John Gentry, a longtime promoting government and the chief government officer of supply-side platform OpenX, died Wednesday night after a protracted battle with most cancers. He was 58.
A submit to Gentry’s LinkedIn profile Thursday night learn: “If you’re studying this, it implies that I’m not round and misplaced my combat with most cancers. Whereas I’m dying sooner than most, I outlived myself by 28 years, because of a kidney transplant and trendy medication, and I’ve had a beautiful life. I’m a fortunate and grateful man.”
Gentry went on to precise gratitude for the many individuals he bonded with in the course of the course of his profession, saying “the very best a part of the journey has been all of the superb relationships I’ve fashioned over time.”
The corporate confirmed his demise in an e mail to ADWEEK.
Gentry was thought-about a trailblazer in adtech, contributing to the innovation of header bidding within the mid-2010s and the evolution of supply-side id know-how.
He was additionally a considerate chief, collaborator, and good friend to many.
“JG’s perception in me modified my life,” OpenX president Matt Sattel mentioned in an announcement shared with ADWEEK. “He was greater than a pacesetter to me. He was an advocate, a mentor, and a good friend. JG believed that doing the proper factor and constructing a robust enterprise might go hand in hand, and confirmed us that it was doable to steer with each power and humanity, even when it was onerous. In difficult moments, he pushed me to assume greater, act with readability, and put our folks first. His profession and classes will stick with me all the time, and he will probably be deeply missed.”
A graduate of Northwestern College’s Kellogg College of Administration and of UCLA, Gentry labored on the Walt Disney Firm within the Nineteen Nineties, the place he directed distribution technique for ABC cable networks. He went on to carry varied government roles throughout the promoting and monetary providers industries, with stints as a senior vp and normal supervisor at Overture (an early chief in digital promoting acquired by Yahoo for $1.63 billion in 2003), chief income officer of monetary providers firm Inexperienced Dot, and president of adtech startup Spot Runner—earlier than becoming a member of OpenX in 2012.
Gentry was appointed chief government at OpenX in 2020, after years of serving the corporate as an advisor, and later, as its president. He steered OpenX by means of varied hurdles, together with the disruptive entry of header bidding, evolving privateness laws, and an ongoing authorized battle with Google over antitrust allegations.
