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Winners of the 2019 IAB Data Rockstars and Data Rising Stars Announced

Honoring the people who have had a profound impact on the digital media industry in 2019

Data is to the 21st century what capital was to the 20th century. Consider this: In 2018, American businesses spent nearly $19.2 billion on audience data and solutions to manage, process, and analyze digital audience data — a staggering 17.5 percent increase year-over-year (State of Data 2018 Report, Winterberry Group, IAB).

To raise awareness and visibility of the amazing work being done by visionaries who work with data, the IAB Data Center of Excellence is honoring key members as recipients of the fourth annual IAB Data Rockstars Awards.

These awards recognize outstanding work by data professionals and those who have had the most profound impact on the digital media industry in 2019.

The six winners of the 2019 Data Rockstars are:

2019 Data Rockstars
Donna Hamilton, SVP Data Acquisition & Activation, Alliant
Ross Jenkins, SVP Global Data Strategy, IPG Mediabrands
Kevin Moeller, Head of Media Insights & Analytics, North America, PepsiCo
Emma Pop, EVP, Director of Advanced Analytics and Insights, Starcom USA
Isaac Quiroga, Sr. Director of Video Engagement, Mattel
Jeffrey Sporn, Chief Digital Officer, Data-Driven Marketing, Equifax
Charles Wolrich, VP and General Manager, Hearst Data Studio, Hearst Magazines

The awards also recognize three Data Rising Stars:

2019 Data Rising Stars
Nisreen Al-Basha, Data Engineer, Yieldmo
Danielle Dzbanek, Director of Analytics, MediaMath

IAB received a record number of entries and nominees this year; contenders were nominated by peers, managers, and partners or self-nominated. The winners, selected by the Data Center Board of Directors, demonstrate excellence, artistry, and innovation within their field, and provide value to their teams, companies, and the larger industry. In short, they are doing amazing things with data, championing innovation, and changing the digital media industry for the better. IAB honors these individuals with the hope of encouraging greater interest and advancement in this dynamic and thriving field.

Winners of this year’s awards will be announced at a special IAB awards reception on Thursday, October 10th at 5:30 pm EST. The Reception will take place at iTrulli Ristorante, 124 East 27th Street, New York, NY.

More on the IAB Data Rockstars and IAB here.