• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 24, 2015

Rocket Fuel, the publicly traded programmatic media-buying platform that has been the poster child for machine automation on Madison Avenue, announced that founder George John is retiring as CEO and would be succeeded on an interim basis by Monte Zweben, a Rocket Fuel board member since 2010, and will begin recruiting for a permanent successor.

John, who has served as CEO since 2008, will remain chairman of Rocket Fuel and will have an “active role, focusing on acquiring and developing strategic customer relationships,” the company said in a statement.

The company’s board has formed a CEO search committee and said it is looking for someone with a “proven track record of success in scaling to a multibillion-dollar global company; achieving and driving profitability; and global expertise in bringing enterprise technology to market.”