JJ Richards
General Manager, Platform Services, Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group
As general manager for Microsoft Advertising Platform Services, JJ Richards is responsible for unifying and leading product management efforts that are common to advertisers, publishers and ad networks. Areas under JJ’s purview include targeting, data, privacy, analytics, rich media and in-game advertising. These tools and services support a wide range of advertisers and audiences across Microsoft’s owned & operated properties like MSN, Hotmail, Messenger, Xbox, Office Live and Windows Live, as well as audience segments found through partnerships like Viacom, Facebook and Digg, and through ad networks and exchanges such as DRIVEpm and AdECN.
In addition to these duties, Richards also manages “cross-platform” services, including the Atlas Institute, Industry Outreach and Product Planning, and serves as the subsidiary CEO of Massive, Microsoft Advertising’s in-game advertising company.
The common thread running through all of JJ’s responsibilities is to prioritize and integrate assets throughout the platform, and across multiple devices, in such a way as to “rid the world of bad ads.”
Immediately prior to joining Microsoft Advertising in 2008, Richards spent three years at Xbox, where he served as general manager for Xbox Live. With the arrival of Xbox 360, Richards launched the next generation of Xbox Live, Marketplace, Arcade, and Microsoft Points. Richards launched video chat via Xbox Live Vision, built the leading high-definition VOD service, extended Live to the PC, and added advertising capabilities to both the platform and online games. Under JJ’s leadership, Xbox Live became profitable, grew from 1 million to 10 million members, created a $200m+ ecosystem of micro-transactions, and was the differentiator for the Xbox 360, winning acclaim for being the world’s best online gaming service.
Richards joined Microsoft in 2002, where he spent three years heading strategy and business development for the Microsoft Business Division. In this capacity, he was responsible for the growth strategy around Office, and expanding the portfolio of information worker applications such as OneNote and Live Meeting.
Prior to joining Microsoft, JJ had a 10-year stint at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on consumer high-tech and growing new online businesses.