Paris-based Criteo is in the thick of its transformation from a single-product retargeting company to a multi-product commerce media platform, and steering the ship is CEO Megan Clarken. Under her leadership in 2021, the ad tech brand experienced 46% year-over-year growth in its non-targeting products—an area that now represents 32% of Criteo’s business.

Last summer Clarken initiated a brand refresh with Criteo's chief marketing officer, Brendan McCarthy, including modernization of Criteo’s logo and tagline and a restatement of its brand positioning. The company ran its first regional Super Bowl ad this year, aiming to start a conversation about the future of the internet.

“Our new tagline—‘The future is wide open’—reflects the opportunity we see on the open internet as the entire ad tech ecosystem navigates massive disruption,” said Clarken.

Clarken is no stranger to having to adapt to disruptive circumstances in her own life: A former track and field star for her home country New Zealand, she narrowly missed out on the 1984 Olympics due to a serious knee injury, which forced her into retirement. She still holds records in New Zealand for the long jump and 100-meter dash.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Trust your intuition. If something feels wrong, then it probably is. You can’t predict the future, but you can make the decision to take full control of the life you’re creating by following your gut and never looking back. Anyone looking to succeed in their career needs to find their voice to act and be confident in the choices they make along the way.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

Leaving home at 16 to pursue my dream of becoming an Olympic athlete. There was no guarantee of what the outcome would be, but I knew I had to take the risk. I believe the experience taught me valuable lessons that led me to where I am today, and I’ve never regretted going for it.

If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing and why?

I would probably be doing something with animals. I’m passionate about saving animals because if we don’t advocate for the proper care, treatment and respect for them, who will?

What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?

Treat them equally and invest in programs that drive representation. In this industry, and in our line of work, we tend to have an unconscious bias where we lean toward men. But putting forth actions like pay parity and introducing young women and people of color to role models in the workforce that they can look up to and be trained by—these are essential unofficial actions that will need to be in place to try and move us away faster from this systemic issue. At Criteo, we’re investing in intentional recruiting programs to encourage women of color in this industry. Our partnership with a nonprofit, The Boyd Initiative, provides internships and post-graduate opportunities to people of color in the advertising and tech industry.

What is the biggest lesson you have taken away from the pandemic?

People are resilient. If they were wired to do well pre-pandemic, they’ll do well during and after the pandemic. When the pandemic began, everyone readjusted and did what they needed to do to keep going as best they can. Now two and a half years later, the world is a different place, and we continue adjusting as necessary. Passion and commitment trump adversity.