lead, influence, and create what the industry relies on
Nominations are now open for the 2026 Board & Council term. We’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions to help you understand the benefits of participating, the time commitment required and the nomination process.
Whether you’re a returning Board or Council member, or new to the process, this FAQ will walk you through everything you need to know.
faq contents
- What are Boards and Councils?
- How much time do I need to commit?
- What is the Strategic Advisory Board?
- What is the Industry Leadership Board?
- What are Regional Councils?
- What do I gain by participating?
- What impact can I make?
- What do past Board & Council members say?
- What Councils are available in 2026?
- Who can apply?
- I’m a past Board or Council member, do I need to re-nominate?
- What needs to be prepared for the nomination form?
- How to apply
- Key dates
1. What are boards and councils?
Our Boards and Councils are the heart of everything we do, and consistently our highest-rated member experiences. Marketers across the globe turn to IAB SEA+India for trusted guidance on the complexity, fragmentation, and opportunity of this region. What we collectively create informs industry, business, budget, and workforce decisions across seven markets.
Through positions on our Boards and Councils, your leaders are part of the most important decisions for digital marketing in this region. And we take care of all the logistics to make it easy to participate.
These roles are also growth opportunities for your people: representing your company in cross-industry forums, connecting with peers outside of your current network, and bringing back fresh perspective to your business.
2. how much time do i need to commit?
This depends on the level of your experience and which role you nominate for. See below for a summary of leadership opportunities.
Strategic Advisory Board
- Term: April 2026 – March 2027
- Commitment: 2 full-day meetings per year, plus 2 hours a month advisory and advocacy
- Experience: 15+ years
Industry Leadership Board
- Term: April 2026 – March 2027
- Commitment: A minimum of 6 hours commitment per month. This includes, but is not limited to, participation in 2-3 full-day Industry Leadership Board meetings and leading monthly 2-hour Council meetings (April-October)
- Experience: 12+ years
Regional Council
- Term: May – October 2026
- Commitment: A minimum of 4 hours commitment per month. This includes, but is not limited to, attending a 2 hour monthly Council meeting (May-October), plus an estimated 2 additional hours per month for Council-related tasks and contributions
- Experience: 8+ years
3. What is the Strategic Advisory Board?
Set what the region’s trusted industry voice prioritises and be part of decisions that define the industry for years to come. Intimate by design so every voice carries weight.
For leaders looking to:
- Be recognised globally as one of the few leaders trusted to set our priorities and long-term direction
- Help determine the guidance marketers, regulators, and the ecosystem rely on
- Apply business acumen in a non-profit context, with insight into what’s top of mind for regulators and the ecosystem
- Experience the camaraderie of like-minded leaders who speak candidly and decide collectively
- Represent IAB SEA+India at events, on podcasts, and other exclusive opportunities
- Influence the industry’s future in a way that suits your schedule in two focused board meetings annually
4. What is the Industry Leadership Board?
Each Council is led by two Co-Leads. As a Co-Lead, you direct what your Council focuses on and guide 10-15 specialists from brands, agencies, publishers, and parnters as they create the frameworks, playbooks, and guidance the industry relies on.
All Co-Leads also come together as the Industry Leadership Board: a support network giving visibility into what every Council is creating, where you share what’s working, troubleshoot together, and spot opportunities to collaborate.
For leaders looking to:
- Guide the industry response for our biggest priorities, such as AI, Commerce Media, Measurement and Video
- Turn goals into action at an industry level and lead through influence
- Inspire an inclusive Council culture for subject matter specialists to contribute, learn and collaborate
- Help hundreds of thousands of marketers make better business, budget, and workforce decisions
- Be supported every step of the way by your Co-Lead as well as the IAB SEA+India CEO and Head of Marketing
5. What are Regional Councils?
Councils are where specialists from across the regional ecosystem collaborate to create the frameworks, playbooks, whitepapers, and guidance the industry relies on.
For specialists looking to:
- Contribute to the guidance the industry trusts and be recognised for it across our global network
- Collaborate with peers beyond your business network and bring fresh perspective back to your team
- Share your company’s use cases to inspire and inform what’s possible
- Regularly connect and learn from peers in different roles across the industry
- Find opportunities to contribute your way, whether leading discussions, designing frameworks, peer review, and more
6. What do i gain by participating?
Board and Council participation consistently ranks among IAB SEA+India’s highest-rated member experiences. It delivers value at both an organisational and individual level.
For companies, these roles:
Position your expertise within trusted, industry-wide guidance
Ensure your perspectives are represented in regional frameworks and standards
Demonstrate leadership as part of an industry collective for responsible growth
For individuals, they provide:
Cross-industry collaboration with peers they would not otherwise work alongside
A neutral platform to apply expertise within an industry-wide, collective context
Fresh perspectives brought back into their own organisations
7. What Impact can i Make?
In 2025, our Boards & Council Members collaborated on and contributed to high-impact resources, reaching up to 270,000 views per output:
- Our new AI Council published a thought leadership series developed from expert workstreams on how AI can be applied at each stage of campaign development, packed with expert quotes and case studies from this region to inform and inspire.
- Our Retail Media Council published a thought leadership series covering consumer-first retail media, non-endemic brands, measurement, and retail media network strategies to help marketers with regional use cases to support experimentation and greater investment.
- Our Social Commerce Council developed The IAB SEA+India Social Commerce Playbook, designed for brands and businesses of all sizes combining consumer behaviour, platform dynamics, regional case studies on different content formats, and campaign examples to show how discovery, consideration, and purchase connect within social environments.
- The AI Workstream of the Strategic Advisory Board produced The ABCs of Responsible AI Integration. A framework guiding companies through preparation (Access), implementation (Build), and ongoing operations (Conduct), with a compliance table mapping what’s required in each of our seven markets based on your role as provider, buyer, partner, or approver.
Coming in Q1 2026:
- The New Economics of Streaming CTV/OTT Playbook: Using the formula Attention × Consumption = Effectiveness as its foundation, this guide will help you plan campaigns for how audiences watch; across the day, the device, and the room.
- Measurement Maturity Framework: This is the first regional framework giving teams a shared language for measurement. The 3×3 grid maps metrics by Data Readiness and KPI Type, with a glossary of 140+ metrics so teams can plot where they sit today and see what becomes possible as capabilities advance.
8. What do past Board & Council members say?
Hear from some of our past Board & Council members below on why they rate the experience so highly.
9. which councils are available in 2026?
We asked our Members which Councils we should have this year, and based on member demand we have seven you can nominate for:
- AI
- Measurement
- (NEW) B2B
- (NEW) Commerce Media (combining Retail Media and Social Commerce)
- (NEW) DOOH
- (NEW) Programmatic
- (NEW) Video (including CTV/OTT)
We will progress with Councils with 10 or more selected candidates.
10. Who can apply?
Nominations are open to employees of current IAB SEA+India member companies who:
- Have the relevant years of industry and/or leadership experience
- Bring expertise in their nominated focus area
- Excel at collaboration
11. i’m a past board or council member, do i need to re-nominate?
As part of our governance and impartial selection process, Board & Council members must nominate each year whether new or continuing to ensure a fair and transparent selection.
12. What Needs to Be Prepared for the nomination form?
The nomination form submission requires:
- Your professional headshot
- A short statement of your motivations for nominating in your own words
- The details of your endorser’s contact details. Your endorser (a manager or senior leader) confirms your company’s support for your participation
13. how to apply
Members check your inbox for an email with the nomination form links to apply. If you have not received it, please email Jo Cockle, Head of Marketing at jo@iabseaindia.com.
Participation is exclusive to IAB SEA+India member companies. Not a member yet? Reach out to hello@iabseaindia.com for information on how to join.
14. key dates
Nominations open: 24th February 2026
Nominations close: 13th March 2026
Interviews commence: from 13th March 2026 for shortlisted Board Members
Selection notifications: 9th April 2026
Meetings commence: from April & May 2026