Nativo, the platform that enables brands to unlock the power of content to engage and influence their audiences, announced the hiring of Michael Lehman as its new President. This leadership addition will leverage Lehman’s specific expertise to accelerate new growth for Nativo in strategic areas, including revenue from programmatic direct deals and the open exchange, as well as international expansion.
“Michael’s deep knowledge of supply, DSPs, and exchange dynamics will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth,” said Nativo Founder and CEO Justin Choi. “He brings the missing gears to the Nativo machine as we expand our capabilities to meet what is required of ad tech companies today while building the ad tech of tomorrow.”
Lehman brings a wealth of experience and an impressive track record in the ad tech industry to Nativo. He spent more than eight years with TripleLift, a company whose dual focus on innovation and execution grew $16.5 million of total external capital into an industry-leading digital advertising and marketing platform. At TripleLift, Lehman played an instrumental role in scaling revenue during his tenure, which spanned the company’s Series A funding round to its exit. TripleLift was acquired by Vista Equity Partners for $1.4 billion in May 2021. Having led a team of 100+ members globally, Lehman has both extensive revenue and supply experience.
Prior to TripleLift, Lehman spent more than four years in senior publisher development roles at The Rubicon Project.
“Nativo’s unique position within the ad tech space—the way it applies its patented technology to automate the distribution of content as non-interruptive ad units—has never been more promising than it is today,” said Lehman. “My blend of experience in developing revenue opportunities and building publisher relationships allows me to see just how vital the need for mid-funnel-focused ad tech is today. Nativo truly owns the mid funnel, and I’m eager to accelerate the way in which we build for the future by bringing new innovation to the commerce media space and other areas outside of our core business.
“At the same time, I couldn’t be more impressed by the culture and team at Nativo,” Lehman added. “The opportunity to become a part of that is just as appealing to me as is the marketplace opportunity.”