Scott Cunningham — Fractional Chief Product Officer at Alliance for Audited Media

Scott Cunningham has taken on the role of Fractional Chief Product Officer at the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM), a prominent media auditing and data analytics organization that serves publishers, advertisers, and agencies. AAM is well known for its role in providing verified audience data, media intelligence, and brand safety standards across print, digital, and cross-platform media. A fractional CPO arrangement means Cunningham will serve in a part-time or project-based executive capacity, bringing senior product leadership without a full-time commitment — a model increasingly common in the AdTech and media industry for organizations seeking specialized expertise. Scott Cunningham is a highly respected figure in the AdTech ecosystem, best known as the co-founder of the IAB Tech Lab, where he played a pivotal role in developing technical standards for programmatic advertising, brand safety, and supply chain transparency. His background includes deep expertise in ad standards, identity, measurement, and trust infrastructure — areas that are directly relevant to AAM's mission of auditing and verifying media data. His appointment signals AAM's intent to modernize and expand its product capabilities, particularly as the media measurement and verification landscape undergoes significant transformation. This leadership move is significant because it brings one of the industry's foremost technical and product minds into an organization that sits at the intersection of media auditing, data transparency, and advertiser trust. As the industry grapples with the deprecation of third-party cookies, evolving measurement standards, and growing demand for verified media quality, Cunningham's expertise could help AAM develop new product offerings that address these challenges and reinforce its relevance in a rapidly changing ecosystem.

Cunningham's appointment at AAM has meaningful implications for the broader AdTech landscape, particularly in the areas of media measurement, verification, and transparency. AAM has historically been a trusted third-party auditor, but faces competitive pressure from newer measurement and verification players such as Nielsen, Comscore, IAS, DoubleVerify, and JICWEBS-aligned bodies. Bringing in a product leader of Cunningham's caliber suggests AAM may be preparing to launch or enhance digital product lines that compete more directly in the data intelligence and verification space. From a market dynamics perspective, this move reinforces the industry trend of organizations investing in product-led growth strategies to remain competitive amid rapid technological change. Cunningham's deep ties to the IAB Tech Lab and his familiarity with programmatic standards, supply chain integrity (e.g., ads.txt, sellers.json), and identity frameworks could help AAM build products that bridge traditional media auditing with modern programmatic and digital advertising needs. This could position AAM as a more active participant in conversations around post-cookie measurement and cross-platform audience verification. The fractional model itself is also a notable trend signal — it reflects how AdTech organizations are leveraging senior talent in flexible arrangements, allowing executives like Cunningham to contribute to multiple initiatives across the ecosystem simultaneously. This could mean Cunningham continues to advise or contribute to other industry bodies or companies in parallel, amplifying his influence across multiple fronts in the standards and verification space.