search ads on google.com) to traditional media (think radio, print, and TV). Through this work, I had the opportunity to collaborate closely with the engineers building these products and became a true believer in one of them: Google TV Ads. After creating the team's financial model, presenting it to Google's founders, and convincing them to invest in the business, I was ready to take on a new challenge with the team, and they suggested I should lead sales.

Sales?! What would my business school classmates think? Sales seemed... not very intellectual? Icky? I sought advice from one of my most trusted professors, who told me that every leadership position requires you to be an effective salesperson; you might be selling a vision versus a widget, but have no doubt, you're selling. "Take the job, Erin!" With her encouragement, I accepted a role on the brand-new TV Ads Sales team and moved from California to New York.

Over the next ten years, I had the opportunity to pitch to CMOs, CEOs, heads of TV investment, and more all over the world. I transitioned from "selling" Google TV Ads to "selling YouTube" and contributed to the company's growth from tens of millions in revenue to tens of billions. I collaborated with financial analysts, consultants, product managers, marketers, and engineers, learning how a team of functional experts comes together to bring a product to market and build a business. And I have never regretted going into sales!

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