Criteo Names Michael Komasinski as CEO Following Months-Long Search

Criteo has a new chief executive officer in Michael Komasinski. He’ll take over from Megan Clarken on Feb. 15.

The retail media-focused adtech platform has been searching for a new top executive since August when Clarken announced her plans to retire within the following 12 months. She’ll continue to serve in an advisory role during the transition, Criteo said in a statement.

Komasinski will join Criteo from Dentsu, where he’s spent the last five years in various executive roles, the most recent of which is CEO for the Americas. Before that, he held various high-level positions at Merkle, a media company that was acquired by Dentsu in 2020. His resume also includes stints at Razorfish, Schawk Retail Marketing, and Nielsen.

The announcement comes just after Amazon released a new self-service retail adtech product that will compete with firms like Criteo. Retail media has been on a growth tear over the last several years as retailers aim to monetize the data they’ve collected on customers via loyalty programs and purchase history. Emarketer predicts that retail media spend will hit $60 billion this year, up 20.2% year-over-year, and making it the fastest growing ad channel in the U.S.

Criteo, one of the biggest purveyors of the adtech that powers those businesses, has become a juggernaut in the space partnering with over 200 retailers in varying capacities.

Given its reach, industry leaders have been keeping close tabs on Criteo’s search for a new CEO. One expert said that Komasinski’s agency background could be a plus for Criteo. Criteo’s competitors include firms owned by ad agency giants like Publicis Groupe and Interpublic Group.

“Having someone at the helm with an agency mind is good when Criteo is really the somewhat only neural player between Amazon, Google, and Meta,” one retail adtech executive told ADWEEK in response to the news.

“It shows them really pushing back into an agency growth strategy versus tech,” the executive continued, noting that it’ll be interesting to watch how Komasinski’s background shapes Criteo’s go-to-market approach moving forward.

Komasinski’s appointment is the conclusion of a “comprehensive search process,” said Rachel Picard, chair of Criteo’s board of directors, in a statement. Picard called Komasinski, “the right leader to spearhead the next phase of the company’s AI-fueled transformation and vision as the world’s leading commerce media platform.”