Martin V. Alonzo
Mr. Alonzo was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chase Industries, Inc. which he and Citicorp Venture Capital Ltd. acquired in August 1990. The company was sold to Olin Corp. in September 2002. From 1967 to 1987, Mr. Alonzo held several executive positions with AMAX Inc., a large international mining, metals and aluminum company. He was Senior Vice President and President of the industrial minerals division, Executive Vice President and President for specialty and light metals operations and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
John F. Antioco
Mr. Antioco is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Blockbuster Inc., the world's leading provider of rentable home entertainment. Prior to Blockbuster, Mr. Antioco served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bell Corporation, a division of PepsiCo, the nation's largest quick-service Mexican restaurant chain. Prior to Taco Bell, Mr. Antioco served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Circle K, the nation's largest operator of company-owned convenience stores, where he organized a management-led leveraged buyout of the company.
Dr. Pradip K. Banerjee
Dr. Banerjee is the Chairman and CEO of Xybion Corp., a pharmaceutical R&D management software company. Dr. Banerjee was the Partner-In-Charge of the pharmaceutical Research and Development unit of Accenture. Previously, Dr. Banerjee served as Chairman and CEO of Immumed Technologies, an immunotherapeutic company with a Phase III stage product for preventing transplant rejection, President and CEO of Science Center in Philadelphia, Head of worldwide New Opportunity Development in Kodak's pharmaceutical division. Dr. Banerjee also held various R&D management leadership positions at SmithKline and Abbott and served as: Chairman of the Board of Essentials Group, Chairman of the Board for Neuro Diagnostic Devices, Director of Greater Philadelphia Venture Group, Director of University City District, and Director of Japan-America Society of Greater Philadelphia.
Peter Cohen
Mr. Cohen is Chairman and Founding Partner of Ramius Capital Group, LLC. Formerly, Mr. Cohen served in numerous positions at Shearson Lehman Brothers and its predecessors, including President, Chief Operating Officer and, from 1983 to 1990, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Cohen managed Shearson's acquisitions of Lehman Brothers and E.F. Hutton & Company in 1984 and 1988, respectively. Mr. Cohen has served on numerous corporate, industry and philanthropic boards throughout his career. He is presently a Director of Presidential Life Corporation, The Mount Sinai-NYU Medical Center & Health System, Telecom Italia SpA and Scientific Games Corporation.
John Costello
John Costello is a highly respected senior executive with more than 30 years of experience in retailing, consumer goods and technology. The first half of his career was spent in classic management jobs, with the second half devoted to helping companies manage through high change environments, from start-ups like MVP.com to $80 billion companies like the Home Depot. Mr. Costello is currently President and CEO of Zounds, Inc., a manufacturer of hearing aid kits and hearing impairment accessories. He is former Vice Chairman of Pay By Touch, an electronic and biometric payment service that allows clients to use fingerprint identification to streamline check processing and everyday shopping. Recently, Mr. Costello was Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing for The Home Depot, where he led a major transformation of the merchandising, marketing, eCommerce and sourcing operations, and worked with the senior leadership team on long-term growth strategies. Prior to The Home Depot, Mr. Costello served as Chief Global Marketing Officer at Yahoo! At Yahoo!, he worked with the CEO and senior leadership team to help develop many of the strategies that are driving Yahoo's growth today, including improved direct marketing capabilities and the development of new product and services for advertisers and broadband providers. Mr. Costello served as Senior Executive Vice President of Sears from 1993 to 1998, and revitalized Sears with a new marketing campaign and increased the focus on the Sears brand, including the launch of Sears.com. Mr. Costello was President and CEO of MVP.com, the Internet sporting goods and outdoor retailer, which he founded with John Elway, Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky. Prior thereto, Mr. Costello led a major restructuring of Nielsen's product line as President and Chief Operating Officer of Nielsen Marketing Research, USA. John began his career at Proctor & Gamble where he held a number of senior marketing and brand management positions and also served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Pepsi-Cola, USA.
Ron Cucuz
Mr. Cucuz is currently CEO of Fuel Systems Inc., a leading independent supplier of fuel tanks for commercial vehicles, and Vice Chairman of Rosta International, a designer and manufacturer of aluminum and steel wheels for automotive OEMs and the automotive aftermarket. Prior to Rosta International, Ron served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc., formerly known as Hayes Wheels International, Inc. Prior thereto, Mr. Cucuz served as the Chief Executive Officer of Hayes Wheels where he managed the acquisition of Lemmerz Holding, creating a company with combined sales of $1.5 billion. Prior thereto, Mr. Cucuz was President and Chief Executive Officer of American Chain and Cable Company's Cable Controls Worldwide. Mr. Cucuz currently serves as a director of National Standard Company and was former director of Cleveland-Cliffs and Lincoln Electric Holdings.
F. Peter Cuneo
Mr. Cuneo currently serves as a Director of Iconix Brand Group (NASDAQ:ICON). Until January 2003, Mr. Cuneo served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) and continues to serve as Vice Chairman of the Board. As CEO of Marvel, Mr. Cuneo led the previously bankrupt company to a prominent position in the entertainment industry increasing annual EBITDA from $2 million in 2000 to $85 million in 2002. Prior to Marvel, Mr. Cuneo served as a Managing Director at Cortec Group, a New York-based private equity firm. Prior thereto, Mr. Cuneo served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Remington Products Company, LLC, a personal care appliance company which Mr. Cuneo ultimately sold to private equity investors. Prior to selling the Company, Mr. Cuneo also served as President and Chief Operating Officer where he increased sales via internal growth and acquisition, eliminated operating losses and improved profitability significantly between 1992 and 1995. Mr. Cuneo has also held senior executive positions at Black & Decker Corporation (NYSE: BDK), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY), W.R. Grace & Company (NYSE: GRA) and Clairol. Mr. Cuneo has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree from Alfred University in ceramic engineering. Mr. Cuneo also served as an officer in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.
Jeff Cunningham
Mr. Cunningham is founder and Chairman of New England Ventures LLC, an early stage venture investment and advisory firm. Throughout his 25-year career focused on media and online technology, Mr. Cunningham has held several positions including President of CMGI internet media, publisher of Forbes Magazine where he was named publisher of the year in 1995, Senior Vice President of McGraw-Hill's Business Week, and Chairman of online banking site, Bankrate.com. He also previously served as Managing Director of Schroders' International Finance Partners. Mr. Cunningham currently serves on the board of Sapient (SAPE), a leading IT consulting firm, and TheStreet.com, Inc., an online financial media company. Previous directorships include Data General, PageNet, Schindler Holdings and Genuity. Mr. Cunningham's not for profit activities include serving on the Board of Trustees for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, The Middle East Institute, and as a special advisor to the Nobel Peace Institute.
Peter B. Desnoes
Mr. Desnoes was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of iBeam Broadcasting Corporation, a publicly-traded Internet broadcast network from 1999 to 2002. Previously, Mr. Desnoes was founder, Managing General Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Burnham Broadcasting Company, a partnership which owned network affiliated television stations in a number of U.S. markets. Mr. Desnoes started Burnham Broadcasting Company after a 16-year career with the American Broadcasting Company. Mr. Desnoes was President and General Manager of WLS-TV in Chicago from 1979 to 1983. Previously, he served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the ABC television stations division. Mr. Desnoes currently serves on the board of New Vision Television. He also previously served as Chairman of Westwind Communications LLC, the owner of KBAK-TV. Mr. Desnoes is the former Chairman of the ABC Affiliates Board of Governors and a former member of the Board of the National Association of Broadcasters.
Markus Deutsch
Mr. Deutsch is the Former President and CEO of Cendant’s Vacation Rental Group (VRG), a $1.2 billion gross revenue company which he built from a concept developed in 1999. VRG, is a micro-branded e-commerce & real estate business now part of Wyndham Worldwide. Prior to that, Mr. Deutsch was Managing Director of Cendant’s travel membership business and hotel franchising business in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. Mr. Deutsch led acquisitions of 14 companies during his tenure. Previously, Mr. Deutsch was an interim CEO managing a divestiture for a Sony/Polygram joint venture as well as a partner in a firm which owned an investment in a venture leasing firm. He started his professional career with several positions at Citibank.
Tony Dimun
Mr. Dimun has served as Chairman of Nascent Enterprises, LLC, a medical device venture advisory firm, since 2001. From 1987 to 2001, Mr. Dimun served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Vital Signs, Inc., a publicly-held anesthesia, respiratory and sleep apnea medical device business. Mr. Dimun is also a director of Bionx Implants, Inc., CIVCO Holdings, Inc., Photomedex Inc. and a number of privately-held companies in the healthcare industry. He serves on the Board of Advisors of the Biomaterial Institute of Rutgers University and, through Nascent Enterprises, provides the University of Pennsylvania with entrepreneurial assistance to commercialize the university's medical technology. Prior to 1991, Mr. Dimun held positions as a Certified Public Accountant with national accounting firms and served as Senior Vice President for an international merchant banking firm.
Michael Dukmejian
Mr. Dukmejian recently accepted a new position at SourceMedia as Executive VP and Managing Director of Professional Services. From Spring 2006 until Fall 2007, Mr. Dukmejian was co-publisher of the Time Inc. Business and Finance Network, the combination of Time's business and finance titles Fortune, Money, Fortune Small Business and Business 2.0, along with its accompanying Web site CNNMoney.com. Previously, Mr. Dukmejian was the publisher of MONEY magazine. From 1999 to 2002, Mr. Dukmejian served as the publisher of Mutual Funds magazine where he was widely recognized for developing new business and launching the magazine's 2002 redesign. Prior thereto, Mr. Dukmejian served in several key advertising and marketing roles at TIME, FORTUNE and Sports Illustrated. Mr. Dukmejian served as both Advertising Manager and Business Development Director at TIME magazine and as Marketing Director at FORTUNE. From 1993 to 1998, he served as the Director of Sales Development at Sports Illustrated.
Dudley Eustace
Mr. Eustace is currently Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AEGEON N.V. (insurance) and The Nielsen Company (previously called VNU N.V. - media/market research). Mr. Eustace is also Member of the Supervisory Board of Royal KPN N.V (telecoms), Hagemeyer N.V. (B2B distribution) and the European Advisory Council for Rothschilds. Mr. Eustace was previously the Chairman of Smith & Nephew PLC (medical devices), Finance Director and then Vice Chairman of Royal Philips Electronics N.V., Interim CFO of Ahold (food retailing) and Finance Director of BAE Systems (defense/aerospace).
Jerome T. Fadden
Mr. Fadden is currently serving as a turnaround and crisis management consultant through Fadden & Co., LLC and as an interim executive. Prior to, Mr. Fadden served most recently as Interim Chief Financial Officer for a distressed U.S. manufacturer of residential windows with over $850 million in revenues. In 2002, Mr. Fadden was President and Chief Executive Officer of the reinsurance division at St. Paul Insurance Companies, later renamed Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd. Mr. Fadden served as Chief Financial Officer of the PaineWebber Group from 1999 to 2002. Following the merger of PaineWebber and UBS, Mr. Fadden served as Director of Strategic Development in the Office of the Chairman of PaineWebber. In 1998, he was hired as Chief Financial Officer of Equus Re, a start-up reinsurance company sponsored by Kemper Insurance. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Fadden served as Chief Financial Officer of NAC Re Corpo., a publicly traded reinsurance firm. From 1990 to 1996, Mr. Fadden held several positions at The Travelers Group, and its predecessor, Primerica Corporation, including Treasurer of The Travelers Group and Chief Financial Officer of Primerica's property and casualty insurance operation (Gulf Insurance Company). Prior thereto, Mr. Fadden was an investment banker in the mergers and acquisitions and merchant banking departments of Lehman Brothers, Inc.
Scott N. Flanders
Mr. Flanders was named President and CEO at Freedom Communications, Inc. in October 2005. Freedom Communications, headquartered in Irvine, California, is a privately owned, diverse media company of newspapers, broadcast television stations and interactive media businesses. Prior to serving at Freedom Communications, Mr. Flanders was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Columbia House Company, the world's oldest and largest direct marketer of music and video products, with revenues of over $1 billion. Prior to Columbia House, Mr. Flanders co-founded Telstreet.com, an Indianapolis-based e-commerce company where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior thereto, Mr. Flanders served as President of Macmillan Publishing. During his 14-year career at Macmillan, Flanders established Macmillan as the world's largest computer book publisher and the first publisher of books about the internet. Mr. Flanders currently sits on the Board at Freedom Communications. Mr. Flanders also sits on the board of eHealth, Inc.
Scott L. Fordham
Mr. Fordham has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NetVersant Solutions since the company's inception in September 1999. Mr. Fordham was involved in both the organization of NetVersant and the acquisition of its predecessor companies. Prior thereto, Mr. Fordham served as Executive Vice President of Operations of publicly-traded Consolidated Graphics, Inc., and President of Chas P. Young Co., a financial printer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Consolidated Graphics, Inc. Mr. Fordham has held various positions with Arthur Andersen LLP, most recently as Senior Manager in the firm's audit practice.
Peter A. Forman
Mr. Forman is a former Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Register.com, a leading provider of global domain name registration. As co-founder of the company, Mr. Forman served as President and Chairman of the Board. Mr. Forman is a Managing Member of Forman Capital Management, LLC, an early-stage investment firm, and Forman Realty Management, LLC, a NYC-based real estate investment firm. Mr. Forman also served as the President of WellSet Tableware, a wholesale consumer products manufacturing and distribution company.
Lowell C. Freiberg
Mr. Freiberg was most recently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Metiom, Inc., an e-commerce infrastructure provider. Previously, Mr. Freiberg spent more than 30 years with Reliance Group Holdings, Inc. as Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Treasurer. Mr. Freiberg was also a Commercial Lending Officer for The Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City.
Michael N. Garin
Mr. Garin is a senior executive with over 40 years of experience in the media / telecommunications sector. Mr. Garin has served as a Director (Chairman of the Audit Committee) of American Media, publisher of the National Enquirer, Star, Globe and other publications; AMC Theatres (Chairman of the Audit Committee, Chairman of the Compensation Committee); Cablecom (member of the Audit Committee); MortgageIT (member of the Audit/Compensation Committees) and AdCom (Chairman). Mr. Garin began his career with Time Incorporated, where, from 1969 to 1978, he held executive positions at TIME, FORTUNE and Time-Life Films. As a co-founder of Lorimar Telepictures Corporation, Mr. Garin served as Director and Member of the Office of the President until 1988 when the company was sold to Warner Communications. From 1988 to 1999 he oversaw the Media & Communications Investment Banking Group at Furman Selz and its successor company ING. After ING, Mr. Garin was the President, Chief Operating Officer and Director at Digital Convergence Corporation, a leading internet technology company. From 2004 through 2008, Mr. Garin was Chief Executive Officer of Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (CME), a publicly-traded TV broadcasting company with stations in Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Ukraine and is now one of the leading broadcasters in Europe. He is currently a Member of the Executive Committee of the Abu Dhabi Media Company.
Roger V. Goddu
Mr. Goddu was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Montgomery Ward from 1997 to 2001. Mr. Goddu was at Toys "R" Us from 1989 to 1997, serving as President of U.S. Merchandising from 1996 to 1997. From 1980 to 1989, Mr. Goddu was at Target Stores, where he held several executive positions including Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager. Mr. Goddu joined Rikes/Lazarus Department stores in 1975 and was Vice President and General Merchandise Manager. He is currently a Partner at Brentwood Associates.
Missy Godfrey
Missy Godfrey has over 20 years experience in the media industry, with a concentrated focus on strategic positioning and advertising sales, marketing and management. As a media industry consultant, she recently completed an assignment as Interim Chief Advertising Revenue Officer for PlanetOut Media, assisting the company during a sale process. Ms Godfrey is a Board Member of SpaFinder, the world’s largest marketing and media company serving the spa industry, where she spent 15 months as an interim senior executive consulting on the turn -around efforts of the company. Previously, she was a VP at Sanford Bernstein where she advised on asset management for high net worth individuals. Prior to that she was the VP Group Publisher for two of PRIMEDIA’s youth ventures: Cover Concepts, an in-school communications company with four business units; and The Youth Entertainment Group, which published a wide range of “tween” magazines. Preceding that, she was Publisher of Worth Magazine. Other former positions include Advertising and Marketing Director for The Hearst Corporation’s Countryside Magazine; and key marketing and sales positions for American Express Publishing’s Departures and The Hearst Corporation’s House Beautiful Magazine. Ms. Godfrey began her career at Saks Fifth Avenue, after graduating from Skidmore College.
Michael Goldstein
Mr. Goldstein is the former Chairman of the Toys "R" Us Children's Fund and former Chairman of the Board of Toys "R" Us, Inc., having been with Toys "R" Us for 20 years and having served as Chief Executive Officer from 1994 to 1997. Prior to 1983, he was Senior Executive Vice President of Operations and Finance of Lerner Stores Corporation. Preceding that, he was a Partner of Ernst & Young in New York. Mr. Goldstein is a Director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, Inc., Charming Shoppes Inc. and Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
Edward Grebow
Mr. Grebow is currently a Managing Director of J.C. Flowers & Co. LLC, a global private investment advisory firm that specializes in the financial services industry. Until June 2006, Mr. Grebow served as President of the ULLICO Inc. family of companies, including the $6 billion Union Labor Life Insurance Company. As President of ULLICO, Mr. Grebow successfully developed and implemented a business plan for ULLICO which recapitalized the Company, restored its financial strength rating and rebuilt its unique position as the financial services company for Labor unions and the working men and women of America. In 2002 and 2003, Mr. Grebow served as President of the Metropolitan Television Alliance (MTVA), a consortium of 11 New York Metropolitan Area Broadcasters seeking a site to rebuild the TV and Emergency services transmission tower destroyed atop The World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. As President of the MTVA, Mr. Grebow was responsible for locating potential sites that met FCC, FAA, state and local regulatory requirements, negotiating with public and private entities that controlled these sites and representing New York area broadcasters with public agencies, civic groups and the press. Prior to joining MTVA, Mr. Grebow was Deputy President of Sony Electronics, Inc., Group Executive Officer of Sony Corporation and President of Sony's Broadcast and Professional Company. Mr. Grebow joined Sony from Chyron Corporation, a leading maker of broadcast graphics, routing and automation systems, where he was President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Chyron, Mr. Grebow spent two years as President of TELE-TV Systems and seven years with CBS, Inc. as Executive Vice President. Prior to joining CBS, Mr. Grebow spent more than 15 years in a variety of financial services management positions including Vice President of JP Morgan & Co. Inc., Senior Vice President of Morgan Bank (Delaware), President of JP Morgan Leasefunding Corp. and Chief Operating Officer and EVP of The Bowery Savings Bank.
Steven S. Harter
Mr. Harter serves as Chairman and President of Notre Capital Ventures III, LLC, a Houston-based merchant banking firm. Since forming Notre Capital in 1993, Mr. Harter has created 13 companies and raised approximately $550 million in eight initial public offerings and five private transactions. Companies created by Mr. Harter have had aggregate revenues in excess of $7 billion. In 1989, Mr. Harter joined Allwaste, Inc. where he managed the company's acquisition program and completed 40 transactions in four years.
Maynard L. Jenkins
Mr. Jenkins is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CSK Auto, a leading retailer of auto parts. From 1986 to 1997, Mr. Jenkins served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Orchard Supply Hardware, a private equity sponsored leveraged buyout that was sold to Sears in 1997. Before joining Orchard Supply Hardware, Mr. Jenkins served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Pay 'n Save drug stores and prior thereto, Mr. Jenkins held various executive positions with GEMCO, a division of Lucky Stores.
Edward Kittredge
Mr. Kittredge currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of Gerber Childrenswear, Inc. for Kellwood Company. In January 1996, Mr. Kittredge led a group of investors in the purchase of Gerber Childrenswear from Gerber Products Company. Mr. Kittredge served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer until 2002, when Mr. Kittredge sold the company to Kellwood resulting in a return on investment of over 500% in less than six years. Prior to Gerber Childrenswear, Mr. Kittredge served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Denton Mills, the manufacturer of Dr. Denton children's pajamas. Prior to Denton Mills, Mr. Kittredge served as President of Royal Manufacturing Company, a privately-held men's underwear and active sportswear company. Mr. Kittredge has also served in a variety of sales and marketing management positions at Union Underwear Company (Fruit of the Loom), including national director of all branded and private label sales, and as head of its BVD division.
William D. Kornreich
William D. Kornreich is a Principal of Kornreich/NIA, a 90-year-old privately held insurance brokerage. With 15 offices, it serves the needs of multi-generational family offices, high net worth individuals and mid-size corporations in all lines of insurance and risk management. Mr. Kornreich is also Chairman of Wealth Preservation Associates, the pioneer of Private Placement Life Insurance, and has worked in product design, distribution and client procurement in that arena for 20 years. Before joining the family firm, he had an extensive career in venture capital, founding companies which included Broadway Television Network (where he started the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), and United Satellite Communications (the first Direct Broadcast Service in America). Prior thereto, Mr. Kornreich worked for Transamerica Corp. for a number of years. He lives in Manhattan where he serves on a number of not-for-profit boards.
Burton Lehman
Mr. Lehman previously served as Counsel to Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and Senior Advisor, General Counsel for Tishman Speyer Properties, a leading international owner / builder of real estate. Prior to Tishman Speyer, Mr. Lehman was at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP from 1969 to 2003 where he was a Senior Partner.
Myron Lieberman
Mr. Lieberman is the former co-Chairman of Altheimer & Gray, a Chicago-based law firm. Currently, Mr. Lieberman is of Counsel at Greenberg Traurig and concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions and related counseling to both buyers and sellers of businesses. Over the years he has developed a sub-concentration, representing management teams seeking to acquire their own companies.
Keith Lindner
Keith Lindner is in the private equity business utilizing his own private equity capital while also partnering with his father, brothers and other private equity oriented families and firms. Keith also spends a significant portion of his time involved in entrepreneurial Christian projects. Over the years, he has been an owner and held the position of President and other various operating and financial positions in areas including investing, international consumer products, telecommunications, hotels, real estate, retailing and insurance. In that regard, he has served as a Director or Officer of American Financial Group, Inc, Chiquita Brands International, Inc., American Cellular Telephone Corporation, The Penn Central Corporation, FMI Corporation, American Money Management, Great American Communications, Ocean Reef Club, Inc., Circle K Corporation, Great American Insurance Company and affiliates, American Financial Corporation and American Financial Enterprises, Inc.
Michael Loeb
Mr. Loeb is the founder & CEO of Loeb Enterprises, an idea lab and direct investment company. Each year Loeb Enterprises develops 4 – 6 concepts and patents 10 – 20 business models for innovative, disruptive enterprises in the direct to the consumer space and funds these businesses through early venture rounds. Prior to Loeb Enterprises, Mr. Loeb co-founded Synapse Group, Inc., the largest seller of consumer magazine subscriptions in the United States, with Jay Walker, founder of priceline.com in 1992. Synapse patented and deployed industry-wide the “continuous service” subscription model which changed the magazine industry. The company also markets DVDs, software, merchandise, and trade publications with marketing partners in 6 major industries, including credit cards, catalogs, airlines, direct response television, retail stores and the internet. In 2001, Time Warner purchased control of Synapse in a transaction valued in excess of $500 million by the Wall Street Journal. Time Warner completed its acquisition of the company in 2006. In 2004 and 2005 the company was named one of the 25 “Best Places to Work in America” among medium-sized companies by the Society for Human Resource Management. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mr. Loeb was a marketing executive at Time Warner.
James A. Marcum
Mr. Marcum is currently the Vice Chairman and acting President and CEO of Circuit City Stores, Inc. and serves on the audit committee and executive committee. Mr. Marcum most recently served as Chairman and CEO of Ultimate Electronics, Inc. where he was retained to lead the restructuring and subsequent sale of the Company. Previously, Mr. Marcum was Executive Vice President and CFO and Executive Vice President of Operations of Hollywood Entertainment Corporation, one of the nation's largest video rental retail chains. Mr. Marcum was recruited to Hollywood Entertainment by its founder to lead a recapitalization and improve the company's profitability. Prior to Hollywood Entertainment, Mr. Marcum was recruited by private equity investors to serve in such roles as Executive Vice President and COO of Lids, Inc., a specialty retailer of hats, and Vice Chairman and CFO of Stage Stores, Inc., a specialty retailer bringing branded apparel to small town America. Mr. Marcum has also served in senior executive capacities at Melville Corporation, a conglomerate of specialty retail chains in the apparel, footwear, drug, health and beauty aids and furniture and accessories sectors. While at Melville Corporation, Mr. Marcum served as Treasurer of the Corporation and Senior Vice President and CFO of Marshall's Inc. Mr. Marcum's Board of Director experience includes serving as the Lead Director of the Board of The Bombay Company, a leading specialty retailer in the home furnishings industry. Mr. Marcum is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Iconix Brand Group Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. Mr. Marcum is a C.P.A. by training.
Kevin McGovern
Mr. McGovern is the principal of Greenwich, Connecticut-based McGovern & Associates, which specializes in corporate law with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, securities (including public companies and private investment companies), emerging business, corporate and partnership joint ventures, and consulting and capital formation. Mr. McGovern is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McGovern Capital LLC, which originates, structures and implements capital formation, joint ventures and business alliances and in addition, owns 10 companies specializing in technology and consumer products. Mr. McGovern is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Sports Authority and a Trustee of Cornell University.
Reidar Michaelsen
Mr. Michaelsen served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Petroleum Geo Services ASA, an oilfield service company that provides geophysical services for the oil and natural gas industries worldwide, from 1993 to 2002. Mr. Michaelsen was the President of PGS from 1991 to 1993. Mr. Michaelsen served as a Managing Director of Norsk Vekst AS from 1989 to 1991. He headed the Selmer Sande Group from 1986 to 1989 and was with Geco Geophysical Company, Inc., Houston from 1982 to 1986. Mr. Michaelsen serves as Director of VIZRT Ltd.
Philip B. Miller
Mr. Miller was most recently the Chief Executive Officer pro-temp of St. John Knits Inc. Previously, Mr. Miller served as a Principal at Saks Incorporated from 1990 to 2001, serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1993 to 2000. Prior to that, Mr. Miller served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Marshall Field’s, President of Neiman Marcus, Vice Chairman of Lord & Taylor and Vice President and General Merchandise Manager at Bloomingdale’s after serving as Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Wallach’s. Mr. Miller currently sits on the board of directors for DSW Inc. and St. John Knits Inc.
William F. Murdy
Mr. Murdy is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comfort Systems USA, a publicly-held national consolidation of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and related services companies. Prior to Comfort Systems USA, Mr. Murdy was Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Club Quarters. Mr. Murdy is also the former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of LandCare USA, Inc., a commercial landscape and tree services company that was sold to the ServiceMaster Company in 1999. Prior to LandCare, Mr. Murdy was President and Chief Executive Officer of General Investment and Development, and before that, from 1981 to 1989, Managing General Partner of the Morgan Stanley Venture Capital Fund and President of its associated management company. From 1974 to 1981 he served in a number of positions including Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Resources, a publicly-held company in the oil and gas sector.
Doug N. Naidus
Mr. Naidus is a Managing Director and Head of Mortgage Origination in Deutsche Bank’s Residential Mortgage Backed Securities group. Prior to Deutsche Bank’s acquisition of MortgageIT, Mr. Naidus was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MortgageIT Holdings, Inc., a self-administered, self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT). MortgageIT Holdings served as the holding company of MortgageIT, Inc., a wholly owned, full-service residential mortgage lending subsidiary providing retail, wholesale and correspondent lending products and services in all 50 states. In 2003, MortgageIT originated more than $12 billion in loans. He co-founded the company's predecessor company, IPI Skyscraper Mortgage, a residential mortgage banking company, in 1988. Under his direction, IPI Skyscraper grew from a start-up into the nation's largest traditional mortgage broker, including a leading position in the New York City metropolitan area, with annual originations of over $3 billion. Mr. Naidus is a graduate of Syracuse University with a B.S. degree in Marketing/Finance.
Zenon S. Nie
Mr. Nie is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The C.E.O Advisory Board, an organization providing advisory and consulting services to firms with revenue between $50 million to $1 billion. Previously, Mr. Nie was Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer of Simmons Company from 1993 to 2000. Prior to Simmons Company, Mr. Nie served as President—Consumer Home Fashions Division for the Bibb Company and earlier held key senior positions in marketing, manufacturing, sales, finance and administration at Serta, Inc., Sealy, Inc., Hollister, Inc., Zenith Electronics Corporation, and A. C. Neilsen. Mr. Nie was also chosen AMA’s Marketer of the year in 1997. Mr. Nie’s current board of directors and advisory positions include Crown Crafts Inc., Business Executives for National Security, and Chrysalis Experiential Academy.
Jan Aarso Nielsen
Mr. Nielsen is the Former Director, Special Projects, British Vita, a producer of cellular and industrial polymers, engineered thermoplastic sheet and nonwovens. In addition, he is the Former Chief Operating Officer of Petroleum Geo Services, an oilfield service company that provides geophysical services for the oil and natural gas industries worldwide. Mr. Nielsen was also a Partner, Director and the Co-Head of Scandinavia at the McKinsey & Company.
Roger Parry
Mr. Parry is currently Chairman of Future Plc, Johnston Press Plc, Media Square Plc, Mobile Streams Plc and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Mr. Parry is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the international division of Clear Channel Communications Inc. Prior thereto, Mr. Parry was the Chief Executive Officer of More Group Plc. Mr. Parry was also a founding Director of Clear Media in China, and was a member of the board of directors of many media and advertising companies including Aegis, iTouch, Jazz fm, London Radio and WCRS. Mr. Parry also worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company.
John Piazza
Mr. Piazza serves as the CEO, President and as a member of the board of directors of WestPoint Home, Inc. Mr. Piazza is also the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Mayo Energy LLC and Piazza Holdings LLC. Mr. Piazza is a former senior corporate officer of Sara Lee Corporation with over twenty-two years of experience in apparel, over thirty-two years of experience in marketing and selling consumer packaged goods, and success managing Sara Lee’s hosiery and socks division with sales in excess of $1 billion. Mr. Piazza started his career in 1970 as a Product Manager for Remington Corporation, a division of Sperry-Rand Corp. He joined the Clairol division of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. in 1976 as Director of Marketing. From 1981 to 1983, he served as Vice Chairman of Marketing and Planning for Kellwood Corporation.
Patrick S. Pittard
Mr. Pittard was formerly the Chairman, President and CEO of Heidrick & Struggles International, a leading executive search and leadership consulting company. During Mr. Pittard’s tenure at Heidrick & Struggles, the firm experienced impressive financial growth and global expansion. Mr. Pittard led the merger of the firm's U.S. and European Franchise operations, which had previously operated separately. He also led the firm's initial public offering and, nine months later, two follow-on offerings. Mr. Pittard graduated from The University of Georgia and was honored by the Terry School of Business as its Distinguished Alumnus. Mr. Pittard currently teaches leadership at the University of Georgia and is a Distinguished Executive-in-Residence. He has held or currently holds several board positions, including the following for-profit and not-for-profit organizations: Lincoln National Corp., a publicly traded provider of insurance and investment products; Jefferson-Pilot Corp., a similar company which merged with Lincoln in 2006; Heidrick & Struggles International (former Chairman); Artisan Funds, a premier mutual fund complex; LeadersOnline (former Chairman), an internet recruiting firm; the University of Georgia Foundation (former Chairman); Greensboro Baseball LLC; and MCG Health. In addition, Mr. Pittard accepted the Governor’s nomination to the Georgia Board of Regents in 2004 and was named Vice Chair in 2006.
Nigel Sandiford
Mr. Sandiford is Chairman of A3ON. Previously, Mr. Sandiford held several management positions including former President of the Asia-Pacific region at Electronic Arts, Chief Operating Officer of News Corp's News Music International and Vice President of Global Marketing / Operations at PolyGram / Universal Music.
Bill Shannon
Mr. Shannon is the former main Board Director of Whitbread Group plc, where he was Divisional Managing Director of Whitbread Restaurants, which operated 1,400 units contributing £1.0 billion in sales and included TGI Friday’s, Costa Coffee and Pizza Hut. Mr. Shannon was previously responsible for Whitbread’s large UK pub estate. Mr. Shannon serves as Chairman of Aegon UK and Gaucho Grill restaurant group. He serves as a Non-Executive Director of Barratt Developments plc and Matalan plc. He has also been Non-Executive Director of The Rank Group Plc since 2006.
Christopher Sinclair
Mr. Sinclair is currently Executive Chairman of Scandent Holdings and Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Solutions Ltd., a global IT services and business process outsourcing company that is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and operates in nine countries with over 4,000 employees. Formerly, Mr. Sinclair served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Audio Visual Services Corporation and President and Chief Executive Officer of Quality Food Centers, Inc. Prior to this, Mr. Sinclair held various senior management positions with PepsiCo., Inc., including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi-Cola Company and President and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Foods & Beverages International and Pepsi-Cola International. Mr. Sinclair is a member of the board of directors of Mattel, Inc., Foot Locker, Inc. and Cambridge Solutions Ltd.
Mark Smith
Mr. Smith is currently an adviser to Claire’s Stores, Inc., a Tri-Artisan portfolio company. He had previously been Managing Director and President for European Operations at Claire's Stores since the May 2007 buy-out. Mr. Smith also served as Chief Executive of Claire's Accessories UK Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Claire's Stores Inc. from February 1996 to May 2002. He Co-Founded one of the predecessors to Claire's U.K. business and successfully led the European operations of Claire's from 1996 to 2002. Since September 1986 to Claire's Stores Inc.'s acquisition of Bow Bangles PLC in February 1996, Mr. Smith served as the Chief Executive of Bow Bangles PLC. Mr. Smith has 25 years of experience in the retail industry.
Dr. Jeremy Stone
Dr. Stone is Chairman of Merchant Ventures Investments Limited ("MVIL"), a UK-based investment group focused on both venture capital and structured finance activities. Prior to MVIL, Dr. Stone founded a number of venture-stage healthcare companies, including OnMedica Group and Mediary. Dr. Stone was previously Chief Executive Elect and a member of the Board of Directors of Ventiv (formerly Snyder Healthcare), a senior executive at BUPA (the leading U.K. private health care insurer) and Head of the Healthcare Practice for Heidrick & Struggles International, as well as a senior strategy consultant at Gemini Consulting, where he assisted in establishing the global health care practice. Dr. Stone began his career as a physician for the National Health Service in the U.K. Dr. Stone currently serves as Chairman of the Medical Futures Ltd., the U.K.'s leading source of early stage health care intellectual property, and serves as Visiting Professor of Life Sciences and Enterprise at the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care at the University of Glamorgan, Wales.
Vincent Tchenguiz
Mr. Tchenguiz is Chairman of Consensus Business Group, an investor in renewable energy and green technology businesses and owner of a substantial U.K. property ground rents business, a hotels partnership with HBOS and Hilton, a technology joint-venture with Quintec (the U.K. defense research agency) and Rotch Capital (a banking, financial, technology and securitisation business). Mr. Tchenquiz was the co-founder with his brother, Robert, of Rotch Property Group, a highly successful real estate business which acquired a large portfolio of landmark properties in the U.K. including six buildings previously owned by BT, the Pubmaster tenanted pub estate, the Odeon Cinema chain (in partnership with WestLB), WestLB's Woolgate Exchange, Shell Mex House and a chain of Shell petrol stations (in partnership with London & Regional).
George C. Thornton
Mr. Thornton was the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Agriliance, LLC, a leading agricultural input distributor in North America providing retailers and producers with high quality crop nutrients, crop protection products, seed and equipment. At Agriliance, Mr. Thornton leveraged the Company's economies of scale and devoted significant effort to achieve world class supply chain knowledge, product access and cost management. Prior to Agriliance, Mr. Thornton served in various sales, financial and management positions with American Cyanamid, ICI Americas, ICI Australia, PLC, Griffin, LLC and AgWeb.com. Mr. Thornton currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Zoo, and has served on many civic, industry and company boards including: Chemical Producers and Distributors Association (Chair), Crop Life America and The Fertilizer Institute.
Stephen A. Vogel
Mr. Vogel is currently the general partner in Vogel Partners, LLP, a private equity investment fund which invests in venture capital and buyout funds. Prior to founding Vogel Partners, Mr. Vogel was a venture partner with Enertech Capital Partners, an energy and telecom venture capital firm. Prior thereto, Mr. Vogel served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Synergy Gas Corp., a retail propane distribution company which he co-founded. During his tenure as President and CEO of Synergy (1971 - 1995), Mr. Vogel grew the business from its first customer to a company with over 250,000 customers, 2,700 employees and more than $300 million in annual revenues. Mr. Vogel successfully completed 50 individual acquisitions during this time and increased the company's distribution base to 330 retail locations. After selling Synergy Gas Corp to Northwestern Corp. in 1995, Mr. Vogel co-founded EntreCapital Partners, a private equity firm focused on industrial and service companies facing operational or management challenges. Mr. Vogel is currently a member of the Board of Trustees with Montefiore Medical Center and Children's Hospital and on the Board of Directors with Lighthouse International. Mr. Vogel is a past Trustee with the Horace Mann School and a former Director of National Propane Gas Association.
Elliott Wahle
Mr. Wahle is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rustique Home Furnishings, a Toronto-based importer and distributor of quality wood furnishing products, since 2004. Mr. Wahle has also served as chairman and co-founder of Generation Capital, Inc., a financial services company since 2002 and President of Rykom Enterprises, a private investment company, since 2002. Mr. Wahle was a senior executive at Toys "R" Us Inc. for nearly 20 years, serving as President of Babies "R" Us and Kids "R" Us, Vice President & General Manager of Toys "R" Us Times Square, and as President of Toys "R" Us Canada. From 1995-2000, Mr. Wahle served as President and CEO of Dylex Limited where he was recruited to lead Canada's largest specialty apparel retailer out of bankruptcy protection. Mr. Wahle also held positions in player development with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Mr. Wahle is a Director of Circuit City Stores Inc., a Director at PENCIL (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning), an Advisor at Ryerson University School of Retail, a Director of the Canadian Special Olympics Foundation, and a Director of the Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation.
Robert Ware
Mr. Ware is the Executive Chairman of The Conygar Investment Company Plc, an AIM listed property investment group. Mr. Ware is also a non-executive Director of Tarsus Group (exhibitions and conferences) and a former non-executive Director of Talarius (gaming). Mr. Ware was previously Deputy Chief Executive and Corporate Development Director of MEPC, the U.K. property company that was taken private in a highly successful leveraged buyout led by GE Capital and Hermes.
Steven G. Warshaw
Mr. Warshaw is currently Chief Operating Officer of Unifund Group. Formerly, Mr. Warshaw held several senior executive roles at Chiquita Brands International. In 1986 as Vice President of Corporate Planning and served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 2001 to 2002 and as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1997 to 2001. Mr. Warshaw also served on the Board of Directors of Chiquita Brands from 1997 to 2002. Previously, Mr. Warshaw was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with American Cellular Telephone Corporation. Mr. Warshaw spent seven years with Coopers & Lybrand CPAs as Tax Manager and Audit Supervisor.
Johanna Waterous
Ms. Waterous was a former Director at McKinsey & Company. Over her 20 year career, she was co-leader of the Global Marketing & Sales Practice from 2005-2007 and Director and leader of the Consumer Price Unit and the European Retail Practice from 1998-2005. Ms. Waterous also acts as a special advisor to Marks & Spencer and Candover Partners and is a Non-Executive Director of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group.
John W. Weiss
Mr. Weiss is the former Senior Restaurant, Retail and Consumer Products Research Analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners and Montgomery Securities. Mr. Weiss was a member of Institutional Investor Magazine's All-American Research Team for many years for both Restaurants and Food and was also named to Wall Street Journal's All-Star Research Team in numerous years.
Yair Wolff
Mr. Wolff is an entrepreneur who splits his time between Tel Aviv, London and New York. Mr. Wolff began his career as co-founder of SRK Ventures, an investment boutique in greater China, and is a representative of Panmure Gordon & Co. (Corporate Brokering) and Wellington Capital Partners (Fund Management). Mr. Wolff is a former Captain (Acting Major) in the Israeli Air Force.
Samuel C. Wolgemuth
Mr. Wolgemuth was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Communications, Inc., a privately-held, diversified media company with more than 40 newspaper, television and interactive business units throughout the U.S. Prior to Freedom Communications, Mr. Wolgemuth served as President of Freedom Magazines, Inc. Prior to joining Freedom, Mr. Wolgemuth was Group President of Simon & Schuster's (Paramount Publishing) Business, Professional and Technical Publishing Division. Mr. Wolgemuth has also held various executive positions at McGraw-Hill, Inc., News Corporation, Reed International and Paramount Communications.
David F. Zucker
Mr. Zucker is Chief Executive Officer of Petty enterprises. Formerly, Mr. Zucker was Chief Executive Officer and President of Midway Games Inc., a publicly-traded developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Prior to Midway Games, Mr. Zucker was President and Chief Operating Officer of Playboy Enterprises, Inc., a global publishing and adult entertainment company. Mr. Zucker joined Playboy from Walker Digital LLC, where he served as Managing Director and oversaw the development of Walker's efforts in the online games, e-commerce and gaming businesses. Mr. Zucker previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of DIVA Systems Corporation, which provides video on demand products and services to cable television operators. Prior to DIVA Systems, Mr. Zucker spent 12 years with the Walt Disney Company, including eight years at ESPN, where he oversaw the programming launch of ESPN2, developed the X-Games and grew ESPN International to include 21 networks in 20 languages.
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