Tessa van der Starre Named CEO of Mediaplus Netherlands

Tessa van der Starre has been appointed CEO of Mediaplus Netherlands, taking on the leadership of the agency's Dutch operations.

The appointment comes at a time when the media industry is undergoing significant change. Agencies are increasingly working across traditional media, digital platforms, data, commerce media, and emerging technologies, making the role of agency leadership more closely connected to transformation and changing client expectations.

Van der Starre brings experience across media, marketing, and agency leadership. Her move into the CEO position comes as media planning and buying continue to become more data-driven and technology-enabled.

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For media agencies, one of the biggest shifts has been the growing importance of data. First-party customer information, audience insights, measurement platforms, and automated media buying are becoming increasingly integrated into campaign planning and activation. At the same time, privacy changes are influencing how marketers collect, use, and activate audience data.

Artificial intelligence is adding another layer to this transformation. Agencies are exploring AI for audience analysis, forecasting, campaign optimization, content development, and other areas of media operations. The technology is creating opportunities for greater automation, while also raising questions around governance, transparency, and human oversight.

The media landscape itself is also becoming more fragmented. Consumers are moving between streaming services, social platforms, connected TV, digital publishers, commerce environments, and traditional channels. For advertisers, this creates a need for more coordinated planning and measurement across touchpoints.

This environment places broader expectations on agency leadership. CEOs increasingly need to balance business development with operational transformation, talent development, technology adoption, and the changing needs of advertisers.

Van der Starre's appointment at Mediaplus Netherlands reflects the continued evolution of agency leadership as media becomes increasingly connected to data and technology.

For the wider MarTech and AdTech ecosystem, the move highlights the growing convergence between media agencies and marketing technology. Media strategy is no longer isolated from customer data, analytics, automation, or AI; these capabilities increasingly influence how campaigns are planned, activated, and measured.

As Mediaplus Netherlands moves forward under Van der Starre's leadership, the Dutch media market will continue to provide a useful lens into how agencies are adapting to the changing relationship between media, technology, data, and consumer behavior.