Smartly Bolsters Leadership Team with Key Hires - Welcomes Kristin MacGregor, Katariina Korhonen and Marc Thomas

Global leader in AdTech continues to accelerate creativity, commerce & brand performance with Google/YouTube veteran, Kristin MacGregor and Aiven executive, Katariina Korhonen, joining the leadership team

September 6, 2023, New York - Smartly.io, the AdTech company transforming advertising experiences for brands and their consumers, announced the addition of three senior leaders to its Executive team and commercial organization. The company welcomes Kristin MacGregor (KMac), Chief Commercial Officer, Katariina Korhonen (Kata), Chief Strategy Officer, and Marc Thomas as Head of Global Accounts. These appointments are poised to fuel the company's next phase of growth at the forefront of advertising innovation for marketers and its partners. The bolstered leadership team comes at an inflection point for the company and the advertising ecosystem more broadly. The adoption of Generative AI tools, increasing complexity across media buying, new data privacy requirements, and the fragmentation of consumer attention are signaling a significant evolution.

“KMac, Kata, and Marc bring a unique blend of dynamic leadership skills, strategic smarts and depth of experience in digital advertising key to helping our customers and channel partners succeed in today’s dynamic ecosystem. Each will play a pivotal role in accelerating our goals and driving our collective objectives,” said Laura Desmond, CEO, Smartly.io.

Kristin MacGregor (KMac) joins as Chief Commercial Officer, drawing from her accomplished career at Google/YouTube, including Managing Director of Google Video Strategy & Insights. She brings over 16 years of industry expertise and in this new role, will spearhead initiatives related to new logo sales and strategy, growth marketing, sales development, sales enablement, and operations. Her responsibilities also encompass Global Strategic Accounts, a new role aimed at nurturing the top 20 customers identified through the recent Customer Success reorganization. KMac's extensive experience in building and coaching collaborative teams ensures her capacity to drive operational and commercial excellence. She is based in the Chicago office. 

Katariina Korhonen joins as Chief Strategy Officer, joining most recently from her role as Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Operations at Aiven. As CSO, Katariina will ensure Smartly.io's adherence to its strategic plan, staying ahead of market trends, and judiciously allocating resources to maintain a competitive edge. Previously, Katariina spent six years in leadership capacities at Smartly.io, including as General Counsel and Chief People Officer. She is based in the Helsinki office.

Marc Thomas joins as Head of Global Accounts to bolster customer engagement, and will lead the newly established Global Strategic Accounts team. Marc brings a wealth of experience in sales and account management from previous roles at companies like Taboola, Criteo, ValueClick, and most recently EX.CO. In his role, he will focus on enhancing customer satisfaction, happiness, and revenue growth among Smartly.io's most significant clients. Marc's proficiency in account management and leading high performing teams, augments the company’s commitment to providing exceptional value to its partners. He will be based in the London office.

The enhanced leadership team strengthens Smartly.io’s vision and mission of transforming the advertising experience for brands and their consumers, and unifying the platform world to deliver measurable business outcomes for customers.

About Smartly.io 

Smartly.io is one of the world’s largest SaaS advertising platforms, managing nearly $5B in ad spend with 700+ brands worldwide. Our leading end-to-end technology and outstanding customer service help brands such as Walmart, FanDuel, L’Oreal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Nestle, and Disney/ESPN to better reach audiences, engage creatives and learn what performs best—consistently driving scale for brand and performance across the largest media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snap, Pinterest, TikTok, and Google. We are a team of 650+ Smartlies across 24 locations in 13 countries globally. 

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For media inquiries, please contact: Yanina Erman at Yanina.Erman@Smartly.io

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