Uber’s advertising division launched only last year, but with the help of 39-year-old Jess Shuraleff, head of U.S. and Canada delivery ads, the vertical is already improving brand strategy and strengthening partnerships with advertisers.

Shuraleff, who joined the company last year and now leads the enterprise sales teams for global brands and small- and medium-sized businesses, has headed the expansion of several advertising formats. They include post-checkout ads, a new self-service platform for cartop ads and new video opportunities for advertisers such as the recently launched Journey ads, which are in-app, sponsored content shown to Uber riders throughout their trip.

“Journey ads on the rides business, our post-checkout campaign on [Uber] Eats, those are things that came out of conversations with brands saying ‘wouldn't it be cool if…?’” Shuraleff said. “And we’ve been able to bring that to life, which I think has been really awesome for me to come into a company at this life stage of the business and really be able to impact what products look like, particularly in terms of solving brands' needs.”

Shuraleff also serves as a mentor with The Forem, a career advancement program for people looking to maximize their career opportunities. 

When she’s not mentoring or strategizing about branding, Shuraleff hosts a podcast called “This Is My Truth,” which centers on community building. The podcast, launched in 2020, covers topics ranging from motherhood to coping with grief.

If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

I realize this is an unconventional answer, but if I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, I’d choose my mother-in-law. She passed away when my husband was 13 from breast cancer so I never had the chance to meet her. My husband’s aunts always tell us that our girls take after her in personality, and I’d love to pick her brain for all the embarrassing stories she could tell me about my husband growing up. Most importantly, I’d love the chance to tell her thank you for raising the human I choose to spend my life with for the short time she was able to.

What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis?

As a leader in the ads industry, I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I deleted all my social media apps in 2021 so that I could be more present with my friends and family. You can still find me on LinkedIn, though … somehow LinkedIn has passed my social media barometer. 

What’s currently on your bedside reading list?

I just finished “Firekeeper’s Daughter” by Angeline Boulley and couldn’t put it down! I have plans to re-read “Dare to Lead” by Brene Brown and “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott and start her new book “Just Work.”

What was the last show you binge-watched?

“The Afterparty”

At what age do you hope to retire?

I don’t have a specific age in mind and much to my husband’s chagrin, I don’t know if I’ll ever necessarily “retire” in the truest sense of the word. I love being challenged and learning new things, so when I reach a point in my career where I feel like I am no longer reaching for one or both of those, I pivot. And I’ll likely keep pivoting until something or someone tells me I can’t any longer.