Management and Board

We are a community of business leaders with cross-industry and cross-functional expertise. We are an inter-disciplinary group of people with rich business, data, technology and analytic experiences. We believe location intelligence is not just a technology platform but also a game-changing business strategy.

BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF

WAYNE GEAREY
Founding and Board Member

Wayne leads the Location Advisory Science efforts for brokerage clients across the United States as the Senior Vice President of Location Intelligence at Jones Lang LaSalle. He provides strategic planning advice and support with regard to markets, locations and demand planning. Wayne’s analytical career has focused on applied Geographic Information Systems, psychographics, city planning, demographics and real estate site selection and social epidemiology. Wayne’s expertise lies in using geodemographics to identify economic geographies of opportunity; analyzing labor supply and demand; and performing macro to micro site selection based on multivariate analysis.

Dr. Gearey has more than 17 years experience as a consultant in North America and Africa. Wayne has designed and implemented spatial interaction models and performed market analysis for national and international clients. He provides strategic planning advice and support with regard to markets, locations and demand planning. Dr Gearey has worked and published research with scientists from the University of Texas, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. Dr. Gearey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Calgary in Canada, a Post Graduate Diploma in GIS at Simon Fraser University in Canada, a Master of Science in GIS at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK and a Doctor of Philosophy, “Towards a model for defining and assembling areal units to support market research using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology” at Coventry University, in Coventry, UK.

LESLEY WOODRING
Founding and Board Member

Lesley Woodring is the Executive Vice President at Synergos Technologies. Lesley has over 20 years of experience with the selling, implementing, and training enterprise systems into various distribution environments. She developed a thorough understanding of the information needs of retail operations while selling enterprise-level systems to restaurants and grocery stores. She has also sold accounting services and understands the significance of developing quality processes, a critical skill set in data analysis. As a technical trainer of distribution systems: she developed the ability to explain complex technical topics to clients in simple ways. At Synergos, Lesley actively contributes insight into the company’s new product development, sales strategies, and marketing programs. As a board and founding member of The Location Forum, Lesley serves as the leading advisor of best practices with data, specifically the use of demographic and spatial data products in meeting market research needs. Lesley has a degree in Rhetoric and Communication Studies from the University of Virginia.

ARTHUR BERRILL
Founding and Board Member

Arthur Berrill is the Vice President of Technology for Canada’s leading provider of Location Intelligence solutions, DMTI. As a member of DMTI’s Senior Management Team Arthur leads DMTI’s Software Development and Technology group and is responsible for creating product strategies that speak on behalf of the market and customers. Arthur’s core objective is to translate customer business challenges and develop technology solutions that solve their problems. Arthur creates comprehensive product roadmaps that are customer centric in design and execution. Arthur has over 26 years of experience managing the architecture, design and development of large spatial software. Prior to DMTI, Arthur was with Pitney Bowes Inc. managing the Advanced Concepts and Technology team. Arthur came to PB through the acquisition of MapInfo where he managed their Advanced Development Department. Arthur has an Honours Degree in Engineering from the University of Queensland in Australia and a Postgraduate Diploma in Photogrammetry from the International Institute of Aerial Survey and Earth Sciences.

TOM GUDSNUK
Founding and Board Member

Tom is the CEO and President at Traxxit Technologies Corporation. Traxxit is on the cutting edge of pushing innovations with location-based technologies for consumers beyond the common uses of GPS and vehicle navigation systems into the organization of our daily lives with light-weight tracking devices. Traxxit creates web based location applications and systems that help consumers keep track of the people, events and things that mean the most to them. Prior to Traxxit, Tom has over 25 years of executive management, global business development and legal experience with software and communication companies such as NewNet Communication Technologies, SS8 Networks and Javelin Technologies. As a founding member of The Forum, Tom leads discussions that nurture innovative thinking on how businesses and consumers can turn data into intelligence for real-time decision-making, improvements and efficiencies.

COLE VAN NICE
Founding and Board Member

Cole is a Partner at Chart Venture Partner, a $100M venture capital fund investing in security related technologies with government and commercial applications. Prior to CVP, Cole worked at Darby Overseas Investments, an international mezzanine, private equity, and venture capital investment firm that was founded by the former U.S. Secretary of Treasury Nicholas Brady and later acquired by Franklin Templeton. At Darby, Cole contributed to the firm’s growth in assets under management from $250 million to over $1.2 billion, co-founded the firm’s technology venture capital business, and was involved in eighteen private equity and venture capital investments. Prior to Darby/Franklin Templeton, Cole worked in international telecom, media, and technology equity research and investment banking at Santander Investment, where he worked out of the Buenos Aires and New York offices.

At CVP, Cole focuses on early-stage investments in the semiconductor, photonics, imaging, sensor, and geospatial sectors. He represents CVP on the Boards of Fortius One, NoblePeak Vision, Maxion Technologies, and Innovative Biosensors. He has previously served on the Boards of Sysgold, Spring Wireless, CertiSign, Jackbe, and Inova Technologies.

Cole holds a B.A. from Washington & Lee University, is a CFA charter holder, and a member of the CFA Institute and Washington DC Society of Investment Analysts. He also serves as a founding judge of the Prism Awards, SPIE’s new awards program for photonics innovation, and speaks frequently on dual-use technology at defense and security conferences around the country.

GARY GALE
Founding and Board Member

Gary is Director of Ovi Places for Nokia, based in London and Berlin. In addition to his role at Nokia he’s also the co-founder of WhereCamp EU, the chair of w3gconf and sits on the UK Location User Group. Prior to taking up his role at Nokia, Gary has worked within the location industry for companies including Yahoo!, leading their Geo Technologies group in the UK and releasing GeoPlanet and Placemaker; Digicon, developing geophysical technologies to aid in the search for natural resources and the European Space Agency Research Institute in Rome, Italy, participating in the development and launch of ERS-1, Europe’s first remote sensing satellite. Outside of the geo field, he’s worked for companies including the BBC World Service, Reuters, Factiva.com and Network Associates. He speaks and presents at a wide range of conferences, workshops and events including Where 2.0, State of the Map, AGI GeoCommunity, #geomob,mashup*, the British Computer Society, WhereCamp EU, the Location Business Summit and FOWA. Writing regularly on location, place, maps and other facets of geography Gary blogs at www.vicchi.org and tweets as @vicchi.

NATASHA LÉGER
President

As the founder and President of ITF Advisors, LLC, a Denver-based strategy advisory firm with a focus on communications, media, technology and geospatial companies, Natasha Léger brings a business perspective to a traditionally technology dominant geospatial industry. Clients include startups to Global 10 companies. Natasha is also Editor of LBx Journal, the first location intelligence publication for business professionals who are exploring the location dimensions of business. Natasha is a member of the New York Bar, and obtained her Juris Doctor from Boston College School of Law, Masters of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Denver.

JIM WARNER
Chief Operations Officer

Jim Warner is the President of The Westport Group – a global consultancy specializing in innovation and market strategy. He also serves as the Chief Operating Office for the Location Forum. Jim is a seasoned senior executive with over 30 years of experience in telecom, media and information industries. He spent 20 of those years helping start, grow and run the TM Forum – the world’s premier industry association for managing telecom businesses – with over 750 members in 160 countries. He brings this experience in launching and managing industry consortia to the Location Forum where he provides leadership and guidance for a wide range of issues at the core of the organization’s goals and mission. He is a frequent speaker and writer on issues relating to business transformation, digital services and cloud computing.