In this exclusive interview, we speak with Matthieu Tebaus, Senior Vice President Sales MENA at Locala, about the evolution of digital media, AI-led advertising, and how Locala is helping brands turn data into smarter omnichannel growth.
With deep expertise across global markets and a sharp understanding of evolving consumer behavior, Matthieu Tebaus offers a clear perspective on what it takes to stay ahead in modern advertising. In this conversation, he shares how data, agility, and intelligent media strategies are shaping the future of brand growth across the MENA region.
From Global Brands to AdTech Leadership
“Could you share your early background, education, and key experiences that shaped your career journey?”
“With over 20 years of experience at the forefront of the digital media industry, my journey has been shaped by a deep passion for technological evolution and brand performance. I began my career on the brand side, spending several foundational years at global powerhouses such as Nike, Chanel, and Decathlon. These roles gave me a client-first perspective and a rigorous understanding of how major international groups approach marketing ROI and consumer engagement.
Driven by the rapid rise of advertising technology, I transitioned into the AdTech sector, where I have spent the last two decades building and scaling high-performance commercial operations. After leading French operations for several prominent British and American tech players, I joined Locala 11 years ago and have since played a key role in the company’s international expansion.
Over the past decade, I have led commercial development across several major European markets, including France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the Nordics. For the past two years, I have had the privilege of leading Locala’s operations across the MENA region. Based in Dubai, I oversee our regional headquarters and focus on helping advertisers across the Middle East transform complex market signals into tangible physical growth and long-term business impact.”
Locala’s Evolution Into a Global Intelligence Platform
“How has your company evolved since its inception in terms of team size, market reach, and key milestones?”
“Since its inception in France, Locala has evolved across two parallel dimensions: the strategic maturation of its offer and a strong international expansion. The company first built its DNA around mobility and location intelligence, then expanded into a broader omnichannel insights and advertising platform, and today is entering an agentic era powered by AI-led planning and activation.
At the same time, Locala progressively expanded across Europe, entered APAC and the Americas, and more recently launched in the MENA region. Today, we operate across more than 15 offices globally. What makes this trajectory especially strong is that Locala has remained profitable, independent, and still driven by its founding team. We have grown quickly, but always with a clear and consistent vision: helping brands better understand real-world consumer journeys and turn that intelligence into smarter, more adaptive advertising strategies.”
Building a Smarter Advertising Ecosystem in MENA
“How does your business contribute to the broader advertising and media ecosystem in the MENA region?”
“Locala contributes to the regional ecosystem by helping brands and agencies make omnichannel advertising more strategic, more actionable, and easier to scale. This is especially important in a region like MENA, where advertisers must balance ambitious national and regional strategies with highly diverse local market realities.
We bring two major advantages. First, we provide a unified online and offline view of brand performance, consumer behavior, competitive pressure, and local market dynamics. This helps clients move beyond fragmented data and understand what is truly happening in their markets.
Second, we simplify the transition from planning to activation. Our objective is to transform intelligence into relevant omnichannel media plans, audience strategies, geographic prioritization, and activation frameworks that can be deployed efficiently across markets.”
The Three Qualities That Define Success in AdTech
“What three qualities do you believe are most critical for success in the AdTech industry today?”
“The first is a business-centric mindset. Brands do not need generic audience recommendations. They need partners who understand their business realities, competitive context, and market-specific objectives.
The second is the ability to simplify complexity. Modern media planning is deeply granular, shaped by signals, channels, data layers, and local market variation. The challenge is not complexity itself, but making that complexity usable, so teams can make better decisions with confidence.
The third is innovation discipline. AdTech is one of the most competitive and technology-driven industries in the world. Success requires consistently launching meaningful innovations that solve real client problems, improve decision-making, and elevate how advertising is planned, activated, and measured.”
How AI Is Reshaping the Planning-to-Activation Workflow
“How has your organization adapted to technological change, and what innovation best reflects that evolution?”
“We have adapted to technological change by focusing on AI where it creates real operational value, not hype. One of our most important innovations is our Planning Agents, which bring agentic AI into the planning-to-activation workflow.
Their role is to augment strategy by helping teams analyze richer market context, connect online and offline signals, generate audiences, build media plans, and move from insights to activation with less friction.
We believe the real transformation happens when AI helps brands develop sharper strategies, simplify complexity, and connect insights, planning, and activation without breaking the workflow. At the same time, we maintain a human-in-the-loop approach, ensuring recommendations remain explainable, reviewable, and adaptable. For us, this is where the industry is heading: toward advertising technology that is more intelligent, more connected, and more directly aligned with real business outcomes.”
Advice for Building a Career in AdTech-Matthieu Tebaus
“What advice would you give to professionals building a career in today’s fast-evolving AdTech landscape?”
“First, prioritize business outcomes over vanity metrics. The future of advertising belongs to professionals who can move beyond clicks and impressions and understand how media drives real business performance, whether that means physical visits, sales lift, or long-term growth.
Second, lean into technical complexity. Do not fear the technical side of the business. Embrace it. The ability to understand data, connect systems, and explain complexity clearly will set future leaders apart.
Third, lead with transparency and ethics. As the industry moves toward a privacy-first future, trust will become one of the most important competitive advantages. That means operating with transparency, protecting user trust, and being clear about how measurement works.
Finally, build resilience through adaptation. This industry evolves constantly. The people who thrive in it are the ones who stay curious, adapt quickly, and continue evolving without losing sight of the business value they are there to create.”
Connect with Matthieu Tebaus on LinkedIn to follow his insights, and explore Locala to learn more about the company’s approach to AI-powered advertising and media intelligence.
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