With over 16 years of experience in advertising and media across four continents, Catalina is now spearheading the future of retail media as Global Head of Wolt Ads. From building campaigns in Colombia to leading strategies in Australia, the UK, and now Berlin, Catalina brings a global perspective to quick commerce. In this conversation, she shares her career journey, the unique opportunities at Wolt, and how quick commerce is collapsing the funnel for brands.
👉 Connect with Catalina on LinkedIn.
Tell us a bit about your path into Wolt — what drew you to the company, what do you focus on in your current role, and how did your past experiences lead you here?
I’ve spent 16 years in advertising and media, spanning continents, categories, and countless campaigns, but joining Wolt felt like stepping into the future of commerce. I was drawn by the audacity of the mission: to build one of the best performing retail media networks in Europe, right from the palm of people’s hands.
Today, as Global Head of Wolt Ads, I lead the development of our ad tech solutions and business strategy, designing tools that help brands connect with real customers at the very moment they’re making decisions. My background has taken me from creative boutiques to performance marketing, from media agencies to tech platforms, each stop refining a different edge of my toolkit. At Wolt, I get to combine it all: product, performance, and storytelling – and scale it across countries that, though diverse, share the same need for smart, relevant, and delightful advertising.
You’ve worked across Australia, Colombia, the UK, and now Berlin — that’s quite the global ride. What shaped your decisions to move between these markets, and how has that international perspective influenced how you lead and work today?
I’ve always followed two things: curiosity and opportunity. Colombia gave me my start; it’s where I learned to build with scrappiness and heart. Australia taught me scale and structure, the UK showed me how to marry creativity with data, and Berlin is where I’m now shaping strategy with speed and drive. Each market has challenged me to adapt fast, lead with empathy, and build bridges across cultures.
This global lens helps me approach leadership not with a one-size-fits-all model, but with a sensitivity to context. Whether it’s launching an ad product in Helsinki or solving for a client in Japan, I try to bring both the helicopter view and the ground-level understanding. That mix of vision and execution, local and global, is where the magic happens.
How is quick commerce changing the game when it comes to retail media? What makes it different from more traditional retail environments in how brands reach and engage shoppers?
Quick commerce has collapsed the funnel. We’re no longer talking about awareness leading to consideration weeks later – it’s about inspiration leading to transaction in 15 minutes. That changes everything.
In this environment, retail media isn’t just about the last mile; it is the moment of truth. You have a few seconds to show something useful, compelling, and tailored. At Wolt, that means every ad has to feel like a recommendation from the app, not an interruption. It’s high-stakes, high-intent, and high-performance.
What’s thrilling is that we’re not limited by shelves or store hours. A brand can reach a shopper at 9 p.m. on a rainy Tuesday, suggest the perfect snack or skincare item, and have it delivered before the movie starts. That immediacy is what makes quick commerce such a rich canvas for retail media.
Wolt is both a retailer and a tech platform. How does that dual identity unlock new opportunities for brands — and where do you see the biggest potential for retail media innovation in this space?
It’s rare to sit at the intersection of consumer experience, logistics, and media tech, but Wolt does just that. As both a retailer and a platform, we see the full journey: what inspires a user, what they browse, what they buy, and when. That data flywheel is powerful, and when used responsibly, it allows us to create genuinely useful advertising moments.
For brands, this means more than visibility. It’s about relevance at scale: reaching the right person, in the right mood, with the right offer. Our dual role also gives us agility: we can test new formats, unlock category-based sponsorships, or even tie ads to delivery moments in ways traditional retailers can’t.
Looking ahead, I see the biggest opportunity in predictive personalization (using machine learning to suggest not just what a user might want, but what they didn’t even know they needed.) That’s where retail media becomes not just reactive, but intuitive.
Looking back at your international career so far — what’s one lesson you wish you’d learned earlier, and what would you say to others who want to build their own global path?
Early on, I thought I had to fit a mold to succeed in new markets. What I’ve learned, often the hard way, is that your perspective is your power. The things that make you different? They’re not gaps to close; they’re edges to lean into.
To anyone dreaming of a global path: be bold, be curious, and be humble. Learn the culture, speak the language (literally or metaphorically), and always bring value. But don’t dim your light to blend in; light up the room with what only you can offer.
Final usual question from us: which women working in the retail media or commerce space inspire you — and why?
There are so many – but I’ll name a few who’ve truly shaped the way I think: Ruth Stubbs, who was the Global President of iProspect (the Performance marketing agency of Dentsu). She was such an amazing example of female leadership and inspiration back in my agency days, championing media that drives both brand and business growth. Alice Anson, whose strategic clarity in retail media continues to push the industry forward; and Wolt’s own female leaders, who show up every day to build, challenge, and elevate the game!
They remind me that leadership in this space isn’t just about numbers or products – it’s about shaping what the future of commerce feels like. And that’s something I’m proud to be part of.
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-retail-media-collective/
About us: The Women in Retail Media Collective (WRM Collective) is an industry-first network dedicated to empowering women in the retail media sector. By providing resources, thought leadership, and community, WRM Collective creates pathways for women to lead, innovate, and drive change in this booming sector. Founded by two industry leaders, WRM Collective is committed to fostering a more inclusive and equitable retail media landscape. For more information visit www.wrmcollective.com.