Monks appoints Thiago Correa to lead media in EMEA

Monks has appointed Thiago Correa as Senior Vice President of Media in EMEA, strengthening the agency’s focus on AI-driven media strategy and supporting brands as algorithmic performance reshapes the industry.

Correa will guide marketers through the growing influence of major AI players such as Google, Meta and Amazon on media distribution. Monks collaborates closely with these platforms and applies its experience in AI-powered media buying to help brands navigate the fragmented environment often described as the messy middle.

Strengthening AI-driven media capabilities

In his new role, Thiago Correa reports to Linda Cronin, Executive Vice President of Media, and will support teams in building agile, transparent and AI-enabled marketing operations.

Correa: "AI rewrites the economics of media, stripping out the manual middle where most of the margin sat. The winners will be integrated, automation-first partners that connect creative, data, and measurement into one system. That's the bet I'm making at Monks."

Monks is expanding its focus on Growth Engineering, an approach designed to move beyond last-click models by improving data quality and feeding stronger signals directly into platforms such as Google and Meta. This helps brands enhance performance without disrupting existing buying structures.

Integrating creative supply with algorithmic demand

Growth Engineering also applies an engineering mindset to how creative and media work together, using the Fuel & Freedom methodology. The framework ensures creative output keeps pace with algorithmic systems that depend on a steady volume of assets, enabling brands to improve returns from AI-led products including Meta Advantage Plus and Google PMax. The offer also supports clients shifting from SEO to Answer Engine Optimization to increase visibility across AI assistant ecosystems.

Correa: "We are providing a clear maturity roadmap that proves value in year one while identifying the next best step. Our goal is to ensure clients aren't just surviving the shift to AI, but using it to future-proof their entire media business."

Experience across media transformation

Correa has held senior roles across the industry. At Publicis, he served as Global Client Lead for H&M. He was previously Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer at Zenith, where he helped the agency earn Campaign’s Media Agency of the Year recognition in 2022. During this period, he also contributed to the development of Publicis’ UK digital capability through the Performics team, which went on to be named PMW's Performance Agency of the Year in 2024.

Juanita Draude, EVP EMEA at Monks: "Marketing and media are transforming, and I'm excited that Thiago adds more expert boots to the ground when it comes to the impact of AI on the media landscape. His experience will contribute to Monks' mission to equip our clients with clear playbooks that help move through this industry shift, not just with a vision, but with practical steps. There's incredible opportunity within media to reinvent the practice, processes and business models, and Thiago is the perfect media powerhouse to help our clients in their transformation."

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