TaboolaHer, one of Taboola’s employee resource groups,  loves shining a light on the incredible women shaping the future of digital media. In this edition, we sat down with Laura Restrepo Le Flohic, Publisher Account Director based in Taboola Spain, whose rise from account manager to leader has followed a clear and purposeful path.

From living  across continents to baking her way through a business venture, today Laura is sharing her story of  building a thriving career helping publishers to grow their audiences. Read on to discover Laura’s success rooted in curiosity, what drives her, and the lessons she’s learned about leadership, resilience, and the human side of digital media.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I grew up in Medellin, Colombia with 4 siblings (I’m bang in the middle of 5!), with my French-Colombian mom and my Colombian dad. French was always part of our lives, so I decided to go to Paris as part of my university’s program – and I never came back.  I found an internship at an e-commerce company, and that’s where my digital media adventure began.

What’s a fun fact about you that most of your colleagues might not know?

Being part of a 5-sibling household always gets a “Really?!” But most people don’t know that I’m a certified baker, and briefly had a bakery business in Medellin, just before moving to London and coming back to the digital advertising industry.

How would you describe what you do at Taboola to someone outside the industry?

I help Spanish publishers develop their digital advertising capabilities, as well as to get more engaged readers. It works in almost the same way as when you see an ad or article in a magazine or a newspaper, but online, it’s as if that content (the ad or article) had been chosen by magic for that particular person and at that precise moment according to their interests.

Let’s rewind a bit: what brought you to Taboola?

Patience and a bit of obsession I’d say. I was looking for my next move after I’d spent 3 years working in London, and I saw the opening for a publisher account manager in the Spanish team. Unfortunately, they had just fulfilled the position, and I was too late. But I became somewhat obsessed with Taboola and what I saw online about the company’s culture. It seemed a very friendly and collaborative environment, in which people are genuinely themselves; rowing in the same direction to achieve common goals. Six months after my first attempt, there was another opening, and I finally had my chance to join.

From Publisher Account Manager to Account Director, can you share more about your journey?

My journey at Taboola started as an account manager for the Spanish market, and as our business grew, I had the opportunity to evolve with it. In the beginning, I was the only account manager for the market. With time, dedication and hard work, we started winning more and more publishers and getting recognised for our great technology and dedicated account management.

So our team grew and I had the opportunity to become Team Lead. As our Spanish footprint grew, we understood it was very important to be on the ground in Spain, so I had the opportunity to relocate and was promoted to Account Director. Now I manage a team of 3 superstar account managers, and I’m responsible for an impressive portfolio of top publishers in Spain.

Throughout my 6 and a half years at Taboola, my dedication, passion and hard work have led to multiple promotions and an expanded team. But I’ve also learned the importance of being an individual contributor, and had the opportunity to get involved in the many projects at Taboola which encourage employees to go beyond their roles and participate in global initiatives or culture-building teams like our ERG communities.

Beyond formal promotions, what was a key ‘turning point’ in your career journey where you felt your responsibilities or perspective truly shifted, and what prompted that change?

There was definitely a change in my perspective when I became a manager. It started happening before the official promotion, of course, and it felt like a very organic progression from building the portfolio from scratch to then structuring my team to manage it. I know what they’re facing every day because I’ve experienced it, but as a manager I get to craft the strategy and am responsible for leading the team towards achieving our goals.

Being a manager at Taboola is a privilege and a responsibility I take seriously as I’ve been lucky enough to have the best managers of all my career at this company. I have learnt from this positive, collaborative management style that resonates with my values and personality.

Do you remember a “pinch-me” moment in your career at Taboola? Something that made you stop and think, “Wow, I’ve really grown”?

Covid times were tough, not only for the obvious reasons, but also because my team was going through some changes, and I found myself managing the whole Spanish book of business by myself. I recall thinking that I had to step up, pushing myself to believe I had what it takes, and making the most of the great people around me that were rooting for me and for the success of the Spanish market.

Who has been most influential person in your career development at Taboola, and what was the most important lesson they taught you?

I believe that you learn from all your managers, and from all the good and the bad experiences alike. I learnt a lot from not-so-great ones early in my career, in France. Those experiences shaped me and taught me to appreciate what a great leader and/or company culture is.

When I joined Taboola Chris Murphy blew my mind as my manager and showed me that the key to great leadership is trusting your team and really knowing them to get the best out of them. My next manager, Emir Cagan, always impressed me with his elegant, intelligent, yet humble management style,  and how he steered the team through tough times during Covid. 

The many female leaders and managers around me (Pilar Valcarcel, Stacey Delaney, Claudia Evans and Federica Ambrogi, to mention just a few) are a true inspiration in a male dominated industry, and I always look up to them.

In a world full of algorithms and KPIs, what’s the human side of leading publisher partnerships that people don’t often see?

It all comes down to developing trusting relationships at all levels. At the end of the day, algorithms and KPIs don’t make deals. It’s all down to the people involved using their brains, attitudes and personalities to do the best they can in their jobs and for their companies. I never lose sight of the fact it’s the people making things happen.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give your past self on day one at Taboola? And one you’d give someone starting tomorrow?

Take your time for the onboarding! There is a lot to take in and it’s important to fully digest all the information and create a solid base to build on. Another piece of advice I always give newcomers is to focus on their internal network, taking the time to get to know people from all different teams and expanding their day-to-day contacts. I think it’s a good way to develop a sense of belonging in a big company, and carve a place for yourself in it.

Laura’s story highlights the impact of staying curious, resilient, and always valuing the people behind the work. Through continuous learning, bold choices, supportive mentors, and a genuine commitment to people, her growth at Taboola is a reminder of what thoughtful, people-first leadership can achieve and an inspiring example of how purpose, determination, and human connection can shape a truly fulfilling career.

To learn more about why we are consistently ranked as a great place to work, check out the Taboola Life blog.  Visit our careers page and realize your potential with #TaboolaLife.