Keynote Address: A New Direction Forward

What is Xaxis; the world’s largest audience buying company. It is to use data and technology to enable our agencies to reach and engage with audiences at scale, and in the execution of these objectives, deliver highly efficient and optimized digital media, measurable value, dramatically improved performance, and actionable insights for our clients. 

About the Speaker 

Dr. Mark Grether, Chief Operating Officer, Xaxis 

Mark Grether is Chief Operating Officer of Xaxis. As COO, Mark is responsible for global operations, including product development, data strategy, technology development and integration as well as internal systems. In this capacity, Mark is responsible for defining, creating and delivering best-in-class product offerings globally. Immediately prior to his current role, Mark worked as the Global Development Director of GroupM. As the founder of GroupM’s global audience initiative, he was instrumental in setting up GroupM’s digital trading desk across ten countries. He was in charge of managing all processes in the value chain, 

from defining trading strategies, product definition and technology design through sales. He also oversaw the change management process within the GroupM Agencies.

Mark has over 15 years of experience in advertising and technology.  He worked for the largest retailer in Europe, a large digital publisher and as a consultant for DAX companies.  Additionally, as Professor of Marketing at the University of Applied Sciences in Worms, Germany, Mark taught courses in strategic marketing, new product management, and marketing research, among others.

Mark has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Mannheim in Germany, a Master of Arts in Marketing from the University of Florida, and a PhD from the University of Mannheim.  Mark’s work has appeared in more than 50 publications and he has been a featured speaker at conferences across the world. Mark sits on the WPP Digital Advisory Board and the GroupM Global Technology Steering Board. In 2011, Mark moved to New York City with his wife Susanne and son Felix.