Criteo CEO: “We have a clear strategy — now we need to move faster”
The Media Leader Interview
As Criteo celebrates its 20th anniversary, the company is looking to move from adtech survivor to global leader. Speaking from Criteo’s boat at Cannes Lions, new CEO Michael Komasinski — who joined in February 2025 — outlined his ambition: accelerate execution, unify products, and become the commerce media platform of reference.
“My message has been clear: let’s move faster”, he said.
The below is a translated transcript of an interview, originally conducted in French and edited for clarity, with Komasinksi. The interview was conducted by François Quairel, editor of The Media Leader France.
The Media Leader: At Cannes Lions, Criteo unveiled a new global positioning: For Love of the Commerce. Is that a love letter or a rallying cry?
Komasinski: A bit of both. The word “commerce” is central, because that’s our core strategy — to become the world’s leading commerce media platform. Our previous tagline, The future is wide open, referred to the open internet. But we’ve evolved far beyond that: we now operate in social, retail media and other environments that go beyond the open web. We needed a statement that better reflects who we are today.
The word “love” has multiple meanings. It speaks to our internal culture — the passion our teams have for this company — but also to the consumer experience. We want shopping to be more enjoyable, more relevant, more seamless. This isn’t just a marketing line. It’s a unifying message for our clients, our partners, and our people.
The Media Leader: You officially became CEO in February 2025, after senior roles at Dentsu and Merkle. What made you take on this challenge — and what did you want to change first?
Komasinski: What attracted me to Criteo was the quality of the strategy. We already had a strong roadmap around commerce media — I didn’t need to rewrite it, but I knew we needed to go faster. That’s been my core message from day one: let’s move faster. Commercially, operationally, technically — across the board.
My other priority has been to shift our mindset from being a suite of solutions to a true integrated platform. Every product needs to connect and complement the others. We’re building a platform where all components align around a unified vision — to deliver performance, creativity, and value through commerce media. That’s how we’ll differentiate.
The Media Leader: This year marks Criteo’s 20th anniversary. How do you reflect on the company’s journey — and what comes next?
Komasinski: It’s rare for an adtech company to last two decades. Criteo has continuously innovated, pivoted, weathered industry shifts, and grown into a truly global and multi-product company. That kind of resilience is embedded in our culture — our people have tremendous passion and tenacity.
For the next 10 to 20 years, I want to keep that spirit alive but evolve the model. Performance and retail are converging. I believe we’re at the right intersection to take advantage of that organically.
And of course, AI will be a defining force — not just in how our platforms operate, but in market-facing solutions. We’ve already started prototyping AI-native products. That’s a big opportunity, and Criteo has a real role to play in this next chapter.
The Media Leader: AI was everywhere at Cannes Lions. But is it really delivering business results yet — or are we still in an experimental phase?
Komasinski: I’d say we’re still in a business development phase. Usage is rising fast — just look at agentic search or the shift in user behavior away from traditional search engines. But monetisation is still in its early stages. Most large AI platforms are focused on user adoption, subscriptions, infrastructure… not revenue.
The next two to three years will be about defining how commerce intersects with AI. What do monetisation models look like? How are products and brands surfaced in these new environments?
Criteo is well positioned to lead in this area — thanks to our data, our performance DNA, and the assets we’ve built.
The Media Leader: From Amazon to Carrefour to Walmart, many retailers are building their own ad businesses. Is Criteo a partner, a tech vendor — or a competitor?
Komasinski: It’s a bit of all three. These are classic frenemy relationships. We collaborate in some areas, compete in others. The retail media space is large enough to support multiple models.
If you’re a media agency looking to buy retail media at scale, you need to work with three players: Amazon, Walmart and Criteo. Between us, we cover about 98% of global retail media networks. Criteo clearly leads the mid- and long-tail segment outside of those two giants. That makes us indispensable.
The Media Leader: What are brands, agencies and retailers expecting from a company like Criteo in 2025?
Komasinski: They expect us to be the efficient connector of supply and demand, always focused on the end consumer. They want us to simplify media buying, unify platforms, and make technology easier to use — so they can focus on insight and creativity.
They also expect us to help define measurement standards. What does success look like? What should we track? As the leader in commerce media, I feel a responsibility not just to our clients, but to the industry, to help shape what comes next. And we’re ready for that.
The Media Leader: After a week of meetings at Cannes, what are you taking back with you?
Komasinski: Even more confidence in our strategy. I already believed we were well positioned, but this has been one of the strongest Cannes experiences I’ve had in a decade. The level of conversation, the volume of meaningful, actionable discussions — it’s surpassed my expectations.
Not every conversation will turn into a partnership, but the energy, the alignment, and the momentum are very real. That’s a great signal for what’s ahead.