Arnaud Créput promoted to CEO; new Strategic Board created  

PARIS — September 5th, 2018 — Smart (formerly known as Smart AdServer), the holistic publisher tech platform, has appointed CFO Arnaud Créput to the role of CEO to lead the company through its next phase of transformation and exponential growth. Créput is succeeding Cyrille Geffray who served as CEO since 2007. In turn, Quentin Michon will take over Créput’s role as CFO.

Smart has experienced significant growth in recent years, achieving a fivefold increase in its turnover over the past three years with an expanding roster of premium international publisher clients such as the Financial Times, Aufeminin, Le Monde and Axel Springer. Créput’s mission includes accelerating the company’s local and global expansion plans, with the objective of doubling its revenue by 2020 and reinforcing Smart’s position as the only independent platform offering a unique alternative to publishers outside of the walled gardens of global media and tech giants.

“It is an exciting time to be in the ad tech space, and I am thrilled by the opportunity that my new role presents. Along with the ongoing threat of the duopoly, the sector has been shaken up by a series of changes: GDPR; the emergence of Amazon; and the rise of ‘super publishers,’” said Créput.  This is a reference to the recent industry consolidations spurred by acquisitions such as AT&T’s purchase of AppNexus, Verizon’s acquisition of AOL and Yahoo! becoming a property of Oath.

“Given these recent changes and in the absence of a truly autonomous supply-side alternative to Google, independence has become a distinct advantage for Smart to help publishers maximize value and retain full and transparent control of their businesses. Independent publishers are creating Private Gardens which build greater long-term brand equity, create stability, and a sustainable monetization model via their rich, first-party audience data,” said Créput.

Focusing on Smart’s long-term growth vision, Créput has formed a new Strategic Board and the appointment of three members effective immediately: Michael Nevins, chief marketing officer, Nicolas de Robert, chief technology officer and Romain Job, chief strategy officer.

“The Strategic Board will help maintain focus on the long-term planning and strategic vision for Smart. I’m thrilled to be tapping the expertise of key senior leaders and historical contributors at Smart. They bring an unparalleled breadth of expertise and a deep understanding of the sector to articulate and execute Smart’s growth strategy internationally,” added Créput.

Arnaud Créput joined Smart in 2015 as CFO. He led the sale of Smart by AuFéminin in 2015, structuring the group and creating the company’s Finance, HR, IT and Legal departments. Creput has served as CFO and board member for more than ten years at various listed enterprise software and technology companies and has a strong background in fast growing, international and PE-backed environments. He started his career in investment banking, specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions and Equity Capital Markets.

About Smart 
Smart is a fully transparent ad monetization platform built for premium publishers to serve demanding buyers. Our unique holistic and flexible approach gives full control back to publishers by driving performance and value of their loyal audience. Demand and data agnostic, Smart empowers publishers to maximize yield through all sales channels, ad products, and screens. Smart works directly with more than 1,000 publishers worldwide including TracFone, Le Monde and Wine Enthusiast to deliver display, video, native, and rich-media ads to over 50,000 sites and apps. Ranked on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA, with 11 offices and 215 employees worldwide, Smart leads the charge in building a transparent ecosystem based on quality. Smart is a “GDPR ready” company as certified by independent data protection specialist, ePrivacy GmbH.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Smart: Nessa Payet – +33 (0)1 86 26 45 68 – pr@smartadserver.com
Middle 8 Media: Hank Kim – 917-647-0500  – hank@m8media.net