Jeff is a proven entrepreneur and executive with over 15 years experience in the executive recruiting, financial services and technology industries with a focus on bringing disruptive, web-based businesses to market. He is a change-agent that combines detailed sales management and organizational skills with the ability to optimize business performance and drive operational and business strategy.
In addition to his role as C.E.O. of VisualCV, Jeff is the Chairman of UNK Guitars of Toms River N.J., a company which he co-founded. The company's success has been based on a philosophy that marries leading-edge design technology with the hand-craftsmanship of Master Luthier, Paul Unkert. UNK Guitars uses the highest quality materials, combined with Paul's thirty-seven years of guitar building experience, to offer the perfect missing link to anyone's guitar collection -- using perfect form and function at an affordable price.
Prior to joining VisualCV, Jeff was the V.P. of Corporate Development for Heidrick & Struggles where he managed global strategic partnership and investment growth initiatives. Jeff was responsible for creation of the "Future Technologies" strategy and global Mergers and Acquisitions strategies for the office of the C.E.O. Specifically, Jeff identified the game-changing nature of VisualCV, Inc. and subsequently led the investment in the company based on its innovative technology and multi-faceted market applicability. Additionally, Jeff was instrumental in the partnerships that led to Boardrecruiting,com and Jobkoo.com, an employment services internet company based in China.
Before Heidrick & Struggles, Jeff was a Managing Director at a Acumen Solutions, a $40 million professional services firm that provided strategic management consulting services for information technology, application services and operations divisions for the world’s leading financial services firms.
Prior to Acumen Solutions, Jeff served as the Director of Business Development for Perot Systems Corporation. At Perot, he was responsible for the development and structuring of the global financial services sector strategies, including key value propositions, thought leadership, best practices business case development, strategic alliances and financial analyses needed to achieve sales/revenue targets.
At OANDA.com, Jeff was appointed by the founders to create and implement a new corporate structure, business plan and private placement strategy for the company that specialized in foreign exchange/interest rate money management, research and risk management. As President and Chief Information officer he generated new venture capital funding and established new components necessary to transform the company for the new economy through internal trading platforms, risk management systems, regulatory presence, web portal and online foreign exchange trading platforms. Under Jeff, OANDA.com successfully launched two trading platforms including FXTrade.com, the world's largest foreign exchange site online.
Jeff's disruptive-technology background began when he served as the Vice President of Technology Services at Donladson, Lufkin and Jeanrette (DLJ) where he was responsible for design, selection and implementation of front-office (internal & external) and middle-office (trading & transaction) systems and production environments for the global investment banking, retail brokerage (Private Client) and trading groups. He managed a $100 million+ budget and oversaw multi-faceted project teams responsible for the design and roll-outs of the London, Hong Kong, Russia and South American investment banking and trading technology platforms during the firm’s expansion. He also served as a member of the steering and program management team that launched DLJ Direct, a leading on-line Brokerage Website.
Jeff holds an MBA from DUKE University and a B.S. Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University.