Denise Breslin - formerly of Uber Advertising and Mobsta - has joined IAB UK as commerce media lead to lead the trade body’s work in one of the fastest-growing areas of digital advertising.
Her appointment comes at a pivotal point for commerce media, as rapid investment is matched by an expanding range of businesses building media propositions around their customer relationships and first-party data, added IAB UK. Latest Digital Adspend data shows that commerce media was the fastest growing area of digital advertising in the first half of 2026 - up 32% year-on-year - as the channel continues to diversify and mature.
Against this backdrop, Breslin will focus on helping to turn rapid growth into a sustainable, scalable market - bringing IAB members together to develop the shared standards, measurement frameworks and interoperability needed to underpin long-term investment.
She brings extensive experience across ad tech and commerce media, having co-founded Mobsta in 2012 and run the business for nine years, before moving to Uber Advertising to help grow its UK media offering.
Breslin’s appointment also marks an evolution in IAB UK’s approach to the sector, with the trade body adopting “commerce media” in place of “retail media”. The change reflects how the market has expanded beyond its retail roots, with an increasingly diverse range of businesses - including airlines, hotels and financial services providers - developing media propositions that harness their customer relationships and first-party data. It also reflects the increasingly connected relationship between advertising, commerce and consumer behaviour, continued IAB UK.
“You only need to look at the latest Adspend data to see that commerce media is thriving. It has evolved rapidly from an emerging channel into a strategic business driver for advertisers, something Daniel Knapp highlighted at IAB UK’s recent Growth Summit,” Breslin explains.
“But what the data doesn’t reveal is just how broad the opportunity has become. A growing range of businesses are using their data, loyal customer bases and AI to build increasingly sophisticated media propositions and unlock new value for advertisers and customers. This makes it even more important that the IAB can unite different businesses, establish shared best-practice frameworks and ensure advertisers have common measures of success.”
In her new role, Breslin reports to James Chandler, chief strategy officer at IAB UK. He says: "When we first started talking about retail media back in 2022, the sector was worth a fraction of what it is now. The growth we’re witnessing in commerce media - both in terms of ad investment and the range of businesses tapping into the power of their customer data - is truly extraordinary. But rapid growth also brings a new set of challenges. If commerce media is to fulfil its long-term potential, the industry needs to ensure that growth is supported by the infrastructure, standards and transparency that give advertisers confidence to invest. Denise’s experience means she is perfectly placed to unite our members and deliver what advertisers need as the channel evolves.”
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