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Senior Management
Ian Morris President and Chief Executive Officer
Ian Morris is the President and CEO of Market Leader, a leading provider of software and marketing solutions to the real estate industry. Under his leadership, Market Leader has grown from a cutting-edge idea into a publicly-traded company that was ranked the 4th Fastest Growing Technology Company in North America by Deloitte and Touche.
As one of the pioneers of the online real estate industry, Morris is a frequent keynote speaker at major real estate industry conferences, and was rated “One of the Real Estate Industry's Most Influential People” by Realtor® Magazine, and an Inman Innovator of the Year. In 2011, Morris released Game Plan: How Real Estate Professionals can Thrive in an Uncertain Future, a book he co-authored with REAL Trends Editor and President, Steve Murray.
Before joining Market Leader, Morris ran Microsoft HomeAdvisor, a business that he helped launch in 1997. Previously, he held a variety of Internet marketing, business development, and operations positions at Microsoft, including responsibility for MSN's partnership marketing efforts. Morris holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jacqueline L. Davidson Chief Financial Officer
Jacqueline L. Davidson serves as the company's Chief Financial Officer and has been with Market Leader since November of 2004. She has over 20 years in senior financial roles for public and private companies, accumulating significant financial management, business development and M&A experience. Prior to joining Market Leader, Davidson served as the Chief Financial Officer of a $100 million regional supermarket chain. Davidson's experience includes her role as Vice President of Finance for the Cobalt Group, an online marketing business serving the automotive industry. Davidson is a CPA who began her career with eight years at Price Waterhouse. She is a graduate of Washington State University with a BA in Business Administration.
Alex Lange Chief Technology Officer
Alex Lange serves as the company’s Chief Technology Officer leading the technology, product management, and advertising teams for Market Leader. Lange brings 25 years of technology experience and over 10 years of executive leadership to Market Leader. Previously, Lange co-founded and was Chief Technology Officer of Roost.com, where they were awarded the Inman Innovator Award in 2008 for their national IDX Web search platform development. Prior to Roost.com, Lange served as Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Architect at Art.com, where he grew the decorative products selection to the world’s largest, achieving $200 million in annual revenue. Lange started his IT career in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and intelligence analyst and has over 15 professional certifications in project management, SEO, Microsoft, IBM, Java and multiple ecommerce platforms. Alex attended the University of California Irvine and is an active member of the Consortium of Information Systems Executives.
Sarah Daniels Chief Marketing Officer
Sarah Daniels currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer leading all marketing initiatives for Market Leader, including expanding services to customers, and building brand awareness. Previously, Daniels served as Vice President of Marketing and Sales for DreamBox Learning, a highly innovative and award-winning education software company. Prior to this, she served for six years as Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Aventail Corporation, a network communications company. Daniels has also been an entrepreneur, co-founding two software companies and successfully selling both. She holds a BS in mathematics from Yale University, and an MBA from Stanford University, where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar.
Scott Smith Executive Vice President, Software and Services Business
Scott Smith currently serves as Executive Vice President of Software and Services Business with responsibilities that extend across sales and service, business development, partner development, and overall company-wide development and execution of strategic plans and key objectives. Smith has been with Market Leader since 2002 and previously held roles driving the delivery of customer-focused initiatives internally and externally as both the Vice President of Agent Sales, and Vice President of Customer Operations and Advocacy. Prior to joining Market Leader, Smith spent 14 years at Microsoft creating new market opportunities for Windows in the US and Europe and launching internet consumer businesses including Sidewalk.com and HomeAdvisor.com. Smith previously served on the Board of Directors for the Warren Miller Freedom Foundation, which educates young people on business ethics and entrepreneurship. Smith holds a BA in Management Information Systems from Eastern Washington University.
Nikesh S. Parekh Executive Vice President, Media Networks
Nikesh (Niki) Parekh serves as Executive Vice President of Media Networks at Market Leader, focused on new product development. Parekh is also the CEO of ActiveRain Corp., real estate’s largest blogging and social media network. Prior to joining ActiveRain and Market Leader, he was Chief Executive Officer of a clean technology start-up out of the University of Washington. Parekh has a significant history in the venture capital industry, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard College.
Joe White Vice President, Sales and Service
Joe White serves as the company’s Vice President of Sales and Service, responsible for driving all sales and service programs and strategies for Market Leader. White has over 20 years of experience and success in sales, operations and service roles, and before joining Market Leader served as President of Forensics Consulting Services, a services and software company in the legal industry. Prior to that, White served as Executive Vice President of Sales at Attenex Inc., where he grew the software start-up from $700K to over $27M during his four years with the company. His experience also includes executive roles at Aventail Corporation, a network communications company; Innuity, a website development company targeting small to medium sized businesses; and Mosaix, Inc., a publicly-traded telecommunications software company. White holds a BS degree in communications management from the University of Portland, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.
Brian Wildermuth Vice President, Strategic Account Development
Brian Wildermuth serves as Vice President of Strategic Account Development overseeing the company’s strategic partnerships and relationships, including expanding products and services to partners, and building industry brand awareness. With over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, Wildermuth also regularly coaches national audiences on successful marketing strategies, helping real estate professionals drive better communication to their clients and prospects. For 10+ years before joining Market Leader, he founded and led the growth and development of SharperAgent, LLC, helping to create the real estate industry’s finest marketing suite. Wildermuth graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Liberal Arts.
Nick Bailey Vice President, Business Strategy
Nick Bailey serves as Vice President of Business Strategy for Market Leader helping build the company’s strategic partnerships and relationships. Bailey helps drive the expansion of products and services through partnerships, and the broadening of brand awareness across the real estate industry. He has nearly 20 years of real estate industry experience as a leader in franchising, operations and brokerage. Prior to joining Market Leader in 2012, Bailey spent twelve years at RE/MAX World Headquarters. As Vice President since 2004, he led the growth and development for numerous regional operations throughout the U.S. including serving as Vice President, Eastern U.S. with responsibility of 14 regions and over 32,000 sales associates. His experience also includes real estate sales and brokerage management. Bailey started his real estate career at the age of 17 when he began purchasing commercial and residential property and was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce. Bailey holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Montana State University.
Board of Directors
Frank M. Higgins Chairman
Pete Higgins has served as a director of Market Leader, Inc. since April 2004. He is a founding partner of Second Avenue Partners, one of Seattle's most experienced teams providing management, strategy and capital to early stage companies. Prior to founding Second Avenue Partners, Mr. Higgins spent 16 years at Microsoft Corporation. Most notably, Mr. Higgins was a member of the Office of the President, reporting to CEO Bill Gates. He also served as Group Vice President of the Interactive Media Group at Microsoft from 1996 to 1998. As head of the Interactive Media Group, he was responsible for Microsoft's online and consumer software businesses, including MSN, MSNBC, Expedia, Carpoint, Slate, Internet Gaming Zone, Encarta, multimedia games, desktop finance product, and hardware products such as the Microsoft Mouse. During his time at Microsoft, he also served as Group Vice President of Applications and Content (1995-1996), Senior Vice President of the Desktop Applications Division (1992-1995), and General Manager and then Vice President of the Analysis Business Unit (1988-1992). Mr. Higgins is a director of Insitu, a subsidiary of the Boeing Company, and a number of privately held companies, including Modumental, Ice Energy, and Rubicon Interactive. He is a strategic director of Madrona Investment Partners, LLC, a venture capital firm. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Stanford University and Hoh River Trust. Mr. Higgins holds an M.B.A. and an undergraduate degree in economics and history from Stanford University.
Ian Morris President Market Leader
Ian Morris is the President and CEO of Market Leader, a leading provider of software and marketing solutions to the real estate industry. Under his leadership, Market Leader has grown from a cutting-edge idea into a publicly-traded company that was ranked the 4th Fastest Growing Technology Company in North America by Deloitte and Touche.
As one of the pioneers of the online real estate industry, Morris is a frequent keynote speaker at major real estate industry conferences, and was rated “One of the Real Estate Industry's Most Influential People” by Realtor® Magazine, and an Inman Innovator of the Year. In 2011, Morris released Game Plan: How Real Estate Professionals can Thrive in an Uncertain Future, a book he co-authored with REAL Trends Editor and President, Steve Murray.
Before joining Market Leader, Morris ran Microsoft HomeAdvisor, a business that he helped launch in 1997. Previously, he held a variety of Internet marketing, business development, and operations positions at Microsoft, including responsibility for MSN's partnership marketing efforts. Morris holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jon W. Gacek Director
Jon Gacek has served as a director of Market Leader, Inc. since November 2004. He currently serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Quantum Corporation, a publicly traded company that provides network storage subsystems. He served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations of Advanced Digital Equipment Corporation (ADIC) from November 1999 until August 2006, when ADIC was acquired by Quantum. Before joining ADIC, Mr. Gacek was an audit partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and led the technology practice in their Seattle office. He joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1985 and was admitted as a partner in 1996. While there, he worked with several private equity investment firms to complete a number of mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and other transactions. He has specific experience in early stage, venture-backed companies. Mr. Gacek holds a B.A. in accounting from Western Washington University.
Michael T. Galgon Director
Mike Galgon has served as a director of Market Leader, Inc. since April 2010. In 1997, Mr. Galgon founded and served until 1999 as President and General Manager, and from 2000 until 2007 as Chief Strategy Officer, of aQuantive, Inc. (formerly AvenueA), an Internet media company which went public in February of 2000. As aQuantive's chief strategy officer, Mr. Galgon oversaw the company's strategic direction, including business development initiatives and marketing efforts. Mr. Galgon served as Chief Advertising Strategist for Microsoft Corporation from August 2007 until January 2009. Prior to founding aQuantive, Mr. Galgon served as a full-time volunteer with Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) and an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1990 to 1994. He currently serves as a director for BuddyTV, a privately held company; and for Global Partnerships, a Seattle-based microfinance organization. Mr. Galgon holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in economics from Duke University.
Nicolas J. Hanauer Director
Nick Hanauer has served as a director of Market Leader, Inc. since December 2000. In March of 2000, Mr. Hanauer partnered with three colleagues to create Second Avenue Partners, the Seattle-based venture capital company which provides management, strategy, and capital for early stage companies. In 2000, he also founded and served as Chairman of Gear.com, an online sporting goods company, until its merger with Overstock.com in 2001. In 1997, he founded and served for a period as Chief Executive Officer of aQuantive, Inc. (formerly AvenueA), an Internet media company which went public in February of 2000. In 1995, Mr. Hanauer became a founding investor and served as a board advisor for Amazon.com until January 2000. In 1988, he co-founded Museum Quality Framing Company, which today has 60 stores and is the largest of its kind on the west coast. Mr. Hanauer began his professional career at Pacific Coast Feather Company. As the company's Executive VP of Sales and Marketing, he helped grow Pacific Coast from several million dollars in sales to over 300 million. He also served as the company's Co-Chairman, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Hanauer currently serves as a director of Marchex, Inc., Insitu (a subsidiary of the Boeing Company), and The University of Washington Foundation. Mr. Hanauer holds a B.A. from the University of Washington.
Richard A. Mendenhall Director
Richard Mendenhall has served as a director of Market Leader, Inc. since August 2004. Mr. Mendenhall has co-owned Resource Home Loans, a real estate mortgage firm, since 1995. Since 1991, Mr. Mendenhall has owned and served as a broker in a variety of real estate brokerage firms affiliated with RE/MAX International, Inc., a global real estate agency network. Since 1974, Mr. Mendenhall has owned Boone Realty Corporation, a real estate commercial brokerage firm. Mr. Mendenhall served as President of the National Association of Realtors in 2001. He also serves as director of a number of privately held companies. Mr. Mendenhall holds an M.A. and a B.S. from the University of Missouri.
