The next chapter for InfoSum
It dawned on me sometime in 2018 that companies were sharing far too much customer data with each other and their intermediaries. I was running the advertising business for AT&T, and we were becoming increasingly nervous about sending customer data outside the enterprise. The term data clean room did not exist, and using data brokers was ‘just the way we do it.’ I became increasingly interested in the notion that a company need not share data to partner effectively with other companies in the best interest of their customers. The person leading me down this path was our head of strategy and corp dev, Lauren Wetzel - she saw the future before I did, and saw it clearly.
In 2020, as I was leaving my role as CEO of Xandr, I decided I wanted to do something more entrepreneurial. I joined the board of InfoSum, the originator of the decentralized data clean room - a company Lauren and her team had identified as a leader in the category. As I began to know the team and the product, I was ever more convinced that the world of addressable marketing would need to be rewired with infrastructure that is private, secure, and respectful of customer data. I would become the CEO of InfoSum and have the privilege of leading a diverse group of professionals bound together by the mission of reinventing data collaboration. Thankfully, I was working with Lauren again - she had joined the company originally as President of North America.
Almost four years later, we are the leader in our category, partnered with hundreds of companies across the world, and continually pushing the envelope on how to use customer data responsibly to improve the lives of consumers. I have had the good fortune of working with an incredible team, including Lauren, who has become the most capable and fierce global COO in our broader industry.
On behalf of the board, I am thrilled to announce Lauren’s promotion to CEO of InfoSum - a role she has earned and will absolutely crush. Lauren is a pioneer in this burgeoning category of technology. She has demonstrated remarkable leadership and operational discipline over the last four years. Her evolution to the CEO position is a ‘no brainer’ - it was the plan from the beginning, and it’s time. I know I speak for all InfoSummers when I say that we are thrilled to have Lauren as our fearless leader.
I will stay active and engaged with InfoSum during a transition period and enjoy a work break with my family. I will forever be grateful for my time leading this wonderful organization.
Congratulations to Lauren on this well-deserved promotion!