Executive Team
Mike Baker President & CEO
Mike Baker has been pioneering digital media platforms for 20 years and is a widely recognized thought leader in interactive advertising. Before co-founding DataXu, he was vice president at Nokia, where he created and ran Nokia Interactive. Baker came to Nokia through its acquisition of mobile advertising leader Enpocket in 2007, where he was the founding investor and CEO. Baker was previously a partner at venture capital firm GrandBanks Capital. He has also been executive vice president at Engage Technologies, an innovator in online advertising and behavioral targeting. An active angel investor in digital media, he is currently chairman of the board of Nexage, a mobile advertising solutions provider. Baker holds degrees in law and telecommunications management.
Bruce Journey Chief Revenue Officer
Bruce Journey is a proven leader in the media business, with extensive experience building some of the world's leading consumer media brands. Before co-founding DataXu, Journey was President and CEO of MIT's Technology Review, Inc. — an independent media company, recognized as the world's most authoritative voice on emerging technologies and their commercial impact. His decade of leadership at Technology Review created a multiple-award winning brand that remains a leader in chronicling innovation. Prior to Technology Review, he was a member of the sales management team at Time, Inc., at both the Time and Fortune brands. Journey was also a senior sales executive with The Crosby Vandenburgh Group, a high-growth innovator in the cable television industry.
Sandro Catanzaro Vice President of Analytics & Innovation
Sandro Catanzaro, a co-founder of DataXu, is a technologist and product visionary. He is the co-inventor of the real-time optimization algorithm at the core of the DataXu platform. Catanzaro earned two master’s degrees from MIT—one from the Sloan School of Management, the other from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. After graduation, he joined Bain & Company, where he advised clients in media and other industries on strategy matters. Before MIT, Catanzaro launched several successful businesses in his native South America, including one that was acquired by Unilever.
Willard Simmons Vice President of Technology
Willard (Bill) Simmons developed the company's core technology while earning his PhD at MIT. He came to DataXu with true rocket science credentials: he developed and tested real-time flight software for guidance, navigation, and control of the Atlas family of space launch vehicles. Simmons, a co-founder of DataXu, holds a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and is an expert in optimal system design and developing reliable real-time software. He also earned degrees from Princeton (where he designed telescope systems for finding planets outside of our solar system), the University of Colorado, and the University of New Hampshire.
Gerard Keating Senior Vice President of Engineering
Gerard Keating brings to DataXu a wealth of experience and expertise in building data-driven advertising systems. As CTO and vice president for product development at mobile advertising platform vendor Enpocket, he transitioned R&D concepts into successful products. After Enpocket's acquisition by Nokia, Keating became head of product development at Nokia Interactive Advertising. Previously, he was director of engineering at Engage Technologies, where he led the development of the industry’s first consumer behavioral profiling software. He earned degrees in mathematics and computer science from Wesleyan University and Boston University.
