John is a seasoned marketer focused in brand strategy, integrated programs, and B2B/B2C marketing and media investment. Previously CMO eCommerce grocery retailer FreshDirect.com and VP Marketing Hyperion Solutions. He has advised Big Data companies like eXelate (a division of Nielsen) and Big People organizations like WPP.

Raised a Kansas Jayhawk, lived in Chicago, Shanghai, San Francisco, John now calls New York City home.

• Expert in brand positioning strategy, awareness program design, aquisition, CRM, ecommerce, insights and analytics, social media, partnerships
• Developed media components supporting launch of American Express “Small Business Saturday” social marketing platform
• Achieved over $2 Billion or 26% in incremental sales to Amex’s Open small businesses division.
• Led work for P&G, Microsoft, eXelate, J&J, Verizon Wireless
• John has a B.S. in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Kansas

For over 25 years, Bill has been a leader designing data-driven business solutions in retailing, digital, healthcare and financial services. His current focus is on the convergence of traditional retail with online marketing.

Bill calls NY home, but is proud to ply his Ohio-bred skiing skills on the slopes of Vermont with his daughter.

• Led business analysis teams at CitiGroup leveraging aggregated credit card data to optimize retail marketing decisions for Home Depot, Sears and Macy’s. Defined the realtime rules insuring anonymization of credit card data streams
• Led cutting-edge predictive modeling programs for American Express, Sears, GE and JPMC
• Led business analysis and data modeling efforts across several global projects for Amex, JPMC and CIBC
• Bill graduated from Duke (Engineering) and the MIT Sloan School

James is a is a 25 year operational CEO, with multiple transactions on both the buy and sell side.

James is a competitive squash player, frequently entering tournaments he has no hope of winning.

• Most recently James was CEO of Magnetic where he grew the company from $1 to $100 million in revenue. Before that he was CEO four other VC funded businesses: Giant Realm (exit to Burst); PVI – a company famous for inventing the first down line for the NFL (exit to Cablevision and subsequently to ESPN); Giant Bear (exit to Infospace) and he founded his first business (Sabela Media) in the 1990s – an ad server that was sold to 24/7 Media and later to DoubleClick.
• Before he founded his first company, James got his entrepreneurial inspiration from Steve Jobs whom we worked for at Pixar Animation Studios running marketing and new business development.
• James also had a successful career at the The Walt Disney Company where he rose from a humble spreadsheet jockey to General Manager of the Japanese Market over an eight year period.
• He has extensive international experience having worked in the US, UK, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Japan and Canada – he also holds three passports (UK, Canadian and US) and has been accused of being involved in international espionage.
• James currently sits on the board of Pixability and is an advisor to Pelcro.
• James is happily married with two children despite having made his family live on a boat with him for a year while they sailed around the world (2010-11).
• He graduated from McGill University and holds an MBA from the Anderson school at UCLA.

Tracy Grey is a consultant focused on growth strategy

Tracy enjoys being outdoors with her family, and goes apple picking every year.

• 20+ years of consulting and corporate strategy experience, including at Booz & Co, Acxiom and American Express.
• Specific expertise in identifying ways to achieve growth, including how to better leverage corporate assets. Significant experience developing corporate strategic plans, evaluating new growth opportunities, performing and communicating strategic analysis to drive decisions, and developing effective marketing strategies
• At Acxiom, as Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Industry Analyst Relations, played key strategic and change management role during transformational period: led the strategic planning process, including building the case for significant new product investment; facilitated the tying of strategic and operating plans; developed and led key internal and external stakeholder communications
• At American Express, as Vice President of the Strategic Planning Group, scoped and delivered strategic projects to the CEO and business unit leaders
• Stanford University, Harvard Business School

Andy is a Mobile Product Development and Marketing Strategy expert focused on startups, launches and revitalizing midsized businesses. He is also an avid wordsmith whose proprietary game – CrosswordsCubed – is a Top 75 game on Shockwave.

On Monday nights Andy plays basketball in Mount Vernon in a pick-up game continuing now for over 19 years.

• Andy’s core experience in B2B and B2C includes digital games, apps, education, fashion, real estate and financial services.
• He has developed multiple business and product plans for mobile gaming and mobile apps.
• He also has extensive work in sourcing deals for M&A and Bus Dev transactions in Marketing Services, Agency, Retail and related platforms.
• Andy led product launches for Harte-Hanks, Sallie Mae, SRDS and American National Bank (now part of JPM Chase)
• Andy has a BA in European History from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard Business School

Jon is a senior executive with over 25 years experience working across multiple industries including media, technology, marketing services, healthcare, travel, education and consumer products. He plays a wide range of roles in both start-ups and large corporations, to identify and build businesses around new business opportunities.

Jon travels the world – with his wife and two daughters -seeking new tech toys to buy.

• Strong strategic and operational consulting for growth and turn-around business units. Leads strategic planning, business development, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions, product development/strategy, as well as in operational efficiency.
• Held both strategic and operating roles in digital and publishing: Bigfoot Interactive/Epsilon, Viacom, Bertelsmann, Columbia Pictures, GORP.com, and LocalAlert.
• Advised companies on over 40 financial transactions (buy-side/sell-side M&A and fundraising). Jon is also an active angel investor.
• Jon holds a B.A. in Communications from the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania

Rongbiao is an AI and data product expert for startups, with a focus on marketing technologies.

Born and raised in China, he has lived in Boston, New York and Toronto.

As an avid dragon boat paddler, he travels to races domestically and internationally.

• Expert in data driven decision making, workflow automation, product management, and tech infrastructure
• Had experience working with marketing, e-commerce, AI and financial services companies.
• Rongbiao has a B.S. degree from South China University of Technology, and a M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Tufts University

Dave’s hands-on finance management helps business through early stages and rapid growth to become national market leaders. He has direct experience managing all aspects of finance, experience in delivering on projected results and special expertise in working with institutional investors and banks. His focus is in taking advantage of strategic opportunities, including acquisitions, business turnarounds, joint ventures, managed care and start-ups.

An amateur musician, Dave has owned over 100 guitars.

• An investment banker at Lehman, then SVP at Interpublic Group of Companies’ (NYSE IPG) largest subsidiary, McCann – Erikson, focused on digital acquisitions and restructuring for the technology practice groups, reporting to the CFO of the holding company
• Led roll-up and LBO of healthcare retail chain (for Madison Dearborn Partners) as CFO of Dialysis Centers of America, and also served as CFO of Radiology Corporation of America, a startup in diagnostic imaging. Both grew to become leaders in their respective markets.
• Dave graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara and the Wharton School of Business