When we first broke into ad tech, the industry felt like a different world. It was the era of the “big personality.” If you had a wide network and could win over a room at a CES after-party, you were golden. Back then, transparency was still a buzzword in a pitch deck, and complexity was solvable with a sync meeting.
For years, ad tech was driven by sales and relationships. As we move deeper into a post-cookie, agentic reality, the ecosystem has become more complex, and the center of gravity has shifted toward technology and execution.
When we look across our DSP, publisher, and technology partners, one thing becomes clear: the people solving the hardest problems are not always the SVPs on the main stage. They are often the bright newcomers quietly rebuilding infrastructure behind the scenes. And this led to the decision to celebrate their achievements.
We didn’t build this list to find “future rockstars.” We built it to recognize decision maturity. These ten individuals aren’t just surviving the chaos of a fragmented ecosystem; they are the ones organizing it.
We selected these individuals based on 3 criteria:
- The scale of the problems they are solving
- The operational depth of their work
- The values they bring to the industry’s next phase
The bridge builder
Winner of the 2024 Ad Tech Rising Star award, Anya leads new business development for the DoubleVerify Publisher Suite across EMEA. She previously held senior leadership roles at Apester as Head of UK and at Taboola.
Anya is the archetype of the advocate-leader. She balances a senior sales role at a global measurement company with grassroots community building. Her work with the DV News Accelerator and her active mentorship through organizations like Bloom UK and Believe demonstrate a deep commitment to building a more transparent and inclusive industry.
Beyond revenue impact, she is the co-founder of AdTech Connect, a community built to support mentorship and growth for early-career professionals.
“Lowering the barrier to understanding and participation will help bring in more diverse talent, perspectives, and ultimately better ideas”.
The intentional operator
Part of MobileFuse’s core operations team, Brad is responsible for the technical implementation and optimization of advanced programmatic strategies.
He focuses on intentional improvement of media buying analysis, ensuring that advanced targeting solutions translate into streamlined ad delivery and measurable performance gains.
Brad represents the operational voice of the next generation of ad tech. He champions outcome-based transparency, where success is not just serving an ad, but delivering a fair value exchange between consumers and brands. His advocacy for clearer data usage and smarter targeting helps reduce waste and rebuild trust.
“The industry needs more transparency. There should be a clearer exchange of value for the data consumers provide.”
The impact architect
A seasoned global leader, Neha previously served as Head of Demand Partnerships for the InMobi Exchange across APAC, EMEA, and North America. Her career spans senior roles at Swiggy and OYO, blending product marketing with demand growth.
She is known for translating complex technical solutions into scalable growth narratives that connect brand vision with real consumer needs. Optimizing for impact over noise, Neha believes that clear thinking and decisive prioritization move the needle far more than being constantly “on”.
“Clarity beats intensity every time. I optimize for impact over noise. Everything else is operational exhaust.”
The ethical strategist
Named to MediaWeek’s 30 Under 30, Matthew transitioned from Google to agency leadership at Havas Media Network UK, where he has been since 2017.
He has been instrumental in shaping Havas’ responsible media practice, launching sustainable PMP deals and expanding support for diverse publishers. His work proves that DEI and sustainability are not side initiatives but drivers of business performance.
By building inclusive teams and ethical buying strategies, he is helping ensure the next generation of ad tech is more accountable.
The curation mastermind
A prominent industry voice featured at Programmatic I/O NYC 2025, Jordan leads Equativ’s expansion into curation-first solutions. His work centers on privacy-first, sustainable advertising at scale, helping brands and DSPs maximize monetization through curated supply that prioritizes quality over quantity.
Jordan is a proponent of Responsible AI, focusing on embedding automated decisioning and new protocols into curation and bid optimization to drive intent-based outcomes.
“The best outcomes come from curiosity and a partner mindset. When collaboration is real, it leads to solutions that actually win.”
The identity pioneer
Working within identity resolution innovation teams, Shira operates at the intersection of technical R&D and strategic partnerships.
She plays a key role in scaling privacy-resilient monetization solutions, ensuring identity remains addressable in a post-cookie environment while maintaining strict compliance.
Shira draws her daily motivation from her “brilliant, innovative, and hard-working” colleagues Intent IQ.
“Human connection is priceless. When technology delivers results, trust follows.”
The data wiz
Adam’s career spans the evolution of ad tech, from early native advertising to advanced TV. Before Samsung Ads, he spent five years at Guardian News and Media as a Programmatic Technical Account Manager, managing complex PMP and programmatic guaranteed deals for global agencies.
At Samsung Ads, he leverages data from over 50M Smart TVs and 200M connected devices to prove that CTV can be as targeted and measurable as digital. His technical background includes floor price optimization, ad fraud testing (specifically the effectiveness of ads.txt), and scaling “social media influencer” databases from the ground up.
He is also an advocate for mental health and outdoor therapy. In 2025, he raised more than 115 percent of his fundraising goal for Mind Over Mountains.
The authenticity believer
Recognized by Business Insider as a Rising Star, Liora blends commercial leadership with values-driven execution. She is a frequent contributor to discussions on the future of digital leadership and advocates for moving beyond transactional media buying.
Result-driven in the traditional way, Liora delivered consistent year-on-year growth for her division while simultaneously leading Ogury’s internal DEI and culture education programs.
“When you truly believe in the work, it’s easier to motivate others, push through challenges, and show up consistently at your best.”
The operations specialist
Shir leads a global team responsible for campaign delivery and partner success across a unified programmatic platform. With a career that spans leadership roles at legacy and modern ad tech firms, including Tremor, Unruly, and Amobee, she specializes in streamlining complex workflows in CTV, real-time bidding (RTB), and publisher monetization.
Shir represents a new generation of operations leaders who act as both strategists and builders. She’s recognized for scaling high-performance teams and bringing operational clarity to high-growth, chaotic ad tech environments.
Her work ensures that ambitious growth goals are matched by resilient delivery systems across buy and sell sides.
The ownership advocate
With a background in growth marketing and programmatic sales at TripleLift and NR2, Sarah now manages complex enterprise demand partnerships at Magnite.
She champions radical ownership in an industry known for fragmentation, advocating for transparency and control as the only sustainable way forward.
“Ownership means caring deeply about the quality of the work and taking responsibility for the outcomes.”
The infrastructure of tomorrow
When we look back at the past four years, we remember a very different ad tech world. Back then, we were just trying to prove that you could build a business on the “person behind the pixel” without breaking the web. Compiling this list, we realized we weren’t just looking at “rising stars.” We were looking at the people who are currently doing the heavy lifting, we only dreamed of when we started our journey.
We’ve moved from an era of manual optimization to an agent-to-agent reality, where the “metal” we touch is made of AI-driven logic and high-fidelity signal infrastructure.
If the past decade rewarded noise, the next will reward discipline. The people on this list are not waiting for that shift; they are already operating inside it. They are proving that trust, signal quality, and accountability are not just ideals—they are competitive advantages.
This is what leadership looks like when outcomes matter.
To the Class of 2026, from the Class of 2022: The industry is finally in the hands of the operators, and honestly? We’ve never been more excited to see where you take it.
~Eyal and Benjamin