Introducing Peter Chan, Cardlytics’ new Chief Technology Officer

Peter Chan joined Cardlytics this month from Amazon where he served as the Director of Product Management and Engineering for its advertising services group. I sat down with our newest ‘Cardlytian’ to learn more about why he chose Cardlytics, privacy protection and tech innovation, and what’s on his summer reading list.

Welcome to Cardlytics! We’re glad to have you on board. Can you tell us what brought you here?

I was drawn to Cardlytics for several reasons, including its customer focus and opportunity to innovate with data, leadership and growth. First of all, as a consumer, I love how Cardlytics helps me discover brands and products and earn cash rewards at the same time. I don't like carrying cash or coupons, so I like how the Cardlytics platform makes shopping and saving money easy and seamless.

Second, Cardlytics has a massive trove of rich consumer data but utilizes it behind the firewalls of the highly regulated bank channels. With so many choices out there, as a consumer, I welcome tools that give me relevant recommendations and help me focus on products that truly matter to me.

Third, I was impressed by the leadership team's long-term vision and laser-sharp focus on serving its customers. Everyone I met during my interview process talked about the company's mission and values in their own personal voice. As they shared their perspectives with me, I sensed a deep sense of belief, energy and excitement, and importantly, alignment.

Finally, I am excited to be joining Cardlytics for its next phase of massive growth—growth at the team level, with products and services, customers and the business. With a strong foundation plus the acquisitions of Dosh and Bridg, I look forward to Cardlytics bringing more innovations and scaled solutions to consumers.

How has your previous experience prepared you for this role?

While every role is different and things change very fast, I feel truly fortunate that every job I’ve had has prepared me for this role in some way. I have worked for both large companies and startups across different industries. I’ve also worked to integrate companies where sometimes we were doing the acquiring and other times we had been acquired.

All of these past experiences were a little different and had their own unique aspects, but the one thing they all had in common is that they all focused on serving their customers with product and tech innovations.

How do you feel our recent acquisitions will help evolve the Cardlytics platform?

There are endless possibilities for Dosh and Bridg to help evolve the Cardlytics platform. I believe the key platform evolution themes will be around depth, reach and scale. Both Bridg and Dosh will add more depth to our already rich consumer data. They will also allow us to reach more consumers globally through different touchpoints, offering the opportunity for innovation in reimagining the shopping experience. Our platform will need to evolve to serve more customers, so from a technology perspective, scaling the platform globally is top of mind.

User privacy has been a central part of Cardlytics' DNA. With rising concerns over consumer data and privacy, what are some strategies you've used or seen to best protect user privacy while still providing a best-in-class product experience?

The respect for user privacy is pervasive throughout the company. Cardlytians protect user data as if it is our own. I strongly believe that having a privacy-first mindset is crucial. It’s how the company has earned the trust of the top banks and their consumers for the last 12 years. I want to make sure we continue to work hard to keep that trust. From a technology standpoint, this means we leverage the latest and greatest security software and mechanisms such as encryption, one-way hashing and secure storage to keep user data safe.

In your opinion, what have been some of your favorite tech innovations in recent years and how do you see Cardlytics benefitting from these new trends?

I am excited about blockchain. There are endless possibilities to reimagine the financial world as we know it using blockchain technologies. Cryptocurrency is just one of them. In the more decentralized financial world powered by blockchain, Cardlytics can look forward to helping build upon this new world as innovation partners with our financial institutions.

What are you currently reading? Any favorite books you'd like to recommend?

I am currently reading Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon. Having worked at Amazon most recently, I was truly impressed by how the team obsesses over serving customers every day. It's a huge part of their DNA; and if you want to learn about mental models and strategies that Amazonians use to focus on customers, I recommend reading this book.

It sounds like you’re going to be very busy! Hopefully you will take some time to relax. Do you have any fun summer plans?

Hopefully with much of the world coming out of the pandemic, I am looking forward to spending time with friends and family outdoors. I love to travel and have been making international trips for the past few summers with my family. I hope we can do that again soon. My favorite place to visit is Japan. I feel like I can never get tired of their food, fun things to do and unique cultural experiences.

We are thrilled to have Peter on board as we continue to evolve our ad platform to empower marketers and enhance the bank customer experience.