The Guardian US hires Sara Badler as advertising chief

• She will oversee sales for the company across North America, and will report directly to Steve Sachs, managing director.

Zoom out: While The Guardian US has increased its revenue from reader donations over the past few years, it still relies heavily on advertising, which makes up roughly 40% of its business annually.

Yes, but: With 40 million monthly unique visitors to the Guardian US website monthly, the firm believes it has ample opportunity to grow its ad business.

• By the numbers: During the company's last full fiscal year, which ended at the end of March, The Guardian US generated about $17.6 million in ad revenue and $33 million in reader revenue.

Zoom in: Badler is considered an expert in programmatic, or automated, advertising. Her hire signals a recognition by The Guardian of the need to invest in building its programmatic sales operation, in addition to direct sales.

• "In a short time, the Guardian has built a strong and robust track record with the US advertising community, but we still have significant room to grow," Steve Sachs, managing director, the Guardian US said in a statement.

The big picture: The Guardian launched digitally in the U.S. more than a decade ago, but it's been ramping up its investments in the U.S. market ever since the pandemic when it saw a surge of U.S. traffic around lifestyle topics, like sports and wellness, in addition to news.