Leslie Wood, a noted data science expert and advertising industry veteran, is joining ad tracking firm iSpot as the company’s chief research officer.
She will lead new currency initiatives across linear and streaming and oversee the data science department responsible for measuring ads and programming. Wood comes to iSpot after maintaining a longtime partnership with Media Trust LLC, where she spearheaded research into internet reach and frequency, market mix modeling, radio listening patterns and TV reach optimization. A multi-decade veteran with a PHD in machine learning, Wood is credited with accelerating innovation in brand measurement, notably for her tenure as Chief Data Officer for NCSolutions. She helped develop new approaches to using data for incremental measurement and targeting and also oversaw innovation
for all NCS products.
At iSpot, Wood will drive the development of products, solutions and methodologies as the company continues its assault on the Nielsen status quo.
“My passion for decades has been empowering consumer brands with better measurement and data science to deliver greater return on investments that can deliver better products and services for everyday people,” Wood said. “Putting my passions to work for iSpot gives me an opportunity not just to innovate at the measurement platform of choice for brands but to help ensure the very same metrics brands use to justify, optimize TV investments can also be the metrics they transact upon.”
Wood was just awarded the 2023 Charles Coolidge Parlin Marketing Award from the American Marketing Association for her achievements helping brands understand the business and brand impact of advertising. She is the first woman in 30 years, and only the second woman in 80 years, to receive the award. Past winners of this award include research luminaries like marketing pioneer Paul Nystrom, pollster George Gallup and ad guru David Ogilvy.
“Leslie Wood has been recognized as one of the most respected names in the media industry. Her reputation as a collaborative, innovative leader and her achievements in ad research, patent creation and TV incrementality, among other things, will serve as the backbone for iSpot’s continued push forward on in order to provide the industry with a currency that can finally unlock the full potential of premium video that exists today for brands, agencies and publishers,” CEO Sean Muller said.