David Cohen

David Cohen is one of the most consequential figures in digital advertising, serving as CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the trade organization that sets the rules, standards, and advocacy agenda for the $200B+ digital advertising industry. Since taking the helm at IAB, Cohen has positioned the organization as a proactive force on the most pressing issues facing the ecosystem — from the deprecation of third-party cookies and the rise of privacy regulation to the proliferation of AI-generated content and the ongoing battle for brand safety. His leadership style blends pragmatic industry coalition-building with a willingness to take strong public stances on issues that matter to IAB's 700+ member companies. Before joining IAB, Cohen spent years at the heart of the buy side as President of Magna Global, IPG's centralized media intelligence and investment unit. In that role, he was responsible for negotiating billions of dollars in media spend on behalf of some of the world's largest advertisers, while also building out Magna's research and forecasting capabilities into one of the most cited sources of media economic data in the industry. His experience straddling both strategic research and hard-nosed media negotiation gave him a rare dual fluency in the economics and mechanics of advertising. Cohen is a fixture on the conference circuit and a sought-after commentator on the future of digital media, regularly speaking at events like CES, Cannes Lions, and IAB's own Annual Leadership Meeting. He has been a consistent advocate for a free, ad-supported internet while pushing the industry to hold itself to higher standards on transparency, measurement, and consumer trust. His tenure at IAB has been marked by a forward-leaning posture on identity solutions, clean rooms, and the post-cookie landscape.

Last updated Jun 6, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team · Connections updated Jul 8, 2026