meet our members
Our ‘Meet our Members’ series spotlights the diverse voices influencing digital marketing across the region. In this edition, we feature Kartik Mehta, CBO & Head of Asia at Channel Factory.
tell us about channel factory, what is your mission?
Founded in 2010, Channel Factory operates on the belief that advertising should be both effective and responsible. As a global technology and data platform, the company’s core mission is to create a suitable video ecosystem that connects creators, brands, and consumers – enabling advertisers to access the most relevant videos, channels, and creators across YouTube’s vast content landscape. At its heart, Channel Factory strives to transform the media landscape by amplifying positive content that supports and respects consumer well-being, demonstrating that constraining harmful content while elevating quality content simultaneously drives advertising performance, strengthens brand reputation, and advances social responsibility. From pioneering ViewIQ to its AI-powered media optimisation platform ActivateIQ, Channel Factory has continuously evolved to serve multiple ad campaigns across 31 offices worldwide – striking a deliberate balance between profit, growth, and positive societal impact for people, communities, and the planet.
what hero product are you most proud of at channel factory?
Without a doubt, it’s our IQ Series – the product suite that truly defines who we are. The IQ Series is Channel Factory’s proprietary suite of AI-powered tools designed to enhance brand suitability, maximise advertising performance, and optimise ad spend, with ViewIQ and ActivateIQ working together to create campaigns that are brand-safe, contextually relevant, inclusive, and high-performing. By leveraging years of proprietary data and pre-bid AI capabilities, these tools enable advertisers to achieve unprecedented levels of contextual alignment – maximising effectiveness while eliminating waste. ViewIQ handles the intelligence layer – ensuring every ad lands in the right content environment, while ActivateIQ drives media activation and optimisation across platforms, now further powered by the Media Intelligence Hub and an embedded AI Chatbot Assistant that helps advertisers make instant, data-driven adjustments to campaigns, content, and spend. For a diverse and fast-growing region like Asia, this end-to-end intelligence stack is what sets us apart.
what do you love most about working across southeast asia and india?
What I love most is the energy – this region doesn’t just adopt digital, it leapfrogs it. With over 400 million internet users and a thriving digital economy, Southeast Asia has an insatiable appetite for connectivity, and India is no different. India’s digital advertising is growing at around 15% annually, outpacing even its own impressive GDP growth – that kind of momentum is genuinely exciting to be part of. But beyond the numbers, what truly sets this region apart is its diversity. Every market, whether it’s Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, or India, has its own content culture, its own language of engagement, and its own consumer behaviour. That complexity is a puzzle I find endlessly fascinating. Southeast Asia and India are already outperforming their peers in retail media and mobile streaming, and as contextual advertising matures here, we’re not just following global trends- we’re helping shape them. That’s a rare privilege.
what’s your favourite thing about being part of the IAB SEA+India member network?
Honestly, it’s the calibre of the conversations. IAB SEA+India offers a unique forum where brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms come together to connect, share knowledge, and tackle the most pressing challenges facing digital marketing in the region, and that kind of cross-industry dialogue is rare and genuinely valuable. What I appreciate most is that it’s not just a talking shop. The Boards and Councils are the heart of everything the IAB does here, and they consistently deliver the highest-rated member experiences – driving the creation of frameworks, tools, and standards the entire industry actually uses. With over USD $35 billion in digital ad spend projected across Southeast Asia and India, but fragmented standards and inconsistent practices still a reality across markets, having a credible, independent body like IAB SEA+India to unite the industry is not a nice-to-have – it’s essential. For Channel Factory, being part of this network means we’re not just operating in the region; we’re actively helping shape its future. That’s what keeps me engaged.
and finally, some may say, the most important question in our region – what’s your favourite food?
Fusion (Asian + Mediterranean).