• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 3, 2011

Supply-side platform PubMatic on Monday named publishing insider Kirk McDonald as its new president.

Portraying himself as "a passionate advocate for the publishing industry," McDonald on Monday said he is thus "a believer in the importance of transparent controls."

McDonald most recently served as president of Digital for Time Inc., where he was responsible for aligning and improving upon the company's digital assets.

"Media now requires automation of data, advertising inventory, and dynamic content to achieve success," McDonald added, referring to PubMatic's expertise.

For a share of earned ad revenue, PubMatic -- along with rivals like The Rubicon Project and AdMeld -- factors in pricing data, available inventory and publisher guidelines to determine which ad network is sent an ad impression.

Even on the hunt for additional publisher partners, PubMatic recently acquired ReviNet for an undisclosed sum. Considered a relatively small ad optimization provider, ReviNet offered partnerships with 57 publishers, including The Christian Science Monitor, Boston Herald, The Sporting News and A.H. Belo. With the deal, PubMatic said its U.S. reach increased to 218 million unique users -- or 95% of the U.S. Internet population.

With the addition of ReviNet's 15-person team, PubMatic said it achieved its hiring goals of doubling to 200 employees in 2011. That said, PubMatic's future remains far from certain.

Earlier this year, Donovan Data Systems sent a shock wave through the industry after it unveiled a new platform for media planners and buyers to buy top online inventory directly from their computers.

Developed in partnership with The Rubicon Project, the Direct Publisher Gateway is so imposing because Donovan is the industry's top supplier of systems and software used by Madison Avenue to process media buys.

Prior to Time, McDonald held the position of chief advertising officer of the Fortune|Money Group, where he oversaw worldwide ad sales and integrated marketing across the group's print and digital properties.

A privately held company, PubMatic is backed by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Nexus Venture Partners, and Helion Ventures. PubMatic is currently building out its European presence and is doubling its engineer base to over 100.