What should B2B sales and revenue teams do to navigate challenges as they drive growth in 2025? Luca Filardo, Chief Revenue Officer at Adlook weighs in with some thoughts:
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Hi Luca, tell us about your time in Ad Tech so far and the biggest highlights of being a revenue leader along the way.
Over the past 13+ years, I’ve had the privilege of being part of the programmatic and adtech evolution – from its early, fragmented days to the more unified, data-smart landscape we’re shaping today. I’ve held leadership roles at pioneering companies like AudienceScience and Index Exchange, each offering a unique perspective on how technology can drive value for marketers and publishers alike. What’s always excited me most is connecting powerful technology with actual business outcomes – helping marketers navigate complexity and extract real value. One major highlight has been contributing to Adlook’s global growth journey – where we’ve brought deep learning into the hands of brands and made the open web a genuinely effective media space again.
We serve a crucial role: support the free press and independent journalism and it is our responsibility to generate the expected value for marketers in this ecosystem.
As Adlook’s new CRO, what are you most looking forward to?
I’m stepping into this role at a transformative moment, not just for Adlook but for the industry. What excites me most is the opportunity to unify how we deliver value across markets – aligning product innovation, team structure, and client success into one consistent, scalable engine of growth. As marketers face increasing pressure to prove effectiveness, I’m energized by the chance to show how a smarter and innovative Platform – rooted in proprietary deep learning – can make a measurable difference. My focus will be making sure that wherever our clients are, they get the same level of clarity, consistency, and results coupled with exceptional client service
What does it take to align business heads and sub-teams on product, marketing, sales, and client execution, to drive consolidated and effective growth goals?
It starts with shared accountability and ends with obsessive clarity. Alignment doesn’t happen through structure alone – it requires a culture where cross-functional collaboration is the norm, not the exception. At Adlook, we’ve seen real traction by ensuring product, marketing, and sales are not just working in parallel but are actually solving problems together. Our product and go-to-market efforts are deeply informed by client feedback loops and our platform’s capabilities, which gives us a shared language across functions. The key is simple: drive growth and business outcomes for our clients.
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As a seasoned revenue leader, what are some of the fundamental practices you follow as a daily best practice to keep growth goals in check?
For me, it starts with staying close to the client and overall market. Dashboards are great, but they’ll never replace a candid conversation or a tough question that reveals what’s really going on.
I also try to balance value and volume. Of course, you need both – but if I had to choose, I’d take meaningful value over vanity numbers any day. It’s not just about how much you sell, but whether what you’re selling actually delivers.
Another big one is building habits that scale. If something only works in one region or with one type of client, it’s probably not sustainable and scalable for global growth.
On a practical level, I’m constantly checking if the inputs we prioritize – meetings, pitches, product updates – are leading to real outcomes for our clients and company. It’s easy to stay busy and feel productive, but that only matters if it translates into progress we can measure and learn from.
And lastly, while I firmly believe growth should be as linear and predictable as possible, we all know the reality isn’t always that tidy. That’s why I make a point to celebrate the small and big wins along the way – they build the momentum that helps teams push through the noise and stay focused on long-term progress.
Can you take us through some of the salestech and revtech you’ve often relied on to boost impact?
There’s no shortage of tools, but the key is orchestration. Proper CRM systems are foundational, of course, but it’s the connective tissue – how insights flow across marketing automation, attribution models, and product usage analytics – that drives impact. Lately, I’ve been especially focused on tech that shortens the distance between signal and action. For example, how quickly can we translate campaign performance on our platform into an insight that influences the next client conversation? That’s the zone where tech becomes a revenue multiplier.
Five thoughts on the changing role of the typical B2B Ad Tech CRO?
The CRO role today looks nothing like it did a decade ago. It’s no longer just about closing deals – it’s about helping shape how the company is perceived in the market. You’re expected to be part strategist, part storyteller.
And it doesn’t stop at sales. If you’re not speaking the language of product, tech and marketing, you’re flying blind. The job’s become fully cross-functional – full-funnel by default. What used to be considered “post-sale” is now very much part of the revenue leader’s world. Signing a contract isn’t the finish line – it’s where the real work starts: proving value, building trust, driving outcomes.
At the same time, we’re swimming in data, but that doesn’t automatically translate into good decisions. The real edge today is knowing how to turn all those signals into something meaningful – something your team can act on.
And maybe the biggest shift? The way we lead. It’s not about control anymore – it’s about alignment. As CROs, we’re no longer just forecasting from the top – we’re listening, enabling, and creating the kind of clarity that lets others do their best work.
Five revenue tips you’d leave every SaaS growth team with before we wrap up?
If I had to share a few things I’ve learned with any growth team in tech – especially in a space as fast-moving as programmatic – I’d start here: create urgency or risk getting ignored. Your buyer has too many priorities competing for attention. What you offer has to feel not just relevant, but timely and necessary.
Second, speak like a human. You’re not selling features or dashboards – you’re solving real problems that affect someone’s day, their results, their reputation. Make that connection clear.
Don’t get too caught up in trying to trace every sale back to a single source. Attribution is useful, but it’s rarely neat. Keep the momentum going and trust that the right patterns will emerge.
I’d also say – listen closely to your frontline teams. They’re your best source of truth when it comes to what resonates and what falls flat. If something’s not working in the field, no amount of strategy decks will save it.
Make decisions based on data. Monitor your leading KPI and implement key actions at every single stage of the funnel. A scientific approach to commercial: from hiring, to commercial workflows, to talent retention and development.
And finally, be the kind of partner that helps your client shine. When they can show results, simplify processes, or prove they made a smart call by working with you – that’s when trust deepens. And that’s where sustainable growth really starts.
Adlook is a global media tech company focused on driving brand growth on the open web through its cookieless Demand Side Platform (DSP).
Luca Filardo is Chief Revenue Officer at Adlook