Digital Media Expert Andy Atherton Joins AppNexus as SVP of Strategic Accounts

NEW YORK, April 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AppNexus, the world leader in real-time advertising technology, announced today that Andy Atherton, a well-known and respected executive in digital advertising, is joining the company as Senior Vice President of Strategic Accounts.  Atherton will be responsible for deepening AppNexus' relationships with strategic accounts across the online advertising ecosystem.  He will report to AppNexus President Michael Rubenstein and direct the opening of the AppNexus office in San Francisco where he is based.

"Andy Atherton is a star in the world of digital advertising," said Michael Rubenstein, President, AppNexus. "Whether dealing with the world's largest brands or most sophisticated media companies, when Andy speaks people listen. We couldn't be happier to have him join us at AppNexus to help steer our most important strategic relationships.  This hire also underscores AppNexus' ongoing commitment to building the best leadership team in digital advertising, full stop."

Atherton previously spent four years as COO and co-founder of Brand.net, where he was integral to its growth as a leading digital media buying solution for top brands.  Prior to Brand.net, he was Vice President of Global Pricing & Yield Management (PYM) for Yahoo!, responsible for maximizing monetization of its worldwide portfolio of display inventory worth $2B annually.  Beginning in 2002, he created, developed and globalized Yahoo's PYM function over a period of five years. 

Prior to Yahoo!, Atherton was president and co-founder of Optivo, a venture-backed start-up that developed price optimization software for e-commerce retailers.  He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T.

"I have a long, shared history with the AppNexus founders, and have been closely following the company's rapid emergence as a global leader in the real-time bidding and exchange space," said Andy Atherton, SVP, Strategic Accounts, AppNexus. "The depth of the platform, the strength of the management team and the breadth of the company's relationships across the online ad ecosystem made this a uniquely compelling opportunity.  I can't think of any place better than AppNexus to help shape the future of the industry."

AppNexus experienced unprecedented growth in 2011.  The number of impressions served through the AppNexus platform increased 859 percent year-over-year*.  In addition, AppNexus more than doubled its employee base and opened offices in Seattle, London and Israel. The New York-based technology company is poised for an equally impressive 2012, with aggressive hiring across multiple businesses, a recent expansion of its New York headquarters, and new global offices slated to open.

About AppNexus
AppNexus is the world leader in real-time advertising technology, serving the largest and most innovative buyers and sellers of online advertising, including Microsoft Advertising Exchange, Collective and Technorati Media.  Led by the pioneers of the Web's original ad exchanges at Yahoo!'s Right Media and Google's DoubleClick, AppNexus offers the industry's most advanced technology platform that empowers companies to build, manage and optimize their entire online advertising businesses.  Based in New York City, AppNexus is backed by an outstanding group of investors including Microsoft, Venrock, Kodiak Venture Partners, First Round Capital, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz and Ron Conway.  For more information, visit www.appnexus.com.

* AppNexus proprietary reporting

SOURCE AppNexus