In a statement, Drayton said that his departure from the Time Warner-owned subsidiary comes following decisions in the US that have led to Advertising.com becoming increasingly close to its parent company and because Advertising.com founder, Scott Ferber, now holds a senior advertising strategy role.
Drayton, a former managing director of The Telegraph Group, joined Advertising.com in June 2005, a year after AOL bought the firm, to spearhead pan-European activities.
"It has been a hugely enjoyable year for me, working with very bright, talented teams in a dynamic industry. A short-term consolidation task was required, following the company's acquisition by AOL in late 2004. Advertising.com is now set for a very bright future in Europe. I wish my colleagues across the EU markets every success," he said.
Prior to taking on the Telegraph managing director role, Drayton was managing director of its new-media arm Hollinger Telegraph New Media and was long associated with the development of the Telegraph online.
He first joined the Telegraph in 1994 as a marketing manager and left 10 years later as one of the first senior casualties of new owners, the Barclay brothers.
Advertising.com employs around 140 people across Europe, most of whom are based at its European head office in London.
Drayton added that he had no immediate career plans.
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