Alumni Spotlight is pleased to announce The Top 50 University Alumni in the Internet Industry of 2022. Since the creation of the internet, the industry has continued to grow at an incredible rate. This year’s awardees have kept up with the broadening of the field, charting new territories and expanding on those that already exist. They have improved business interactions and transactions, saving on vital time. Their work has shaped our social landscape and made it possible for people across the globe to interact in ways they’ve never experienced before. Their innovative ideas and concepts stand out among the crowd.
Among this year’s awardees are Jamie Iannone, Chief Executive Officer of eBay, a global leader and digital, product & technology innovator with more than two decades of ecommerce leadership; Simon Goodall, Chief Revenue Officer of Groupon, who has a portfolio of success leading the growth of multiple diverse consumer internet businesses to $1B+ scale; and Lauren Nemeth, Vice President and General Manager of Twilio, who leads using her expertise in building two sided marketplaces, data driven communications platforms, and global marketing automation software.
We recognize these individuals for their achievements scaling this large and complex field of work. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 University Alumni in the Internet Industry of 2022.
3. Vlad Loktev
VP & General Manager, Airbnb
Carnegie Mellon University
Vlad Loktev is a Vice President and General Manager with Airbnb. Airbnb operates an online marketplace for lodging, primarily homestays for vacation rentals, and tourism activities. It is a global community of hosts and travelers, a community that was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to 4 million hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals to about 100,000 cities in almost every country and region across the globe. In his roles, Loktev leads the core hosting business for the majority of Airbnb’s homes and revenue. He has 14 years of experience. Loktev began his career in 2008.
Before joining Airbnb, Loktev was a senior product manager at Zynga, and before that, a co-founder and CEO at Crooster. Loktev graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA and from Carnegie Mellon University with an undergraduate degree in business administration and economics.
5. Jamie Iannone
CEO, eBay
Princeton University
Jamie Iannone began his professional career 23 years ago. Today, he is the Chief Executive Officer of eBay, the multinational e-commerce company based in California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. Iannone is a purpose driven global leader and digital, product and technology innovator with more than two decades of ecommerce leadership.
Prior to returning to eBay, Iannone spent six years with Walmart as COO of Walmart eCommerce, CEO of SamsClub.com and EVP of membership and technology where he helped lead to record-high ecommerce growth and launch the Sam’s Club Scan & Go, Ask Sam, Sam’s Club Now and Club Pickup technologies. During his four years with Barnes & Noble as president of digital products, Iannone helped grow Barnes & Noble and Nook Media from a 0% market share of the e-book industry to a 25% share. Iannone graduated from Stanford University Graduate School of Business with an MBA and from Princeton University with an undergraduate degree in operations research, engineering, and management systems.
7. Kalinda Raina
VP & Chief Privacy Officer, LinkedIn
University of California, Berkeley
Kalinda Raina is the Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer of LinkedIn. She first joined the company in 2016 as senior director and head of global privacy. Raina is a leader with 20 years of experience in both building data protection programs and data strategies from the ground up and ensuring enterprise compliance. She has strong domain expertise in GDPR, education/kids’ privacy, health privacy and social networking. Raina is known for being a strategic problem solver motivated by innovative solutions to integrate data protection into products while minimizing legal and implementation risks.
Previously, Raina was a head of privacy and policy at Apple Americas, and before that a chief privacy officer at Nintendo of America Inc. Earlier in her career she worked with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a privacy associate. Raina earned a JD in intellectual property law from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree in communications and US history from the University of California, San Diego.
9. Charles Meyers
CEO & President, Equinix
Northwestern University
Charles Meyers, President and Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for leading Equinix’s strategy, innovation, and continued track record of growth, execution and service excellence. In this role, Meyers partners with his more than 10,000 Equinix colleagues around the world to be in service to one another and the customers, partners, shareholders, and communities where Equinix operates. He has shaped the company’s strategy and continued industry leadership, including doubling the number of global IBX data centers, evolving the capabilities of Platform Equinix, building ecosystems with thousands of the world’s leading businesses as customers, and quadrupling revenues during his tenure.
Meyers joined Equinix in 2010 with more than 25 years of experience in executive leadership positions at leading technology and IT companies, including at Verisign, Level 3 Communications and BellSouth. He earned dual master’s degrees from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and McCormick Graduate School of Engineering. He also holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado.
11. Simon Goodall
Chief Revenue Officer, Groupon
Northwestern University
Simon Goodall is the Chief Revenue Officer of Groupon. Groupon provides a global marketplace where people can buy just about anything, anywhere, anytime.
It is enabling real-time commerce across an expanding range of categories including local businesses, travel destinations, consumer products, and live or lively events. At the same time, Groupon is providing advertising options and tools that merchants can use to grow and manage their businesses. Goodall is known for being an accomplished leader with a strong portfolio of successes in leading the growth of multiple diverse consumer internet businesses to $1B+ scale. Goodall has 22 years of experience. He began his career in 2000.
Before joining Groupon, Goodall was an SVP of private label programs at World Travel Holdings, and before that, a business development manager at OneCore Financial Network, Inc. Earlier in his career he worked with Living.com as a process design engineer. Goodall graduated from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management with an MBA in strategy and finance, and an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering and economics.
12. Lauren Nemeth
VP & GM, Twilio
University of California, Los Angeles
Lauren Nemeth is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Twilio. Twilio is an American company providing programmable communication tools for making and receiving phone calls and video calls, sending and receiving text messages, and performing other communication functions using its web service APIs. By making communications a part of every software developer’s toolkit, Twilio is enabling innovators across every industry, from emerging leaders to the world’s largest organizations, to reinvent how companies engage with their customers. Nemeth is an experienced GTM and R&D leader with over 10 years of experience owning and operating multi-billion-dollar P&Ls. Her areas of expertise lie in building two sided marketplaces, data driven communications platforms, and global marketing automation software.
Before joining Twilio, Nemeth was a CRO at Nextdoor, and before that, a CRO at Turn. Earlier in her career she worked with IGN Entertainment as a business development manager. Nemeth graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with an undergraduate degree in Western European studies.
13. James Casey
Chief Privacy Officer, Akamai
Cornell University
James Casey is the Chief Privacy Officer of Akamai. He first joined Akamai as a product and technology lawyer in October 2014. As the company’s need for focused privacy compliance work increased, Casey was moved to the associate general counsel and chief data protection officer role. He was named chief privacy officer in December 2019. Akamai Technologies is a content delivery network, a cybersecurity, and cloud service company, providing web and Internet security services. The company’s Intelligent Edge Platform is one of the world's largest distributed computing platforms. They operate a network of servers around the world and rent out capacity on these servers to customers who want their websites to work faster by distributing content from locations near the user. Part of Casey’s role is to support the company’s mission while ensuring that they abide by necessary privacy and security principles when providing its services to some of the biggest content providers on the internet.
Prior to joining Akamai, Casey served in various roles with Neustar including director of policy and business development, senior director of law and commercial services, and associate general counsel. He graduated from Cornell University with an undergraduate degree in history, from William & Mary with an MBA, and from Cornell Law School with a JD in international legal studies.
View the complete list of awardees.
15. Aaron Ahola
EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Akamai Technologies
Tufts University
Aaron Ahola is an Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Akamai Technologies. He first joined the company in 2000 as senior counsel. Akamai Technologies is a content delivery network, a cybersecurity, and cloud service company, providing web and Internet security services. Its Intelligent Edge Platform is one of the world's largest distributed computing platforms. When a user navigates to the URL of an Akamai customer, their browser is directed by Akamai's domain name system to a proximal edge server that can serve the requested content.
Previously, Ahola was an attorney at Ropes and Gray. Earlier in his career he worked with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as an attorney. Ahola earned a JD from the University of Michigan Law School and an undergraduate degree in economics and political science from Tufts University.
16. Eric Richard
SVP of Engineering Operations & CISO, HubSpot
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Eric Richard is the Senior Vice President of Engineering Operations and Chief Information Security Officer of HubSpot. HubSpot is a leading CRM platform that provides software and support to help businesses grow better. Its platform includes marketing, sales, service, and website management products that start free and scale to meet the customers’ needs at any stage of growth. Richard is a product-focused engineering leader who is passionate about building high performing, diverse, inclusive teams. He has over 25 years of experience managing and mentoring impactful software development, support, IT, security, and operations teams.
Before joining HubSpot, Richard was an SVP of engineering at Compete, and before that, a VP of engineering at Idiom Technologies. Earlier in his career he founded net.Genesis where he served as a software engineer. Richard graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with an undergraduate degree in computer science.
18. Khalil Smith
VP of Inclusion, Diversity, and Engagement, Akamai
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Khalil Smight is the Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity, and Engagement at Akamai. Akamai’s mission is to make digital experiences fast, intelligent, and secure. As a cornerstone of Akamai’s corporate strategy, ID&E is a part of the foundation for their success. It is what guides them to be a great company, a strong competitor, a responsible corporate citizen, and a catalyst for greatness, with the power to shape the world beyond Akamai.
Prior to joining Akamai, Smith served with the NeuroLeadership Institute as a VP of research, practices, and consulting. Prior to that he served as the head of diversity and inclusion dedicated to creating and executing strategy, products, consulting, research, and training in the ID&E area. Smith earned an undergraduate degree from Monmouth University and an MBA in leadership and strategy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
19. Charles Beadnall
CTO, GoDaddy
Northwestern University
Charles Beadnall began his professional career 20 years ago. Today, he is the Chief Technology Officer of GoDaddy. GoDaddy is a publicly traded Internet domain registrar and web hosting company. Its professional email helps individuals build a professional image, while its online marketing tools empower entrepreneurs to get online with an SEO-friendly website. GoDaddy is an all-in-one solution provider to get an idea online, backed with expert, personalized support from GoDaddy Guides. As of 2021, GoDaddy has more than 21 million customers and over 6,600 employees worldwide.
Beadnall first got his start in 2002 as a director of systems architecture at Verisign. From there, he went on to Metaweb Technologies before eventually rising to become a senior director of engineering at Yahoo, his most recent position prior to joining GoDaddy. Beadnall graduated from Northwestern University with an undergraduate degree.
20. Jason Montgomery Brown
SVP & GM, Yelp
Georgia Institute of Technology
Jason Montgomery Brown began his professional career 22 years ago. Today, he is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Yelp. The Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app connects people with great local businesses with published crowd-sourced reviews about almost every type of local business, from restaurants, boutiques and salons to dentists, mechanics, plumbers and more. Brown is tasked with building marketplaces serving Yelp's loyal consumer audience and local businesses, with a great group of people.
Brown first got his start in 2000 as a director of product and business development at Priceline Europe. From there, he went on to eBay before eventually rising to become the chief revenue officer at WyzAnt, his most recent position prior to joining Yelp. Brown graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA and from Georgia Institute of Technology with an undergraduate degree in architecture.
21. William Alvarado
Chief Business Officer, Stripe
Georgia Institute of Technology
William Alvarado began his professional career nearly 22 years ago. Today, he is the Chief Business Officer of Stripe. Stripe, Inc. is an Irish American financial services and software as a service (SaaS) company dual-headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin. It is a financial infrastructure platform for businesses. The company primarily offers payment processing software and application programming interfaces (APIs) for e-commerce websites and mobile applications. Millions of companies, from the world’s largest enterprises to the most ambitious startups, use Stripe to accept payments, grow their revenue, and accelerate new business opportunities.
Alvarado first got his start in 1995 as a senior business analyst for Capital One. He then moved on to become a VP of products and engineering at SEVEN Networks before joining Apple. Alvarado graduated from Stanford University with an MBA and from Georgia Institute of Technology with an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering.
23. Matthew Coble
Chief Digital Advisor, World Wide Technology
Duke University
Matthew Coble is the Chief Digital Advisor of World Wide Technology. He first joined the company in 2018. World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) is a privately-held technology services provider based in Missouri. The company designs, builds, demonstrates, and deploys innovative technology products, integrated architectural solutions, and transformational digital experiences for large public and private organizations around the globe. As Chief Digital Advisor, Coble leads engagements with WWT's clients and prospects to drive digital strategy, digital transformation, new product development, and other innovation initiatives. Their work with clients’ C-level leadership teams is powered by the creative, experience design, and technology prowess of WWT.
Previously, Coble was an SVP of digital engagement at Brighton Agency, and before that, an SVP and partner of digital at FleishmanHillard. Earlier in his career he worked with USWeb - Atlanta as a senior manager. Coble earned an undergraduate degree in public policy studies from Duke University.
View the complete list of awardees.
24. Rachel Glaser
CFO, Etsy
University of California, Berkeley
Rachel Glaser began her professional career 30 years ago. Today, she is the Chief Financial Officer of Etsy, a global online marketplace focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. These items fall under a wide range of categories, including jewelry, bags, clothing, home décor and furniture, toys, art, as well as craft supplies and tools. The site follows in the tradition of open craft fairs, giving sellers personal storefronts where they list their goods for a fee of US$0.20 per item.
In 1986, Glaser served as a vice president of finance and operations at Walt Disney Consumer Products. From there, she went on to Yahoo, before eventually rising to become the CFO at Leaf Group Ltd, her most recent position prior to joining Etsy. Glaser graduated from the University of Southern California with an MBA in finance and strategic planning and from the University of California, Berkeley with an undergraduate degree.
29. Raj Kapoor
COO, Shipt
Cornell University
Raj Kapoor is the Chief Operating Officer of Shipt. He first joined the company in 2022. Shipt is a delivery service owned by Target Corporation. Through a community of Shipt Shoppers and a convenient app, Shipt provides personal shopping and delivery and is available to 80% of households in more than 5,000 U.S. cities. Shipt Shoppers go above and beyond, communicating in real time about preferences and substitutions. A curated marketplace of retailers, Shipt offers access to a variety of stores and product categories including fresh foods, household essentials, wellness products, office and pet supplies. Kappor has a passion for leading high growth businesses, and is currently leveraging the scale of Target and Shipt to build new offerings at the intersection of retail, technology, and logistics.
Previously, Kapoor was a VP at Lyft, and before that, a principal at Permira. Earlier in his career he worked with Beyond.com as a director of corporate development. Kapoor earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree in biology and society from Cornell University.
30. Ezra Kucharz
Chief Business Officer, DraftKings
Duke University
Ezra Kucharz has more than 20 years of experience creating, evolving,and managing several leading Internet, sports, media and entertainment properties. He joined DraftKings as Chief Business Officer in October 2017. In this role, Kucharz is responsible for expanding DraftKings’ business strategy, ad sales, international expansion and digital media, further solidifying the company’s position at the intersection of sports, technology and media, while advancing its footprint in the content space. Kucharz is responsible for building out the business and corporate development functions by identifying opportunities for strategic ventures and acquisitions. Additionally, he is a faculty member in Duke University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative teaching sports entrepreneurship.
Prior to joining DraftKings, Kucharz served as president of CBS Local Digital Media and special advisor to the CBS CEO. In this role, he oversaw online and mobile business across CBS Radio’s over 115 stations nationwide and more than two dozen CBS Television stations. During his tenure, Kucharz’s leadership elevated CBS Local to the number one digital organization in local broadcast TV and radio. He has also held several senior-level positions at NBC Universal, founded one of the first online digital sports media companies, Total Sports, and worked for NASA in their Space Shuttle and Space Station Medical Operations divisions after serving as an Army Officer assigned to the Armor Branch. Kucharz holds an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Boston University, a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Houston, and a master’s degree in medical informatics from Duke University.
31. Sandeep Swadia
Chief Data & Trust Officer, The Trade Desk
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sandeep Swadia is the Chief Data and Trust Officer of The Trade Desk. He first joined the company in 2019. The Trade Desk is an American multinational technology company that specializes in real-time programmatic marketing automation technologies, products, and services, designed to personalize digital content delivery to users. It is the largest independent demand-side platform in the world, competing against DoubleClick by Google, Facebook Ads, and others. Unlike traditional marketing, programmatic marketing is operated by real-time, split-second decisions based on user identity, device information, and other data points. It enables highly personalized consumer experiences, and improves return-on-investment for companies and advertisers.
Previously, Swadia was a CEO at HUMAN, and before that a COO at Magnetic. Earlier in his career he worked with Virtusa as a head of global marketing. Swadia earned an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Northeastern University.
33. John Whyte
Chief Medical Officer, WebMD
Harvard University
John Whyte began his professional career 26 years ago. Today, he is a Chief Medical Officer of WebMD. WebMD is known primarily as an online publisher of news and information pertaining to human health and well-being. The site includes information services to consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans. It is one of the top healthcare websites. Whyte is a visionary, results-driven senior executive, physician, writer, healthcare policy expert and innovative communicator with over 20 years of professional experience providing healthcare leadership and policy development.
Whyte first got his start in 1998 as a division director at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. From there, he went on to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, before eventually rising to director of professional affairs and stakeholder engagement at the FDA, his most recent position prior to joining WebMD. Whyte graduated from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with an MPH in health policy and management, and from the University of Pennsylvania with an undergraduate degree in chemistry.
34. Sarah Butterfass
Chief Product Officer, FanDuel
Northwestern University
Sarah Butterfass began her professional career 18 years ago. Today, she is the Chief Product Officer of FanDuel. FanDuel Group is an innovative sports-tech entertainment company that is changing the way consumers engage with their favorite sports, teams, and leagues. The premier gaming destination in North America, FanDuel Group consists of a portfolio of leading brands across gaming, sports betting, daily fantasy sports, advance-deposit wagering, and TV/media, including FanDuel, Stardust Casino and TVG. FanDuel Group has a presence across all 50 states and 17 million customers. Butterfass is known for being a dynamic, innovative, and results-driven leader with deep digital marketplace experience.
Butterfass first got her start in 2004 as a customer marketing manager at NAVTEQ. From there, she went on to Rand McNally, before eventually rising to become the chief product officer at Groupon, her most recent position prior to joining FanDuel. Butterfass graduated from Northwestern University with an MBA in marketing and strategy and an undergraduate degree in speech pathology.
39. Qasim Saifee
COO, ZipRecruiter
Stanford University
Qasim Saifee is the Chief Operating Officer of ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter is a leading online employment marketplace company. Powered by AI-driven smart matching technology, ZipRecruiter actively connects businesses of all sizes and millions of job seekers to make hiring top talent and finding a job faster and easier. Founded in 2010, the Santa Monica-based company has over 1000 employees, in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. Saifee has 17 years of experience. He began his career in 2005.
Before joining ZipRecruiter, Saifee was an SVP of publishing at Scopely, and before that, an SVP and GM of monetization at OpenX. Earlier in his career he worked with Yahoo as a senior director. Saifee graduated from Stanford University with an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering.
View the complete list of awardees.
41. Brandon Simins
CFO, Attentive
Cornell University
Brandon Simins is the Chief Financial Officer of Attentive. He first joined the company in 2020. Attentive is a conversational commerce platform that uses real-time behavioral data to help more than 6,000 leading businesses engage with their consumers via mobile messaging. Today, Attentive has 1,300+ employees and operates globally in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
Prior to Attentive, Simins was the Chief Financial and Operating Officer of Tictail, a social marketplace that was acquired by Shopify. Earlier in his career, Simins worked as an investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch, as an associate at Providence Equity Partners, and held a number of business strategy & operations roles at Google. Simins graduated from Cornell University with an undergraduate degree in labor relations.
45. Andy Chen
Chief Product Officer, Glassdoor
Texas A&M University
Andy Chen is the Chief Product Officer of Glassdoor. He first joined the company in 2021. Glassdoor is a job and recruiting site that operates online jobs and career communities. It helps employees, job seekers, employers, and recruiters in finding and sharing information about the companies and jobs that include company reviews, interview questions and reviews, office photos, salary details, and information to make career decisions.
Previously, Chen was an SVP of innovation at Match Group and before that a co-founder and head of product at Traxo. Earlier in his career he worked with Northrop Grumman as a senior aerospace engineer. Chen earned an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin and an undergraduate degree in civil structural engineering from Texas A&M University.
49. Charles Howell
Chief Marketing Officer, CareerMD
Columbia University in the City of New York
Charles Howell is the Chief Marketing Officer of CareerMD. He first joined the company in 2005 as VP of business and product development. CareerMD connects physicians to careers in medicine. It hosts over 100 networking events across the country each year, at which representatives from leading healthcare organizations introduce their opportunities to new physicians and advanced practitioners. Its online database and publications provide residents, fellows, and physicians with up-to-date information about opportunities in their specialty and region.
Previously, Howell was a COO at Crossroads Investments LP. He earned a JD from Fordham University School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Columbia University in the City of New York.
50. Jason Edelboim
President & COO, Dataminr
Columbia University in the City of New York
Jason Edelboim is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Dataminr. He first joined the company in 2019. Dataminr puts real-time AI and public data to work for its clients, generating relevant and actionable alerts for global corporations, public sector agencies, newsrooms, and NGOs. Their leading AI platform detects the earliest signals of high-impact events and emerging risks from hundreds of thousands of public data sources.
Previously, Edelboim was a president at Cision and before that an SVP of global product at PR Newswire. Earlier in his career he worked as a reporter at Euromoney Institutional Investor. Edelboim earned an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and an undergraduate degree from Columbia University in the City of New York.
View the complete list of awardees.