ViaWest Board of Directors
Board of Directors
ViaWest enjoys a model relationship with its Board of Directors, centered on healthy communication and mutual respect.
The ViaWest management team relies on the wisdom and experience of its Board members with regards to the company's strategic initiatives, operating plans and acquisition activity. As result, ViaWest continually benefits from their Board's commitment to guide the company in a positive direction.
Roy Dimoff - Chairman
Nancy Phillips
Sengal Selassie
John Sadik-Khan
Todd Klindworth
Mike Fries
Greg Malcolm
Ron Heinz
Roy Dimoff
ViaWest Co-founder, Chairman and CEO
Providing the overall direction for ViaWest and its strong network of people and solutions is Roy Dimoff. A visionary who launched his first telecommunications company in Toronto, Canada at age 26, Dimoff continues to drive ViaWest's success through strategic positioning, strong financial management, and instinctive merger and acquisition selection.
After establishing and growing his own business, Teleconferencing Systems Canada, Dimoff recognized an opportunity to take the business to new levels. In 1988, he sold his company to Confertech International of Denver, Colorado (now Global Crossing), where he also accepted an executive management position in the services division. In less than five years, Dimoff had established Confertech as the second largest provider of audio and video teleconferencing services in the United States .
In 1995, after a successful tenure with Confertech, Dimoff assumed control of RMI.net — a struggling Internet Service Provider. Using his strong telecommunications and technology background, coupled with his keen business insight, Dimoff quickly established RMI.net as the leading Internet Service Provider in Colorado and effectively completed one of the first Internet IPOs.
With RMI.net in a strong financial state, Dimoff retired from his CEO position in 1997 and began the development of ViaWest. By 1999, Dimoff and the other founders officially launched ViaWest Internet Services, Inc. into the market as a provider of colocation and hosted solutions. While he remains focused on ViaWest's current strategy and future opportunities, Dimoff's entrepreneurial spirit and achievements continue to be recognized by prominent business leaders. Already holding a number of awards including the Denver Business Journal's "Who's Who in Technology, Telcom and Media," Dimoff's latest industry recognition includes becoming a finalist for the 2005 Ernst & Young, "Entrepreneur of the Year Award" and also for the 2005 "Technology Executive of the Year" presented by the Colorado Software and Internet Association (CSIA).
Dimoff is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where he earned his Honors Bachelor of Business Administration Degree.
Nancy Phillips
ViaWest Co-Founder, Director, COO
As co-founder and COO, Nancy Phillips has a vested interest in establishing ViaWest as a leader in the market. Phillips, who has over 15 years of management experience in technology, oversees ViaWest's operations, engineering and technical support divisions.
Previously Vice President of Operations for RMI.net. Phillips was integral in managing the company's network and technical growth. Prior to helping this struggling Internet Service Provider back to profitability, Phillips held another position as Vice President of Operations for ITC Worldwide (now Genesys Conferencing) and was Senior Vice President of Operations for ConferTech International (now Global Crossing).
Phillips has also been a principal, executive and consultant for numerous successful telecommunications companies including France Telecom, MCI and Qwest. Over 15 years ago, she began her career with Teleconferencing Systems Canada as Vice President of Sales and it was in this role that she met Roy Dimoff — the two have been loyal business partners ever since.
In addition to being recognized by ViaWest for her outstanding contributions, Phillips has earned a reputation for excellence throughout the industry. In 2005, the Denver Business Journal named Phillips as "Outstanding Woman in Business" in the high-tech category. She also received the 2004 "Technology Business Woman of the Year" award hosted by the Colorado Software & Internet Association's APEX awards. Phillips was again recognized in 2004 by the Denver Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and the Denver Business Journal, winning the "Outstanding Women in Business Jean Yancey Award." The year 2002 marked the second year in a row in which Phillips was recognized by the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE), as a woman that has raised capital for an entrepreneurial venture.
Phillips holds an Honors Bachelor of Economics from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Sengal Selassie is a Director of SG Capital Partners LLC, a $500 million private equity investment fund. He is currently responsible for day-to-day management of the fund. Selassie worked directly on portfolio companies, representing more than $200 million of invested capital. In addition to ViaWest, he currently sits on the Boards of Ricerca Biosciences LLC, POCO Graphite, Inc. and MC2 Trade Show Services.
Selassie joined SG Capital from Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated at the beginning of 1998. At Morgan Stanley, he worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group, focusing on media and telecommunications industry transactions. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Selassie worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. in the Corporate Finance Group.
Selassie holds an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College and both a M.B.A. and a J.D. from Harvard University.
John Sadik-Khan is the Managing Director of Telecommunications and Corporate Finance for SG Cowen Securities Corporation. He joined Societe Generale in 1994 and then moved to SG Cowen Securities Corporation in 1999. As a senior banker in the Corporate Finance group, Sadik-Khan helps arrange debt and equity financing for clients in the telecommunications industry. He has been employed in the financial services industry since 1984, working previously for Wells Fargo Bank (San Francisco), Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company (New York), and Arthur Andersen & Co. (New York).
Sadik-Khan has a Bachelors degree in Economics from Princeton University and a Masters in Business Administration from the New York University Graduate School of Business. He is certified as a Public Accountant by the State of New York.
Todd Klindworth currently sits on the Board of ViaWest and is one of the first outside investors to support the company. He is the majority owner and Chairman of TODD Video Network Management, a leading software company that controls large area video networks enabling interactive and broadcast video. Klindworth has successfully financed and developed cable television and MMDS networks in 17 countries.
Klindworth has a B.A. in Finance and a M.B.A. in International Business from Denver University.
Mike Fries is President and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Global, Inc.
A 20-year veteran of the cable and media industry, Mr. Fries was appointed President and CEO of Liberty Global in June 2005 upon the merger of Liberty Media International and UnitedGlobalCom (UGC).
Prior to that, Mr. Fries served as President and CEO of UGC from January 2004 after holding several senior management positions since shortly after the company's formation in 1990.
From 1990 to 1995, he managed UGC's global development activities and oversaw expansion into Europe, Asia/Pacific and Latin America . In 1995, Mr. Fries became head of the company's Asia/Pacific operations until his promotion to President and Chief Operating Officer of UGC in September 1998.
Under his leadership, Liberty Global has grown into a US Fortune 500 and a Forbes Global 2000 company.
Mr. Fries is a member of Liberty Global's board of directors and its two-person Executive Committee along with the company's Chairman, Dr. John C. Malone.
Mr. Fries holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University . He is active in a number of industry, professional and philanthropic organizations.
Mr. Malcolm is the Head of Investment Banking for Cowen and Company. Prior to joining SG in 1996, Mr. Malcolm was a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns. Mr. Malcolm also served as a Managing Partner of Anthem Partners, L.P., an advisory investment banking boutique. Prior to that, Mr. Malcolm was a Managing Director of The First Boston Corporation where he founded and ran the High Yield Finance Group.
Mr. Malcolm received a B.A. with honors from Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
As Managing Director, Ron Heinz oversees corporate investments and strategic direction for Canopy Ventures. With more than two decades in the technology business, Mr. Heinz was the CEO of Helius, Inc. a Canopy portfolio company prior to assuming his current role. From 2000 to 2003, Ron was the CEO of Phobos Corporation, a Utah-based technology company that was acquired by SonicWALL of Sunnyvale, California (SNWL). Post-merger, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Sr. Vice President at SonicWALL
Prior to Phobos, Mr. Heinz spent 12 years at Novell Inc., serving as a Corporate Officer and Sr. Vice President his last 4 years. Prior to Novell, Mr. Heinz was employed at Xerox. He received a Bachelor of Science in finance from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and an MBA in finance from American University. He has also participated in postgraduate work at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
