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Former Utiq and Xandr/Microsoft Leader Joins illuma for AI Scaling

illuma, a London-based AI company specializing in contextual decision intelligence, has appointed Michel Guillon as head of solutions architecture. Guillon brings two decades of adtech leadership experience from Utiq and AppNexus/Xandr/Microsoft, where he worked closely with illuma's integrations. His role will help partners integrate illuma's contextual intelligence into their systems at enterprise scale, leveraging his deep knowledge of DSP and SSP architecture and data interoperability. illuma's AI technology is used by brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms to optimize advertising decisions in real time, and is available through major platforms including The Trade Desk, Equativ, Index Exchange, Amazon, DV360, Yahoo, OpenX, PubMatic, and Magnite. The appointment underscores illuma's expansion across leading advertising platforms.

• Michel Guillon was appointed head of solutions architecture at illuma.
• Guillon previously held leadership roles at Utiq and AppNexus/Xandr/Microsoft.
• illuma specializes in AI-powered contextual decision intelligence for advertising.

Trade Desk DACH chief: Open ecosystem, retail data key

In an interview with MEEDIA, Tamer Batan, the new DACH head of The Trade Desk since August 2026, discusses the fragmentation of the programmatic advertising ecosystem and the company's strategy to counter it through open, interoperable partnerships. Key initiatives include integrating German ID solutions Utiq and netID and a deepened partnership with retailer REWE to leverage purchase and loyalty data for audience targeting across the open web. Batan emphasizes programmatic's evolution into an intelligence layer and sees AI-driven ad inventory as adding further fragmentation, requiring centralized control and collaboration. He also expresses skepticism about agentic buying replacing human expertise. The interview touches on challenges in the German market, Open Web, identifiers, CTV, and retail media. Batan addresses the company's stock performance, attributing it to a need to better communicate the platform's value. Germany's privacy-conscious market is poised to lead in shaping advertising's future. The full interview is paywalled, with only the introduction public.

• The Trade Desk has integrated German ID solutions Utiq and netID.
• The Trade Desk has a new partnership with REWE to use its retail and loyalty data for ad targeting.
• Tamer Batan is the new DACH head of The Trade Desk since August 2026.

Sanoma Transforms Customer Data into Targeted Advertising Currency

Finnish media conglomerate Sanoma is shifting its business model from a traditional publisher to a data-driven platform. The company's strategy involves leverage of user-controlled personal accounts (Sanoma Account) that allow readers to decide what data is shared with advertisers. Financially, Sanoma reported a 1% decline in H1 2026 revenues to 555.8 million euros, though adjusted operating profit increased by 7% to 46.4 million euros. On the adtech side, Sanoma Custom Audiences allows brands to integrate their first-party data using the Custobar Customer Data Platform (CDP). This integration enables targeted display and video campaigns, as well as AI-powered lookalike modeling. In a highlighted case study, retailer Scandinavian Outdoor collaborated with consulting firm Columbia Road to deploy pre-trained AI agents within Custobar, automating customer and sales insights.

• Sanoma's H1 2026 revenue slightly declined by 1% to 555.8 million euros, while adjusted operating profit rose 7% to 46.4 million euros.
• Sanoma provides a personal data control center (Sanoma Account) allowing users to decide which targeting data is shared with advertisers.
• Sanoma Custom Audiences integrates advertisers' first-party CRM data through the Custobar CDP to match contacts and run targeted campaigns.