Nikolai
Mentchoukov, CEO
With over thirty years of experience in advertising, Nikolai is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts globally in the realms of rich media content and the creation of innovative advertising models. As the founder of Greatis, one of the largest advertising agencies in post-Soviet Moscow, and the visionary behind the Academy of Graphic Design and the International Biennial "Golden Bee" in 1992, he introduced a rare combination of creative talent, technical expertise, and an innovative entrepreneurial mindset to the market.
Nikolai holds the distinction of being the creator of the world's first Webmercial in 1999 and the inventor of the Rich Media Optimization Technique. This hybrid of creative and technological tricks, developed in 1999, allowed for instant streaming of rich media with no download time, even over slow modems.
His groundbreaking developments have facilitated the adaptation of certain products for other mediums such as television and print, with the ability to be instantly updated online. Notably, the Integral Spot, introduced in 2001, enabled the updating of pricing in commercials using an online database, instantly updating creative for online ads, print, and TV broadcast quality.
Nikolai has received numerous international awards, recognizing him as one of the most creative web designers globally and acknowledging his contributions to technology and innovation. His accolades include the World Best Website award in 1999, the UTAH Innovation Award in 2011, and a nomination for the Edison Awards in 2012. He has also been elected as a member of the panel of judges for the International Web Page Award, New York Festival, and The Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards by the Web Marketing Association (WMA).
Notably, Nikolai is the inventor of FSDC (2001), a client-side reporting technology that ignited the concept of viewability. In 2009, eight years later, he introduced the first Viewable Impression metric technology, achieving audit and accreditation by the Media Rating Council (MRC) and earning acclaim as the Father of Viewable Impression.
Jim
Rowan, Chairman and President
With twenty-five years experience in financial services and technology, Jim has founded and operated several successful organizations including EncripTix, a Paul Allen-backed technology startup, and ARCUS Financial Services, which arose from a technology-based incubation effort to diversify a Fortune 50 company. Jim was a key, senior executive at SunAmerica, where he oversaw its operations and technology organizations as well as the company's M&A efforts. SunAmerica experienced tremendous growth with its market capitalization increasing from $300 million to nearly $16.5 billion with the sale to AIG in just fewer than 8 years.