Details how a Virtual CIO (vCIO) provides cost-effective, fractional technology strategy and cybersecurity leadership to help organizations align IT initiatives with their overarching business goals.
Tracks trends, market direction and customer needs to plan the future of technology. Recruits high performing team members and develops their skills by providing decision-making ownership and collaborative engagement. Able to initiate culture change, lead by example, and get buy-in at all levels. Known for facilitating energizing brainstorming sessions that generate actionable insights and create new revenue opportunities.
In 2000, Brian was introduced to the exhibitions and events industry when he joined 3rd Millennium Communications as Manager of Software Development for a Virtual Tradeshow Product. That company was acquired by Galaxy Information Services and through additional acquisitions later became Experient.
As CIO of Experient, Brian oversaw the replacement and upgrade of every piece of legacy proprietary systems that supported the registration, housing, and lead retrieval services. He also oversaw the transition from a paper-based and manual business operations to an entirely online and mobile app-based model. Brian oversaw the strategy and operations of the Experient data center including their recent adoption and migration to cloud-based hosting to enhance availability, reliability, scalability, and recoverability.
Brian led the product development strategy and spearheaded several product concepts including eventBit™ which was granted a US patent in 2019 (Patent Number: US 10,311,267 B2). He was also instrumental in the evolution of lead retrieval products from hardware-based units to smart phone-based mobile app technology.
Brian oversaw the cyber-security position for Experient including compliance to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), SSAE-18 SOC 1 Type II, and internal corporate security standards audits. Security scope included a 400-server data center, 700 end user devices, and credit card data environment, and a data center holding thousands of databases of customer data. Under Brian’s leadership, Experient successfully met or exceeded requirements for PCI since its introduction in 2005.
Brian’s business philosophy is rooted in a belief in the power of high performing teams, the necessity of self-disruption, the focus on the client’s perspective, the criticality of speed of change, and the utility of lean and agile development and operational processes.
Brian has the honor of being the first technology professional to participate as a director on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events® (IAEE). Organized in 1928 as the National Association of Exposition Managers to represent the interests of trade show and exposition managers, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events® is the leading association for the global exhibition industry. Today IAEE represents over 12,000 individuals in 50 countries who conduct and support exhibitions around the world. Being a data-centric leader, Brian is also proud to serve on the board of CEIR, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research.
Brian also believes that in today’s competitive employee market, the most successful companies must find ways to create enjoyable and engaged workplace environments. No stranger to performance, Brian was frequently seen on stage in front of the Experient organization delivering educational messages (such as not clicking on links within phishing emails) or just poking fun at his peers within the leadership team through music.
Brian is a Tennessee Volunteer at heart and his blood runs deep orange due to his undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he received his Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering with Honors. He also earned a Masters of Science in Technology Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus. His personal passions include his wife and two sons, music, and fitness. He is a 30-year veteran of live music performance, a published musical play composer, and a recording studio engineer and producer. When he’s not in the studio, you’ll find him out on his bike climbing the local hills.