Ad tech company, Adnami, has appointed James Upson as managing director for the UK and the Netherlands, as it readies itself for further expansion across Europe. 

James, who will also join the leadership team at Adnami, will guide the UK business and accelerate growth, whilst overseeing the opening of an office in Amsterdam to oversee the Benelux region. 

This strategic move is designed to support a growing number of clients and agencies, and comes on the back of already significant expansion in other European markets.

Previously director of agency development EMEA at Taboola; agency development lead at Facebook, now Meta; and managing director at Teads, James has also worked on the agency side, including, as COO at MediaCom South Africa. Well versed in accelerating growth and the journey from start up to scale up, James has an outstanding track record in leadership roles seeing companies through to acquisition or IPO; having also worked with Adnami CEO, Simon Kvist Gaulshøj, at GoViral, before its sale to AOL. 

James says:  “I was compelled by both Adnami’s leadership and their innovative tech platform. It’s exciting to be back at a fast-growing company that plays a valuable role in the programmatic value chain, especially at a time when it is gaining interest and traction from a number of brands, agencies, and publishers.

James Upson, managing director UK, Adnami

“There has been a rebirth of creativity within high impact advertising, across channels such as display, mobile, and video - and we’re leading the charge on that. Key for us is how we serve clients to help drive efficiency, innovation, and growth. This is especially critical in the current climate where marketers are under increased pressure to deliver value with their ad dollars. Our aim is to maximise media efficiency and, to that end, we believe that attention as a metric should be at the forefront.”

Adnami has already developed a number of successful partnerships with both the major agencies and publishers, thanks to its ground breaking formats which deliver attention, engagement, and impact; ultimately focused on the successful collision of creativity, data, and formats.

CEO, Simon Kvist Gaulshøj adds: “James is the ultimate media professional and a true authority on the digital landscape. His attention to detail is second to none and, as an exceptional communicator, he takes great care of his clients, building long-lasting relationships with a shared passion for high standards.

“Our growing team is impactful, creative, curious, and above all customer focused and now, in James’ safe hands, we look forward to driving continued growth, and heavily expand in European markets as we continue on our journey to revolutionise media technology.”

Adnami will be embarking on a significant recruitment drive over the coming months. It specialises in programmatic, high-impact advertising solutions and works with a growing portfolio of publishers, agencies, and advertisers. With offices in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and London, Adnami is set to expand its programmatic tech solutions for high impact advertising and works with a diverse range of clients, such as Heineken, BMW, American Express, Disney, Samsung, and Amazon.