EXECUTIVE CAREER PROFILE
Consummate marketing and strategy executive with 12 years’ P&L responsibility in startup to $10+B companies. Demonstrated ability to innovate, build market share, identify and communicate value propositions, acquire strategic assets, build organizations, manage change, and increase margins.
Business builder (4 practices and 2 startups) with 70% win rate in competitive bidding and over 25 years’ experience driving profitable growth in challenging, competitive, and volatile markets.
Goal-oriented strategist whose vision, confidence, and perseverance promote success.
Visionary leader who manages complex issues through persuasive, participatory leadership.
Savvy technologist who applies broad knowledge, creativity, and business focus to further objectives.
Seasoned international spokesperson with excellent communication skills.
* General Management & Operations
* Marketing / Branding
* Business Development
* Business & Market Strategy & Plans
* Product Management
* Sales Management
* Mergers & Acquisitions
* Solution Delivery
* Team Building & Development
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
EMPOWERED PLANNING, INC.; Chicago, Illinois
Early stage startup to deliver via the Internet low cost legal services to consumers for common needs, standardizing and automating Attorney processes to deliver high quality, Attorney-executed legal documents
COO / CTO, 2006–Current
Responsible for strategic and tactical business operations, technology, HR, and marketing. Developed application functional and non-functional requirements for highly interactive system servicing clients and EPI’s network of Attorneys. Implementing business infrastructure and operations.
AON CORPORATION; Chicago, Illinois
World leader ($10B) in risk management, insurance brokerage, reinsurance, and human capital consulting services
Vice President, Technology Strategy, 2000–2005
Collaborated with and influenced 6 separate US IT organizations and 2 international IT organizations to create and orchestrate technology portfolio management and enterprise strategies to reduce costs.
General Management and Operations
* Executed internal marketing strategy to establish a centralized shared service organization and transition culture to billable architecture services with full cost transparency.
* Created and mentored self-directed team of business unit leaders to drive migration to the outsourced infrastructure and provide governance for establishment of enterprise processes, policies, & standards. Achieved an unprecedented level of collaboration across business units
* Drove program to remediate all (~500) U.S. applications to normalized infrastructure and associated architectural standards and migrate these applications from 30 to 3 data centers.
* Established an integrated set of Aon/CSC processes to improve efficiency and reduce errors in the migration of applications to the new infrastructure, and metrics to stimulate & monitor progress.
Technology
* Established & promoted first accepted enterprise level architecture policies and standards at Aon.
* Led the evaluation, consensus building, procurement, & deployment of $15M standards-based J2EE global application platform, hosted in 3 countries, delivered on an aggressive 5-month schedule.
* Created business case and gained cross-business unit support for enterprise secure e-mail solution enabling HIPAA compliance & protecting confidential external business communications.
SOAPP, LLC; Chicago, Illinois
Independent joint venture of the Electric Power Research Institute, a 501(c)(3) corporation, and Sargent & Lundy
Provider of sophisticated, packaged software products & related consulting services for power project development
CEO / CMO / Principal, 1996–99
Co-founded company and directed all operations. Built a roster of 100+ active clients, including 28 Fortune/Global 500 companies. Directed a staff of 40 in 3 offices across the U.S. with outsourced staff and 7 distributors/resellers abroad. Set strategic direction. Developed detailed business plans, including forecasts, staffing plans, and budgets. Monitored sales trends, budgets, and financial reports. Reported directly to Board of Directors.
General Management and Operations
* Achieved profitability within six months; grew annual revenue to nearly $4M and EBITDA >16% in 18 months on a $660K equity investment, competing in a narrow vertical market.
* Generated over $2 million in internal capital from operations, funding development of three major ‘point’ releases and eight significant service releases of core products.
Sales and Marketing
* Developed detailed market analysis, including market definition and segmentation, competition evaluation and comparison, and SWOT; marketing plan, including strategy, marketing communications plan, and PR plan; and sales plan including sales strategy and forecasts, channel strategies, and product launch plans.
* Launched 2 new products, increasing revenues by 15%, and major upgrades to 3 others.
* Developed and implemented Internet marketing efforts that drove product sales to a CAGR of over 50% with no price increases, while under heavy competitive pressure.
* Implemented web site traffic analysis to refine marketing, increasing site traffic by 200% and generation of qualified leads by 600%.
* Created innovative, modified subscription licensing/pricing model for key software products; built annual license renewal rate to 90%.
* Developed numerous collateral materials and press releases. Directed agency development of an award-winning advertising campaign and additional collateral materials.
* Built strong company and product brands worldwide. Orchestrated company name change while preserving brand integrity, subsequent to merger.
* Designed all company and product logos and corporate identity for an international audience. Established shared templates to ensure consistent application of corporate identity.
* Designed trade show display and coordinated numerous trade show exhibits. Trained staff for booth duty and developed lead collection materials.
Technology
* Designed and directed implementation of customer support & sales call centers, and a sales force automation system including tracking of product license subscriptions and initiation of renewals.
* Designed, implemented, and administered a comprehensive (>300 page) web site, including prospect and customer profiling, on-line product registration functionality, customer support, on-line advertising, search engine tactics, and detailed site traffic analysis. Site visitors increased by 90% in 1999 with 60% return traffic, and an average stay of 6½ minutes.
* Published and presented numerous articles & papers. Invited speaker at PC Expo & others.
Product Management
* Led ongoing analyses of products’ current and prospective market segments; products’ strengths and weaknesses; surveys of customers’ needs, uses, and perceptions of products; product integration opportunities; web site and advertisement effectiveness; and competitors’ products’ features, usability, marketing, pricing, terms, and future direction. Used analyses to establish and refine competitive strategies and product roadmaps.
* Directed development of all software releases, recalibrating packaged products to the needs of existing and potential customers, while counteracting emerging competitive threats.
* Directed development of five new software products under contract to industry R&D organizations (EPRI and GRI) and negotiated commercialization rights.
Team Building and Development
* Established a strong, empowered staff and supportive, team-based, market-driven culture.
* Maintained a staff turnover rate of less than 7%.
SARGENT & LUNDY, LLC; Chicago, IL (1973–96)
The leading provider ($280 million) of architecture/engineering/construction services for the power industry
Senior Manager / Associate Partner, 1989–96
Led strategic client relationship management and directed bidding, negotiating, and management of individual consulting services, contract R&D, and IT solution projects. Managed development teams of up to 100 specialists. Assisted Sr. Vice President in performance analysis and preparation of biannual owners' financial presentations for business unit generating $13M annual revenue.
General Management and Operations
* Initiated, evaluated, recommended, and negotiated the acquisition of a 40% equity stake in a successful software development startup that generated a 20% per year ROI.
* Negotiated term sheet and business alliance, operating, and licensing agreements to form successful business venture (SOAPP, LLC).
* Designed and conducted a "war game" for business unit managers designed to stimulate entrepreneurial thinking to address market challenges.
Product Management
* Led development of ASP platform and multiple applications for award-winning PowerServe(R) e-commerce network well before commercial acceptance of the Internet.
* Led complex development (>150,000 man-hours) of two seminal software products (SOAPP-CT(R) and SOAPP-REPO(R)) enabling managers to optimize project financial risk/return while reducing design costs. Products automate creation of detailed conceptual designs, including process design, equipment sizing, performance analysis, CAD drawings, cost estimates, and pro forma.
* Produced 20 award-winning multimedia encyclopedia products featuring interactive power plant technology analysis. Coordinated contributions and copyright releases from 60+ manufacturers.
Sales and Marketing
* Marketed, sold, and managed scores of consulting projects/engagements to large (Fortune/Global 500) organizations requiring complex sales processes.
* Achieved a cumulative winning percentage of 70% on competitively bid projects.
* Built two new practices: Research & Development and Software Development Services.
* Produced, directed, and scripted a video demo for software products.
Supervisor / Senior Analytical Engineer, 1973–89
Started up and grew process engineering practice to 12 staff generating $2.5M annual revenue.
* Positioned company to penetrate new market segment (R&D) winning over $20M in contracts.
* Led development of two commercial software products and an expert system.
* Published and presented numerous articles and papers, including invited speaker at the International Conference on Life Extension and Assessment in The Hague, Netherlands.
* Led development of industry guidelines for ultapure water treatment, wastewater treatment, and feedwater/steam chemistry.
* Hired as Engineer and received six promotions during tenure.
ACCENT ON MUSIC; Glenview, IL
Co-Founder / Producer, 1982–92
Started-up, operated, and sold entertainment booking agency. Scouted and recruited talent and performed all consumer marketing functions.
* Produced and engineered music video demos and developed a PC-based booking system.
* Produced, directed, scripted, and placed radio ads, including jingle.
— EDUCATION —
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, Evanston, IL
MS in Chemical Engineering; BS in Chemical Engineering
— PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT —
AON CORPORATE EDUCATION SYSTEM; Six Sigma DMAIC; 2005
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY; Strategic Marketing of Technology Products; 1995
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY; Technology-Based Innovation; 1993
— CERTIFICATION —
Licensed Professional Engineer
— PUBLICATIONS —
More than 40 papers and articles, and 6 book-length publications.
28 commercial (shrink-wrapped) software products.
- HONORS AND AWARDS –
BUSINESS MARKETING ASSOCIATION OF CHICAGO; Tower Award; 1998
CONSULTING ENGINEERS COUNCIL; Achievement Award; 1996
NEWMEDIA INVISION AWARDS; 3 Awards of Merit; 1994
NEWMEDIA INVISION AWARDS; Award of Excellence and Gold Medal; 1993
— COMPUTER SKILLS —
Conversant: C/C++, VB, HTML, XML, J2EE, .Net, SQL, RDBMS, LDAP, AD, SOA, Microsoft, VMware, IBM WebSphere, SunOne, Oracle, Rational, Interwoven, Entrust, Verity, WebTrends |
