Latest news with #CommerceMedia
Zawya
17-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Reward accelerates international expansion with senior leadership appointments in the Middle East
Both Rasha and Matt will be based in Dubai, Reward's International Hub, to support the business' continued global expansion Appointments coincide with Reward's new office launch in Dubai's financial district, underscoring its investment in local talent and the scaling of its AI-powered Intelligence suite to better serve expanding banking and retail portfolios across CEMEA and Asia Pacific Dubai, UAE: Reward, global leader in Customer Engagement and Commerce Media, today announces two senior leadership appointments to its International team, reinforcing the business' strategic growth across CEMEA and Asia Pacific. Rasha Traboulsi has been appointed Vice President of Banking, bringing over 15 years of experience in the financial and loyalty sectors across EMEA and MENA. Most recently, Rasha led global sales for Data & Services at Mastercard, and previously held senior roles at American Express, Jumeirah Group, and InterContinental Hotels Group. Her deep expertise in the Middle East banking sector and extensive regional network will be key in expanding Reward's footprint with banking partners across the region. Matt Rolfe joins as Vice President of Retail Partnership & Sales, bringing over a decade of experience across commerce media, data monetisation, and programmatic advertising. He has held senior roles at leading brands, including Epsilon, Permutive, Criteo, RTB House, and Brandwatch, driving commercial growth and market expansion. Matt will spearhead scaling the company's AI-powered Intelligence product suite, delivering advanced, data-driven solutions that help brands activate smarter customer engagement strategies. These appointments come as Reward accelerates its international expansion, having recently signed a new office in the heart of Dubai's financial district. The move highlights Reward's commitment to investing in local teams to support global growth, as it expands its retail and banking portfolios and harnesses AI to unlock intelligent activation for brands worldwide. Sam Sprekos, Managing Director International, commented: "As we continue to expand our market reach and deliver data-driven Customer Engagement and Commerce Media solutions, bringing in exceptional talent like Rasha and Matt is critical. Their experience, connections and leadership will help us accelerate our capabilities into new markets, support the expansion of our enhanced AI-driven Intelligence offering, and drive deeper value for our partners and customers.' Rasha Traboulsi said: "Reward is at the forefront of innovation in banking engagement, and I'm excited to help grow our impact across CEMEA and Asia Pacific. The opportunity to bring tailored, data-driven solutions to more banking partners and enhance their customer relationships – is a journey I'm proud to be part of.' Matt Rolfe added: "The future of commerce media lies in the intersection of transactional data, AI, and strong bank–brand partnerships. Reward is leading in this space, turning everyday purchases into intelligent engagement opportunities. I'm excited to help brands in the region unlock this potential– not just through reach, but through meaningful, relevant connections." About Reward Reward is a global leader in Customer Engagement and Commerce Media, operating in more than 15 markets across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Uniquely positioned at the intersection of banking and retail, Reward's platform combines technology, data insights and digital marketing to deliver personalised products and services that help brands deepen connections with customers. As businesses strive to better understand and influence customer behaviour, Reward is poised to lead in the fast-growing commerce media space, offering consumer insights that enhance omnichannel experiences, boost sales and build customer loyalty. Beyond unifying consumer insight and commerce, Reward is on a mission to make everyday spending more rewarding and every interaction count, delivering billions in rewards to customers. For more information, please visit
Business Wire
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
MadTech Launches Centre of Excellence to Drive Innovation in Commerce Media
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MadTech, the leader in Data Connection Automation, today announced the launch of its Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Commerce Media to help retailers and other businesses eliminate the technical barriers to launching profitable media networks, and enable brands to optimize their commerce media and technology investments. Led by industry veteran Lynn Rupprecht, the CoE includes a global team of data scientists, strategists, and technologists with deep experience across the commerce, AdTech, and MarTech ecosystems. MadTech Launches Centre of Excellence to Drive Innovation In Commerce Media, with industry veteran Lynn Rupprecht to lead the practice Share According to eMarketer, a lack of standardization across commerce media networks (CMNs) and difficulty integrating off-site retail media are among the top factors hindering retail media growth. 'To be successful today, commerce media networks need to lead with transparency and offer advertisers valuable shopper insights and innovation,' said Rupprecht. 'Instead, the pressure to offer 'all the things' has largely created a sea of sameness. A differentiated data offering, innovation with automation and AI, and demonstrated business impact are required to attract brands in an increasingly competitive market.' In the early days of retail media, many retailers rushed in with a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to their technology stack. As retail media evolves into commerce media with off-site and omnichannel activations, and advertisers demand more value from their RMN investments, retailers need to 'build with intent' to enable their networks to be flexible, scalable, and future-proof. 'A strong data foundation is required to power the technology infrastructure and ecosystem connections needed for commerce media networks to deliver the campaign performance and ROAS that advertisers expect,' said Bob Walczak, CEO for MadTech. 'Our Commerce Media Centre of Excellence combines strategy with hands-on development to support our partners to 'invest with intent' and architect the right data infrastructure to meet the needs of their advertisers and deliver profitable growth.' For retailers and other businesses, we remove technical barriers to accelerate time-to-value for your media network with: Comprehensive Data Consulting: We partner with you on strategy, build, and operations through to value realization. Data Connection Automation: With MadConnect, our data connection automation engine, we build and manage the integrations needed to power your commerce media business across the AdTech and Martech ecosystem. Hands-on Custom Development: Monetize your audiences and commerce assets on-site and off-site (including display, CTV, in-store) in weeks or a few months, not years. Build a measurement and reporting flow to capture purchase and customer engagement signals. End-to-End Support: From foundational audience and supply strategy to ongoing operations and optimization to billing and automation. For brand advertisers, MadConnect enables connected data for better customer engagement and to prevent missed marketing opportunities and waste: Unify Customer Profiles: Merge and reconcile known and anonymous user IDs across RMNs and commerce journey touchpoints. Enhance Audience Intelligence: Enrich profiles with first, second, and third-party data - behavioral, transactional, and intent data. Enable Precision Targeting: Create and activate audiences across channels and media networks. Improve Attribution & Measurement: Tie ad exposure to behaviors and purchases for true ROI insights with custom measurement tools to understand campaign performance. Ensure Privacy and Compliance: Maintain data security to meet the highest levels of regulation, while maximizing data utility. Meet MadTech during Cannes Lions 2025 The MadTech team will be in Cannes, with several exciting activations. If you are attending and would like to schedule a meeting with our executives and experts, please click here. ABOUT MADTECH MadTech was born from the convergence of the AdTech and MarTech ecosystems. Led by industry pioneers, MadTech is not your typical consultancy – we are hands-on from strategy to development. Our team of data scientists, technologists, and strategists specialize in solving complex business challenges. Our mission: to enable companies to profitably invest in AI and emerging technologies by building robust data foundations. MadConnect - the industry's first Data Connection Automation engine - is platform-agnostic and rapidly delivers limitless plug-and-play connections to power your entire ecosystem. Since its founding in 2022, MadTech has become a trusted partner to the world's leading brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms. For more information, visit us at
Campaign ME
20-02-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Industry Snapshot: Commerce media platform
In this Industry Snapshot, Criteo's Gosia Wajchert comments on how 'Commerce Media is set to shine as it blends data, media, and technology to deliver impactful and privacy-safe commerce moments.' What excites you most about the AdTech industry as we enter 2025? The AdTech industry is at a thrilling crossroads in 2025, where innovation and collaboration are driving a new era of possibilities. What excites me most is the industry's ability to pivot from complexity to simplicity, unlocking the true potential of personalisation. We've moved beyond debating why hyper-personalisation matters—2025 is all about mastering the how. This year is an opportunity to rekindle the joy of shopping and discovery by creating consumer-centric experiences powered by first-party data and AI. Commerce Media is set to shine as it blends data, media, and technology to deliver impactful and privacy-safe commerce moments. At the same time, the industry is embracing collaboration to tackle fragmentation, build trust, and simplify the ecosystem. The shift towards enhancing consumer experiences while fostering transparency and trust marks an exciting transformation, and I'm eager to see how we, as an industry, shape this new chapter together. How do you anticipate the future of AdTech evolving, and how is your business preparing to address these changes? The future of AdTech lies in embracing personalisation and an AI-driven combination of data and media to drive commerce outcomes, while ensuring transparency and trust. Consumer behaviour is becoming more nonlinear and always-on, requiring us to adapt to this complexity. At Criteo, we're focusing on simplifying the ecosystem, enhancing interoperability, and ensuring responsible AI use to prepare for a future where every interaction can be a commerce moment. How are AdTech companies addressing industry silos and ensuring interoperability with other tools and platforms used by advertisers? Collaboration is essential for breaking industry silos in AdTech. While companies and clients often seek tailored solutions, interoperability with other platforms is critical for transparency and measurement. Industry associations, like the IAB, play a significant role in establishing standards and fostering a more transparent and cohesive ecosystem. At the same time, AdTech companies must focus on simplifying media buying and selling processes for their clients. Advertisers don't want to juggle multiple tools to achieve their goals. That's why at Criteo, we've developed our Commerce Media Platform—to integrate data, media, brand safety, and AI seamlessly, delivering better commerce outcomes and creating a unified, user-friendly solution for advertisers. What are the top challenges the AdTech industry should address in 2025? Key challenges include tackling growing complexity, ensuring data privacy, addressing invalid traffic, and balancing AI's benefits with its risks. As an industry, we must prioritise consumer trust and simplify processes to make advertising more efficient and engaging. Additionally, adapting to changing consumer behaviours and rising global competition is critical for long-term success. How do you balance automated and human-driven processes in your strategies? Automation through AI is invaluable for efficiency and scalability, but human oversight ensures creativity, ethical use, and strategic alignment. We emphasise leveraging AI for data insights and personalisation while maintaining human-driven decision-making to craft meaningful, consumer-first advertising experiences. How has the AdTech industry pivoted to address ad blocking and opt-out of cookies amidst growing consumer concerns about privacy and data security? The AdTech industry is shifting towards first-party data solutions and prioritising consumer trust through transparency and choice. At Criteo, we've led the way by introducing the ad choice icon in all our display ads, providing consumers with greater transparency and control. Our Commerce Media Solutions are designed to be inherently consumer-centric, connecting data, media, and technology to deliver meaningful, personalised experiences. A key differentiator for Criteo is our ability to bridge the gap between the open internet and walled gardens through our social extensions, enabling seamless shopping experiences across platforms. This ensures advertisers can connect with consumers wherever they are while maintaining privacy and data security at the core of every interaction. By focusing on user needs, respecting preferences, and creating unified commerce moments, Commerce Media delivers impactful and non-intrusive advertising in a privacy-first world. By Gosia Wajchert, Managing Director, MEA, Criteo
