# Shawn Riegsecker

> Shawn Riegsecker is the Chicago-based founder and CEO of Basis Technologies, formerly Centro. Since starting the company in 2001, he has pursued software that connects digital advertising workflows, overseen a programmatic platform rebuild and emphasized an explicit corporate culture. His public activities also include angel investing, advisory work and civic organizations.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Basis Technologies
- **Organizations:** Basis Technologies (formerly Centro), Firestarter Fund, Dragonfly Group (advisory board), Unite America (founding director and former co-chair), Metropolitan Planning Council, The Director’s Cup, Young Presidents’ Organization
- **Education:** Bowling Green State University
- **Known for:** Founded and continued leading Basis Technologies through its evolution from Centro., Oversaw SiteScout acquisition and a multi-year platform rebuild incorporating programmatic capabilities., Company recognized on the Inc. 500 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists.

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Sold Yellow Pages advertising and helped newspapers move online; later worked at Real Media.
- **2000** — Joined streaming media company Everstream.
- **2001** — Founded Centro on October 15 and wrote a corporate manifesto.
- **2012** — Decided to reengineer Centro’s platform for a market reshaped by programmatic advertising.
- **2013** — Centro acquired Toronto-based demand-side platform SiteScout.
- **2021** — Centro changed its name to Basis Technologies on its twentieth anniversary.
- **2026** — Basis released Compass and appointed Christian Hendricks president; Riegsecker continued as CEO.

## Achievements

- Founded and continued leading Basis Technologies through its evolution from Centro.
- Oversaw SiteScout acquisition and a multi-year platform rebuild incorporating programmatic capabilities.
- Company recognized on the Inc. 500 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists.
- Basis ranked first on Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Advertising & Marketing list in both 2025 and 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Basis ranked first for a second consecutive year on Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Advertising & Marketing list; the company reported that 95% of surveyed employees considered it a great place to work.
- **2026-04** — Christian Hendricks became president, working alongside Riegsecker on commercial expansion and operational scale.
- **2026-04** — Basis introduced Compass, an agentic AI solution connecting campaign briefs with media strategies, plans and activation.

## Links

- Website: https://basis.com/company
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-riegsecker/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/ShawnRiegsecker

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shawn-riegsecker
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11