NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- ContextWeb, Inc., a leading contextual advertising company and operator of the ADSDAQ ad exchange, announced today that Wenda Harris Millard, President, Media, of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) has joined its board of directors.
A seasoned executive with 30 years of media and advertising experience, Ms. Millard has held senior level online ad sales and management positions including serving as Chief Sales Officer at Yahoo! from 2001 until 2007 and founding member and executive vice president of DoubleClick where she oversaw the operations of DoubleClick Media. She is credited with having overseen dramatic growth in display advertising at Yahoo!, lifting revenue to $6.4 billion in 2006 from $717 million in 2001.
"I have kept an eye on ContextWeb as its ADSDAQ ad exchange has quickly emerged as the largest independent exchange," says Ms. Millard. "Clearly the fact that ADSDAQ delivers a brand-safe environment at extraordinary scale is a factor in that rapid growth. I am pleased to be part of a very important company that will accelerate the adoption of online advertising as a significant part of the media mix."
"Wenda brings a unique understanding in regard to the needs of advertising agencies and the brands they represent. Having Wenda on ContextWeb's board validates the ADSDAQ ad exchange's premium approach to the marketplace and gives us access to one of the best and brightest minds in the media business," says Anand Subramanian, CEO of ContextWeb, Inc.
Ms. Millard joins the existing outside board members of ContextWeb, including Marshall Cohen, Partner of the Pilot Group; John Fisher, Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson; Ross Goldstein, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gotham Ventures; and Conor Mullett, Co-Founder and General Partner of Updata Partners.
Ms. Millard currently oversees MSLO's media businesses, which include Publishing, Internet and Broadcasting. Before that, Ms. Millard was with Yahoo!, where she served as Chief Sales Officer since October 2001. At Yahoo!, she was responsible for driving the North American sales of the company's advertising and marketing services initiatives and leading the North American sales organization.
Ms. Millard was formerly Chief Internet Officer at Ziff Davis Media and president of Ziff Davis Internet. Previously, she was executive vice president and one of the founding members of DoubleClick, where she was responsible for establishing the DoubleClick brand and overseeing the operations of DoubleClick Media.
Ms. Millard is also former president and group publisher of SRDS, the country's leading provider of media and marketing information. Before joining SRDS, Ms. Millard was senior vice president and publisher of Family Circle, the world's largest-selling women's magazine. Prior to that, she had been executive vice president/group publisher of Adweek, Mediaweek and Brandweek magazines. Previous career highlights include sales and management roles at leading organizations including Working Women Ventures, Inc.; New York Magazine; and Ladies' Home Journal.
Ms. Millard is Chairman of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Ad Council. She is past president of the Advertising Club of New York and former chairman of its foundation. She was named to the American Advertising Federation's Hall of Achievement, the highest honor given to advertising professionals 40 and under.
Ms. Millard holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Trinity College, where she has received both the Gary McQuaid Award for Excellence in Business Leadership and the Alumni Achievement Award.
ContextWeb's ADSDAQ ad exchange (http://exchange.contextweb.com) is the only online exchange where both advertisers and publishers have complete control. The exchange's patent-pending, page-level contextual technology offers advertisers efficient pricing and extensive reach, making inventory on the exchange brand-safe and comparable to a site-specific buy.
As of January 2008, ADSDAQ by ContextWeb ranks among the top 20 ad supported properties, according to comScore Media Metrix, and reaches +88 million monthly unique visitors. The exchange serves impressions from more than 350 advertisers, including 9 out of the top 10 marketing organizations, and more than 2,500 publishers. Also in 2007, Deloitte's New York Region Technology Fast 50 recognized ContextWeb as the 17th fastest growing company in the New York area. The company's investors include leading venture capital firms Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Updata Partners.
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