Universal Ads Names David Shaw To Lead Global Expansion Efforts

As premium video advertising continues to converge with performance driven media buying, platforms built for scale and simplicity are gaining momentum beyond the US. Comcast’s Universal Ads has announced the appointment of David Shaw as Head of Global Expansion, a move that signals the company’s intent to take its advertising platform international, starting with Europe.

Universal Ads, launched in the United States last year, enables brands of all sizes to create, buy, and measure ads across premium television and video inventory. In his new role, Shaw will be responsible for leading the commercial rollout of the platform globally, overseeing market entry, scaling operations, and sustaining long term growth across international regions.

Shaw will also spearhead the buildout of Universal Ads’ European organization, covering sales, operations, product, and customer success. A key part of his mandate will involve close collaboration with the platform’s global product and engineering teams to ensure Universal Ads’ tools and capabilities align with local market requirements and advertiser expectations.

“I’m excited to embark on this mission to establish Universal Ads as a best-in-class platform where brands can unlock true performance at scale on TV,” Shaw said. “I look forward to learning from the experienced leaders at Comcast and assembling a world-class team of experts to support marketers as they accelerate their journey into television.”

Shaw brings extensive experience in scaling advertising platforms internationally. Over his career, he has held senior leadership roles at major digital platforms including Twitter, Snap, TikTok, and Reddit, where he focused on commercial growth, product strategy, and partner ecosystem development. At Twitter, Shaw was among the early members of the commercial team, helping launch the ads platform internationally before taking on responsibility for partnerships across EMEA. He later became Snap’s first international ads product team member during the global rollout of its self serve advertising business.

At TikTok, Shaw led strategy and growth for the company’s partner ecosystem across EMEA, spanning commerce, creative, creators, measurement, branded effects, and campaign management. More recently, at Reddit, he spearheaded the launch of the platform’s ads API, onboarding developers and driving meaningful growth in monthly active advertisers and revenue.

Thomas Bremond, Managing Director, International at Comcast Advertising, said Shaw’s background makes him uniquely suited to guide Universal Ads’ next phase. “David brings an unparalleled blend of ad tech leadership, product expertise and go-to-market experience. He has successfully launched and scaled platforms internationally and built high-performing teams across multiple territories. His fresh perspective and proven ability to work with advertisers and agencies of every size make him the ideal leader to accelerate Universal Ads’ growth across Europe.”

James Borow, Vice President of Product Management and Engineering at Universal Ads, emphasized the strategic importance of the expansion. “Our mission with Universal Ads is pretty simple: make TV work the way modern marketers need it to. That means premium inventory, real performance signals, intuitive tools, and zero unnecessary complexity. Expanding this proposition globally is incredibly exciting, and with David leading the charge, we’re confident we can help brands across the region turn TV into a true growth engine.”

After building momentum in the US market throughout 2025, Universal Ads is preparing for its next chapter, with the UK identified as the first international launch market in 2026. The appointment of Shaw underscores Comcast’s ambition to position Universal Ads as a global platform that bridges the gap between traditional television and modern performance marketing.