Observed Signal · Jun 12, 2026 · Hiring · Source: https://martechseries.com/feed/ · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
The Trade Desk Appoints Sarah Gavin as CMO, EVP
The Trade Desk named Sarah Gavin as Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, effective June 15, 2026. Based in the company’s Bellevue office, Gavin will lead global brand, communications, customer marketing and demand generation and will report directly to CEO and Founder Jeff Green. Gavin previously served as Chief Communications Officer and Interim Chief Marketing Officer at Zendesk, led global narrative strategy for Google Cloud, and held senior communications roles at Expedia Group. The appointment follows The Trade Desk’s recent hire of CFO Nate Olmstead. Anna Sayre, who served as Interim Chief Marketing Officer during the transition, will return to her role as Senior Vice President of Global Brand Marketing.
Leadership hire at a major DSP/AdTech vendor signals investment in marketing and growth but is not industry-shifting on its own.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Trade Desk appointed Sarah Gavin as Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President.
- Sarah Gavin joins The Trade Desk on June 15, 2026, and will be based in the Bellevue office.
- Gavin will report directly to The Trade Desk CEO and Founder Jeff Green and lead global brand, communications, customer marketing, and demand generation.
- Gavin’s prior roles include Chief Communications Officer and Interim CMO at Zendesk, global narrative lead for Google Cloud, and senior communications leadership at Expedia Group.
- Anna Sayre will resume her role as Senior Vice President of Global Brand Marketing after serving as Interim Chief Marketing Officer; the appointment follows the recent hiring of CFO Nate Olmstead.
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The Trade Desk Names Nate Olmstead CFO
The Trade Desk announced Nate Olmstead will become its chief financial officer, joining the company on July 9 and reporting to CEO Jeff Green. Olmstead is the company’s fourth finance chief in roughly a year, taking the role after a period of executive departures, board turnover and investor scrutiny. He previously served as CFO of Penguin Solutions, was CFO at Logitech, and held senior finance roles at Hewlett-Packard and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The appointment follows the termination of former CFO Alex Kayyal earlier this year and comes as The Trade Desk faces competitive pressure from Amazon and Google, agency partner concerns and a stock that has fallen about 70% over the past year.
Kristi Argyilan Named Chief Commercial Officer at The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk appointed Kristi Argyilan as Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President, to lead its data partnerships team covering identity, measurement, retail media and governance. She will report to founder and CEO Jeff Green, be based in San Francisco and is scheduled to start on July 27, 2026. Argyilan joins from Uber, where she led the global advertising business, and previously held senior roles at Target, Albertsons Media Collective, Roundel and IPG; she also serves on LiveRamp’s board. The hire is the third recent C-level addition following Nate Olmstead (CFO) and Sarah Gavin (CMO, EVP), occurring amid broader leadership changes at the company. Uber named Josh Butler interim lead for Argyilan’s former responsibilities as its ads business continues rapid growth.
Inside The Trade Desk Executive Exodus
The Trade Desk has experienced significant executive turnover over the past year, including multiple CFO changes and the departure of several senior executives and board members. At least four board members — including Lise Buyer, Gokul Rajaram and Kathryn Falberg — have left since March. Departing executives have cited frustration with the company’s rising take rate and internal leadership decisions under CEO Jeff Green. Chief Strategy Officer Samantha Jacobson is reported to be leaving for a role at OpenAI. Jarod Schneider, who led technical account management, also left after 14 years. Former Trade Desk executives are landing across the industry at organizations including OpenAI, eMarketer, Index Exchange, DeepIntent and StackAdapt.
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