Rob founded XA.net in early 2008. Recognized as an expert in the field of online advertising and e-commerce, Rob has built scalable technology-based media businesses and advised Fortune 500 companies and startup firms alike on their online revenue-generating strategies. Rob was previously chief operating officer for Consorte Media, an online advertising company focused on the Hispanic market. Before that, Rob was vice president of business development for Root Markets and general manager of advertising at LinkedIn. Before LinkedIn, Rob was at NexTag where he built up NexTag''s display advertising lead generation and media business, propelling the firm to a position as a top 5 US online advertiser according to Nielsen//NetRatings. He led the creation of the firm''s advertising server systems, yield management, media buying and creative creation tools, which enabled an unprecedented automation of media buying and management.

Rob began his professional career as an investment banking analyst in New York with ING Barings/Furman Selz, and then in 1999 joined Jupiter Communications as an e-commerce research analyst. Rob left Jupiter in 2003 and joined Nielsen//NetRatings as the company's director of commerce analytics, where he delivered custom analysis and led strategic engagements for Nielsen's financial services, retail and Internet clients.

Rob holds an AB degree in computer science and economics from Dartmouth College, and received the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst®) designation in 2003.

My Articles

DSPs demystified

| Rob Leathern

What's a demand-side platform, and how does it differ from the myriad available ad strategies? Find out what makes this discipline stand out, and whether it might be a good option for your...