Jesse Waldele knows how to build a team—on and off the field.
As SVP of digital operations and client success at Dow Jones, Jesse Waldele brings a coach’s mindset to everything from cross-functional alignment to client relationships. Think less clipboard and whistle, more strategic vision, sharp instincts and a deep belief in individual potential.
In our conversation, Waldele discussed how her background in team sports shaped her approach to leadership—spotting strengths, developing talent and creating a collaborative culture where people feel empowered to grow.
Her day-to-day is a balancing act between real-time client needs and the long game of digital transformation. And she’s also a sub-four-hour marathoner (which, as she casually mentioned, still beats her husband’s time).
We got into leadership philosophy, the unpredictability of ad ops and what it takes to build future-facing systems while keeping clients winning today.
Andrew Byrd: Can you walk me through what your day-to-day looks like? Does it change much? 
Jesse Waldele: I had to laugh when you asked that—because, yes, every day is different, and that’s held true since I entered the industry.
I split my time between supporting our clients and partnerships at the company and building toward our longer-term strategic goals.
Some days are filled with meetings about future growth initiatives, while others are more focused on solving immediate challenges. It’s a constant balance between showing up for clients today and making sure we’re set up for success tomorrow.
AB: Publishers are juggling a lot right now. What do you see as the biggest industry challenges, and how is Dow Jones tackling them?
JW: The pace of change these past two years has been dizzying—privacy shifts, platform volatility, generative AI noise, you name it.
What grounds us at Dow Jones is threefold:
Enduring trust in a premium, business‑focused news brand. We cover the world’s biggest stories through a rigorously fact-checked business and financial lens, which sets us apart from many general‑interest peers. That credibility keeps both advertisers and readers leaning in when the news cycle is chaotic.
Deep subscriber relationships that power first‑party data. Because audiences pay for our journalism, we’ve cultivated rich, consent‑based insights—exactly what advertisers need as third‑party cookies erode. Our data products enable partners to target high-intent, financially minded audiences without relying on the open-web ID patchwork.
Diversification beyond consumer media. On one hand, our events business leverages the convening power of The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, and more—turning editorial authority into live‑experience revenue. On the other hand, a sizable B2B portfolio provides data and decision-support tools to professionals across the energy, finance and legal sectors. That spread insulates us from single‑line‑item shocks and keeps innovation capital flowing back into the newsroom.
By doubling down on trust, first‑party intelligence and a truly diversified information business, we think we’re positioned to weather—and even capitalize on—whatever the next industry shake‑up brings.
AB: Brand safety can be tricky for news publishers, especially around breaking or political coverage. Dow Jones has addressed this with SafeSuite—your contextual optimization tool. How does it improve on standard block lists, and what feedback have you heard from advertisers using it?
JW: SafeSuite has been around for about five years now, and we built it to address a core disconnect. Most brand safety standards are designed for the open web—not premium news environments like ours. We created a proprietary tool that optimizes an advertiser’s existing block list using sentiment analysis, relevance scoring and our patented Factiva taxonomy.
The result is that advertisers can safely access more high-quality inventory they’d typically miss out on. And when brands activate SafeSuite—especially mid-campaign—we often see a decrease in perceived risk and an increase in campaign effectiveness.
It’s not a replacement for third-party verification tools, but it complements them by showing what’s possible when you tailor brand safety to a trusted news environment. It helps advertisers think differently about the value of showing up in premium news.
AB: Switching gears—beyond brand safety, you’ve talked about the shift from media plan automation to AI-powered media intelligence. How is Dow Jones using AI in media planning, campaign optimization or across ad tech?
JW: At Dow Jones, we approach AI as authentic intelligence—enhancing, not replacing, the human element. On the product side, one example is Thematic, our audience targeting tool built on our proprietary DJID taxonomy. It identifies user interests and aligns them with brand messaging around specific themes, such as serving AI-related ads to users who engage with AI content. It’s driven by strong results and client demand.
We’re also continuing to iterate on tools like SafeSuite and exploring how AI can streamline digital operations. Whether it’s building in-house or partnering externally, we continually evaluate where AI can bring real utility to our teams and advertisers alike.
AB: Are there any emerging ad tech trends or shifts you’re excited or concerned about? How is Dow Jones approaching them?
JW: While ad tech trends constantly evolve, we stay nimble and focused on how we align with our brand and partners. I’m encouraged by the industry moving from a defensive to a proactive stance—not just in brand safety but in how publishers confidently demonstrate performance and value. It’s about making thoughtful, intentional choices that reflect who we are and how we want to serve clients in the face of ongoing change.