About · 01
Systems That Decide is my independent advisory practice. It exists to answer the question your agency can't — because they earn on the answer. I'm Andrew Gilbert. Sixteen years inside the stack. Now operating outside it.
One thing I got wrong · 02
In 2018 I was sure measurement would be solved by identity. The argument seemed obvious at the time. Identity infrastructure was about to consolidate, deterministic match rates were rising, and the long tail of cookie loss looked like an engineering problem.
I was wrong about most of it. The platforms that survived built their edge on signal modelling, not identity stitching. The lesson I carry into the work now is that the most confident-sounding consensus in this industry usually belongs to the people with the most to lose if it shifts.
The operator's view · 03
Most analysis of the agentic shift is written from outside the systems. Read by people who have never run a P&L against them. The structural mechanics, the commercial incentives, the way contracts and product roadmaps actually get written, are not in the public conversation — because the people who know them are still inside.
I built the practice in that gap. The work is to translate what I saw from inside into clarity for the people now making decisions about it. The advice is direct. The analysis travels with the engagement, not the relationship.
The scale record · 04
Launched the first payments-native commerce media product in ANZ. Designed the commercial model end to end and built the operating function that ran it.
Led the AUSEA commercial team across Australia, NZ and South-East Asia during 2,550% revenue growth. Senior operator across DSP, retail media and measurement.
Helped build Integral Ad Science in ANZ to roughly 60% market share. Senior commercial leadership across publisher, brand and agency sides.
Earlier work on the agency side at Starcom Brisbane and Ikon Communications (Sydney / Brisbane), and brand-side at Vodafone. Six categories of operator role across the same set of systems.
The independence model · 05
The practice does not run media, configure platforms or stand up infrastructure. Recommendations are not a path to a build engagement.
No platform partnerships. No reseller margin. No certification revenue. No co-marketing arrangements with the systems being evaluated.
No commission on what is recommended, named or unnamed. The analysis ends where the document ends. The next conversation is yours to have.
The mandate · 06
"The analysis is the product. I am not incentivised by what you buy next, but by how well you understand what you already have."Andrew Gilbert · Founder
The advisory model · 07
A direct read on how the work actually runs. Designed to make a CMO confident they understand what they are buying before they call.
A 30-minute call. We discuss what you are trying to decide, what is already in motion, who else is around the table. The call ends with clarity on whether an engagement makes sense — and which one. Not a quote. Not a follow-up sequence.
You own the document, the framework, the risk register, the analysis. It is yours to share with the board, the agency, the platform, the deal team. The client portal is the delivery and reference channel, not a paywall. There is no licensing, no subscription required to retain what you commissioned.
Closed-room sessions with the people who decide. Pre-work and findings happen async. The cadence is calibrated to the engagement type. Short and dense for the Diagnostic, sustained and quarterly for retainer relationships, focused and time-boxed for transaction work.
A defined-scope engagement ends when the document is delivered. A retainer continues monthly with a six-month minimum. There is no auto-renewing contract. No notice period structured to make leaving expensive.
Get started
30 minutes. I respond within one business day. No commitment, no quote at the end of the call.
Andrew Gilbert · andrew@systemsthatdecide.io · One business day to reply
If you're evaluating operator roles in adtech, commerce media, or retail media strategy — connect on LinkedIn or email andrew@systemsthatdecide.io.