Meet Shashi Seth

With an extensive background from iconic companies like Google, YouTube, Oracle and many startups, Shashi Seth has consistently been at the forefront of innovation. He has had a fascinating career journey, starting in the tech hubs of Silicon Valley and becoming a leader in the fast-evolving fields of advertising technology (AdTech) and marketing technology (MarTech). Today, he brings his expertise to QNTM Group, Altor’s family of software and tech companies within commerce, activation and marketing.

 

What brought you into this business of AdTech and MarTech?

My entry into the space was serendipitous. I was fortunate to be in Silicon Valley during a pivotal time when the internet was still being defined. Over the past 30 years, the industry has experienced rapid growth and constant evolution, giving people like me opportunities to learn and grow.

Take Google, for instance. When I joined in 2005, we were working on building core search capabilities while also figuring out how to monetize them. This led to the development of search advertising, which is vastly different from display advertising, a world I explored later at YouTube. Each step along the way taught me invaluable lessons and prepared me for where the industry is now.

 

For those of us who are new to the topic, how does search advertising differ from display advertising?

Search advertising is entirely performance-driven — it’s based on number of clicks and levels of user engagement. Display advertising, on the other hand, focuses on impressions, and when I was at YouTube, it became clear how different the dynamics were. We were essentially inventing video advertising at that time, experimenting with new advertising formats and figuring out how to monetize a platform that had never been monetized before.

Some of those early principles still hold true, but many have evolved. For instance, today’s advancements in AI are helping marketers automate campaigns, from generating copy and visuals to optimizing subject lines. These tools enable businesses and creatives to focus on higher-level strategy while AI handles repetitive tasks.

Your career has involved taking on roles where you had to innovate and start from scratch. How have you approached reimagining and daring to lead in new directions?

The industry attracts people who thrive on challenges, learning, and taking calculated risks. For me, the key has been fostering a culture where experimentation and failure are part of the journey. You must create a safe environment for teams to innovate, knowing that some ideas will fail, but those failures often lead to breakthroughs.

A great metaphor is golf. Most rounds are average, but a few great shots keep you coming back. The same applies to innovation — you build on small wins to tackle bigger challenges.

 

 

You mentioned customer behavior is evolving rapidly. How do you see that impacting technology companies?

Customer expectations have changed dramatically. In the past, software required ownership of servers and infrastructure. Then Salesforce introduced cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS), which eliminated the need for physical servers. Now, we’re seeing the rise of service-as-software, where AI automates large parts of operations.

For example, marketing teams can now run and optimize large parts of the campaign. Web sites and mobile apps can be completely personalized based on past customer behavior. Pricing optimization and discounts can be done in real-time automatically. This allows human resources to focus on strategic initiatives instead of repetitive tasks. It’s a major shift, and companies like QNTM are well-positioned to help businesses adapt quickly.

 

 

What attracted you to QNTM, and where do you see the company going in the future?

I have a ton of experience in this space, and many of the challenges QNTM is tackling align with what I worked on at Oracle and other companies. That said, the problems today are evolving, and QNTM is uniquely focused on the European market, where regulations like GDPR have reshaped the playing field.

What excites me the most is their startup mindset. Even as the group grows, they have been able to keep their innovative spirit alive. My goal is to help the company maintain that agility and focus on creating world-class software and services. When you have a product that customers love, it sells itself, and your success naturally follows. I’m thrilled to be learning and contributing as we navigate such a dynamic industry.

 

 

Finally, what’s the key to staying ahead of the curve in such a fast-moving space?

It’s about staying true to your roots. Startups are built on speed, innovation, and a customer-first approach, and those qualities need to remain as the company scales. At QNTM, the challenge is to keep that spirit alive, delivering exceptional products and staying responsive to customer needs.

When teams feel empowered and supported, they’re able to innovate and grow, which ultimately drives success for everyone involved. This is the kind of culture we’re building at QNTM, and I’m excited to see where it takes us.