Criteo CEO Megan Clarken to retire

Criteo, the commerce media company, has announced that its chief executive officer, Megan Clarken, plans to retire within the next 12 months.

Clarken will continue to serve as CEO until her successor is named and will also step down from the board of directors at that time. She has agreed to remain with Criteo in a senior advisory role to ensure a smooth transition.

The board of directors has initiated a search for Clarken’s successor, engaging executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles to assist in identifying both internal and external candidates. Rachel Picard, chair of Criteo's board of directors, expressed gratitude for Clarken’s leadership, stating, “She has been instrumental in Criteo's growth and has led the successful transformation of the company to become the end-to-end adtech platform of choice in retail and commerce media.”

Clarken, who has led Criteo for the past five years, reflected on her tenure, saying, “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished during my time as CEO of Criteo. Together, we have navigated complex industry challenges and built differentiated capabilities that have transformed the company into a commerce and retail media powerhouse.”

Megan Clarken joined Criteo in 2019 after a distinguished 15-year plus career at Nielsen, where she served as chief commercial officer for Nielsen Global Media. With over two decades of experience in the media and technology sectors, Clarken has been instrumental in Criteo’s growth and strategic transformation.

Last month, Criteo announced a collaboration with Microsoft Advertising to integrate Microsoft's demand with Criteo’s retailer network. As Microsoft’s preferred onsite media partner, Criteo will extend its monetisation technology, aiming to create a unified retail media ecosystem and streamline ad buying for global advertisers. The partnership also explores using Microsoft’s generative AI innovations to enhance ad creatives at scale.