DataXu

Executive Team

In order to make our dream happen (which we hope will soon become your dream as well), we have assembled a team with some of the best minds from Academia, Silicon Valley, Wall Street and Madison Avenue. We have deep expertise in digital media and online advertising, in brand building, company building, and advertising platform development, and we even have a few rocket scientists on board. You may also want to check out our advisory board members, our board members, and our investors as we believe they are key to our success as well.

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. 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.

Geoff Dodge

Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Geoff Dodge most recently spent nearly five years as Senior Vice President of Media Sales for Salesforce.com. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and Publisher of BusinessWeek, responsible for setting and implementing the overall sales and marketing strategy for several BusinessWeek print and online properties. While at BusinessWeek Dodge was named the Most Innovative Consumer Magazine Publisher for 2005 by BtoB Magazine. Earlier, Dodge was President and CEO of Media Space Solutions, a newspaper advertising planning and placement firm for which he currently serves as a Board member. Prior to MediaSpace, Dodge held executive sales and publishing roles at Time Inc. and was Publisher at Money Magazine.

Willard Simmons

Chief Technology Officer
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.

Gerard Keating

Chief Operating Officer
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.

Rich Forcier

Chief Financial Officer
Rich Forcier brings to DataXu an extensive background in financial and general management at high-growth technology companies ranging from venture-backed start-ups to large, publicly held firms. Prior to DataXu, Forcier was instrumental in the growth and sale of three technology companies; Maker Communications (MAKR) acquired by Conexant Systems (CNXT), Precise Software Solutions (PRSE) acquired by Veritas Software (VRTS) and Tenebril acquired by Halo Technology Holdings (HALO).

Bruce Journey

Managing Director, International
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.

Sandro Catanzaro

Senior 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. Before MIT, Catanzaro launched several successful businesses in his native South America, including one that was acquired by Unilever.