Randall Rothenberg

Randall Rothenberg is one of the most consequential figures in the history of digital advertising, having served as President and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) for over a decade before transitioning to his current role as Executive Chair. During his tenure, he transformed the IAB from a relatively modest trade association into the preeminent global standards body for digital advertising, overseeing the development of foundational frameworks around viewability, brand safety, programmatic transparency, and data privacy that continue to govern the industry today. Rothenberg has been a persistent and influential voice on issues including the responsibility of platforms and publishers to advertisers, the dangers of ad fraud, and the long-term viability of the open internet as a commercially supported ecosystem. He championed initiatives such as the IAB Tech Lab and helped drive industry-wide conversations around supply chain transparency, including efforts tied to ads.txt and sellers.json. His willingness to publicly challenge major platforms like Google and Facebook on issues of accountability set him apart as an unusually outspoken trade association leader. Before joining the IAB, Rothenberg had a distinguished career as a journalist and author, most notably as the advertising columnist for The New York Times and as the author of 'Where the Suckers Moon,' a critically acclaimed book about the advertising industry. This background gave him a rare combination of editorial credibility and industry fluency that defined his leadership style and public communications throughout his IAB career.

• BA, Dartmouth College

• Led the IAB for over a decade, growing it into the primary global trade body for digital advertising standards and policy
• Championed the creation of the IAB Tech Lab, centralizing technical standards development for the digital advertising ecosystem
• Drove industry adoption of ads.txt and sellers.json to combat ad fraud and improve supply chain transparency
• Authored 'Where the Suckers Moon' (1994), a landmark book on the advertising industry widely used in academic and professional settings
• Publicly challenged major platforms including Google and Facebook on advertiser accountability and data transparency

• Where the Suckers Moon: The Life and Death of an Advertising Campaign (1994)
• Numerous op-eds and columns in AdAge, The New York Times, and industry trade press