If you are working at CEO level in ad tech, at a trading desk or on an audience platform you could be taking home more than half a million dollars, according to an ad tech salary survey.

Digital recruitment business Ultimate Asset, headed up locally by MD Pete Harrington, has tapped into its 'rich data' to reveal APAC and ANZ pay packets across the industry.

Harrington says the business wants to use its research to provide a resource for clients and candidates and, to his knowledge, nothing has been published in APAC that specifically relates to the ad tech sector, nor have figures been available that compare two of the biggest markets Singapore (as a regional APAC hub) and Australia.

A glance at the findings show CEOs in ad tech can expect to earn between $400k to $525k and presidents as much as $550k.

An ad tech marketing director should fetch between $140k to $170k, an MD up to $325k and a chief technology officer up to $390k.

Commenting on the salaries, RhythmOne MD of APAC Adam Furness says: “In Australia, there is a talent shortage of Australian residents at the high-end for leadership and technically skilled roles. There is also less desire to go through the visa process. These combining forces result in more demand for Australian talent and increased salaries.”

Furness says he expects it to be driven higher once, and if, visa restrictions come into full force over the next two years, but then it will plateau.

Marketing executives, data engineers, analysts, ad ops executives, account executives in trading, business development executives in publisher acquisition and sales executives are in the lower salary brackets of $50,000 to $80,000.

Heads of trading desks can earn up to $150k; trading directors up to $200k and sales directors in ad tech can also expect to take home between $160k and $200k.

It is among the senior management roles where more cash starts to flow for those employees who jumped into ad tech earlier on.

Speaking on the wider APAC market, Ultimate Asset client and APAC CEO at Asia Pacific Digital, John Matthews, says investment in digital ad spend in Singapore increased around 20% last year and is forecast to continue at around these levels over the next two to three years.

“The result is that demand continues to outstrip supply from a talent perspective,” Matthews says.

“Given the size of the Singaporean job market and lack of skills in certain areas it is creating a bubble in salaries. When you add to that the restrictions that some businesses face with hiring non-Singaporeans and visa restrictions, it does mean good local talent can often demand very high salaries in comparison to the rest of the market.

Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.