Xandr - Tech Innovator of the Year

Company: Xandr, New York, NY
Entry Submitted By:Matter Communications
Company Description: Xandr was born out of great legacies behind an even greater purpose: to make advertising better for brands and consumers alike. Leveraging the spirit of innovation that began more than 143 years ago and has continued on as a part of AT&T’s legacy, we are uniquely positioned to change the industry and leverage our resources for good.
Nomination Category: Management Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Tech Innovator of the Year - Other

Nomination Title: Tech Innovator of the Year Xandr’s Ben John

As head of technology, products and services at Xandr, Ben John is responsible for theglobal organization’s architecture as well as the company’s product development, and all other technological innovations, infrastructure and operations.

Ben leads a team of nearly 1,000 technologists, engineers, consultants, and contractors across 30 offices and 19 countries to execute on Xandr’s technological vision. His emphasis on strong leadership skills and continual learning, coupled with his passion for technological innovation, has allowed him to drive tangible change at Xandr and the advertising industry as a whole – Making Advertising Better for brands and consumers alike.

After the launch of Xandr in 2018, Ben was tasked with sunsetting legacy AppNexus technology and integrating its offerings within the Xandr product portfolio. It was one of the biggest challenges the new brand faced; AppNexus had been a household name within the advertising space for years. As such, maintaining awareness, trust and respect from both customers and the industry at large was critical throughout the transition. Ben and the senior leadership team worked together to create clear goals to drive integration between Xandr and AppNexus. These included using AppNexus to power the digital portion of its Cross-Screen Addressable offering and integrating AT&T first-party data into the AppNexus platform. To drive integration, the technology organization started operating in a nimble way, aligning systematic and organizational architecture very quickly. They organized themselves to operate on a capability-based model which allowed them to develop products quickly, independently when needed, and easily leverage existing components across platforms.

After only eight short months following the brand launch, Ben and his team executed on its promise and commitment to build a premium, brand-safe video marketplace for advertisers, publishers and consumers. Ben oversaw the development and introduction of Xandr’s leading technology products – Community, a part of the Xandr Marketplace, Xandr Invest and Xandr Monetize. When used together, the offerings enable trusted, streamlined buyer and seller transactions across the advertising ecosystem. They unite compelling data with premium content to enable advanced advertising across all screens and formats, seamlessly connecting brands with consumers, enriching engagement, and driving value back to Xandr’s owned media assets.

Ben and his team also played a key role in the post-acquisition integration of clypd – which significantly streamlined the buying and selling process for Xandr customers. They supported existing customers and products while continuing to build customer base and introduce new products to the market. They also hired hundreds of engineers and built five new tech hubs and offices. Accomplishing all of these things in parallel is evidence that Ben’s approach is working.

Underlying across all of Ben’s efforts has been the idea of collaboration and continual communication. This was critical in bridging any gaps and keeping teams motivated throughout acquisitions and integrations. His efforts were incredibly successful, and ultimately put Xandr in a strong

Ben is actively involved in Xandr’s digital skills programs which works with organizations like Girls Who Code to equip students with the skills needed to succeed in the global advertising and technology economy, ultimately helping to develop the next generation of talent for Xandr and WarnerMedia through apprenticeships and year-round mentorship programs.

Ben also sponsors Xandr’s Tech for Good program, which leverages engineering and tech team resources to give back to non-profit organizations. The initiative encompasses a PSA program, which serves Public Service Announcements for non-profits through Xandr’s technology platform, as well as the Federation of Internet Alerts, which uses Xandr’s ad serving technology to deliver critical safety information to the public. Most recently, Ben directed a 100k donation to Roof for a Child (RFAC) on behalf of Xandr Cares, which gives lodging to kids in rural India.

Ben has had a significant influence on Xandr’s success. While creating the most advanced and user-friendly products is always top of mind, his commitment to bettering the communities in which he works, and lives is equally as evident.

(1) Early 2019: Ben leads the successful sunsetting of the AppNexus brand and integration of its offerings within the Xandr product portfolio, post-acquisition.

(2) May 2019: Ben and his team launch Community, part of the Xandr Marketplace, and an industry-leading programmatic destination for open, efficient access to trusted, omnichannel inventory, powered by AT&T first-party data. Enables trusted, streamlined buyer and seller transactions across the advertising ecosystem through advertising technology innovations.

(3) June 2019: Ben and his team develop Xandr Invest, a strategic buying platform that advances the way TV and digital advertisers buy audiences within premium content environments. The platform provides access to brand-safe inventory across screens, valuable consumer insights and multiples ways to transact and saw adoption grow by 25% in just one year.

(4) September 2019: Ben and his team develop Xandr Monetize, a strategic selling platform that provides holistic management controls, unique data, and differentiated buyer demand to enable media companies to unlock the full value of their inventory and improve the experience for their customers. Adoption of Xandr Monetize increased by 11% in 2020.

(5) October 2019: Ben leads the technical integration of clypd, a data-driven TV advertising platform for broadcast and cable TV networks. This accelerated converged buying and selling across addressable TV, data-driven linear TV, mobile, and over-the-top channels on streaming video services.

(6) March 2020: Ben and his team develop Invest TV, providing buyers a way to plan and activate audiences more consistently across TV programmers through a self-serve UI. AMC Networks, Disney and WarnerMedia were partners at launch.

(7) By the end of Q1, Xandr’s global platform revenue showed double-digit growth of nearly 15%, a testament to Ben’s leadership.

(8) June 2020: Xandr’s curated marketplace grows 195% from January to June 2020. Xandr has also shown momentum with premium publishers.

(9) August 2020: Ben and his team lay the technical foundation that enables political and advocacy advertisers to access inventory across the WarnerMedia portfolio exclusively through private marketplaces using Xandr Invest. This marked the first time these groups could set up relevant messaging programmatically across WarnerMedia’s digital inventory.

 (10) Today, October 2020: Across the entire platform globally, CTV spend has increased 191%, with spend through its buy side platform growing 179% and its sell side platform 269%.