In this Q+A, we sit down with President, Operations Katie Evans to explore how she navigates the complexity of global operations, translates client insights into lasting improvements, and builds the flexible yet resilient frameworks that keep Magnite performing at scale in a rapidly evolving ad tech landscape.
Magnite’s C-Suite series provides a unique opportunity to gain firsthand perspectives on critical industry trends and strategic initiatives shaping Magnite’s core values and future.
Magnite operates at a massive global scale. What is the most complex operational challenge you’re solving right now, and how do you prioritize what gets attention first?
One of our most persistent and complex challenges is ensuring consistent, high-quality operations across a platform that runs at a truly global scale. The scale itself isn’t the issue — it’s scale layered on top of rapid product innovation, evolving client expectations, and an industry that shifts faster than most operational frameworks were ever designed for. That combination makes operational consistency both essential and incredibly challenging.
When it comes to prioritization, we make decisions constantly and across multiple layers of the organization. The approach that has served us best is to anchor on impact over urgency. Not everything that feels urgent is actually meaningful, so we focus our time and resources on the work that will materially improve client experience, reduce risk, or create long-term operational leverage.
You oversee teams that directly impact client experience. How do you translate client feedback into operational improvements that stick across the organization?
For us, it starts with creating a full feedback loop — insight → validation → solutions → adoption. Our teams are in constant dialogue with clients, gathering feedback, requests, and observations from day-to-day interactions. We distill those inputs into clear themes, which we then work through with cross-functional partners to understand root causes and identify the right operational or product-level improvements.
One of our biggest advantages is that we are power users of our own technology. Because we’re on the platform every day, we can quickly validate pain points, pressure-test workflows, and identify where enhancements will have the most impact. That proximity to the tools allows us to move from feedback to action much more effectively.
And I have to say, I’m incredibly proud of the teams across Magnite. Their ability to operate at this scale, stay close to the client experience, and translate that into meaningful improvements is a big reason we deliver one of the strongest service organizations in the industry — and it’s something I never take for granted.
As ad tech expectations evolve, how do you ensure Magnite’s operational frameworks stay flexible without sacrificing stability and reliability?
The key is treating flexibility and stability as complementary rather than competing priorities. Our operational frameworks are built with strong foundations — consistent processes, clear roles, and reliable mechanisms for communication and escalation — but they’re designed to evolve as our products, clients, and market needs evolve.
Ultimately, it’s about having a framework that is strong enough to support global operations but adaptable enough to evolve alongside the industry. That balance allows us to innovate quickly without compromising the reliability our clients depend on.
Looking ahead, what operational capability or process do you believe will be most critical for Magnite to strengthen as the CTV and omnichannel landscape continues to expand?
A major focus for us will be strengthening and harmonizing workflows, ensuring our tools, processes, and operational models are aligned across channels while still respecting the unique needs of CTV. CTV is fundamentally a different medium, with different expectations, pacing, and complexities. It can’t and shouldn’t operate the same way as other formats.
As CTV and omnichannel continue to scale, the companies that win will be the ones with world-class operational muscle behind their technology. That means streamlining workflows, reducing friction points, creating consistency where possible, and building the right operational frameworks that keep performance stable even as volume and innovation accelerate.
Great tech is table stakes. But great tech paired with flawless operational execution — that’s what truly differentiates in a rapidly expanding landscape.
If you weren’t working in operations or ad tech, what’s a completely different career path you could see yourself in?
I’ve always imagined myself becoming a teacher. It’s actually the path I thought I would take before my career brought me into operations and ad tech. Even now, I love the idea of helping children learn and grow, supporting them the way great teachers supported me. It’s a very different direction from where I ended up, but the underlying motivation remains the same: creating clarity, helping people thrive, and building environments where others can succeed.
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