Download Speaker Bios

2015 JEGI Media & Technology Conference
The Convergence of Data, Marketing & Commerce
Speaker Bios
time warner center, nyc | january 15, 2015 | 11:30am–7:00pm
Omer Artun, Founder & CEO, AgilOne
Omer Artun, Founder & CEO of AgilOne, holds a PhD in computational neuroscience and
physics from Brown University, where he studied under Nobel Laureate Physicist, Leon
Cooper, on pattern recognition, data mining and complex systems modeling at the Institute for Brain and Neural Systems. He served as an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at
NYU Stern School of Business, where he taught on data-driven marketing and relationship marketing.
Previously, Mr. Artun was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he specialized
in analytical areas, such as pricing, direct marketing and customer segmentation. He was
also a VP of strategic marketing at CDW/Micro Warehouse, a $6 billion direct reseller of
technology products, and a marketing executive at Best Buy. It was his work as a data-driven marketer that led to
the founding of AgilOne, where he aims to empower people through machine learning – starting with marketers.
Neil Capel, Founder & CEO, Sailthru
Neil Capel’s successful track record of working on large-scale, high-demand web systems
led him to develop Sailthru’s unique, customer interest-based automation and personalization capabilities.
Prior to founding Sailthru, Mr. Capel was the Chief Technology Officer for MusicNation, an
AlleyCorp company, ASmallWorld, and Money-Media (acquired by Financial Times). Today,
Mr. Capel is also an advisor to several startups, including Refinery29.com and Zootoo.com,
and a Venture Partner at Bowery Capital, a seed stage venture fund focused on transformational upgrades to enterprise technologies.
Mr. Capel was also named to The Silicon Alley 100 in 2011, 2012 and 2014 as one of New York City’s most influential
and coolest technology leaders.
Lynda Clarizio, President, US Media, Nielsen
Lynda Clarizio joined Nielsen in August 2013 as President, US Media. She is responsible
for leading the performance of Nielsen’s Watch business in the United States, including
managing the US teams supporting Nielsen’s media clients across national and local television, digital and other media.
Ms. Clarizio has spent the last 15 years as a successful executive in the media industry
growing and scaling advertising businesses. Prior to Nielsen, she was the Executive Vice
President for corporate development and operations at AppNexus, which operates one of
the industry’s fastest growing platforms for the buying and selling of digital advertising
through real-time bidding. Before joining AppNexus, Ms. Clarizio was CEO and President
of INVISION, Inc. from 2009 through 2012. INVISION is a leading provider of multi-platform advertising solutions
to the media industry.
1
#jegiconf2015
SPEAKER BIOS
Ms. Clarizio came to INVISION after a decade long career at AOL, which she joined in 1999. Ms. Clarizio served as
President of AOL’s consolidated advertising businesses, then called Platform-A. She also served in other top management roles at AOL and its independent subsidiary, Advertising.com. Prior to joining AOL, Ms. Clarizio was a
partner in the leading Washington, DC law firm Arnold & Porter, where she practiced law from 1987 through 1999.
Ms. Clarizio is a recognized leader in advertising and media, having been named one of 2011’s top 100 “Tech Titans”
in the Washington, DC region by The Washingtonian, one of 2009’s “25 Executives to Watch in Digital Entertainment” by Digital Media Wire, and one of 2008’s “Women to Watch” by Advertising Age. She also was selected one
of 1998’s “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” by The Washingtonian. Ms. Clarizio is a 1985 graduate of Harvard Law School
and a 1982 graduate of Princeton University.
Charles Engros, Managing Partner, Morgan Lewis
Charles Engros is Managing Partner of Morgan Lewis in New York and leader of the firm’s
media and Information team and its corporate practice firmwide. The Morgan Lewis corporate transactional media and information practice, and Mr. Engros in particular, are
named by Chambers, publisher of the world’s leading guides to the legal profession, as
industry leaders.
Media industry deals in which Mr. Engros’ and his team have been engaged recently include: UBM’s acquisition of Advanstar for $972 million; Pearson’s sale of its interest in
Nook to Barnes & Noble; Penske Media’s acquisition of the assets of Fairchild Fashion Media, including Women’s Wear Daily from Condé Nast; and Moody’s acquisition of WebEquity Solutions. In addition to his focus on the media and communications industry, Mr. Engros also represents US
and international companies in acquisitions, joint ventures, financings and securities offerings in other industries.
In late November, Morgan Lewis acquired just over 750 lawyers from Bingham McCutcheon, making Morgan Lewis
the largest law firm in the United States with 28 offices in the US and abroad.
Rick Erwin, President, Consumer Insights & Targeting, Experian
Rick Erwin is a leading voice in the field of data-driven marketing and an outspoken advocate for its value in the global economy. Serving at the forefront of this industry for more
than three decades, Mr. Erwin continues to play a critical role in its evolution as the head
of Experian Marketing Services’ consumer insights and targeting division.
At Experian Marketing Services, Mr. Erwin is responsible for the company’s data, analytics
and advertising solutions that help marketers understand, target and reach their customers across channels and devices. During the past decade at Experian, Mr. Erwin led the
company’s evolution from a direct marketing analytics business to a full-service digital
advertising consultancy, effectively establishing the company as the primary data and
identity linkage partner for major advertisers, agencies and publishers around the world.
Mr. Erwin is also credited with what he calls “Experian’s game-changing decision” to increase investment in the
company’s marketing data assets and linkage technology in order to help clients and partners change the way
media is bought, sold, traded and used. Today, Experian Marketing Services’ extensive marketing data assets and
services, which cover 98% of the US population, are the underlying currency for valuing media and measurement
within the data-driven economy. Mr. Erwin also recently spearheaded the consolidation of Experian’s disparate
marketing databases and businesses to create one cohesive data, analytics and advertising business.
Prior to joining Experian Marketing Services, Mr. Erwin held various positions in the marketing services industry,
including 12 years with RR Donnelley, a direct marketing and commercial printing company, where he served in
general management, sales, marketing and manufacturing management roles. Mr. Erwin is a frequent speaker at
industry events covering all aspects of data-driven marketing. He serves on the board of directors of the Direct
2
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
Marketing Association, the Chicago Youth Centers, and the Shedd Aquarium. He holds a Master’s in business administration from Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s degree in marketing and sales management from
Michigan State University.
Meredith Flynn-Ripley, Chief Executive Officer, HeyWire
Meredith Flynn-Ripley is CEO and Co-Founder of HeyWire, a leading cloud-based business
texting company. With over 20 years of experience launching ground-breaking technologies and growing successful businesses, she is a true mobile and broadband veteran.
Previously, Ms. Flynn-Ripley was CEO of Stargus (acquired by ARRIS) and Into Networks
(acquired by Softricity). Before joining the entrepreneurial world, she held executive positions at RoadRunner and Ogilvy & Mather Interactive.
Jim Greenwell, President & CEO, Danal
Jim Greenwell brings more than 20+ years of experience in the telecommunications industry and has held a variety of executive positions with private and public companies.
Forming deep relationships with key eco-system partners, like mobile network operators,
financial institutions, banks and e-commerce companies, Mr. Greenwell’s leadership has
transformed Danal from a promising startup into a leader in mobile e-commerce. Danal
recently launched its patent-pending Mobile ID and Authentication platform.
Mr. Greenwell joined Danal from ACE*COMM Corporation (ACEC: Nasdaq), serving as
President & CEO, where he grew the core billing business and divested the company to
a private equity group. Prior to ACE*COMM, Mr. Greenwell was the Senior Vice President
of the Americas and AsiaPac for LCC International. He began his career as a Military Intelligence Officer in the US
Army and holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.
Craig Hayman, President, eBay Enterprise
Craig Hayman joined eBay Enterprise in July 2014, bringing more than 30 years of enterprise technology leadership experience. He most recently served as Worldwide General
Manager of IBM’s Industry Cloud Solutions, where he led acquisitions of more than a dozen companies, greatly expanding the company’s commerce business. Prior to this role, Mr.
Hayman was General Manager for IBM’s WebSphere business, where he drove increases
in customer satisfaction, revenue, profit and market share gains.
Throughout his career, Mr. Hayman has built strong, high-performing teams and worked
with professionals across Human Resources, Marketing, Procurement, Supply Chain, ECommerce and Government Services to help increase the engagement of employees, consumers, partners and citizens.
3
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
André Lejeune, Chairman & CEO, Selligent
Before obtaining his degree in Business Management and Marketing from HEC Brussels,
André Lejeune had already started his professional career, marked since the very beginning by a passion for software and new technologies as business enablers. Mr. Lejeune,
together with his historical partner Thierry Téchy, is one of the pioneers in the field of
CRM software.
Selligent expansion policy includes the acquisition of its successful French CRM reseller
in 1999. In 2008, Selligent sought to better address the growing need of its B-to-C clients
for CRM marketing and merged with Optizen, a Belgian software vendor specialized in
the development of interactive marketing solutions, and the company has since then successfully transformed into a major SaaS Omnichannel Audience Engagement platform vendor.
Today, 450 brands benefit from Selligent Marketing platform, and Selligent employs 180 staff in Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, UK and has initiated its transatlantic expansion. Selligent’s ambition is to become
a global player in the field of audience engagement solutions. Authenticity, eagerness for innovation, passion for
people management, cultures and technologies are Mr. Lejeune’s drivers, and the recipe for Selligent’s success.
Bob Lord, Chief Executive Officer, AOL Platforms
As CEO of AOL Platforms, Bob Lord heads AOL’s industry-leading global advertising and
technology arm, which reaches marketers and publishers in over 30 countries through
Advertising.com, Adap.tv, ADTECH, AOL On, Be On and Pictela. Mr. Lord applies principles
from his most recent book, Converge: Transforming Businesses at the Intersection of
Marketing and Technology, to position AOL Platforms at the intersection of premium and
programmatic. In this unique position, AOL Platforms simplifies digital advertising and
enables the world’s top marketers and premium publishers to reach consumers across all
screens and formats.
Previously, Mr. Lord served as Razorfish Global CEO and CEO of Publicis Groupe’s Digital
Technology Division, which includes Razorfish, the Digitas LBi network and Denuo, and led over 7,500 employees
worldwide. During his tenure as CEO, he was also responsible for driving the agencies’ digital product offerings,
Fluent and CRM365, and representing the Groupe’s technology assets on Publicis Groupe’s P12, its Strategic Leadership Team and the board of directors for its VivaKi unit. Prior to his role as CEO, Mr. Lord served as Razorfish’s
Chief Operating Officer.
Before entering the media space, Mr. Lord held various positions in technology consulting and engineering. He is
a dedicated industry leader, with an active membership in the TED community, and is a founding member of The
Nantucket Project. He holds a BS in Engineering from Syracuse University an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jennifer Morgan, President, North America, SAP
Jennifer Morgan was appointed president of SAP North America in May 2014. She is responsible for leading the business in the North America region, serving more than 90,000
customers in 25 industries across the United States and Canada.
Previously, Ms. Morgan was president of the regulated industries market unit for SAP U.S.,
which encompasses federal, state, and local government, as well as the higher education, aerospace and defense, healthcare, and utilities industries. In her role, she was responsible for leading the strategy, business operations, revenue performance, customer
relationships, and overall customer satisfaction in the market segments throughout the
United States.
4
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
SAP Regulated Industries was formed in 2013, adding the healthcare and utilities businesses to SAP Public Services
Inc., which Ms. Morgan led since 2011. As president of SAP Public Services, she was directly responsible for the
company’s federal civilian and defense, aerospace, state and local government, and higher education industry
practices. She has more than 20 years of experience in helping develop, sell, and implement enterprise-wide solutions for government and private sector customers.
Before joining SAP, she served in a variety of positions for Siebel Systems. Earlier, Ms. Morgan served as a client
manager at Accenture, where she primarily oversaw large system modernizations at consumer products companies, as well as numerous government agencies. Ms. Morgan is a graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
R. Davis Noell, Managing Director, Providence Equity Partners
R. Davis Noell is a managing director at Providence Equity Partners. Mr. Noell is currently a
director of Altegrity, the Chernin Group, SunGard Data Systems and World Triathlon Corp.
(Ironman). He was previously a director of GLM and Stream Global Services.
Prior to joining Providence in 2003, Mr. Noell worked in Deutsche Bank’s media investment banking group. Mr. Noell received a BA from the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
Deven Parekh, Managing Director, Insight Venture Partners
Deven Parekh is a managing director at Insight Venture Partners and joined the firm in
2000. Mr. Parekh manages investments in e-commerce, consumer internet data, and application software businesses on a global basis. Notable previous companies in his portfolio have included Buddy Media (acquired by SalesForce, NASDAQ: CRM), Chegg (IPO),
Football Fanatics (acquired by GSI Commerce, later acquired by eBay), Media Mind (IPO),
Procuri (acquired by Ariba, NASDAQ: ARBA), Russian Trading System (merged with MICEX),
Tumblr (acquired by Yahoo!) and Website Pros (IPO).
Mr. Parekh is a global investor, actively working with investments in China, Latin America,
Europe and Russia. He is a member of numerous Boards of Directors, including for data
services companies, e-commerce companies and SaaS/application software businesses, and he represents the
firm’s interests in Alibaba and Twitter.
Mr. Parekh was previously a Principal at Berenson Minella & Company, a New York based merchant banking firm,
where he served on the firm’s M&A Committee. Prior to Berenson Minella, Mr. Parekh was with The Blackstone
Group, where he was involved in both M&A advisory and principal activities. In 2014, he was selected by AlwaysOn
as a Venture Capital 100 winner for his investments in Twitter and Chegg. He was also selected to be on the 2014
Forbes Midas list.
Mr. Parekh is a Member of the Technical Advisory Council of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which
assists the Commission with developing informed technology policies supporting America’s competitiveness and
job creation in the global economy. During the period 2010–2012, Mr. he served as a Member of the Advisory Board
of the US Export-Import Bank, which is the official export credit agent of the United States. In 2006, Mr. Parekh
was named a Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute, which seeks to develop the next generation of community spirited leaders.
Mr. Parekh is a member of the Greater NY Partnership, which pairs business executives with non-profit executive
directors. The Partnership is an initiative of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. Mr. Parekh is also a mem-
51
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
ber of the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as the Economic Club of New York. He received a BS in Economics
from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dale Renner, Founder & CEO, RedPoint Global
RedPoint Global creates market leading data management and omni-channel marketing
software products that enable companies to take a data-driven approach to achieving
profitable business growth. As Chief Executive Officer of RedPoint Global, Mr. Renner has
driven the company’s strategic direction since its founding in 2006.
Mr. Renner began his career at Accenture, where he founded the firm’s CRM practice and
was the CRM Global Managing Partner. Under his tenure, the worldwide business grew
to $1.5 billion in revenue with 5,000 consultants. After Accenture, he was CEO of Seisint,
Inc., a risk management and analytics company that had a $775 million exit. Mr. Renner
then served as CEO of ClarityBlue, Inc., a provider of hosted customer intelligence solutions, which exited for $160 million.
John Rose, Senior Partner & Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group
John Rose is a Senior Partner and Managing Director in the New York office of The Boston
Consulting Group (BCG). He leads BCG’s Americas Media practice and helps lead its Big
Data Practice. Until recently, he was also responsible for BCG’s US Private Equity practice.
Mr. Rose joined BCG from EMI PLC, where he was Group Executive Vice President responsible for strategy and corporate development, digital distribution, global operations, and
government affairs. Prior to EMI, he spent 20 years at McKinsey & Co. There, he was a
Director, led the global media practice, and was deeply involved in serving tech, telecom,
and private equity clients.
Mr. Rose’s consulting work includes: multi-year effort for World Economic Forum on big
data; transformation of a leading newspaper and broadcasting company; growth strategy for a leading cable
MSO; multi-screen content strategy for a US Telco; digital strategy for a leading cable network company; M&A/
acquisition of major TV stations group; ad sales effectiveness efforts and cost restructuring for magazine, broadcasting, and newspaper companies; pricing effort for cable MSO; incubation of new social/interactive TV studio;
growth strategy for a leading web mobile content services company; and incubation and build of a leading sports
Internet portal.
Mr. Rose received a BA in Mathematics, summa cum laude, from Wesleyan University, where he was awarded the
Graham Prize for natural science. He earned a Master’s in Public and Private Management from Yale University.
Outside of work, he serves on the Board of Trustees of WNYC and Young Audiences.
Kevin Ryan, Chairman & Founder, GILT
Kevin Ryan is the Chairman and Founder of GILT, an innovative e-commerce company offering highly coveted products and experiences at insider prices.
In 2007, Mr. Ryan, along with a founding team, created GILT as an invitation-only site for
coveted women’s apparel and accessories. Today, GILT has millions of members and has
added business lines in home; children; men’s apparel and gear (GiltMAN); and local services and experiences (Gilt City), and has founded the leading flash-sale site in Japan (Gilt
Japan). It is one of the largest Internet companies ever created in NYC.
Mr. Ryan is one of the leading Internet entrepreneurs in the United States, having founded
several New York based businesses, including GILT, Business Insider, MongoDB and Zola. Mr. Ryan helped build
DoubleClick from 1996 to 2005, first as President and later as CEO. He led DoubleClick’s growth from a 20-person
61
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
startup to a publicly traded global leader with over 1,500 employees.
Currently, Mr. Ryan serves on the board of Yale Corporation and Human Rights Watch, is Vice Chairman of The Partnership for New York City, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds a BA from Yale University
and an MBA from INSEAD.
Mike Sands, Chief Executive Officer, Signal
Prior to joining Signal, Mike Sands was part of the original Orbitz management team
and held the positions of CMO and COO. While at Orbitz, he helped take the business
from start-up to IPO, then through two acquisitions (Cendant and Blackstone). After Orbitz, Mr. Sands joined The Pritzker Group as a partner on their private equity team. He has
also held management roles at General Motors Corporation and Leo Burnett. His work at
General Motors led him to be named a “Marketer of the Next Generation” by Brandweek
magazine. Mr. Sands holds a BS in communications from Northwestern University and a
Master’s in management from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management. He also sits on the
Signal board.
Bill Seibel, Chief Executive Officer, Mobiquity
Bill Seibel is a man of entrepreneurial vision, and that vision led him to founding Mobiquity. Mr. Seibel had already shown his leadership abilities with other successful companies.
He was CEO of Gumball, a consulting firm specializing in helping CEOs grow their companies rapidly and effectively. In addition, he is executive chairman of LogMatrix. Mr. Seibel
earlier served as chairman and chief executive officer of Demantra, a leading provider of
supply chain and marketing collaboration and analytics that he sold to Oracle in 2006.
Before Demantra, Mr. Seibel was chairman and CEO of the eBusiness services company, ZEFER. There, he oversaw the company’s organic growth to more than $130 million in revenue
in its first 18 months of operations. Prior to establishing ZEFER, he was executive vice president of Cambridge Technology Partners (CTP) and one of its founding partners. At CTP, he helped take the company
through a successful IPO, launched its international operations and led nine of the company’s 12 business units.
Mr. Seibel serves on the boards of a number of technology startups. He also sits on several charitable boards, including the Boston Public Library, the College of Business at Northeastern University, the College of Information
Sciences and Technology at Penn State University, Penn State’s College of Engineering and the Tepper School of
Business at Carnegie Mellon.
He received a Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from Carnegie
Mellon University. He also completed Harvard University’s MISR program.
Ray Shu, Senior Managing Director & Media Team Leader, GE Capital
Ray Shu serves as Senior Managing Director and Media Team Leader for GE Capital’s Telecom, Media & Technology business. In this position, Mr. Shu leads his team in providing
senior secured financing to middle-market companies and sponsor-based activities in
various media sectors.
Mr. Shu joined GE in October 2000, where he has held several senior positions, including
Managing Director, Risk, charged with overall underwriting and portfolio management
responsibilities for the business unit’s loan portfolio in the media sector. As a Senior Vice
President, he also co-founded GE’s Tech Lending Group, focusing on debt investments for
early stage, venture-backed technology companies.
71
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
Prior to GE, Mr. Shu was with Bank of America Commercial Finance’s Healthcare Leveraged Finance Group, as well
as with the Franchise Finance Group at NationsBank, N.A. Also, Mr. Shu was with PriceWaterhouse’s Corporate
Finance Group, where he focused on the execution of buy and sell-side mandate transactions, capital raising, IPO
advisory and bankruptcy restructuring services.
Mr. Shu earned a BBA in finance from University of Georgia and an MBA in international finance from Georgia
State University. He also received his “Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)” designation in 1997.
Rick Smolen, VP, Strategic Transactions, Intralinks
Rick Smolen joined Intralinks in 2004 and is currently Vice President of Strategic Transactions. Mr. Smolen and his team are responsible for empowering the investment banking, corporate development, and legal communities in their acceleration of deal lifecycles.
With robust virtual data room technology solutions, these communities can do more in
less time, including Due Diligence, Deal Sourcing, Deal Marketing, and Pre/Post Close Activities. Mr. Smolen’s team works extensively with leading advisory firms, Fortune 1000
companies, private equity firms and their affiliates, and the overall deal community.
Mr. Smolen has previously held various positions at Intralinks, including leading the Asia
Pacific Region. Prior to joining Intralinks, Mr. Smolen held a variety of positions at Thomson Financial, Baseline Financial, and AlliedSignal. Mr. Smolen has a BS in finance from The Pennsylvania State
University and is based in New York.
Ben West, Co-Founder, Eventbase
Ben West is Co-Founder of the companies Eventbase and Intergalactic Agency, which
maintain offices in Vancouver, Canada, and London, UK. Eventbase creates mobile apps for
some of the world’s biggest events and brands, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympics,
London 2012 Olympics, Sochi 2014 Olympics, Sundance Film Festival, South By Southwest,
SAP, Gartner, Disney, ESPN, Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes Lions, Sundance, Isle of Wight Festival, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, the NFL, and hundreds more.
Intergalactic is a digital agency specializing in custom mobile apps, interactive installations, websites, software development and visualizations. Intergalactic’s clients include
the Oracle Education Foundation, Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Telus, BMW, BC Liquor
Stores, Mental Health Canada, British Fashion Council, Calgary Stampede, the Banff Centre, and other global brands.
Mr. West has presented as both a speaker and panel member on a range of technical and business topics at events,
including SXSW in Austin, Cannes Lions, LLGA in San Francisco, Google in London, and other events in Boston, New
York, Vancouver, and more.
From 1996-2002, he architected, built and operated the technical systems of StockHouse.com, which was the largest website in Canada during the dot com era and one of the largest financial websites in the world, with over one
billion dynamic page views per year.
Mr. West was selected as one of Business in Vancouver’s “40 Under 40” and has a BA Honours in Media Studies
from Queen’s University.
81
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
Andy Zimmerman, President, frog
Andy Zimmerman has been the president of frog since 2013. Prior to that, he was the
Global Managing Director of Mobility and New Businesses at Accenture. Mr. Zimmerman
drives frog’s strategy and oversees its worldwide operations.
frog is a global product strategy and design firm. frog’s work solves problems, anticipates the future, and advances the human experience. With more than 600 strategists,
researchers, designers, and technologists, frog consults and partners with clients across
industries. Headquartered in San Francisco, frog has offices in Amsterdamn, Austin, Boston, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Seattle, Shanghai, and Singapore.
For more than 40 years, frog has been working to drive innovation and design meaningful products and experiences that delight the customers of global brands, such as HP, Apple, GE, Disney, and Microsoft.
Wilma Jordan, Founder & CEO, Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
Wilma Jordan, Founder and CEO of JEGI, leads the most successful independent investment bank for the media, information, marketing and technology sectors. Since 1987, JEGI
has completed more than 500 M&A transactions for global corporations; private companies; entrepreneurs; and private equity/venture capital firms.
Ms. Jordan’s Best Practices approach to financial advisory services has been instrumental
in forging the firm’s reputation for overall excellence, integrity, and the ability to maximize value for its clients. Her vast experience includes having founded, owned, managed,
advised and served on the Boards of Directors of media, marketing, interactive and technology businesses. She has served on the Board of Directors of four public companies – Lin
Broadcasting (NYSE), Lin Television (NASDAQ), Clayton Homes (NYSE), and Lin TV (NYSE) – as well as several private
companies. In addition, Ms. Jordan is a Trustee of Guideposts, Inc.
Amir Akhavan, Managing Director, Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
Amir Akhavan, Managing Director with JEGI, advises tech, marketing services, interactive
and information companies in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and capital raises. He
is known for delivering high-value strategic advice to entrepreneurs, PE firms, VCs and
strategics, as they evaluate and seek to stay at the forefront of rapidly changing markets.
Recent notable engagements include: the sale of RTM Productions, a TV and digital content production, distribution and marketing platform specializing in automotive tech, to
Raycom Media; Distimo, a leading mobile app market intelligence and analytics provider,
to App Annie; Group SJR, a leading digital consultancy, to Hill+Knowlton, a unit of WPP;
and many others.
Mr. Akhavan is especially passionate about working with entrepreneurs, as they develop market disrupting businesses. His domain expertise extends across technology and the marketing stack including mobile and social; he
recently wrote “The Social Media Ecosystem - Rise of Users, Intelligence and Operating Systems”, published by the
Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Prior to joining JEGI in 2005, he was at Deloitte Corporate Finance in the media and entertainment M&A investment banking group. Previously, Mr. Akhavan worked in EY’s Assurance and Advisory Business Services practice,
focusing on Technology, Media and Telecom. He earned his Master’s from the University of Virginia as an Ernst &
Young YMP scholar and his Bachelor’s in corporate finance from the University of Southern California (USC). He is
a member of the USC Board of Governors, a certified FINRA representative, a CPA and a Big Brothers Big Sisters of
New York mentor.
1 9
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
Sam Barthelme, Director, Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
Sam Barthelme, Director, focuses on content and interactive marketing services, business
information/data, digital media and technology companies, within the firm’s mergers,
acquisitions and divestitures practice. Recent notable engagements include: the sale of
IRON Solutions, a leading software and data provider to the agriculture market, to Trimble; OnPeak and TravelPlanners, two market-leading enterprise housing software and
services providers, to GES (Viad); a significant growth investment in MyWebGrocer, an
e-commerce software platform, from HGGC; and many others.
Prior to joining JEGI, Mr. Barthelme worked in corporate finance at American International
Group. His direct media and technology experience includes strategic planning and corporate finance roles at entertainment technology provider Production Resource Group and at Time Warner – CNN.
Mr. Barthelme also served as an advisor to Video Volunteers, a non-profit social media network that provides
solution-based media for marginalized and poor communities around the world. Mr. Barthelme holds an MBA and
a BS from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Jeff Becker, Managing Director & Co-Head of Technology Banking, Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
Jeff Becker, Managing Director and Co-Head of Technology Banking with JEGI, joined the
firm in October 2014. Mr. Becker has over 20 years of experience as a technology banker,
with particularly extensive experience in the enterprise software, services and human
capital management solutions sectors.
Mr. Becker has completed well over 100 technology transactions during his career, including nearly 40 strategic advisory or private capital raising assignments. Prior to joining JEGI,
he headed or co-headed software banking efforts at JMP Securities, Robertson Stephens,
RBC Capital Markets, and, most recently, AGC Partners, all technology/growth companycentric investment banks.
Throughout his career, Mr. Becker has focused on providing high-quality strategic advisory services to his clients,
leveraging his extensive banking experience and deep domain expertise within the technology industry. In particular, he seeks to assist clients in mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, growth equity capital raises, and divestitures. Earlier in his career, Mr. Becker served as a valued underwriter on dozens of notable technology IPOs and
other public financing transactions, along with providing M&A advisory services.
Mr. Becker earned an MBA with Distinction from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and a BS in finance from Lehigh University. In addition, Mr. Becker is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Make Some
Noise: Cure Kids Cancer Foundation, as well as a member of the operating committee for the Cycle for Survival
events in New Jersey.
Tolman Geffs, Co-President, Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
Tolman Geffs, Co-President of JEGI, represents technology, interactive, marketing, and
business services companies. Recent notable engagements include: the sale of tech-enabled search marketing company RKG to Merkle; a significant growth investment in MyWebGrocer, an e-commerce software platform, from HGGC; the sale of Infogroup’s sales
enablement platform OneSource to Cannondale Investments/ GTCR; and many others.
Mr. Geffs brings a unique combination of experience as a CEO and business builder in
both traditional and new media companies, as well as in corporate finance. Prior to joining JEGI in 2004, Mr. Geffs was CEO of Internet Broadcasting Systems, a national network
of 70 local television Web sites operated in partnership with NBC, Hearst, The Washington
Post Company and other major broadcasters. With a staff of 250, IBS was one of the earliest old/new cross-media
1 10
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS
platforms to achieve both scale and profitability.
Previously, Mr. Geffs held a series of senior executive positions in magazine publishing. He began his career in the
M&A department of Lehman Brothers, and also consulted for media companies with McKinsey & Company. He is a
graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, with degrees in English and engineering physics, and Harvard
Business School.
Scott Peters, Co-President, Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
Scott Peters, a Co-President with JEGI, represents a wide array of technology, interactive,
information and marketing companies in an M&A advisory capacity. Having successfully
completed more than 100 transactions with JEGI, Mr. Peters offers clients a comprehensive understanding of the key sectors that JEGI covers.
Recent notable engagements include: the sale of IRON Solutions, a leading software and
data provider to the agriculture market, to Trimble; MarketCast, a leading provider of entertainment marketing insights and analytics, to RLJ Equity Partners; OnPeak and TravelPlanners, two market-leading enterprise housing software and services providers, to GES
(Viad); a control equity investment in financial technology company Covenant Review
from Leeds Equity Partners; and many others.
Mr. Peters offers a unique blend of traditional investment banking and direct operating experience. Previously, he
was the co-founder of AngelSociety, an information, communications and transaction company serving the early
stage investing or “angel” investing market. Prior to joining JEGI, Mr. Peters was with Veronis Suhler Stevenson,
where he served as director of research and later, director of business development for the investment bank and
private equity fund. He earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BBA from Babson College.
Joseph Sanborn, Managing Director & Co-Head of Technology Banking, Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
Joseph Sanborn, Managing Director and Co-Head of Technology Banking with JEGI, joined
the firm in July 2014. Mr. Sanborn has extensive strategic advisory experience across mobile, software, digital media and tech-enabled services, having established and built successful M&A practices at two firms. With 19 years of investment banking experience, Mr.
Sanborn has advised clients on numerous transactions, including mergers, acquisitions,
divestitures, recapitalizations and strategic investments.
During his career, he has completed deals involving major corporations, such as Samsung
Electronics, Research in Motion, Siemens, Xerox, Avaya, First Data Corporation, Honeywell,
Illinois Tool Works, Bosch, VeriFone, Dupont and Merck, as well as a number of venturebacked and founder-owned companies.
Most recently, Mr. Sanborn was Managing Director and Head of M&A at Rutberg & Company, where he provided
strategic advisory services to leading companies in the mobile and digital media sectors. Previously, Mr. Sanborn
served as Managing Director and Co-Head of the Software, Internet and Services Group at SVB Alliant, an affiliate
of Silicon Valley Bank. Prior to SVB, he led the technology services M&A practices at both Robertson Stephens and
Jefferies & Company. Mr. Sanborn began his investment banking career at J.P. Morgan.
Before beginning his investment banking career, Mr. Sanborn served in the White House and the US Senate. He
received a BS in business administration from Georgetown University and a Master’s in public policy from Harvard
University. In addition, Mr. Sanborn is a Trustee/Board Observer for the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, the region’s leading technology association and network for technology executives, entrepreneurs and investors.
1 11
#jegiconf15
SPEAKER BIOS