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Seb Tomich

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Seb Tomich is Head of Advertising at The Athletic, where he leads the publication's advertising business. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Advertising at The New York Times from 2015 to 2023, where he was instrumental in shifting the organization toward first-party data, contextual targeting, and branded content as sustainable revenue pillars for premium publishers. Earlier in his career he held the role of Vice President of Advertising at The New York Times and Head of Advertising at The Athletic during its time as an NYT Company property.

Last updated Jun 6, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team

Role
Head of Advertising
Company
The Athletic
Based
New York, New York, United States
Connections
3
Years in industry
15 years

Bio

Seb Tomich is Head of Advertising at The Athletic, where he leads the publication's advertising business. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Advertising at The New York Times from 2015 to 2023, where he was instrumental in shifting the organization toward first-party data, contextual targeting, and branded content as sustainable revenue pillars for premium publishers. Earlier in his career he held the role of Vice President of Advertising at The New York Times and Head of Advertising at The Athletic during its time as an NYT Company property.

Career

  • Senior Vice President, Advertising

    The New York Times · 2015-2023

  • Head of Advertising

    The Athletic (NYT Company) · 2022-2023

  • Vice President, Advertising

    The New York Times · 2013-2015

Expertise & education

Expertise

First-Party Data StrategyContextual TargetingBranded Content / Native AdvertisingPremium Publisher MonetizationProgrammatic AdvertisingBrand SafetyPost-Cookie Identity SolutionsAudience Data and Segmentation

Education

  • Bachelor's Degree, University of Michigan

Speaking topics

The future of contextual advertisingFirst-party data strategies for publishersBrand safety and premium inventory valueNative advertising and branded contentPublisher monetization in a post-cookie world

Recognition

Notable achievements

  • Led the growth of T Brand Studio into one of the most recognized branded content operations in media
  • Architected the NYT's advertising pivot to first-party data and contextual targeting ahead of the third-party cookie deprecation
  • Helped launch and scale The Athletic's advertising business following its acquisition by The New York Times Company
  • Positioned the NYT as a top-CPM destination for brand-safe, premium digital advertising

Awards

Frequently cited in Adweek and Digiday as a top publishing and media executive

Publications

  • Quoted extensively in Adweek, Digiday, and The Wall Street Journal on publisher advertising strategy
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