Athar Zia

CEO

Austin, Texas, United States12 yrs 6 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Led a national championship rugby team.
Grew a key account to 5th largest on Facebook.
CEO of innovative AI marketing platform.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a MarTech leader with expertise in AI-driven marketing solutions.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

LeadershipStrategic PlanningAi-powered Creative IntelligenceMarketing SystemsClient Solutions ManagementData Analytics

Other Skills

Creative TestingAI AutomationCreative ProductionData AnalysisForecastingAd SignalsAccount ManagementData-Driven InsightsXactly IncentSales Compensation PlanningVariable CompensationSales AnalysisSales CompensationSales ManagementExcel Dashboards

About

As an immigrant to Canada at nine, I’ve always been driven by challenge — from leading a semi-pro rugby team to a national championship, to building BLKBOX.ai completely bootstrapped from inception. That same discipline, teamwork, and problem-solving mindset now fuels my mission as CEO: helping marketers and game studios scale creative performance through AI automation. At BLKBOX.ai, we’re redefining how advertisers operate in a post-Andromeda world — where Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Moloco, Reddit and other platforms demand unified marketing systems that connect production, testing, App Store optimization, and deferred deep links. Our platform automates creative testing across channels, combining AI ad production with intelligent iteration to dramatically increase throughput — turning performance data into creative decisions at scale. I believe that AI and creativity aren’t opposites — they’re multipliers. By merging automation, data, and human insight, we enable advertisers to streamline operations, move faster than the auction, and unlock new levels of efficiency and growth. From the rugby field to the boardroom, my focus has always been the same: build resilient teams, tackle complex systems, and deliver measurable outcomes that drive lasting impact.

Experience

Blkbox.ai

CEO

May 2020 – Present · 5 yrs 11 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

BLKBOX.ai is the most advanced AI-Powered Creative Intelligence Platform, where you Analyze, Ideate, Create, Test and Scale in a single platform.

AI-Powered Creative IntelligenceCreative TestingMarketing SystemsLeadershipStrategic Planning

Facebook

2 roles

Client Solutions Manager, Gaming

Promoted

Sep 2018 – May 2020 · 1 yr 8 mos · Menlo Park, California

Facebook Ads Auction Expert - managed the largest advertisers in NA Gaming
Grew a key account to be the 5th largest advertiser across all of Facebook! (5 out of 8 million)
Lead NA & Global Gaming task forces: product improvements; game launch strategies; ad signals; and cross border business strategies
Mentored and coached account teams across Gaming; E-commerce; Disruptors and Real Estate
Advance data analytical skills: forecasting CPMs and CPIs; data-driven Auction Insights; price elasticity modeling

Data AnalysisForecastingAd SignalsClient Solutions ManagementData Analytics

Sales Compensation Lead

Feb 2017 – Sep 2018 · 1 yr 7 mos · Menlo Park, California

Appdynamics

3 roles

Senior Analyst, Incentives Strategy and Analytics (statistician)

Nov 2016 – Feb 2017 · 3 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

AppDynamics, Inc. is an application performance management (APM) and IT Operations Analytics (ITOA) company based in San Francisco. The company focuses on managing the performance and availability of applications across cloud computing environments as well as inside the data center.
In 2017, Cisco announced its intent to acquire AppDynamics for $3.7 billion.

Senior Business Intelligence Analyst (statistician)

Jun 2016 – Nov 2016 · 5 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

Financial Analyst -Data Analytics, Sales Compensation (statistician)

Aug 2015 – Jun 2016 · 10 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

Stryker

2 roles

Senior Commercial Analyst

Feb 2015 – May 2015 · 3 mos · Hamilton, Ontario

Stryker Corporation is a Fortune 500 medical technologies firm based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Stryker's products include implants used in joint replacement and trauma surgeries; surgical equipment and surgical navigation systems; endoscopic and communications systems; patient handling and emergency medical equipment; neurosurgical, neurovascular and spinal devices; as well as other medical device products used in a variety of medical specialties.