ABOUT US

Since 2011, Mr. Michael L. Iaccarino has been Chairman and CEO of Data Axle and has served as a Director of Data Axle since 2010.

He served as the President and CEO of Mobile Messenger from 2009 to 2011, establishing the company as a dominant mobile technology player in North America. Prior, he was CEO of Epsilon from 2001 to 2009, transforming Epsilon into one of the leading database marketing companies. Epsilon achieved a more than threefold growth in revenue and a sixfold increase in EBITDA under his leadership.

He also served as Epsilon’s CFO from 1998 to 2001, playing a crucial role in the spin-out of Epsilon from American Express and where he led a nearly 400% increase in revenues. Prior, he was a Senior Manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Corporate Controller at Summit Technology after starting his career at KPMG’s High Technology practice. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions activity and in turnaround situations. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and English from Boston College where he graduated magna cum laude and is a former Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Iaccarino currently serves as Chairman of Tenerity (formerly cxLoyalty and Affinion).

Prior to joining Data Axle, Andrew held several executive roles at Sizmek (formerly MediaMind) where he was instrumental in revenue growth, new product development, strategic partnership, and channel expansion globally. Prior to Sizmek, Bloom served as vice president of agency sales and partnership development at Spot Runner. Prior to Spot Runner, he held senior positions at Getty Images and The Accelerator Group, a New York-based technology incubator. He has over 20 years of global experience in high growth public and start-up companies in the digital content, advertising, and technology sectors.

Andrew holds an MA in Law from the University of Cambridge. He has a number of board experiences including a multi-year technology board role on the Internet Advertising Bureau’s Technology Advisory Board where he was responsible for setting and reviewing industry-wide self-regulatory policies; and a multi-year board role for JI, a global education technology platform. Andrew joined Data Axle in 2018 as President, Enterprise Solutions, and was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer in 2019.

As Chief Product Officer, Rohan oversees Data Axle’s products, technology, and data, with a view towards creating increasingly valuable solutions for our clients and partners. His teams are responsible for product management, design, engineering, analytics and data science, and IT & data operations as he leads the evolution of Data Axle’s product suite.

Rohan has had a successful career both as an entrepreneur and a leader at large companies, with a heavy focus on data-centric consumer and enterprise applications. Prior to Data Axle, he served as the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Shopkick. In his time there he led the introduction of new product lines and the development of a new platform, helping drive over 50% growth in revenues leading to an acquisition by Trax Retail.

Previously he held executive roles at Telenav, where he ran the global consumer and mobile business unit; and at YP, where he headed up the digital product team. In both of those roles, Rohan was a customer of Data Axle. He has also served as the CEO of Tech Rocket, an online technology education startup, and Collient, a B2B2C broadcast video monetization startup that he co-founded.

Earlier in his career he was part of the founding team at CricInfo, which is now part of the ESPN family, and held product and engineering leadership roles at Infonox, Yahoo!, and Experian Interactive. Rohan holds a BS and MS in Computer Science, and a BA in Economics, all from Stanford University.

As Chief Data Officer, Neelika oversees Data Axle’s core data assets, with a view towards creating increasingly valuable solutions for our clients and partners. Her teams are responsible for Data Axle’s core business and consumer data and specialty data sets, such as our nonprofit co-op. She leads a team of product managers, data scientists, data partnership managers, data quality analysts, and database experts who define the data ingestion, cleansing, and enrichment pipeline for the company, as well as the measurement and enhancement of data quality.

Neelika has led product teams in Silicon Valley at large companies like eBay and Zillow as well as smaller start-ups. Her experiences range from developing consumer and enterprise products as well as working with customers to ensure adoption. Most recently she served as the SVP of Product Strategy at Ten-X (acquired by Co-Star in 2020), where she led the building out of an end-to-end commercial real estate analytics platform that transformed the business by cutting down manual work, increasing transaction throughput and providing high quality leads.

Neelika has a masters in Statistics from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Mark Cullinane is the president of Local Marketing Solutions at Data Axle. Cullinane is an accomplished senior executive with leadership experience in multiple industries including digital advertising, consumer internet, gaming, technology services, and software. He brings a track record of success in results-focused leadership and building high-growth businesses. Cullinane joined Data Axle from Publishers Clearing House where he was senior vice president and general manager of Digital. Prior to his position at Publishers Clearing House, Cullinane was senior vice president of Digital at GSN Games, a leading provider of cross-platform entertainment.

Cullinane graduated from the US Coast Guard Academy as valedictorian and received his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Ed McCormick is Data Axle’s Chief Administrative Officer. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s human capital strategy as well as the leadership of Legal Counsel, Human Resources and Facilities functions. Mr. McCormick, in partnership with key business leaders, develops and implements strategic legal, facilities and people initiatives that help Data Axle achieve shareholder value.

Mr. McCormick held several senior executive positions prior to joining Data Axle. He led the HR function at Epsilon, a marketing and technology business with operations in North America, Asia, and Europe. His experience prior to Epsilon includes leadership roles at Alliance Data, AT&T, Acuity Brands, Frito-Lay, and Kraft Foods. Mr. McCormick joined Data Axle in 2012.

Mr. McCormick attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on a baseball scholarship where he earned a Master of Science degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

David serves as Chief Operating Officer of Data Axle’s Enterprise Solutions. David spent 15 years at Epsilon, a leading marketing services provider, as President of [email protected] While at Epsilon, he was responsible for managing their agency, strategic consulting, and analytic businesses. During his tenure there, he was part of the leadership team that successfully grew the company from $20mm to over $500mm in annual revenue.

Prior to Epsilon, David worked for seven years for Westvaco in the operations management group. He received his BBA from the University of Georgia in 1981, and his MBA from Mercer University in 1992.

Austin Owens serves as Chief Financial Officer of Data Axle and oversees all aspects of accounting, finance, mergers and acquisitions and treasury functions. He serves as a strategic partner to senior management to ensure that key business priorities are aligned with long-term value creation. During his time at Data Axle, Austin has been heavily involved in numerous cross-functional initiatives including refinement of financial and operational reporting, corporate restructuring and cost management programs, acquisition framework creation and deal execution, corporate debt refinancing and other strategic and business development initiatives. Austin joined Data Axle in 2014.

Prior to Data Axle, Austin held various roles at Dell where he was responsible for strategic planning initiatives and streamlining financial reporting for the North America sales unit. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Purdue University and bachelor’s degrees in finance and economics from Montana State University. Austin is also a CFA charterholder.

Niely Shams has over 15 years of experience in direct marketing specializing in the nonprofit, publishing, and financial sector. Niely’s role is to oversee and manage overall campaign strategy / execution and to ensure that Data Axle is meeting and exceeding client acquisition goals. Her focus is on campaign development, management / oversight, and execution across all channels.

Prior to joining Data Axle, Niely was a Senior Account Director with Paradysz, managing major nonprofit and financial publishing accounts. Niely is a member of the DMA and the DMA Nonprofit Federation. She also served on the board of directors for the DMFA (Direct Marketing Fundraising Association).
Niely holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Rutgers University.

Tom Zawacki manages digital strategy and product innovation for Data Axle. He leads vision, planning, development, and execution of next level solutions that provide transformational results for the company’s client base.

Tom is an accomplished business leader, motivator and innovator with 25 years’ experience in digital marketing. Prior to Data Axle, Tom was Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy/Innovation & Commercial operations for Rocket Fuel, Inc. During his time there, he led several business, innovation and client strategy teams and helped to secure multimillion dollar partnerships with Fortune 500 clients across key verticals such as CPG, Auto, Finance, Travel, and Technology. He also headed up an industry-first integration between Rocket Fuel artificial intelligence and IBM Watson. Previous to RockFuel, Tom was Senior Vice President of Programmatic Marketing at XPlusOne where he developed corporate brand positioning and market strategy for XPlusOne platform and attribution capabilities, and oversaw the start-up, management and growth of the company’s West coast operations. Prior to those positions, he founded Lemonade Inc., a social commerce company and G4 Consulting LLC, a strategic marketing firm focused on delivering innovative ideas to FORTUNE 1000 brands.

In 2015 Tom was named Strategic Partner of the Year by Mazda. He was named TIME Magazine/CNN Website of the Year in 2007, and 1998 Internet Marketer of the Year. Tom holds a BA in Anthropology from Princeton University.

Alicia Mickelsen is the Vice President of Marketing at Data Axle, overseeing all aspects of Marketing; including public relations, lead generation, events, content marketing and digital marketing. Alicia is a seasoned marketing and public relations executive with a proven history of building stories and developing revenue-driving programs for B2B technology companies.

Prior to joining Data Axle, Alicia led marketing at Linqia, a leading influencer marketing platform. Previously, she held senior marketing positions at Rocket Fuel and F Sharp. She started her career in public relations with 10 years at boutique high tech PR firm Breakaway Communications representing clients, including Alcatel-Lucent, Rackspace and Broadcom. Alicia is also the co-founder of Marketers2Marketers, a network of women in B2B marketing. She received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Mary Washington.

Sean Koch is the Assistant General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Data Axle. As the company’s head of privacy, Sean ensures that Data Axle’s privacy policies and privacy complaint management processes meet all state and federal legal requirements.

Koch previously served as Principal at the Koch Law Firm and as an Associate Attorney at the Sloan Law Firm. Koch received his Juris Doctor from the South Texas College of Law Houston and was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He also obtained 19 CALI Awards (highest grade in the class), the Spurgeon E. Bell Moot Court Competition Best Oralist Award, was published in the South Texas Law Review, and became a certified mediator. Koch is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, and American Association for Justice. He also dedicates time to speaking at local schools to discuss the importance of education.

Faraz Shafiq currently leads Digital Transformation and Enterprise Modernization for Amazon Web Services (AWS). Previously, Shafiq was the Senior VP, Chief Data and AI officer for Cambia, a 101-year-old, $10 billion healthcare company on a mission to disrupt and innovate. Prior to that, Shafiq was the Global Chief Data and Analytics Officer and Executive Managing Director for Verizon. The team was responsible for Data Science and Internet of Things products and platforms.

Noah Breslow joined Bain Capital Ventures in 2021 as an Operating Partner, where he focuses on advising portfolio CEOs and leadership teams and helps the firm invest in fintech and software companies across all stages. Prior to Bain Capital Ventures, Breslow was Chairman and CEO of OnDeck® (NYSE: ONDK), a leading online small business lender. OnDeck pioneered the use of data analytics to make real-time lending decisions and deliver capital rapidly to small businesses online.

Michael Bird is an accomplished executive focused on building companies at the intersection of data, analytics, and software. He most recently served as President, Global Sales and Marketing Solutions for Dun & Bradstreet. In this role, Michael managed a $750M P&L and led strategy, business transformation, product development, and strategic M&A. He was also a senior member of the executive team that took the company private in a $6B Private Equity acquisition in 2019 and returned it to the public markets in one of the most successful IPOs of 2020. Michael joined D&B in 2015 through the acquisition of NetProspex, where he served as CEO. NetProspex was a leading B2B Data Management Platform company and received numerous awards for innovation, growth, customer success and employee satisfaction.

David Pann recently joined LiveRamp as Chief Product Officer, where he now oversees product design, innovation, and long term strategy for LiveRamp’s portfolio of products, in addition to spearheading platform-level differentiation. Prior to this post, he held global business responsibility for all of Microsoft’s search, native and display advertising that runs across Microsoft and partner networks.

Nikul Patel is a current Data Axle Board Member and the former Chief Product & Strategy Officer for LendingTree from June 2012 to Feb 2019, playing a pivotal role during the company’s explosive growth. During his tenure, he managed Product and Strategy for the company as a Chief Product & Strategy Officer. Mr. Patel also held various senior management roles involving technology products and services at Intel Corporation.

Niely Shams has over 15 years of experience in direct marketing specializing in the nonprofit, publishing, and financial sector. Niely’s role is to oversee and manage overall campaign strategy / execution and to ensure that Data Axle is meeting and exceeding client acquisition goals. Her focus is on campaign development, management / oversight, and execution across all channels.

Prior to joining Data Axle, Niely was a Senior Account Director with Paradysz, managing major nonprofit and financial publishing accounts. Niely is a member of the DMA and the DMA Nonprofit Federation. She also served on the board of directors for the DMFA (Direct Marketing Fundraising Association).
Niely holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Rutgers University.

Jonathan T.M. Reckford is chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, a global Christian housing organization that has helped more than 35 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve their homes.

Since 2005, when he took the top leadership position, local Habitat organizations in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries have grown from serving 125,000 individuals each year to helping more than 5.9 million people last year build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he was a Morehead Scholar, Jonathan worked as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs. He was also the recipient of a Henry Luce Scholarship, which enabled him to do marketing work for the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee and coach the Korean rowing team in preparation for the 1988 Olympics.

He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business before spending much of his career in the for-profit sector, including executive and managerial positions at Marriott, The Walt Disney Co., and Best Buy. While serving as executive pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church near Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was recruited for the CEO position at Habitat.

Jonathan is the chair of Leadership 18 and is a member of the Freddie Mac Housing Advisory Council. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Urban Steering Committee for the World Economic Forum.

Sylvia joined Make-A-Wish International in 2011. In 2020, she returned to her former position of Vice President, Marketing and Digital, after overseeing a two-year transition during the infrastructure change, leadership adjustment and relocation of the operational head office, when she served as Chief Administrative Officer. Her primary objective today is to build data-driven decision-making processes to ensure Make-A-Wish continues learning and optimizing its actions and performance. Her team is responsible for global marketing, including all digital marketing and fundraising, public relations, internal and external communications, creative services and management of global brand campaigns and signature events.

During her tenure, she has raised more than $1 billion from individual donors and leads the largest small-donor fundraising program for the organization. She leverages her multi-disciplinary expertise to drive organizational transformation. Helene has developed innovative strategies through diversification aimed at acquiring and stewarding high-value donors. She is an early adopter of leveraging data insights in developing a progressive audience-led approach rooted in donor centricity. She is a contributing member of numerous international committees giving her a global perspective on effective fundraising and engagement.

Helene is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts. Her professional memberships and directorships include the Who’s Who Worldwide, Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Direct Marketing Association.

Since joining the American Heart Association in March 2018, Becky has set a precedent for insight-driven programs, effectively elevating the impact for the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to defeating cardiovascular diseases and stroke. She is leading the digital transformation for the enterprise and direct-to-donor direct response fundraising. She held various roles in the PepsiCo organization over a 16-year tenure, culminating as Vice President and General Manager for the $3.2 billion Cheetos and Doritos Kids and Teens business unit. She serves as a NED for the Alex and Lee Family of Companies, serving on the Compensation and HR Committee for the $2 billion wholesaler and grocery retailer.

Erin Nelson currently serves as CEO of Social Solutions, a Vista Equity Partners portfolio company. Social Solutions is the leading provider of SaaS performance management software for human and social services, enabling non-profits to maximize human outcomes, increase efficiency and increase funds raised. Prior, Erin was CEO and Director of Calytera, a Buildgroup-backed government technology software company. Before that, Erin as CMO at SunPower, and Bazaarvoice. At Bazaarvoice, she helped lead the company through IPO in 2012, and helped grow revenue to $800M. Erin spent 11 years at Dell, rising to CMO where she led the Dell.com e-commerce business and managed a $13B P&L.