AdTech and MarTech can feel like a maze of data, platforms, and jargon—but Chel Heler cuts through the noise with clarity and purpose. As Chief Growth Officer at TapClicks, he brings a rare blend of strategic depth and human-centered leadership. His track record? Turning complex AI innovations into scalable go-to-market wins, forging partnerships that matter, and ensuring cross-functional teams deliver with precision.
But beyond the metrics and market share lies a personal story that fuels Chel’s mission. “In the 1980s, I watched my mother build her business from scratch using nothing but word-of-mouth,” Chel shares. “When the internet came along, it changed everything. Suddenly, small businesses like hers could reach the world.”
That pivotal moment—watching technology unlock doors for everyday entrepreneurs—ignited a lifelong passion. Today, Chel still owns and operates that very same business, a living testament to the power of accessible marketing tools and data-driven innovation. It’s not just business; it’s deeply personal.
At TapClicks, Chel channels that passion into creating platforms that don’t just serve enterprise clients, but elevate businesses of every size. He excels at weaving AI into the fabric of marketing in a way that’s intuitive, scalable, and designed to level the playing field—ensuring that innovation doesn’t remain a luxury, but becomes a force for empowerment. Chel isn’t just scaling growth. He’s scaling opportunity—one breakthrough at a time.
Beyond Big Tech
After a decade at Google, Chel emerged with an intricate understanding of the digital advertising ecosystem, a reverence for data’s transformative potential, and a deep-rooted commitment to building systems that scale. His tenure saw him leading high-impact teams responsible for developing groundbreaking tools that redefined how businesses reach and engage consumers.
But it was the advent of generative AI—specifically the arrival of ChatGPT—that marked a pivotal shift. For Chel, it was a clarion call. The future would belong to those who could harness intelligent systems powered by expansive, well-structured datasets. TapClicks, already a quiet powerhouse with over 10,000 data connectors, had constructed exactly that foundation—offering unmatched visibility into campaign performance, media allocation, and marketing ROI.
Where others saw complexity, Chel saw clarity: the opportunity to merge robust data infrastructure with next-gen AI to provide marketers with real-time, actionable insights. At TapClicks, he found not only the technological backbone but also the agility to accelerate innovation at scale.
His leadership philosophy—honed in the halls of one of the world’s most influential tech companies—centers on four guiding pillars:
- Data as a Strategic Asset: Every initiative is designed to deliver intelligence that marketers can act on with confidence.
- Architecture for Growth: Solutions are crafted with flexibility and expansion in mind, ensuring long-term relevance.
- Empathy for the End User: Tools must be intuitive and solve genuine problems with precision and clarity.
- Relentless Innovation: AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a launchpad for what’s next, fueling a culture where experimentation drives competitive advantage.
Chel’s transition from Big Tech to marketing tech reflects a broader shift in the industry—where data-rich platforms, when paired with intelligent systems, don’t just support decision-making, they redefine it.
Leading with Integrity and Bold Vision
Chel’s leadership philosophy is deeply anchored in empowerment, shaped by a fundamental belief: when individuals are supported to reach their full potential, collective excellence follows. At the core of his approach is a powerful “why”—to unlock greatness in others—and a clear “how”: by modeling excellence, earning trust, and cultivating spaces where bold thinking, growth, and calculated risk-taking are not only encouraged, but expected.
As a leader, Chel wears multiple hats with equal ease—manager, mentor, sponsor, and role model. His style is both strategic and human-centered. He leads by example, offering a consistent presence during critical moments while championing long-term development. Strategic clarity, unshakable resilience, and a commitment to follow-through define his day-to-day, while his passion for mentorship reflects a genuine commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent.
Several key tenets shape his leadership playbook:
- Be the anchor in high-stakes moments: Chel thrives under pressure, guiding teams with confidence and decisiveness when it matters most.
- Think big, act bold: His focus leans toward transformative impact, favoring game-changing initiatives over incremental progress.
- Lead with integrity and openness: Trust and transparency are non-negotiables, creating an environment where psychological safety underpins every conversation.
- Foster deep creative flow: Chel champions the kind of focus that leads to breakthroughs, helping teams unlock their most innovative work.
- Radiate optimism in adversity: Resilience and positivity are hallmarks of his style, providing steadiness in challenging times.
To build a thriving culture of innovation at TapClicks, Chel invests in a multifaceted foundation:
- Psychological safety to give rise to unfiltered creativity and diverse perspectives
- Lifelong learning via structured development programs and exposure to evolving industry trends
- Empowered autonomy to drive ownership, ingenuity, and accountability
- Recognition frameworks that spotlight and celebrate innovation
- Cross-functional synergy to break down silos and ignite fresh thinking
By embodying these principles every day, Chel is building more than just high-performing teams—he’s shaping a future-ready organization where people are free to dream big, experiment boldly, and deliver lasting impact. Under his leadership, TapClicks is not just evolving—it’s pioneering what comes next.
Redefining Marketing with AI
Chel’s deep-rooted expertise in AdTech and MarTech positions him at the forefront of an AI-driven revolution poised to reshape the industry. Drawing from years of experience architecting AI visions at scale, Chel likens the rise of generative AI to the seismic shift brought about by smartphones—transformative, ubiquitous, and impossible to ignore. Where smartphones put supercomputers in every pocket, AI now offers “pocket geniuses,” capable of delivering strategic insights and creative horsepower in real time.
In his view, the coming years will witness a democratization of marketing intelligence. Once the exclusive domain of large enterprises with deep pockets and massive teams, advanced capabilities will now be available to organizations of all sizes—empowering marketers to act with precision, agility, and intelligence.
Chel envisions AI’s transformation of AdTech and MarTech unfolding across six critical dimensions:
- Dynamic channel optimization: Real-time performance data will drive autonomous adjustments in channel strategy, enabling marketers to continuously fine-tune campaigns for maximum return on investment—no human intervention required.
- Infinite content generation: From copywriting to multimedia production, AI will generate hyper-personalized, context-aware assets at scale. This will significantly reduce creative bottlenecks while unlocking mass customization for diverse audiences.
- Autonomous campaign execution: Chel’s vision of a fully “self-driving” marketing platform is already taking shape at TapClicks. In this future, AI will manage the end-to-end campaign lifecycle—launching, adjusting, and refining based on live data and evolving business goals.
- Deeper customer intelligence: Sophisticated models will decode user behavior, intent, and sentiment with unprecedented nuance, enabling predictive personalization that connects with consumers on a deeper level.
- Operational efficiency at scale: Mundane, time-consuming tasks—data hygiene, reporting, audience segmentation—will become invisible, handled entirely by intelligent systems, liberating teams to focus on higher-value strategy and storytelling.
- Proactive decision-making: AI’s forecasting capabilities will transform marketers from reactive troubleshooters to proactive architects, identifying risks before they materialize and surfacing growth opportunities ahead of the curve.
Chel believes that the most successful organizations will not merely adopt AI as a supplemental tool—but will rewire their foundations around it. This requires a robust data infrastructure, a commitment to intelligent workflows, and a culture that embraces learning, iteration, and adaptability.
As the industry races toward this AI-native future, Chel and TapClicks are leading the charge—developing the platforms and frameworks that will define the next era of marketing performance.
Transforming Partnerships into TapClicks’ Competitive Edge
At the heart of TapClicks’ expansion lies a key driver: strategic partnerships. For Chel, these alliances aren’t just a growth tactic—they’re a foundational pillar of the company’s long-term vision. As industries accelerate toward AI-driven innovation, the pace of technological change demands more than in-house capabilities. It requires a network of collaborative, future-focused relationships that accelerate progress and unlock new possibilities.
Chel’s role in shaping TapClicks’ partnership ecosystem is both visionary and hands-on. His approach is grounded in the belief that meaningful growth happens through connection—not just through transactions. While automation and AI can optimize processes, Chel underscores that trust, shared values, and mutual respect are the real currency of enduring partnerships.
“Technology can build speed,” he often notes, “but it’s trust that builds momentum.”
From identifying synergies with complementary platforms to forging distribution agreements with key players across the AdTech and MarTech landscape, Chel acts as both strategist and relationship architect. His methodology prioritizes:
- Mutual value creation: Every collaboration must bring tangible benefits to both parties and, most importantly, enhance outcomes for end users.
- Speed to market: By leveraging external innovation and infrastructure, TapClicks can bring solutions to customers faster—without compromising on quality or vision.
- Market expansion: Strategic alliances allow TapClicks to tap into new verticals, geographies, and customer segments, accelerating its footprint with precision.
- Capability amplification: Through integration with best-in-class technologies, the TapClicks platform grows stronger, more intelligent, and increasingly indispensable to marketing teams navigating complex ecosystems.
Whether partnering with data providers, AI innovators, media platforms, or solution resellers, Chel’s guiding principle remains constant: build from trust, scale through alignment, and grow with purpose.
As TapClicks continues to position itself at the forefront of AI-powered marketing intelligence, Chel’s ability to identify and nurture the right partnerships will be a decisive force—transforming connection into compounding strategic advantage.
Playbook for Aspiring Leaders in Marketing Technology
For those eyeing leadership roles in the fast-moving world of marketing technology, Chel—TapClicks’ forward-thinking executive—offers a blueprint shaped by experience, resilience, and vision. With the MarTech landscape continuously shifting, he emphasizes that leadership isn’t about waiting for the perfect title. It’s about showing up, stepping forward, and thinking big—even before you’re asked.
“This space rewards those who evolve with it,” Chel says. “If you’re curious, driven, and willing to embrace ambiguity, there’s limitless opportunity.”
Here are five key lessons Chel shares with the next wave of MarTech leaders:
Be a hybrid: To lead effectively, professionals must understand the full marketing ecosystem—from programmatic ads to customer lifecycle strategies—while cultivating deep domain expertise. Whether it’s AI, data science, or omnichannel strategy, mastering one pillar helps build credibility, while a wide-angle view fosters strategic, cross-functional leadership.
Adopt a growth mindset and a positive one: Change is constant. The most effective leaders embrace learning curves, seek feedback actively, and take on projects that stretch their abilities. Positivity, Chel notes, is equally essential. “Optimistic leaders create psychological safety. They bring calm during chaos and help teams see possibility when others see roadblocks.”
Say yes even before you feel ready: Leadership isn’t born in the spotlight—it’s often forged in quiet, behind-the-scenes moments. Volunteering for a challenging task, mentoring a peer, or organizing a cross-team initiative can all be springboards. Chel encourages emerging leaders to “lead where you are” and treat every opportunity—big or small—as a platform for growth.
Cultivate grit: Success in this sector rarely follows a straight line. Chel highlights grit as a must-have trait—the ability to persevere through setbacks and stay focused on long-term goals. “Adversity builds clarity,” he shares. “Leaders emerge not by avoiding friction, but by learning how to navigate it with resilience and perspective.”
Lead with vision: Operational excellence matters, but Chel believes lasting impact comes from thinking expansively. Strong leaders anticipate where the market is heading, spot inflection points, and align teams around ambitious yet achievable goals. “If you can connect what’s possible with what’s next,” he says, “you’ll inspire action and build lasting momentum.”
At TapClicks, Chel is helping shape the future of marketing intelligence by scaling AI-powered tools that deliver real business outcomes. For him, the future of MarTech leadership is rooted in strategic clarity, emotional intelligence, and a bias toward bold innovation.
His advice to those climbing the ladder is “Be the person who energizes the room, simplifies the complex, and sees both the data and the people behind it. That’s how leaders in this space will make a mark.”
