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Ronan Shields

Thought Leader

Ronan Shields is a Senior Programmatic Reporter at Digiday, where he covers the mechanics and systemic challenges of programmatic advertising, including ad fraud, supply path optimization, and Made-For-Advertising sites. He previously served as a Reporter and Staff Writer at Digiday from 2019 to 2022, and before that covered programmatic and digital advertising at Adweek from 2016 to 2019.

Last updated Jun 6, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team

Role
Senior Programmatic Reporter
Company
Digiday
Based
New York, New York, United States
Years in industry
12 years

Bio

Ronan Shields is a Senior Programmatic Reporter at Digiday, where he covers the mechanics and systemic challenges of programmatic advertising, including ad fraud, supply path optimization, and Made-For-Advertising sites. He previously served as a Reporter and Staff Writer at Digiday from 2019 to 2022, and before that covered programmatic and digital advertising at Adweek from 2016 to 2019.

Career

  • Programmatic Reporter

    Adweek · 2016-2019

  • Reporter / Staff Writer

    Digiday · 2019-2022

Expertise & education

Expertise

Programmatic AdvertisingAd FraudSupply Chain TransparencyMade-For-Advertising (MFA) SitesSupply Path Optimization (SPO)Header BiddingAdTech Investigative JournalismDigital Advertising Ecosystem

Speaking topics

Ad Fraud and Supply Chain IntegrityMade-For-Advertising Sites and ArbitrageProgrammatic TransparencySupply Path Optimization

Recognition

Notable achievements

  • Broke multiple industry-defining investigations into MFA site economics and their impact on advertiser spend
  • Reporting on programmatic supply chain opacity has been cited by industry bodies including ANA and IAB
  • Established Digiday as a leading destination for programmatic accountability journalism
  • Developed one of the most extensive source networks in AdTech journalism spanning DSPs, SSPs, agencies, and independent researchers

Publications

  • Digiday
  • Adweek