Starting a new job after more than two decades in ad tech is a bit like supporting a football team. You tell yourself you’ll stay loyal forever, but then the transfer window opens, and suddenly everyone’s wearing different shirts.

Fortunately, my move to Smadex last week has confirmed what I suspected from the outside: there’s a genuine energy around this company.

I’d been watching Smadex for a while. There was a growing buzz around the company that was hard to ignore. The conversations I was having with clients, partners, and people across the industry all pointed in the same direction. Smadex has become one of those companies that people keep mentioning. Usually followed by something along the lines of, “Have you seen what they’re doing with Performance CTV?”

The more I looked under the bonnet, the more obvious it became why. Smadex has an engineering-led culture where innovation comes first. With an engineer like Jordi de Los Pinos at the helm, the focus is on continuously improving the platform rather than simply talking about it.

After spending time with the leadership team, it became clear that the buzz wasn’t just good marketing (although, thankfully, our marketing team will be pleased to hear they’ve created the sort of events that generate a fair bit of industry FOMO). There is a genuine ambition here to build something special.

The opportunity in front of us is enormous. Mobile continues to evolve at pace, Connected TV is becoming an increasingly important performance channel, and advertisers are looking for partners that can help them grow profitably rather than simply spend more budget. That’s exactly where Smadex is focused.

I’ve joined a team that’s ambitious without being arrogant, collaborative, and genuinely passionate about helping customers succeed. There’s a refreshing lack of corporate theatre and a real focus on solving problems.

As VP & GM for EMEA, my job is fairly straightforward: help more advertisers discover what Smadex can do, support our fantastic customers, grow an exceptional commercial team, and work closely with Product, Marketing, and Customer Success to continue building one of the most exciting businesses in our industry.

Simple enough.

Of course, there will be challenges. Markets change, attribution continues to evolve, AI moves faster than most of us can keep up with, and someone will inevitably suggest a meeting that could have been an email.

But that’s what makes this industry interesting.

I’m incredibly excited about what’s ahead, not just because of where Smadex is today, but because of where it’s going. There’s a fantastic team already in place, big ambitions for the future, and a real opportunity to redefine what’s possible in performance advertising across Mobile and Performance CTV.