Meet Our Advisory Board
Chris Mahl
Chris Mahl is currently the President of JW Player, the originator of online video. The company’s products are the most widely distributed mobile, advertising and web video solutions in the world. Chris has extensive hands-on experience helping start-up companies achieve exponential revenue growth by building teams of A+ talent, identifying revenue opportunities and establishing key strategic partnerships. Chris has contributed significantly to the growth and scale of companies such as Salesforce.com, Right Media, Oracle, Informatica, Google-backed company SCVNGR and many others. At Salesforce.com he served as Senior Vice President of Sales from 2002-2005 and helped launch the entire enterprise market. From 1996 to 2001, Chris served as Senior Vice President of North American sales of Informatica, that defined the enterprise analytics infrastructure market. He helped Right Media grow through their acquisition by Yahoo! in 2006-2007 and also worked at Oracle in Sales and Sales Management roles covering multiple industries and markets worldwide from 1991 to 1996.
Carlyle Singer
Carlyle Singer is a results-driven, accomplished senior executive with experience in finance, operations, general management and CEO roles, in public and private companies, from $10M to $5B. She is currently the COO for Acumen Fund and is responsible for the day to day operation of this 70+ person philanthropic organization with local operations in Ghana, Kenya, India and Pakistan. Acumen’s mission is to change the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, people and ideas and over its 13+ year history, Acumen has impacted 100 million lives, created 58,000 jobs and invested a total of $82 million dollars in 75 companies providing services to the poor. Prior to this role, Carlyle was the President/CEO of Katun Corporation where she developed turnaround and growth strategy as well as the eventual sale of this $300M+ privately held company. Carlyle is a forward-looking, transformational leader adept at dealing with distressed and difficult situations, leading others during times of crisis, fostering collaborations and envisioning the future to enable others to act.
Jairek Robbins
Jairek Robbins is a man focused on developing creative solutions for accelerating results. By evaluating a company’s strategic objectives, Jairek is able to build a customized roadmap to achieve goals with speed and precision. “My goal is to assist people in the process of rapidly achieving their goals so they are able to live the life of their dreams. My hope is that they will eventually pay-it-forward and help those that they care about the most do the same.” As an innovator, Jairek is applying his own philosophy and living a life of adventure, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship. Whether it’s cage diving with great white sharks, hanging with silverbacks in Rwanda, white water rafting down the Nile, working as a volunteer in underdeveloped regions, or building a powerful enterprise that’s built for results, Jairek stretches the boundaries of traditional thinking and makes it happen. At only 23 years old, Jairek was awarded the Congressional Award, Gold Medal from the United States Congress. Today, the 30-year old is unlocking secrets for maximizing employee performance and organizational success.
Bobby Harris
Bobby Harris is the founder and CEO of BlueGrace Logistics, a North American 3rd party logistics firm headquartered in Tampa, FL with 56 locations throughout the US. BlueGrace is known for a focus on high-performance shipping technology, being privately held and having hyper-growth since its inception in 2009. In 2012 INC 500 named BlueGrace the 20th fastest growing company in the US and surpassed $100 million in revenue for 2014 in just its 5th year. In 2011 and 2012, he was honored as one of Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year finalists; in 2014, he won Entrepreneur of the Year in the Emerging Category and went on to be named one of 4 National Finalists. BlueGrace has been named one of Tampa’s best places to work for 4 years in row and is listed as Tampa’s single largest minority owned business. Mr. Harris also owns www.fighterwarehouse.com, an MMA retailer of sports training gear and apparel. His views on business development, workplace culture and general viewpoints have appeared in most major publications including CNN, Forbes, MSNBC, WSJ, NBC and Fox. Mr. Harris is a member of YPO, and proudly supports the Humane Society of Tampa Bay as a member of the Advisory Council. He earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Florida.