With a career spanning more than two decades across technology, media, and digital innovation, Willie Pang has built a reputation as a visionary leader who thrives at the intersection of business, technology, and creativity. From his early days in Silicon Valley to launching game-changing advertising solutions at Amazon Ads, Pang has consistently driven growth, transformation, and customer success.
Now at the helm of Amazon Ads in Australia, Pang leads a team dedicated to delivering cutting-edge advertising solutions that help brands connect with consumers more effectively. Beyond his corporate role, he is deeply engaged with industry associations and remains passionate about fostering diverse, high-performing teams.
Pang sat down with our very own Greg “Sparrow” Graham to answer 10, very quick questions and reflect upon his career journey, leadership philosophy, and the future of advertising.
1. You’ve had an outstanding long-term career starting in tech including a stint in San Fran, a digital founder, then media agency side, and now a publisher, if you had to pick only one what would be your career highlight so far?
Pang: I’ve enjoyed every moment of my slightly eclectic career journey. From selling internet access to small businesses on a CD-ROM, pounding the pavement in Silicon Valley on the capital raising trail, doing globally awarded work with some of the world’s most iconic brands, to leading our amazing team at Amazon Ads here in Australia, the one constant has been change. There are so many highlights that’s it’s impossible to pick one but the launch of Prime Video advertising last year is right up there. I can’t think of another time in my career where I’ve had the opportunity to launch something new that is game-changing for the industry, offers scale immediately, and meets the needs of our customers and partners so seamlessly.
2. What I love about you as a leader is you have always built incredibly talented teams around you, why has this been a priority?
Pang: Success in business is a team sport, and I believe that a business can only go as far as the people in it, can take it. My focus has always been to build a culture that attracts the brightest and most passionate minds, foster an enthusiasm for them to come together to land a “Think Big” strategy, and then empower people to do their dream jobs.
3. You work with various industry associations including the AANA, MFA, etc why is this important?
Pang: Our involvement with industry associations gives us an opportunity to hear, at scale, what brands and agencies care about most. It also gives us an opportunity to impact the direction of the industry when it comes to important changes in the areas of Retail Media, Premium Video and AdTech. Our ambition is ultimately to help brands to unlock the power of full-funnel advertising and the more we can listen, the better (and faster) we can invent solutions to help.
4. What are your customers’ vital issues at the moment and how is Amazon Ads helping them in tough times?
Pang: Every brand we work with is seeking improvement in both efficiency and effectiveness. With only incremental gains to be had in any one advertising channel, we think that the secret lies in connecting all of their activity together and optimising the entire funnel. By introducing Prime Video advertising, we’ve created the opportunity for brands of all sectors and sizes to reach customers at scale through Prime Video’s incredible content. It’s a solution I would have wanted to offer my clients throughout my agency career, and now my team and I get to support the brands we work with to accelerate growth in awareness over the longer term, while also allowing them to optimise revenue and profit from sales today. I’ve been chasing this panacea in my career for 20+ years but for the first time, I think it’s within reach.
5. Who have been your mentors that have influenced your career over the years?
Pang: I’ve been privileged to have the mentorship of so many great leaders. Let me pick out a few stand-outs. You, Sparrow. I recently put your quote “Willie, just give me the answer” on slide 2 of a big, important pitch deck; The great John “Steady” Steedman, who taught me that integrity is the only thing that matters; The very well dressed and charming group of MediaCom heroes – Sean Seamer, Matthew Mee, Toby Jenner and Stephen Allan; my very first mentor, Theo Hnarakis, CEO of Melbourne IT at the time, who inspired me with his successful transition from the hallowed halls of Southdown Press to become a pre-eminent leader in the Australian technology industry; Rohan Lund, Chief Executive of Yahoo!7, who taught me about enterprise value creation; and last but not least is a collection of super-women of GroupM/WPP past and present, including Lisa Euvrard, Nicole Boyd, Katie-Rigg Smith, Katherine Williams, Gemma Hunter and Rose Herceg – they reinforce for me how much diversity matters, and continually serve as examples that kindness is a super-power.
6. As an industry what’s one thing you would change to make us all better?
Pang: Let’s get better at setting boundaries. This applies to the relationship between boards and CMOs, marketers and their agencies, agencies and publishers, leaders and their people. It would give us space to do our best work and create durable long-term growth. Oh, and embrace personalisation, at scale.
7. Amazon has a culture of Innovation how is that nurtured and fostered?
Pang: Coming up to two years in the role, it’s still Day 1 for me, as we say at Amazon. ‘Day 1’ mentality speaks to an excitement and ambition to build, solve problems through invention, navigate change, make decisions quickly, and most importantly, stay obsessive about customers. Every day there’s a new opportunity, a new challenge, and new ways my team and I get to come together to support our customers to succeed.
8. I know you are passionate about cycling, has that had any influence on your leadership style?
Pang: I’m passionate, but not particularly talented. Cycling did, however, lead me to complete an Iron Man race some years ago. It taught me that hard work trumps talent, success in a race is based on the preparation before game day and that it takes a team, always, to succeed.
9. What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
Pang: I love cooking. I love gaming even more. I’ve graduated from 8 bit Atari and Game Boy, Nintendo NES, Playstation 1 to today’s super consoles and gaming PCs. When not obsessing about Customer Data Platforms or Streaming TV, you can find me playing Fortnite with my sons. There is something deliciously funny about a bunch of middle-aged men huddled together online, whispering into their headsets and giggling like teenagers while trying desperately not to wake the kids.
10. Important last question, do your parents know what you do?
Pang: Sort of. Not really. Something to do with the ads they see on the internet.
