Hooman Malekzad

Employment History

2025 - 2021
Golden Hippo - Director, Technical Advertising Operations

2018 - 2014
Advertise.com - VP Publishers Services & Strategic Development

2013 - 2011
JMI Equity / Business.com - Monetization Consultant

2009 - 2005
Business.com - GM of Network Distribution, VP of Business Development

2005 - 2001
Business.com - VP Engineering



Accomplishments
2025 - 2021 at Golden Hippo
Director, Technical Advertising Operations


  • Revamped Tracking Setups: Overhauled and created 1,000+ tracking configurations within Google Tag Manager (GTM) across multiple containers and brands, including:
    • Activated You (Maggie Q)
    • City Beauty
    • Dr. Marty Pets
    • Beverly Hills MD
    • Badlands Ranch (Katherine Heigl)
    • Gundry MD (Dr. Stephen Gundry)
    • Roundhouse Provisions (Chuck Norris)
    • Ultimate Pet Nutrition
    • Kintsugi Hair
    • LCR Health
    • Nucific
    • Power Life Nutrition
    • Princeton Nutrients
    • Probiotic America
    • SirtLife Nutrition
    • Unify Health Labs

  • Enhanced Tracking & Attribution: Implemented numerous dataLayer improvements to optimize tracking and attribution across platforms such as Google, Meta, Taboola, Outbrain, and dozens more, using my own custom strategies.
  • Full ROAS & Hashed User Data Passback: Successfully integrated full Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and hashed user data passback to ad platforms via both client-side (pixels) and server-to-server (s2s) SDK integrations for Meta, Everflow, Awin, Taboola, Outbrain, Perform Media, and others.
  • Attribution Gap Solutions: Addressed complex attribution gaps across hundreds of sales funnels, working with diverse technologies such as PHP, Angular, SPAs, and WordPress.
  • Cross-Domain Fingerprinting System: Co-developed and deployed a custom cross-domain fingerprinting system for last-touch attribution and analysis, implemented across thousands of domains and funnels.
  • Identified Industry-Wide Issue: Uncovered the company's largest attribution mystery, revealing a significant bad-faith practice by Google that was impacting the entire ad industry.
  • Custom Security Feature for Credit Card Forms: Built and deployed a custom security feature to safeguard checkout pages from credit card fraud, sending violation payloads to an internal database for compliance with PCI standards.
  • Marketing ROI Optimization: Enhanced marketing ROI and reduced costs by delivering accurate tracking data and signals to all ad platforms, ensuring optimized spend allocation. This resulted in a significant boost to the company's gross profit by streamlining ad spend efficiency and improving overall campaign performance.
  • Split Testing & Custom Solutions: Supported A/B testing via VWO (AB tests, Split URL tests, Heatmaps), and developed additional custom solutions in JavaScript for improved performance and user experience.
  • Mentorship & Support: Mentored 50+ media buyers on strategic and tactical conversations with platforms like Google, Meta, Taboola, and Outbrain. Solved their challenges quickly and kept operations moving consistently.
  • QA Department Mentorship: Trained the QA team on funnel testing, SPA development, dataLayer implementations, testing methodologies, and a wide range of technical topics.
  • SEO Team Collaboration: Provided expert support and guidance to the SEO team, leveraging my 20+ years of experience to improve strategies. Successfully executed complex Criteo setups for multiple brands in GTM.
  • City Beauty Team Support: Assisted City Beauty in solving s2s integration issues, tracking challenges, Meta catalog integrations, and various other technical and operational obstacles, often under tight deadlines.


Accomplishments
2018 - 2014 at Advertise.com
VP Publishers Services & Strategic Development


  • Assisted senior management to formulate and drive sales, product, and network strategies.
  • Coordinated with Engineering teams to develop dozens of new products for market syndication.
  • Delivered production-ready front-end code for all products.
  • Educated and managed a sales team focused on syndicating JavaScript-based ad products to hundreds of online web publishers.
  • Created dozens of data-driven marketing landing pages for a variety of business endeavors.
  • Made significant contributions to office efficiency, cost control, work atmosphere, and culture.


Accomplishments
2013 - 2000 at Business.com
GM of Network Distribution, VP of Business Development


  • Assisted with the sale of Business.com in 2007 to RH Donnelly Inc., in cooperation with Credit Suisse.
  • Initiated, managed, and optimized a $36M annual Adsense relationship with Google.
  • Architected the Business.com PPC business model in 2001 and grew the unit from zero to $70M annually.
  • Managed paid content syndication to over 50 publishers, generating $20M annually.
  • Co-developed and used APIs, XML, JSON, JS, and other techniques for publisher on-boarding.
  • Managed publisher relationships with Forbes, BusinessWeek, WSJ, Entrepreneur, Hoovers, and more.
  • Directed a team handling onboarding, optimization, and issue resolution for mid-tier publishers.
  • Led development of client and partner reporting systems and key front-end interfaces.
  • Defined and developed traffic quality systems to combat click fraud.
  • Managed a team of Directors focused on monetization growth and optimization.
  • Optimized SEM program profit margins across millions in monthly spend.
  • Drove site design, architecture, engineering, and QA from 2001 to 2005.


Skills


  • JavaScript, HTML, CSS, jQuery, SQL, PHP
  • Google Analytics 4
  • Google Tag Manager
  • Tracking & Attribution
  • Sales Funnels
  • SEO, SEM, Martech
  • CRO, VWO, A/B Testing, Split Url Testing
  • PCI DSS
  • Server to Server (S2S)
  • ChatGPT, Copilot
  • APIs, XML, Distribution Agreements
  • WordPress (WP)
  • Business Development
  • Product Development


Industry Experience


  • Internet, Ecommerce
  • Native Networks (Taboola, Outbrain, et al)
  • Finance, Banking
  • Manufacturing, Fine Metals, Jewelry
  • Medical, Health, HIPAA
  • Pets and Supplies
  • Beauty, Cosmetics


Other Skills & Hobbies


  • Classical Piano
  • Oil Painting
  • Fine Metal Work
  • Astronomy & Cosmology


Education


  • Bachelor of Science, Business Finance, CSUN