New York, October 29th / PRNewswire / -- Criteo S.A. (Nasdaq ticker: CRTO) (hereinafter referred to as “Criteo” or “the Company”) announced today that Jianchang JC Mao has been appointed as an independent director of the company's board of directors (hereinafter referred to as “the Board”), with the appointment taking effect from October 28, 2026.
Mao is a senior technology executive and investor with over 30 years of experience in the fields of artificial intelligence ( AI ), digital advertising, and search. For more than 20 of those years, he has been responsible for global research, product, and engineering organizations. He currently serves as a general partner and distinguished researcher at Fellows Fund. Fellows Fund is an investment firm that focuses on AI native companies.
The Chairman of the Board, Rik, van, der, and Kooi, stated: " JC is an outstanding technical leader who has built and expanded AI and advertising platforms at some of the largest technology companies around the world. He possesses deep technical expertise, global operational experience, and proven leadership in the fields of advertising and consumer technology, which will be a tremendous asset to Criteo. As AI is reshaping business and advertising, the Board believes that JC's perspective will enhance the Board's strength and help Criteo accelerate innovation in its business intelligence platform, thereby driving sustainable growth and shareholder value."
Before joining Fellows Fund, Mao served as the Vice President of Engineering for Google Assistant, leading a global team responsible for its development and foundational AI technologies, including natural language processing, large language models, and voice technology.
Previously, Mao worked at Microsoft for nine years, with his most recent role being Vice President and General Manager of Microsoft Advertising Products and Engineering. In that position, he led global product and engineering teams responsible for Microsoft's search and native advertising markets. Even earlier on, Mao served as Vice President of Advertising Science at Yahoo and held technical leadership positions at Verity. His career began as a researcher at IBM Almaden Research Center.
Mao is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science from Michigan State University, as well as Master's and Bachelor's degrees from East China Normal University.
Mao It is a great honor for me to join the board of Criteo at this important moment in the evolution of business and advertising. Criteo Unique business data, global customer relationships, and twenty years of AI innovation have laid a solid foundation for further development. I look forward to working with the other members of the board and the Criteo management team to support the company's innovation strategy and create long-term value for shareholders.
After serving for nearly a decade, Edmond Mesrobian stepped down from his position on the board of directors on October 28, 2026. The departure of Mesrobian was not due to any disagreements with the company or the board regarding company operations, policies, or practices.
van der Kooi added, "On behalf of the entire board of directors, I would like to express my gratitude to Edmond for the outstanding services and commitments he has made to Criteo since 2017. His profound technical expertise and experience in leading retail transformation have made a lasting contribution to our strategy."
It is my honor to be able to serve on the board of Criteo and participate in the company's transformation. I am proud of the progress we have made, and I believe that Criteo has the capability to continue to advance in its leading position in the field of business intelligence.
Contact Person
- Investor Relations: Melanie Dambre, Email: [ email protected ]
- Public Relations: Amanda Echavarri, Email: [ email protected ]
About Criteo
Criteo (Nasdaq ticker: CRTO) is a global business intelligence platform that provides performance-driven services for brands, agencies, retailers, and publishers. Criteo is built on proprietary business data derived from over $1 trillion in annual sales, combined with twenty years of AI innovation, to help companies within the ecosystem make more informed decisions and achieve better results, while providing shoppers with more relevant experiences. With thousands of customers and deep collaborations in the global retail and digital commerce sectors, Criteo offers the technology and insights needed for corporate competition and growth. For more information, please visit criteo.com.
Forward-looking Statement Disclosure
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements in the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities Laws. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the expected contribution of Mao to the board of directors and company strategy, as well as the company's financial condition, operating results, cash flows, plans, objectives, future performance and business, the company's expectations regarding market opportunities and future growth prospects, statements regarding expected earnings due to changes in the board of directors, and statements made by directors in this press release. These contents are not historical facts and involve risks and uncertainties that may lead to significant differences between actual results and expectations.
Factors that may lead to or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the expected benefits of the board changes mentioned in this press release (including the expected contribution of Mao) may not be realized; the failure to retain Mao as a director, or the failure to appoint Mao as a director at the time of the US merger takes effect; failures related to the company's technology and its ability to innovate and adapt to technological changes, including the company's use and expected use of AI; the company's inability to continuously obtain internet display advertising inventory and to expand its access to such inventory; investments in new business opportunities and their timing; whether the expected benefits of acquisitions or strategic transactions, including the completed relocation from France to Luxembourg ("conversion") and the proposed transfer of legal residence from Luxembourg to the United States through the merger with a newly established and wholly-owned US subsidiary ("US merger"), will be realized as scheduled; uncertainties related to the company's international business and expansion, including political or economic conditions or policy changes in a particular country or region and related uncertainties (such as the imposition and enforcement of tariffs); impacts resulting from competition or customer consolidation; the impact of legislative, regulatory, or self-regulatory developments regarding data privacy, as well as the efforts of other industry participants to comply with relevant requirements; the company's ability to obtain and use certain data due to consumers' concerns about data collection and sharing, and possible restrictions on obtaining data from third parties; the failure to enhance brand influence in a cost-effective manner; recent growth rates do not represent future growth; the flexibility of customers to increase or decrease spending; potential fluctuations in the company's ability to manage growth and operating results, as well as its ability to expand its customer base, along with risks associated with future opportunities and plans, including uncertainties regarding future financial performance and results; changes in general political, economic, and competitive conditions, as well as specific market conditions; adverse changes in the advertising industry; changes in applicable laws or accounting standards; and the failure to obtain shareholder approval for the proposals required for the US merger.Failure to meet any other conditions for the merger with the United States; the merger with the United States not being completed; the impact or consequences of any legal proceedings or regulatory actions that may be initiated against the company due to the conversion or the merger with the United States; failure to maintain the company's listing on NASDAQ, or failure to list on the New York Stock Exchange after the merger with the United States, or subsequent inability to maintain the listing; inability to capitalize on the potential strategic opportunities provided by the conversion or the merger with the United States, or to realize their potential benefits; the conversion or the merger with the United States disrupting the company's current plans and operations; interference with the company's relationships with employees, suppliers, lenders, partners, governments, shareholders, etc.; the future financial performance of Criteo, including expected growth rates and market opportunities; changes in shareholders' rights resulting from the conversion or the merger with the United States; difficulty in adapting to operating under Luxembourgian or U.S. laws; delays or abandonment of the merger with the United States; costs or taxes related to the conversion or the merger with the United States; as well as the risks listed in detail from time to time under the "Risk Factors" heading and in other sections of the documents and reports submitted by the company to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the company's 10-K annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, as revised and submitted to SEC on February 26, 2026, subsequent 10-Q quarterly reports, and the S-4 registration statement submitted in connection with the merger with the United States, as well as any future documents submitted by the company related to the merger with the United States.
Forward-looking statements are not predictions or guarantees of future events or circumstances, and such future events or circumstances may not occur. You should not rely excessively on these forward-looking statements, as they are only valid as of the date of issuance of this press release.
Except as required by law, the company has no obligation, and explicitly denies any obligation, to update or modify any forward-looking statements in this press release due to new information, future events, anticipated changes, or other reasons.
Supplementary information and methods of acquisition
This press release is related to the proposed merger with the United States. Regarding this merger with the United States, Criteo Holdings, Inc. (“U.S. Criteo”) have submitted a S-4 registration statement (“Registration Statement”) to SEC, which includes a preliminary proxy form for convening a Criteo special general meeting of shareholders to approve the merger with the United States and related proposals. This Registration Statement also constitutes a preliminary prospectus for U.S. Criteo. Once the S-4 Registration Statement is declared effective, the formal proxy form/prospectus and other relevant documents will be provided to the Criteo shareholders who are entitled to vote on the merger with the United States and related proposals as of the record date, which will be specified in the proxy form/prospectus. Criteo and U.S. Criteo may also submit other relevant documents to SEC regarding the merger with the United States. This press release cannot replace the Registration Statement, proxy form/prospectus, or any other documents related to the merger with the United States that the company or U.S. Criteo has submitted or may submit to SEC (as available). The formal proxy form/prospectus will be provided to the shareholders of Lux Criteo. Investors and security holders are advised to carefully and thoroughly read the Registration Statement, proxy form/prospectus and any amendments or supplements to them, as well as any other relevant documents that the company or U.S. Criteo may submit to SEC when they become available, as they contain or will contain important information regarding Criteo, U.S. Criteo and the merger with the United States.
Shareholders may obtain free copies through the SEC website www.sec.gov after submitting these materials (when available), as well as other documents containing important information regarding Criteo, U.S, Criteo, and the merger with the United States to SEC. Copies of the documents submitted to Criteo by SEC can also be obtained for free on the Criteo investor relations website criteo.investorroom.com.
Forced solicitation or recruitment
This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, nor is intended to constitute, an offer or solicitation to purchase, acquire, subscribe for, sell, or otherwise dispose of any securities in any jurisdiction under U.S. merger laws or other regulations. It also does not constitute an invitation to vote or approve such transactions. In no jurisdiction shall any securities be sold, issued, or transferred in violation of applicable laws.
Recruit participants
The company, its directors, certain senior executives, and other employees may be considered participants in soliciting proxy votes from the company's shareholders regarding the merger with the United States. Information regarding the company's directors and executives is contained in the proxy forms for the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders, which were submitted to SEC on May 8, 2026. Investors may submit proxy forms/prospectuses related to the merger with the United States, as well as other relevant materials, to SEC and can read these documents to obtain more information regarding the interests of such participants when they become available. The aforementioned documents can be obtained for free through the sources indicated in the "Supplementary Information and Access Methods" section when they become available.
