Geoff Baird Email & Phone Number

Dillon, Co, Us

Business plan -> Funded -> Build -> Launch - > Scale an innovative and category defining AI driven SaaS platform that reduces a college's cost of new student acquisition by replacing critical subjective-driven process steps with AI prioritization and predictive direction.

President & CEO of private-equity backed professional services company serving the Higher Education market. Built and led team through the strategic disposition of a distressed asset and created an innovative new professional services offerings to drive revenue growth, operating efficiencies and financial sustainability inside of higher educational institutions. Reporting relationship: Board of Directors, Private-Equity Fund ManagersDirect reports: VP Finance, CMO, VP of HR, SVP Customer Success, SVP EnrollmentSize of Organization: 50Key Results: Reduced 8 figure negative cash burn by 91% within 1.5 years, developed EBITDA positive business by year 3. Strengthened balance sheet, reduced debt service via refinancing and rebuilt sales and marketing engine to produce industry leading results. Developed and secured long term customer contract to provide platform for future growth.

Birmingham, Al, Us

Leadership of a $55M portfolio of 7 educational and retail businesses inside private-equity owned Education Corporation of America. Full operating responsibility including product, sales, marketing, operations and overall financial management of one market leading online business college, 2 on ground colleges with 6 locations, 3 national test-prep businesses and a portfolio of 3 commercial restaurants. Reporting relationship: CEODirect reports: Marketing Director, Brand Presidents, VP Strategy & Ops (11 in total)Size of Organization: 250-300Key Results: Surpassed group EBITDA targets by 30%. Led New England College of Business to first YoY growth in 3 years via refined messaging and customer targeting, marketing strategy and increased investment in field teams. Drove 15% EBITDA improvements in national test prep businesses via operating efficiencies. Redefined lagging golf college value proposition via new marketing, targeting and messaging strategies. Created more powerful and market relevant product by integrating golf and business college offerings. Replaced 5 marketing agencies with one, driving more efficient spend and tighter alignment with the business units. Replaced underperforming personnel, grew internal talent and attracted top external talent to the businesses.

Chicago, Il, Us

Leadership of $750M business unit inside the $3.5B Sears Home Services business, responsible for the wholesale selling and servicing of Kenmore appliances and associated services into real estate development, REITs, hospitality, education, healthcare, military, insurance, retailers, distributors and manufacturers. Reporting relationship: Sears Home Services CMODirect reports: Field Sales, Inside Sales, Product Management, Finance, Marketing, Operations, CreditIndirect reports: HR, Legal, ITSize of Organization: 400Key Results: Upon joining was faced with a 50 year old legacy business unit whose revenue had decreased over $150M in just 30 months. Following 9 months of reengineering, the business moved to year over year revenue growth, driving a 40% operating profit improvement. Integrated services and products businesses to create $750M business unit. Grew AOV from $30K to $300K and sales / per person by 50%. Rebuilt sales, sales operations, inside sales, finance, call center, marketing and product management organizations. Attracted, retained and grew talent in a highly challenging business environment. Business was awarded one of 8 global Salesforce.com awards for best sales and marketing integration. Secured funding and implemented $35M ERP system to improve operational efficiency and optimize margin and pricing opportunities.

Dublin, Oh, Us

Recruited in to turn around and operate $200M enterprise software product line inside of $800M enterprise software company. Maintained full P&L responsibility for global marketing, sales, product, services and support. Current product and pricing model had been severly disrupted by both the advance of virtual machine infrastructures and the collapse of the global banking market. In two years I stabalized the global customer base, developed a new innovative product roadmap and developed and implemented new pricing models that closed the existing pricing / margin leaks and stabilized operating margins as we prepared product lines for ultimate sale to IBM.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Led product group strategy, roadmap and business operations for the first major global smartphone built on the Microsoft Mobile operating system, and the first global smartphone to knock off Blackberry as the top selling smart device in the world. Set vision and directed efforts across product strategy, marketing, packaging, messaging and sales & service globally for this innovative new device category that generaged over $1B in sales worldwide.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Managed P&L for $3B global distribution customer, activiting and maximizing both sales and contribution margin across various LATAM countries and parts of China. Developed, led and executed distribution sell in and sell through strategies that resulted in over $100M in sales increases.

Worldwide, Oo

Roundarch was the new media and technology arm of Deloitte Consulting. I was a member of the executive comittee and led a $20M P&L with full responsibility for offices in Chicago, New York and Washington DC delivering multi-million dollar strategy and software projects in both the private and federal sectors.

Us

From co-writing the business plan to an IPO with 2000 employees, I helped envision, grow and lead a software & services company that blazed the path to the commercialized internet as we know it now.