Independent buy-side advertising platform, Sizmek, has appointed Nikos Acuña as chief visionary, reporting directly into Mark Grether, CEO.

Acuna was formerly the MD of Rocket Fuel Institute — the company’s AI Innovation and Media Lab.

Impact business

This news follows Sizmek’s 2017 acquisition of Rocket Fuel, and its more recent announcement for total transparency – to empower and differentiate agencies and advertisers. With this appointment, Acuña will serve as Sizmek’s lead evangelist, educating the market on emerging trends in data, technology and customer experiences, while helping agencies and their clients develop innovative strategies to impact their business.

Mark Grether, CEO at Sizmek, said: “Nikos is one of the digital industry’s most provocative luminaries informing the future of marketing. He possesses keen foresight into how technology can empower agencies and brands through creative augmentation as opposed to automation alone. Nikos will be a key resource in guiding clients through an era of accelerating change and opportunity. He will not only help crystallise Sizmek’s vision, but I am confident that he will also help shape the story of our industry.”

Acuña brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing technology and media. He is the author of The Predictive Business and Mindshare (Motion Publishing, 2012), which received Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award and the USA Best Book Award in 2012. He published over a dozen foundational research studies on AI and cross-industry digital transformation over the past two years, and speaks frequently at conferences around the world about creativity and innovation, AI’s implications in a connected future, and how to deepen engagement by tapping into intrinsic human desires.

Acuña added: “Sizmek is dedicated to redefining the way brands connect with audiences. It’s more evident than ever by the way they bring data, creative, and media together for optimal campaign performance across the entire customer journey. I look forward to supporting Sizmek’s tradition of innovation, by identifying the forces that propel our industry forward. My focus will be on catalysing growth and inspiring the next generation of industry leaders.”

Among his upcoming speaking engagements, Acuña will present at SXSW, leading the ‘What AI Reveals about Our Place in the Universe’ panel with world-renowned scientists and AI practitioners. The discussion will explore how artificial intelligence reveals patterns in our brains, bodies, cities, advertising ecosystems, and the universe at large.