With over 25 years in publisher-facing roles at companies like ValueClick, OpenX, and Outbrain, Ronan Murphy recently took on the role of UK Country Manager at Pubstack. In this interview with New Digital Age’s Justin Pearse, he shares what drew him to the company, how it’s supporting publishers through industry disruption, and why operational efficiency is the foundational priority for modern media businesses.
Why did you decide to join Pubstack, and what stood out about the company?
I’ve always been on the publishers side, and over the years, the challenges publishers face have grown massively. Today, they might be managing 25 SSPs, multiple ID partners, traffic shifts from platform updates, and pressures from AI-driven search. Everything is more complex and fragmented.
What drew me to Pubstack is that, frankly, they’re solving a real problem. It’s not just noise or fluff. They’re giving publishers back control, making operations more efficient, and helping teams do more with less.
In a time when publishers are being pulled in every direction, that really matters.
What exactly does Pubstack do, and how is it different from other platforms?
Pubstack is a full-stack, modular solution designed to create operational efficiency. That means we work with partners whether they’re using server-to-server, client-side, or direct integrations. The goal is to empower publishers to reach revenue targets faster and more independently.
For example, publishers using our platform can run A/B tests, add new partners, and adjust their ad stack in real time, without raising tickets or waiting on dev queues.
It’s no-code, intuitive, and changes can be made almost instantly. That’s a game-changer for busy teams with limited resources.
Tell us about Pubstack’s history and its success in other markets
Pubstack started in France in 2018 and initially focused on analytics before expanding into full-stack monetisation. That transition happened naturally, as the analytics showed them where the problems were.
In France, we now work with over 70% of the major publishers, from legacy newspaper brands to major digital outlets. Over the last couple of years, we’ve expanded into Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.
One of our biggest recent changes was making the platform modular, which has helped accelerate growth. We also launched “Node”, our server-to-server solution, to help publishers who want more control but don’t necessarily want to build everything from scratch.
How are UK publishers responding to this? And what are the barriers to change?
Publishers are definitely interested, but change takes time. It’s a crowded vendor landscape, and publishers are constantly being pulled into new projects and priorities. Even when something makes obvious sense on paper, the sheer volume of tools, vendors, and tasks creates paralysis.
There’s also the issue of fragmentation, client-side data in one silo, server-side data in another, different logins for everything. We’re helping to connect those dots. With Pubstack, publishers can get a 360-degree view of their analytics in one login, instantly A/B test, and onboard new partners without dev work.
The value is real, but we’re aware that convincing time-poor teams takes patience. Our sales cycle can be up to a year, which we expect.
Why isn’t operational efficiency more of a hygiene factor in publishing tech stacks?
It should be, and in many ways it already is, but often only in silos. Some publishers have a dashboard that shows revenue, others might have a basic change management tool.
But few have a unified system that brings everything together and allows them to act quickly. We’re offering a platform that’s both powerful and simple. In fact, one of our demos is just three minutes long, it’s that straightforward.
We’ve deliberately built something intuitive. You don’t need to be a developer to use it. It’s designed for publishers who don’t want to spend all day dealing with logins and chasing dev tickets. They want control, clarity, and the ability to act fast.
What role does the CTO play in all this? And how has that changed?
A smart CTO gets what we’re doing straight away. Yes, a CTO could build their own stack, just like they could build their own ad server. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best use of time or resources. The job of a modern CTO is often more about streamlining, simplifying, and aligning tech with business goals than reinventing the wheel.
We’ve heard from CTOs who are juggling dozens of logins and tools. What we’re offering is a way to clean that up, to reduce noise, not add to it. That helps both tech and commercial teams move faster.
With so many vendors and so few publishers, how does Pubstack break through the noise?
It’s a good question. The UK market isn’t huge. But we’re not trying to win on volume or flash. We’re winning on product.
When publishers see the capabilities of our platform, they get it. It’s easy, effective, and it delivers. Our existing clients are some of our strongest advocates, which helps us cut through.
That said, we’re realistic—this is a slow, careful process. We’re not selling shiny objects, we’re selling real impact.
Finally, what results do publishers typically see when they start using Pubstack?
The biggest ones are time savings and agility. They can add partners without dev work, test ideas instantly, and monitor revenue and web vitals in one place. That’s not just about improving results, it’s about freeing up time to focus on strategic projects.
We’re helping publishers make sense of the madness. In a world of constant platform updates, revenue swings, and shrinking teams, that’s more valuable than ever.
