IAB Tech Lab International Summit

Thomas has worked for the past three years as Chief Privacy Officer at Didomi, a privacy tech company for global brands and publishers. Prior to Didomi, he spent six years in ad tech, notably at AppNexus and Xandr, where he played a key role in leading GDPR compliance efforts during the regulatory transition. Thomas also contributed to the development of the TCF, serving as Chair of the Data Protection Authorities Outreach Working Group at IAB Europe for six years, a role focused on engaging with European authorities on matters related to the TCF.

Stephen Almond leads the ICO’s teams charged with engineering information rights into the fabric of new ideas, technologies and business models as part of our dynamic digital economy, including through the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum.

Prior to joining the ICO, Stephen was a Fellow at the World Economic Forum spearheading the development of a more agile, innovation-enabling approach to regulation with governments, regulators and industry worldwide.

Stephen has previously worked in leadership roles across the UK Government, including creation of the White Paper on Regulation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and roll-out of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund, which invested in regulatory sandboxes and similar initiatives to unlock technological innovation.

As Chief Technology Officer at InfoSum, Alistair Bastian oversees the product and engineering teams responsible for developing and delivering InfoSum’s leading-edge data collaboration technology. Joining InfoSum in early 2018, Alistair played a pivotal role in designing the foundational technology that underpins InfoSum’s infrastructure, including the development of InfoSum’s signature Bunkers, the use of differential privacy techniques and innovations such as the use of synthetic ID generation. These innovative concepts have redefined the data collaboration landscape, enabling seamless, secure, and privacy-centric collaboration across organizations.

Prior to joining InfoSum, Alistair served as Principal Architect at DataSift, reimagining how businesses use social media data, as well as holding similar roles at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence and Sun Microsystems. With over 20 years of experience in engineering, he brings an extensive technical background in privacy-by-design technology, decentralized systems and data science.

As General Manager Advertising & E-Commerce, Robert Blanck is responsible for all activities related to the user, website, and advertising that go beyond traditional ad sales.
He has developed new, sustainable business models and products in his more than 15 years at BILD and the Axel Springer media brands.
His expertise in assessing the commercial consequences of technical and regulatory changes in the market keeps him very busy on the issues of GDPR, ePrivacy, Google Privacy Sandbox, and a customized data strategy for news media.
In addition, Robert Blanck is part of many different national and international associations and working groups dealing with the exciting challenges of changing the advertising ecosystem and media.

Phil leads the design of AI Systems for Meta, integrating high performance accelerators, networking and facilities to create the industry-leading training & inference systems we use to deliver our AI services to our customers. Previously Phil worked at Graphcore (a UK-based startup building AI accelerators) and at Cray developing and delivering large scale high performance computing systems. Phil holds a PhD in computational chemistry from the University of Bristol.

James joined IAB UK in 2017 as its first ever Chief Marketing Officer, leading the strategy to engage with brands and agencies and celebrate what digital advertising can do. Over the past seven years he has challenged ‘Clickheads’ to reconsider their digital measurement strategies, put the perils of fake news centre stage at IAB UK’s flagship conference Engage and – most recently – encouraged advertisers to rediscover the joy of digital.  He also hosts the IAB’s imaginatively titled podcast: The IAB UK Podcast.

Rishan is the co-founder of Adgent, a marketplace that enables advertisers to reach users of conversational AI platforms. Prior to this, he held positions at MiQ, Amazon and most recently an AdTech startup called Tickle.

Alex is a product manager on the Privacy Sandbox team at Google. Prior to Google he co-founded Coir, an ads privacy learning platform, led privacy and addressability standards making at IAB Tech Lab, and held product management roles overseeing privacy, ad creative, video ad serving and more at AppNexus/Xandr. Insider named him one of “14 experts from companies like Google and The Washington Post who are determining the future of digital advertising”.

Dr. Paul Farrow is a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, where he leads privacy innovation in ad tech. His work centers on advancing Privacy-Enhancing Technologies, like the Ad Selection API, and developing solutions for a post-cookie world. Focused on balancing compliance with personalization, his efforts help position Microsoft to meet evolving global privacy standards.

Matthew Griffiths is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and a driving force in advertising technology, data technology, and blockchain innovation. As the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Audigent, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s cutting-edge solutions for data activation, curation, and identity management.

With years of executive experience across the USA, Africa, and the UK, Matthew has a proven track record of leadership in steering venture-backed companies through rapid growth phases. His expertise spans from collaborating with top global corporations and governments to spearheading award-winning technology projects that deliver life-changing impacts in some of the world’s most underserved communities.

Matthew’s dynamic approach to solving complex business and technology challenges makes him a visionary leader in the ad-tech space, consistently driving innovation and performance through technology.

Eli is SVP, Global Addressability at Lotame, focused on expanding the company’s presence in contextual advertising and driving performance for brands through advanced predictive analytics and intelligent optimization techniques. Eli was previously Head of Identity, responsible for evangelizing the company’s cookieless identity solutions through product strategy, innovation and partnerships. Prior to Lotame, he led product and strategy for FTrack, Flashtalking by Mediaocean’s identity resolution technology. Eli holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication, Business / Marketing from the University of Maryland.

Emma Horton is the Sustainability Director at XR Extreme Reach. She leads initiatives that drive corporate sustainability and social impact on a global scale while supporting clients in achieving their sustainability goals.

With decades of experience and leadership in the digital ecosystem, Emma is dedicated to shaping a greener future through advocacy for industry collaboration and standardization. She is passionate about fostering a culture of environmental awareness and action.

Emma creates lasting change in the corporate world by integrating eco-conscious strategies into the core of business practices and develops innovative strategies that align environmental stewardship with business goals.

Sylwia Iwanejko-Sajewska is a seasoned executive in the advertising industry, with over 17 years of experience in media and AdTech. Her career includes leadership roles at globally operating advertising technology companies such as Magnite, TripleLift, and Hivestack, where she has successfully led business operations in the DACH region and Central Europe. In her current role as Head of Germany at Decentriq, Sylwia is responsible for the company’s business operations in Germany and continued growth in the region expanding the ecosystem with premium publishers, agencies, advertisers, data partners, and retailers.

As an active member of the BVDW and the IAB Europe, she has contributed to essential industry topics such as SPO Supply Path Optimisation, First-Party Data and Privacy First Advertising.  Sylwia lives in Berlin with her family and dedicates her free time to personal growth and community development.

Cadi Jones is the SVP, Europe at Index Exchange, the global advertising exchange. Based in London, Jones spearheads the strategic direction and execution of Index’s commercial and customer operations across Europe, with a focus on aligning the company’s global initiatives with the unique needs of the European market, including streaming TV, video, and Marketplaces.

Prior to joining Index, Jones was managing director, EMEA for Pixability, where she developed advertising strategies for global brands across leading CTV platforms and YouTube. She has also held leadership roles at Yahoo! and Beeswax, which was acquired by Freewheel in 2020.

Outside of online media, Jones was responsible for digital innovation and specifically the adoption of programmatic technology at Clear Channel International. She recently led commercial development at Qmee, leading to its successful acquisition by Kantar.

Jones holds both a BA and MA from Exeter University in French and Spanish.

Anthony Katsur is a media technology veteran with more than twenty-five years of executive leadership and technical experience at innovative technology companies in the digital media industry.

Most recently, Anthony was SVP, Strategy, Operations and Corporate Development at Nexstar Media Group, Inc., the largest local broadcaster in the United States. Anthony was responsible for overseeing strategy, technology platforms and corporate development across Nexstar’s portfolio of digital assets.

Prior to Nexstar, Anthony served as President of Sonobi, where he implemented their product and go to market strategy around people-based marketing. Anthony recruited, and led highly effective teams while driving strategic partnerships with leading media companies, agencies and brands.

Prior to Sonobi, Anthony held global leadership roles at Rubicon Project as EVP of Business Operations and General Manager of Buyer Cloud. He also held global executive roles at MediaMath and Maxifier, where he served as CEO. Earlier in his career, he joined DoubleClick via the acquisition of NetGravity where he lead multiple engineering divisions and also fulfilled several product leadership and general management roles.

Anthony is an active participant at industry conferences, speaking about the latest ends in advertising at the National Association of Broadcasters, AdAge’s Brand Summit, Advertising Week, Broadcasting & Cable, AdMonsters and GABBCON. He has been quoted on industry trends and provided thought leadership in The Wall Street Journal, AdAge, Adweek, AdExchanger, MediaPost, Econsultancy and Digiday, among others.

Rowena Lam is the Senior Director of Privacy & Data at IAB Tech Lab, where she spearheads the organization’s privacy initiatives. In this role, she oversees the development of critical specifications and resources, such as the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF), the Global Privacy Platform (GPP), and the Accountability Platform. Her expertise extends to navigating the complex privacy regulations and their implications for the digital media ecosystem, despite not being a lawyer.

Previously, Rowena gained extensive experience in the casual games sector, where she was involved in creating free-to-play and ad-supported mobile and web games. She also played a key role in developing internal ad tech solutions to these games. Her career includes roles at Publishers Clearing House and Mobilityware, where she applied her deep industry knowledge to drive innovation and growth.

Rory Latham is Senior Director, Global Investment, Programmatic at GroupM, where he focusses on maximising the benefits of the programmatic supply chain for GroupM clients. Working with SSPs, DSPs, Publishers and supporting ad technologies to ensure the best possible results from the open web.

Matt is the SVP, Product Strategy for Activation within GroupM’s data and technology business Choreograph. Prior to this role, Matt was the Global Head of Programmatic for EssenceMediacom.

With over two decades of experience in the Software and SaaS industry, Mats Melén is a Development Manager at Neuwo, a solution that increases revenue by automatically targeting ads based on context and delivering brand safety. Mats has a strong knowledge of building and scaling sales processes, teams, and strategies in the start-up world.

As a Development Manager, Mats works with leading publishers, ad tech companies, and advertisers, helping them to increase revenue with the help of contextual AI. He also contributes to the product development and innovation of Neuwo, using his insights and feedback from the market. Mats has an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for solving customer challenges with cutting-edge solutions.

Miguel is an experienced full stack engineer focusing on product development, architecture, and agile processes. He specializes in building for large-scale systems, data management platforms, and decentralized cryptographic protocols.

Miguel has a deep expertise in all aspects of the ad tech ecosystem, especially mobile and programmatic-driven initiatives.

Manny Puentes is GM of Advertising at Genius Sports and a board member at the IAB Tech Lab. Previously, Manny served as CTO of MediaMath and is an advertising veteran who has built programmatic product portfolios for more than 25 years.

In his role at Genius Sports, Manny is aggressively expanding the media portfolio and maximizing the value of exclusive sports data. He is leading the launch of pioneering new products including the world’s first fan-centered identity graph and activation platform, and new fan engagement analytics tools.

Outside of work, Manny enjoys playing music, hiking, cycling, golfing, and fishing in the great outdoors of Boulder, Colorado.

Mathieu Roche is the CEO of ID5. He co-founded the business in 2017, after spending over 10 years at European data specialist Weborama, where he led international development and launched the DMP offering worldwide. During his time at Weborama, the company experienced exceptional growth, establishing itself in a dozen countries and growing from 3 to 30 million euros in revenues.

With ID5, Mathieu Roche materialises his vision of helping Ad Tech and publishers to compete against the “walled gardens” who dominate digital advertising. ID5’s mission is to provide a privacy-first identity infrastructure empowering publishers to grow sustainable advertising revenue.

Mathieu graduated from Institut Commercial de Nancy and holds a Master of Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has lived in London since 2011 with his wife and 3 daughters.

Shailley brings several years of product management experience in digital advertising at Yahoo and Say Media building products for mobile advertising, ad operations, targeting solutions, and integrating data platforms. Shailley has supported and worked with multiple IAB initiatives in the past, namely MRAID and Mobile Rising Stars specifications. At Yahoo, he worked on creating innovative ad experiences for mobile and tablet platforms as well as native formats. Shailley has a diverse background as a product leader, consultant, and entrepreneur building and sustaining high performing teams at both large organizations as well as venture funded startups like Paypal, Yahoo, Say Media, Serus, Accenture, and PwC. Shailley has an MBA and Chemical engineering degrees.

Sai Manoj Sistla is a Senior Product Manager at InMobi, where he leads the development of innovative publisher platforms, including the core Ads Exchange Interface and Consent Management Platform. Previously at Amazon and Airtel, he spearheaded multiple product initiatives, including several industry-first features. Sai’s blend of technical expertise and strategic product management makes him a pivotal force in enhancing publisher experiences globally.

His key skills include platform thinking, specializing in creating scalable solutions for diverse markets, along with a deep understanding of ad tech and privacy compliance. Sai is also a proven leader, effectively managing and mentoring product and engineering teams to foster innovation. He holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and a B.Tech. in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and is currently pursuing part-time studies in programming and data science at IIT Madras.

Hillary Slattery is the Sr. Director of Product Management and stewards Tech Lab’s foundational specifications including but not limited to OpenRTB, OpenDirect, Native Ads API, Ads.txt, and all of Tech Lab’s Taxonomies. 

She got her start with the IAB Tech Lab as a working group participant via her role at GroupM as the Assoc. Director of Product Management on the Global Investment Systems team. She is a solution oriented process monster with varied experience on both the buy and sell side of the industry. She’s also a dad joke aficionado, avid reader, podcast junky, and boasts a 1,500+ day streak on Duolingo.

Aashish has over 12 years of experience in media and ad tech, specializing in analytics, media mix modeling, sales, sales operations, and product marketing roles. Currently supporting TikTok’s attribution product, and helping advertisers optimize their media strategy through data-driven insights. Based in New Jersey, Aashish lives with his wife and two kids. In his free time, he loves going swimming with his toddler.

AdTech Founder & UCL Scholar