Evgeny
Popov.

New York–based global media executive with 25+ years of experience across APAC, LATAM, MENA, EMEA, and the Americas. I build teams, products, and technology across SaaS, DaaS, IaaS, and PaaS that unlock growth for companies ranging from startups to large enterprises.

I'm an entrepreneur at heart. I co-founded eCoffeeCard, Australia's largest coffee loyalty platform, and exited via acquisition by BeatTheQ in 2014. I've also been part of the core team on two more exits — HotelClub.com (acquired by Expedia) and Lotame (acquired by Publicis, during my international build-out across APAC, EMEA, and LATAM).

My work sits at the intersection of marketing technology, data, media, and client strategy. I've worked across the sell side, buy side, agency side, and global technology and data vendors, helping teams turn complex products into clear market value.

I am also an AdCP Founding Member, former IAB leader, DMEXCO columnist, and Forbes Tech Council contributor, advising vendors on where to scale, what to fix, and what not to waste time on.

By the numbers

Why this advisory exists

Most growth-stage AdTech, MarTech, data, AI, and SaaS companies don't have a strategy problem. They have an operating-system problem. Founder-led GTM has hit its ceiling. The board wants commercial outcomes, not roadmap optimism. A new region, ICP, or category was added without an operating motion to support it.

No Fluff Advisory exists for that gap — operator-shaped help that has run the playbook before it teaches it. Best fit for Series B Scaleup companies (75–200 employees · $10–30M ARR) with traction and a US scale mandate; secondary fit for Series A PMF founder-led teams (25–75 employees · $2–10M ARR) with a specific, urgent problem worth scoping. See the full ICP map →

What I'm usually brought in to fix

• Founder-led sales has outgrown its first commercial hire — the next system isn't designed yet.
• The board wants NDR, not new logos, and the post-sale operating model is reactive.
• A US scale mandate exists but the GTM motion isn't translating outside one market.
• Pricing and packaging were set early and aren't holding up to enterprise procurement.
• Partner and platform sequencing is a Rolodex, not a designed motion.
• A new ICP, category, or region is being launched — the operating system needs to be wired in 6–8 weeks.
• The CRO / CMO / CEO needs a senior operator sparring partner for weekly decisions, not another consultant deck.
• Enterprise data collaboration — clean room, ADH, walled-garden measurement — is treated as a platform problem when it's actually a governed-path problem.

If any of those sound like the conversation you're already having, start with the readiness scorecard or scope a Market Entry Audit.

Strengths

• Strong operations, product and technology background
• Architecting scalable data and technology products and services
• Expanding and developing data and tech vision, innovation and growth strategy
• Creating efficiency and automation at every touchpoint
• Worldwide organizational design — leading high-performance global teams
• Working through a customer-centric lens of reciprocity and empathy
• Authentic, ambidextrous leadership with self-awareness and compassion
• Global growth expansion evangelist — market strengths in APAC, EMEA and LATAM

Exits & founder work

Three liquidity events across two decades — one as founder, two as part of the core team during the period that led to acquisition.

1. Founder exit

   2011 — 2014
   eCoffeeCard → BeatTheQ
   Co-founder & CTO

   Co-founded Australia's largest coffee loyalty platform — 250K+ downloads, 3.5M+ page views, 1,500 partner venues across iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows. Won the Best Australian Mobile Application Award (2011). Exited via M&A acquisition.

2. Core-team exit

   Jun 2015 — Jun 2020
   Lotame → Publicis
   EVP, Global Data Solutions

   Actively scaling Lotame's international data business — APAC, EMEA, and LATAM — at the time of acquisition. Built the APAC data exchange from launch to nine-figure run rate during tenure.

3. Core-team exit

   Jul 1999 — Sep 2006
   HotelClub.com → Expedia
   Technical Team Lead

   Managed 11-person engineering team (Sydney, Philippines, India) building the 3-tier e-commerce platform during the period that led to acquisition by Expedia.

Experience

1. May 2025 — Present

   Global Head of Enterprise · Samba TV

   New York, NY

   • Own global growth for Data License (DaaS), Measurement, and Identity. Lead a multi-product expansion ladder driving consistent double-digit YoY growth and high net retention.
   • Built the enterprise acquisition engine — built around a Brand & Agency ICP — and a vertical GTM motion across CPG / Retail, Pharma / Telco, and Platforms; scaled Media & Entertainment to multi-million ACV.
   • Manage Sales, Solutions Engineering, and Customer Success as one integrated commercial org.
2. Jun 2022 — Present

   Co-founder & CEO · No Fluff Advisory

   New York · London

   • Strategic executive advisory for AdTech, MarTech, and data vendors. Four dimensions: international market entry, global BD, monetization, organizational design.
   • Focused on growth-stage companies — primarily Series B Scaleup (75–200 employees · $10–30M ARR) with traction and a US scale mandate; Series A PMF (25–75 employees · $2–10M ARR) founder-led teams for fixed-scope audits and sprints; selective Series C / Growth surge engagements on specific board-grade decisions.
3. Sep 2022 — Aug 2024

   EVP, GM — International Growth · Verve Group

   New York, NY

   • P&L across the Verve portfolio: Verve DSP (Platform 161), Match2One, and Moments.AI (formerly Beemray). Reached DSP EBITDA-positive in under 18 months with strong double-digit CAGR.
   • Managed a 100+ person commercial org across US, EMEA, LATAM and MENA (120+ extended team).
   • Owned worldwide product roadmap and the GTM strategy for EMEA, MENA, and LATAM.
4. Jun 2024 — Dec 2024

   Global Advisor · Mediaspace.global

   Global

   • Advised the global B2B vertical social platform for media, marketing, tech, and regulatory leaders — an invite-only senior ecosystem.
   • Awarded Most Engaging Tech and Media Sector Networking Platform (British Made Awards 2023) and Media Innovator Award for Best B2B Social Media Platform (UK 2023) during tenure.
5. Nov 2020 — May 2022

   Executive Managing Director · Hearts & Science (Omnicom)

   New York, NY

   • Managed and nurtured a 350+ person org across Marketing Science, Data, and Technology — attrition under 7% in 2021 during the Great Resignation.
   • Initiated a company-wide MarTech six-module certification program upskilling the entire 1,500+ agency workforce.
   • Built and rolled out the cookie-deprecation Data Strategy framework across the full client portfolio — AT&T, Amgen, Warner, P&G and others.
6. Jun 2015 — Jun 2020

   Executive Vice President (Global) · Lotame

   New York, NY (via Sydney + Singapore)

   • Four promotions in five years. Built the APAC data exchange and DMP business from launch to nine-figure run rate at triple-digit YoY growth.
   • Took over global Data business (DaaS, IaaS) from New York. Every team member hit 100%+ on-target in 2019 (113% average).
   • Signed 40+ enterprise partnerships including Salesforce and PubMatic.
   • Was actively building Lotame's international business across APAC, EMEA, and LATAM at the time of acquisition by Publicis.
7. May 2020 — Jan 2021

   Mindfulness Sabbatical · Personal

   Mexico

   • A deliberate pause between major roles — eight months in Mexico thinking about what to build next. The reset directly shaped the operator + advisor posture that has defined the work since.
8. Apr 2019 — Jun 2020

   Board Member — Data Center of Excellence · IAB

   New York, NY

   • Co-designed Project REARC — the industry-wide effort to rearchitect digital advertising for post-identifier addressability.
9. Apr 2014 — May 2020

   Co-Founder — APAC Chapters · AdTech Meetup

   Sydney · Singapore · Hong Kong

   • Co-founded and ran the AdTech Meetup community across three APAC cities, building grassroots education + relationships for the regional ad-tech industry.
10. Feb 2016 — Jun 2017

    Co-Chairman — Marketing & Ad Technology · IAB Singapore

    Singapore

    • Chaired a committee of SEA industry leaders building a measurable framework for the regional interactive advertising market.

Earlier career

The decade before the operator-and-advisor era. Operations, ad-tech, and product roles across Sydney that built the foundation for everything since.

• Jan 2014 — Jun 2015 RVP, Operations APAC RadiumOne Sydney
• Feb 2013 — Jan 2014 Head of Publisher Trading Desk News Corp Australia Sydney
• Apr 2012 — Feb 2013 Senior Program Manager (APAC) Brandscreen Sydney
• Nov 2011 — Apr 2012 Senior Technical Manager, Business Apps ninemsn Sydney
• Sep 2006 — Nov 2011 Ad Operations Technology Program Manager ninemsn Sydney

Causes I care about

The areas the pro bono work tends to support, and where I'm most willing to take a call without a budget attached.

• Animal Welfare
• Arts & Culture
• Children
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Human Rights
• Disaster & Humanitarian Relief
• Science & Technology
• Social Services

Senior peers I've endorsed

A small slice of the senior operators I've publicly recommended on LinkedIn over the years. The full list of recommendations I've written is visible on each person's LinkedIn profile.

• Mitch Waters
  SVP, Client Service APAC
  The Trade Desk
• Jason Barnes
  Chief Revenue Officer, APAC
  PubMatic
• Adam Furness
  Managing Director, APJ
  impact.com
• Adele Wieser
  Regional Managing Director, APAC
  Index Exchange
• Ryan Rolf
  VP, BD Ecosystem & Connectivity
  LiveRamp
• David McGrath
  Chief Executive Officer
  myPlates
• Eryk Koziol
  SVP, Regional Operations APAC
  choreograph
• Charlie Baillie
  Chief Executive Officer
  Ampverse
• Ian Curd
  Global Data Foundations for AI
  Diageo

Education

• 2022
  Global Master of Business Administration (GMBA)

  Macquarie University Sydney

  Non-credited online program. 20 units via Coursera with 5 specialization diplomas.
• 2003
  Graduate Diploma in Operations Research

  University of Technology Sydney

  Computational and Applied Mathematics — quantitative management, network and combinatorial optimization.
• 2001
  Bachelor of Information Technology

  Moscow Aviation Institute

  Specialization in Applied Mathematics, Physics, and Economics.

Notable certifications

From a 53+ certification list across cognitive science, AI, blockchain, and platform tooling — the ones worth naming.

• AgenticAdvertising.org
  AdCP — Basics · Practitioner · Specialist (Signals)
• Stanford
  Cryptography I
• Harvard
  Fundamentals of Neuroscience
• Yale
  Introduction to Psychology
• Duke
  DeFi Specialization (4 courses)
• Edinburgh
  Know Thyself (The Examined Life + The Unconscious)
• DeepLearning.AI
  Generative AI with LLMs · Neural Networks & Deep Learning
• Jordan B. Peterson Lab
  Discovering Personality
• Macquarie
  GMBA · 20 units · 5 specialization diplomas
• Google
  GMP: CM360 · DV360 · SA360 · GA4 (active)
• The Trade Desk
  Marketing Foundations · Data-Driven Planning · CTV

See all 53 credentials — every one linked + verifiable →

Endorsed for

235+ peers have endorsed me on LinkedIn across the disciplines below. Real signal from people I've actually worked with.

• Online Advertising 130
• Programmatic Media Buying 7
• Digital Media 90
• Digital Marketing 50
• Data Strategies 9
• Statistical Data Analysis 6
• Go-to-Market Strategy 2
• Strategy 16
• Leadership 3
• Team Leadership 6
• Executive Leadership 2
• Executive Management 2

Published in

AdExchanger, AdNews, Advertising Week (AdWeek), ANA, Campaign Asia, DMEXCO (columnist), ExchangeWire, Forbes (Tech Council), Media Makers Meet (M3X), The Drum, and Performance Marketing World (PMW).

Full bibliography →

Frameworks I've published

• EARO · Exposure → Attention → Relevance → Outcome. A holistic model for measuring marketing effectiveness in the agentic AI era. Grounded in Vervaeke's relevance realization. 22 metrics across 4 components. Whitepaper →
• Agentic Audiences (UCP) · A Technical Specification for Embeddings-Based Agent-to-Agent Advertising. IAB Tech Lab specification, donated by LiveRamp Q4 2025. 77-page normative spec. Read spec →
• Behavioral Prediction Framework · 21 psychographic dimensions for ad activation, designed to predict engagement with probability above 0.85. Cognitive, rational, attachment, personality, and temperament profiles. Read →
• 7-Step Market Entry Audit · The operating methodology for international AdTech, MarTech, and data vendors entering the US market. Shipped on every engagement. See methodology →

All frameworks →

Elsewhere

LinkedIn · Medium · Substack · Forbes · X / Twitter · Agentic Advertising