Integral Ad Science hires Melissa Furze to lead AI push

Integral Ad Science has appointed former LinkedIn executive Melissa Furze as Head of Data Science, as the ad verification group expands its use of artificial intelligence across its products and services.

Furze joins the New York-based media measurement and optimisation company after more than a decade at LinkedIn, where she most recently served as Global Vice President of Customer Science for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions.

She will report to the Chief Technology Officer at Integral Ad Science. Her remit covers global data science, AI and analytics strategy across the business.

Integral Ad Science said Furze will work closely with product, engineering and commercial teams across regions. The company plans wider use of its datasets across advertiser and publisher tools.

"Mel brings an exceptional combination of deep technical expertise, global leadership, and commercial impact," said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of Integral Ad Science. "Her experience building AI-powered data organizations and translating insights into real customer value will be instrumental as IAS leans into our AI-first strategy to leverage our deep data insights to power new solutions that make advertising more valuable."

AI and analytics

Integral Ad Science operates in digital ad verification and media quality measurement. The company provides tools that analyse whether online adverts appear in brand-safe environments and reach human audiences.

Furze will oversee development of data science models and analytics frameworks that support these services. She will also define AI roadmaps that sit alongside commercial goals across advertiser, publisher and platform clients.

The company said her role covers innovation efforts in AI, protection features and performance analysis. It also links data science work with sales and customer-facing teams.

LinkedIn background

Furze brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in data, analytics, AI and customer insights. At LinkedIn Marketing Solutions she sat on the executive team and reported to the Chief Commercial Officer.

During her time at LinkedIn she built and led the Customer Science organisation. That unit brought together analytics, research, data engineering, AI development, measurement and solutions engineering under a single global structure.

Her group developed proprietary intelligence platforms that supported LinkedIn's marketing business. It also ran automation programmes that aimed to improve productivity at scale across commercial teams.

Furze led work on commercial and AI transformation strategies over several years. Her remit included the creation and rollout of advanced data and measurement products for advertisers.

She also acted as commercial lead for data privacy and measurement programmes. That role covered trust and governance for data solutions for marketing clients across global markets.

Earlier roles

Before holding the Global Vice President role, Furze served in a series of senior positions at LinkedIn. These included Global Director of Marketing Insights and leadership roles in analytics across EMEA and Latin America.

Earlier in her career she held executive analytics roles at DAA, O2 within Telefónica Group, Eircom and Wunderman. In those positions she led data, analytics and insight teams in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Australia.

Integral Ad Science said this background aligns with its geographic footprint across advertiser, publisher and platform customers.

Data in ad verification

Integral Ad Science competes in a sector that relies heavily on data and machine learning. Providers in this area develop models that detect fraud, assess viewability and classify content against brand suitability standards.

The company stated that Furze's data science team will work on features that address protection and performance across digital media. Internal teams will use analytics outputs in product design and in commercial discussions with brands and publishers.

Furze said she is joining the company at a significant point in its development.

"I'm excited to join IAS at a pivotal moment for the company," said Melissa. "IAS plays a critical role in delivering trust, transparency, and performance across digital media, and I look forward to building on its strong foundation to drive the next generation of data science and AI-powered solutions."