MITX Announces New Board Directors
2008-07-16 15:46:08 -
mitx.org - MITX Kiki Mills, 617-871-2155 x207 kiki@mitx.org MITX (Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange), the country's leading industry association that brings together digital marketing, media and technology professionals to engage in the future of the Web and its effect on marketing and business, today announced the addition of seven officers to its Board of Directors. The new board members include:
-- Jeffrey Bussgang, general partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
-- David Clark, managing director, The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
-- Sarah Fay, CEO, Aegis Media North America
-- Richard Prenderville, head of global brand marketing, Reebok
-- Scott Savitz, CEO, Shoebuy.com
-- Niraj Shah, CEO & co-founder, CSN Stores
-- Jeremy Wright, global director, mobile brand strategy, Nokia Interactive
The Board of Directors provides strategic oversight and is vested with the organization's fiduciary responsibilities.
"We're delighted with the new director appointments of Jeffrey, David, Sarah, Richard, Scott, Niraj, and Jeremy," said Kiki Mills, executive director of MITX. "Their deep professional experiences and passionate commitment to the digital industry will bring valuable perspectives to our distinguished Board. We're grateful for their support and look forward to their contributions."
Digital Marketing, Media and Technology Industry Poised for Continued Growth
With the continued anticipated growth of Massachusetts' digital ecosystem and its contributions to the local economy, MITX remains dedicated to supporting the companies and employees powering the region's digital footprint. According to recently released MITX research (see June 30, 2008 press release), 2,215 companies in New England employ 70,000 workers and contribute more than $24B in annual revenue.
According to Mills, "The digital industry has largely remained a hidden segment of the broader IT market. MITX is proud to have taken the steps to define and measure who is in this ecosystem and its impact on regional economies. The bottom line: this a huge industry that matters - we are excited about the prospects digital marketing and media technology have on innovation and advances in corporate America."
The recent additions to the MITX Board further enhance what is one of the greatest gatherings of strategic, creative, and innovative minds in digital marketing and media.
Jeffrey Bussgang, general partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
Jeffrey Bussgang is a general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners whose investment interests and entrepreneurial experience are in consumer, Internet commerce, marketing services, software, and wireless start-ups.
Bussgang currently represents the firm on the boards of BzzAgent, Click Tactics, go2 Media, i4cp, InnerWireless, Mall Networks, SimpleTuition, and Transpera and was previously a director at Brontes Technologies (acquired by 3M) and PanGo Networks (merged with InnerWireless).
Prior to joining the firm in January 2003, Bussgang co-founded Upromise (acquired by Sallie Mae), a loyalty marketing and financial services firm that currently manages $20 billion in college savings assets, where he served as president, chief operating officer and board Director. Prior to Upromise, Bussgang was an executive at Open Market, an Internet commerce software leader that went public in 1996 and grew to nearly $100 million in revenues. During his five-year tenure, he served as vice president of Worldwide Marketing and Business Development, vice president of Worldwide Professional Services and head of Product Management. Prior to Open Market, Bussgang was with The Boston Consulting Group, and served on the executive team of Athena Design, an object-oriented software start-up.
Bussgang holds a BA in Computer Science from Harvard University where he graduated magna cum laude and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar and a Ford Scholar.
David Clark, managing director, The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
As managing director with JEGI, David Clark provides M&A advisory services to traditional and technology-enabled marketing services companies. Clark's focus and transaction experience also includes companies in adjacent markets, such as business information, market research, application software, and information technology services.
Clark has nearly 20 years of experience in investment banking and business development consulting. Prior to joining JEGI, he was a managing director at Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance and a senior member of Deloitte's global TMT (Technology, Media & Telecom) industry practice. At Deloitte, Clark acted as financial and strategic advisor to US and international companies on cross-border M&A assignments, joint ventures, and growth capital financings. Previously, he served as vice president of the Bank of Tokyo's New York Investment Banking Group where his responsibilities included managing the bank's US venture capital and private equity relationships and investment portfolio.
Clark earned an MBA from the University of Virginia-Colgate Darden School of Business, an MA in International Studies from the University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences, and a BS in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis. Clark is a certified NASD representative.
Sarah Fay, CEO, Aegis Media North America
Sarah Fay serves as CEO of Aegis Media North America, overseeing the operations of all of the Aegis Media operating units in the US and Canada. Fay previously served as CEO of Carat and Isobar U.S. Carat, a leading media and marketing services agency reinvented the agency model in 2007 after merging digital marketing powerhouse Carat Fusion with leading diversified media agency Carat USA. In her role with Isobar, Fay managed the growth and integration strategies for Molecular, iProspect, Freestyle Interactive and Ammo Marketing.
She is a 20-year industry veteran of the media services business and a vanguard on media integration, Fay established and managed an online media practice following roles in traditional media early in her career. Fay is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including ad:tech's 2007 "Industry Achievement Award," Advertising Age's "25 Women to Watch," Media Post's "Top 100 Media Influentials" and OMMA's "Top 50 To Know in Online." She was also one of B2B Magazine's Top 100 Business Marketing Influencers in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and recently was named a "Future Legend" by the Ad Club.
Richard Prenderville, head of global brand marketing, Reebok
Richard Prenderville is head of global brand marketing at Reebok International, where he is responsible for marketing, media and advertising for the brand on a global scale. He joined Reebok in September 2006 from Reebok's parent company adidas where he was vice president of media and new media.
During 2007, Prenderville managed the launch of two very successful Reebok campaigns that dramatically improved brand metrics. Taking a new approach to the category and to consumers Prenderville and his team created landmark digital media campaigns in Second Life and Facebook that saw them win a number of awards.
In March 2007, Prenderville and his team launched a three-year strategic strategy that will see over 2000 retail stores across Asia and Europe showcase new concepts for the brand.
During his time at adidas, Prenderville was directly responsible for the brands global media operations in addition to creating and integrating their worldwide digital media strategy. He was the driving force behind core media developments at adidas including the successful creation and delivery of the company's digital media strategy and branded content partnerships, such as Xbox and MTV.
Scott Savitz, CEO, Shoebuy.com
Scott Savitz founded Shoebuy.com in 1999 and serves as Chief Executive Officer. Under his guidance, the Company has quickly become one of the largest retailers of footwear and related apparel on the Internet partnered with over 550 brands representing over 600,000 products. Shoebuy.com was acquired by IAC/InterActive Corp. in 2006.
Prior to founding Shoebuy.com, Savitz was a director at BancBoston Robertson Stephens specializing in the investments of large high tech corporations totaling more than $6 billion. Previously, Savitz was in the mortgage business where he originated more than $100 million in mortgages in one year. In addition, Savitz managed a full-service marketing company specializing in direct mail, telemarketing, and list maintenance.
Savitz received a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado and currently resides in Boston, Mass. Savitz is a frequent industry speaker and has received numerous awards and accolades including Ernst & Young's New England Entrepreneur of the Year.
Niraj Shah CEO & co-founder, CSN Stores
Mr. Shah is the CEO and co-founder of CSN Stores, a $200M+ online retailer focusing on niche markets. CSN Stores owns and operates 250 online retail stores including Cookware.com, Strollers.com, Luggage.com, and RacksAndStands.com. CSN Stores, founded in 2002, is headquartered in the Prudential Center in downtown Boston.
Prior to co-founding CSN Stores, Shah was the co-founder and CEO of Simplify Mobile, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at Greylock Partners, and the co-founder and CEO of Spinners, an IT consultancy. Spinners was sold to iXL, a publicly traded technology consulting firm with over 3,000 employees. Shah went on to become the chief operating officer and member of the Board of Directors of iXL.
Shah holds a BS from Cornell University.
Jeremy Wright, global director, Mobile Brand Strategy, Nokia Interactive
Jeremy Wright was previously co-founder and CMO of Enpocket, the mobile advertising technology and services company acquired by Nokia in October this year.
At Enpocket, Wright also served two years as chairman of the UK Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), where he led development of the first comprehensive code of conduct for the mobile marketing industry.
Wright was previously marketing director and subsequently managing director of Engage Europe, the online media sales, analytics and technology company.
This group joins the current Board of 28 members: the full list is available at www.mitx.org/about/bod.cfm
About MITX
Established in 1996, MITX -- the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange -- is the leading industry organization focused on the web, bringing together the digital marketing, media and technology community to engage in what is next for the web and how it will impact the marketing and business worlds. Reaching more than 6,000 professionals in New England, MITX is a dynamic and growing community of thought leaders, collaborators, and individuals in search of insight, education and opportunity. With more than 70 events annually, MITX provides its members with the opportunity to promote their companies to targeted audiences and provides a valuable forum for networking to source potential business leads, partnerships, ideas, funding and other likeminded peers in the industry. MITX is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, go to www.mitx.org.
Massachusetts' Digital Marketing, Media and Technology Industry
Strong; New Directors Bolster the Organization's Mission
