Simon Thomas

Background

About Simon Thomas

In GroupM since 2004, I work across planning & activation in the GroupM Global Media Investment Management team. I am responsible for media audiences, touchpoints, and behavioural data & applications used to optimise the planning, execution, and reporting of our clients communication investments across all media channels. I work globally with our three GroupM media agency networks, and our specialist business Nexus (Finecast, Xasis & Kinetic) and Choreograph. I work across some client teams, trading, insight & research specialists, and our data scientists & engineers / software development partners. Using traditional panels, hybrid currencies and digital census data sources we optimise the media investment value on multiple metrics including reach, viewability, attention, effectiveness, and brand/sales uplifts. In today’s complex digital ecosystems and supply chains we ensure effective exposure and attention including brand safety, transparency, accountability, in quality media, within an industry leading Responsible Investment Framework. This covers both diversity and climate change sustainability issues head on. Prior to GroupM I worked for IPC from 1978 in an ad sales & research role, then I spent the 80s decade at DDS (now MediaOcean), before joining Leo Burnett/Starcom for the 90s where I helped develop some of the first global TV optimisation and reporting solutions. I joined CIA Group on 1st January and we were acquired by WPP in 2003, becoming MEC (now Wavemaker). I sit on various media industry bodies in the UK and internationally (incl EACA, IAB Europe, & I-COM), and am a regular media conference speaker & panelist.