Integral Ad Science (IAS), the global leader in digital ad verification, today announced that Tom Sharma will join the company as Chief Product Officer, effective November 2, 2020. This critical new hire will accelerate IAS’s global product expansion, including plans to enhance its industry-leading Connected TV (CTV) solution. Sharma will be based in New York and report directly to IAS CEO, Lisa Utzschneider. 

“We have aggressive goals to deliver innovative ad verification products that drive this industry forward, and Tom’s extensive track record of building high-profile digital media and advertising products will be an asset for IAS,” said Lisa Utzschneider, Chief Executive Officer, IAS. ”With CTV as one of our biggest areas of investment, Tom is the right leader to grow our global team and ensure IAS’s products continue to deliver exceptional value for advertisers and publishers.” 

Sharma brings more than 20 years of experience building innovative digital media and advertising products to his new role at IAS. Most recently, he was the Senior Vice President and Head of Product at Intersection where he led product, user experience design, engineering, and technical operations. Prior to that, Sharma founded Impact Digital Media, providing product and technology consulting services to the world’s top media companies and studios. Before that, he was the Vice President and Head of Product at AOL. Sharma also held several leadership roles at NBCUniversal including Vice President, Emerging Products, and was a founding team member for Hulu. He was the recipient of the Edison Award for the launch of Hulu’s video syndication product, recognized for product and technology excellence, customer impact, and organizational citizenship.  

“IAS is always looking ahead to design products that solve complex challenges for its customers, and I look forward to leading the product team as we build for the future,” said Tom Sharma, incoming Chief Product Officer, IAS. “Developing products that improve media quality and make advertising more effective has always been a driving principle for me, and at IAS we will continue to push the envelope when it comes to product innovation, especially in CTV and programmatic.”

IAS launched the industry’s first CTV solution in 2018, providing global invalid traffic (IVT) and viewability support for both programmatic and direct buys across all apps and providers. Under Sharma’s leadership, IAS plans to introduce a comprehensive brand safety and suitability solution for CTV advertisers and publishers in 2021.