Criteo has hired Eric Eichmann as its first chief revenue officer, as the online ad retargeter gets its executive ranks in order ahead of a possible IPO.

Mr. Eichmann will oversee all operations except for tech and product teams for existing revenue streams around retail, travel, and classifieds categories. A different team will oversea revenue for auto and financial services categories, which the company is looking to break into.

In an interview, Mr. Eichmann admitted he wasn't familiar with the company when it first approached him, but he said he quickly became impressed with its technology, as well as its growth. "If you look at the display advertising ecosystem, I think it's very clear that there will be simplification." He believes Criteo will be one of the leaders as that shakeout occurs. Mr. Eichmann was most recently the president of the international business at local deals company LivingSocial and was originally hired there as chief operating officer. He left the company in early December, explaining that after the business shuttered several international operations, his role was no longer the one he signed up for. Before that, he was COO of language software company Rosetta Stone. He speaks fluent French – not an insignificant skill for a leader at Criteo since it still has its headquarters in Paris. He has also worked at AOL, where he helped lead the integration of the Ad.com ad network into the business following its acquisition. He will be based in London. It's not clear whether this is the position that former Yahoo exec Rich Riley had interviewed for. Business Insider reported earlier this month that Mr. Riley was interviewing for Criteo's CEO position. Whether or not that was the case, Ad Age has learned he's no longer part of any interview process with Criteo. Criteo raised nearly $40 million in September and is believed to have generated more than $300 million in gross revenue in 2012. People familiar with the company believe it is gunning for a late 2013 IPO. Criteo competitors include Sociomantic, AdRoll, and TellApart as well as demand-side platforms that have increased their use of retargeting thanks to FBX – Facebook's private ad exchange.