Event Organisers
 Board of Directors  Mitch Thrower , CEO and Co-Founder, Active Europe Network Ltd. Laurent Gauthier , COO and Co-Founder, Active Europe Network Ltd. Jonathan Spalter , Executive Vice President, Vivendi Universal Net Dave Alberga , President and Chief Executive Officer, Active Network Board of Advisors Bob Rebello Staff Steve Gintowt , CFO Cedric Mollet , Director of Technology Guy McCallum , VP, Sports Marketing Group and Membership Bob Brown , Lead Programmer Giorgia Favaretto , International Sales Director Emily Primrose , Operations Manager Angela Reddin , Communications Manager Antonio Alix , Sales Director, Spain Rob Barel, Sales Manager , Benelux Andrea Basso , Customer Relations Manager, Italy Bruno Cavelier , Running Director, France Paul Charbonnier , Senior Associate Jason Egnal , Sales and Marketing Director, Africa and Middle East Anne Karle , Customer Relations Manager Dominique Montaggioni , Mountain Bike/Cycling Sales Director, Europe Eric Rosant , Sales Manager, Germany and Austria Simon Lillistone , Sales Manager, Cycling and mountainbiking, Great Britain and Ireland Antony Wegener , Integration Consultant Irina Kazakova , Athlete Board of Directors Biographies Mitch Thrower CEO and General Manager, Mitch Thrower, a successful entrepreneur and venture creator, was a co-founder of Active USA. He served in almost every role of the US firm during its rapid growth; including, leading the international expansion of the firm with the creation and launch of Active Europe Network Ltd., through its separation from Active USA. Mitch was the relationship architect behind Active USAs rapid growth, funding and acquisitions. He was responsible for many of the firms strategic partnerships, including the relationship with TicketMaster. Prior to co-founding Active USA (now employing over 100 people in the US), he was President and COO of Triathlete Magazine and President and CEO of The College Connection and The Rail Connection, a firm he founded in 1990, and sold in 1997. He holds an MBA from University of San Diego and is a published writer. Thrower is a 10 time Ironman Triathlete, and speaks two languages: English and Spanish. Laurent Gauthier Laurent Gauthier, COO of Active Europe Network Ltd. was the founder and Executive Director of Endurancevillage.com and the founder and Director of SARL 220 France, which publishes 220 Magazine. He has worked with TF1 (N°1 French TV channel), Canal Plus, Avenir Telecom Group and is a Consultant and coordinator for the International Olympic Committee. With an MBA in Media Business from Dauphine / London Business School, Laurent speaks 2 languages fluently, French and English, and is a 9X Ironman Triathlete and former member of the French Windsurfing team. Jonathan Spalter Jonathan Spalter is the CEO of Snocap, Inc.. Spalter has held senior management roles at the media and entertainment group Vivendi Universal, based at its global headquarters in Paris, France. He was Executive VP in charge of business development and strategy at Vivendi Universal Net, the group’s internet subsidiary, where he focused on digital distribution of the group’s music, publishing, and film assets, and on mobile internet services in the US and European markets. He also was appointed CEO of Atmedica Worldwide, SA and led the division to market leadership in Asia and Europe. He was promoted to serve as group Senior Vice President coordinating the company’s regulatory and corporate affairs teams worldwide, and developing anti-piracy initiatives in key markets globally. Spalter previously was confirmed by the US Senate to serve as CIO and Associate Director at the US Information Agency, responsible for global technology at the Agency’s 180 office in 140 countries worldwide, USIA managed the US government’s global broadcast, internet, communications, and publishing operations, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. Spalter started his career with the international investment and trade advisory firm Multinational Strategies, Inc, in New York. He has also held various production and editorial roles in broadcast and cable, including as foreign affairs reporter at PBS’s MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour and as a producer of cable’s The Monitor Channel. Spalter took a leave of absence from the private sector to serve at the White House during the Clinton/Gore Administration, where he was a Director on the National Security Council staff, a senior appointee at the Pentagon, and international affairs spokesman and chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore. Spalter, 41 years old, was awarded the White House Hammer Award for innovation and excellence in management, and has been named as a Kellogg Foundation National Fellow, a member and Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, and has lectured and published widely on technology and the internet, economics, and international affairs. He co-founded and serves on the Board of Liberty Mobile LLC, and has held Board seats at Active Europe Network, LLC, and Marketo SA, and has also been a member of the Executive Committees of Havas Medimedia, SA., and Vivendi Universal Net, SA, Spalter was graduated from Harvard College with high honors, and received the M,Phil in international relations at Cambridge University. He and his wife Carrie Goux live in San Francisco, CA and Edgartown, MA with their two daughters. Dave Alberga As The Active Network's President and Chief Executive Officer, Dave Alberga, brings an in-depth background in operational management, brand-building and electronic commerce for technology-based companies. Alberga joined The Active Network from TicketMaster Online-CitySearch (TMCS), a leading portal and transaction company, where he served as chief operating officer of the company's City Guides segment. In just three years with TMCS, his initial role as general manager of established markets for CitySearch City Guides was expanded to executive vice president and then, chief operating officer. Other TMCS career highlights include successfully building local management teams in 35 markets, while overseeing operating and reporting procedures for each field organization, and participating in raising private equity for CitySearch. Alberga has also held a number of senior management positions with diverse, technology-based companies, such as Linear Technology, a leading analog semiconductor manufacturer, and Silicon Valley Technology, Inc. He brings strong management consulting and brand management expertise, gained from his work with the Boston Consulting Group and Procter and Gamble. Alberga graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering. He went on to earn a Masters of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Development Economics from Stanford University. Board of Advisors Biographies Bob Rebello Bob Rebello, serving on the Advisory Board at Active Europe Network Ltd; is a management consultant who has over 30 years of hands on diversified business experience in start-up, small and Fortune 500 companies in the Computer, Retail, Software Networking, Communications and .com businesses. Bob worked for Digital Equipment Corporation for 17 years where he was actively involved in all phases of new product development and launch. While at the company he served as the operations manager and then as the program manager on the VAX 9000 mainframe computer, a $750 million program. He was a consultant to the Director of Engineering at the BOSE Corporation for 3 years where he assisted in defining the companys key development processes and mentored functional managers and new product program managers. Bob was actively involved in the launch of the BOSE Wave Radio, Lifestyle Music Systems, and the Lifestyle 20 Music System. Rebello has two proven copyrights that have been shown to consistently improve predictability and costs in various industries. Bob, a former Marine, enjoys the challenge of running marathons and is a 10-time finisher. In 1999 he decided to use his love of running to setup a charity to raise money for kidney cancer research in memory of his brother John. He raises money for the charity by running yearly worldwide marathons. To date he has run marathons in the US, Ireland, France, Monaco, Hungary and plans to run a marathon on 6 continents for the charity by 2008. In his free time Bob is a Political cartoonist and recently has had some of his worked published. Active Europe Network Ltd. Staff Biographies Steve Gintowt Steve Gintowt, CFO of Active Europe Network Ltd., brings 22 years of global financial and management expertise. Steve joins Active Europe from Gemplus, the world leader in smartcard solutions, where he was Vice President of Telecom Finance (located in Gemenos France) and VP Americas Finance (Redwood City California). While at Gemplus, he helped create the financial infrastructure (controls, processes, reporting) to support Gemplus’ successful December 2000 Initial Public Offering on the European and NASDAQ exchanges. He has extensive telecom, e-commerce, and m-commerce experience. Steve received his financial training during 13 years with General Electric, including their Financial Management Program, Corporate Audit Staff, and Plastics, Financial Services, Aerospace, and Management and Data Systems divisions. He has also performed in executive financial positions for Unisys and Ericsson. He holds a 1998 Executive MBA from Duke University and a BA in Economics & Business from Lafayette College, where he was also captain of the varsity fencing team. Still a sports enthusiast, Steve has participated in numerous triathlons and running events, including the 1993 Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii. Cedric Mollet Cedric Mollet, Director of Technology, brings a solid background in the end-to-end processes of high-end web software development. As senior programmer and project manager for PaperExchange.com, the online market leader in the multi-billion dollar international pulp and paper industry, Cedric was active in the development of mission critical product offerings, including the production and implementation of a multi-lingual, multi-currency B2B marketplace/exchange, capable of supporting real-time conversions and complex financial transactions. A former lead developer for GetFused.com, Cedric developed applications for fast growing companies, such as Sybases spin-off, Financial Fusion, content management systems for Merck Pharmaceuticals pilot programs, and E-commerce systems for Dell and the New England Patriots. Cedric has taught multiple programming courses and workshops and is adamant about using solid development methodologies to create cutting-edge applications. Cedric speaks French and English and is an avid snow-sports enthusiast. Guy McCallum Guy McCallum, VP, Sports Marketing Group and Membership, most recently participated in the creation, launch and management of Sports.com, a sports information internet site and subsidiary of CBS SportsLine. At Sports.com he was responsible for sales strategy and execution, recruiting and marketing department and the development of new products to sell. Prior to Sports.com, Guy helped launch the sports internet site SportNow and spent some time as an independent consultant. The UK national junior 3000m champion in 1975, Guy competed as an international middle distance runner before retiring in 1984 and joining the Reebok brand launch in France. At Reebok France he participated in many aspects of the business, including creating the sports promotion department (running, tennis, fitness, basketball and football); discovering and recruiting outstanding athletes; negotiating athlete, team, club, and event sponsorship and establishing Reebok as leading player in the local market. From 1994, he was the Director of Athletic Promotion at Reebok International, responsible for the brand's international communication strategy. Bob Brown Bob Brown, Lead Programmer, brings 7 years of Internet development skills to the company, with 4 years of experience in international, multi-language and multi-currency websites. In the past he has been a member of the Global Web Team of PriceWaterhouseCoopers and a lead developer at PaperExchange.com, the leading online international pulp and paper marketplace. Bob also has a background in 3D animation and video production. He speaks English and multiple computer languages. He is a runner and a biker. Giorgia Favaretto Giorgia Favaretto, International Sales Director for Active Europe Network Ltd. was one of Active USA's top sales professionals rapidly signing up races and events around the world. With a comprehensive understanding of the Active.com web products, offerings, technology, sales and customer service issues and resolutions, Giorgia brings true "in the trenches" experience to the sales and customer service team. Georgia speaks three languages: Italian, English and French. Emily Primrose Emily Primrose, Active Europe Network Ltd. Operations Manager. After graduation from university in summer 2000, Emily moved from the UK to France and worked as a P.A. to the C.E.O. of a large telecommunications group. She then went on to work on the Operations team in the extreme sports division of an Internet television company before recently joining the Active Europe team. Young and dynamic, Emily is a swimmer and a gymnast and is fluent in French and English. Angela Reddin Angela Reddin, Communications Manager, directing PR and web-content for Active Europe Network Ltd., has spent the last five years leading statewide programs in the United States. As Grants Manager for the Board of Library Commissioners, Angela managed all aspects of state grants programs, including the development of outreach materials, design of new programs, management of databases and administration of finances. Prior to that, Angela was a strategic planning consultant and coordinator of development programs at the Massachusetts Archives, where she directed outreach, planned events and managed the program website. She holds two graduate degrees, Information and Library Management and History, and has consulted with many academic and government organizations in their libraries and archives. She is a former journal editor, firefighter and NCAA Volleyball player. She plays volleyball, basketball, softball, and enjoys running, yoga and dancing. Angela writes in her free time. She speaks English and French. Antonio Alix Antonio Alix, Sales Director for Spain, has enjoyed sports as a participant, journalist and organizer. Since the launch of the Spanish version of Eurosport in November 1994, Antonio has been a sports commentator. He has provided commentary for cycling, athletics, winter sports, multi-sports, extreme sports and adventure sports. From 1990 to 1998, Antonio worked for Bicisport, cycling magazine, where he was responsible for testing bikes and parts, writing technical articles, providing content on triathlons and presenting cycling routes to readers. Antonio is an active speaker on and at sporting events, including running, cycling and multi-sport events, from the local to the international level, such as the 2000 Mountain Bike World Championships held in Sierra Nevada, Spain. As a participant, from 1986 to 1992 he competed in triathlon and duathlon, including European and world championships with the national team and several Ironman. He also competed at the national level in a variety of athletics including cross country, marathon, cycling and mountain biking. No longer competing, he now enjoys cross country and ski alpinisme, inline skating, swimming, biking, and running. He maintains his competitive physical form proudly. In addition to Spanish, Antonio speaks English and French, and understands Italian and Portuguese. Rob Barel Rob Barel, Sales Manager of Active Europe Network Ltd. for Benelux, is a former triathlete. Between 1982 and 2000 he won 120 triathlons in 35 countries. He won the World Championships in Nice, France in 1994, seven European Championship titles between 1985 and 1994, and six national titles. He finished his professional career at age 42 at the Sydney Olympics. Before and throughout his impressive career, Rob also competed in swimming, cycling, running, mountain biking, waterpolo, basketball, speedskating, cross-country skiing and sailing. This allowed him to experience the specific problems, needs and characteristics of a wide variety of sports. Rob has a master's degree in Biology from the Free University in Amsterdam and worked for two years as a research biologist before committing himself to full time sports. During his sporting career he switched to marketing and PR graduating at the Schoevers Business School in Rotterdam in 1996. The last three years he worked as a marketing consultant for McDonald´s in Holland. For the last 6 years he has been a member of the athletes commission of the Dutch National Olympic Committee. Through this organization he has developed contacts with numerous national sports federations, athletes, events and sponsors. Rob speaks four languages: Dutch, English, French and German. Andrea Basso Andrea Basso, Customer Relations Manager, Italy, has a good overview of the Italian running world and understands the registration needs of event directors and athletes. Andrea worked as Assistant to the General Manager for the last two editions of the Venicemarathon. He was also the Project Manager of the event website. Currently graduating in International Business and Finance with a specialization in Sports Management, Andrea was Co-founder and first President, as well as player, of an American football team; bringing this sport back to his hometown after a long absence. Previously, he was a soccer referee for nine years. Andrea speaks Italian, English and French, and enjoys running and cycling. Bruno Cavelier Bruno Cavelier, Running Director for France, is a former marathon runner and amateur cyclist. He is a specialist in the management and organization of the popular sport in France. His activities as manager and councilor of an international group of athletes have allowed him to discover and study the biggest world events. For 15 years, Bruno has been involved in the organization of the Jogging of the Notaries, the N°1 French 10km. He has been a consultant of numerous projects in the domains of marketing, communication and sports management. He is also the director of advertising at Le Bipede, obtaining over 20 years of experience in creating an efficient calendar of races. Paul Charbonnier Paul Charbonnier, Senior Associate, studied sports organization and management in Strasbourg. For the past 12 years he has trained for and competed in triathlons. He is an active member of the organization of the 1st Ironman France, in Gérardmer. He was a Trainer in 220 magazine and in a " Protein and membrane Receptor " Laboratory. Paul holds a master's degree in Biochemistry and is currently in his 2nd year of a Magistère, in microbiology and enzymology. Paul speaks French and English. Jason Egnal Jason Egnal, Sales and Marketing Director, Africa and Middle East, joins the Active Europe team the Spring of 2002 after leading SA-Active as one of its Cofounders. Within the company he has held responsibilities as Marketing Director and Financial Director. His responsibilities included general marketing of sa-active.com and its services, managing sales and sponsorship, overseeing operations and market analysis, and developing and maintaining the company web-site. Prior to joining sa-active.com he served as a management consultant for a technology firm and as an accountant and business analyst at a major South African Bank where he developed experience in business systems design and implementation, with specific knowledge of Internet billing and rating systems. Jason is a graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a former squash coach and sports coordinator. He is training enthusiastically for the right triathlon that comes his way. Anne Karle Anne Karle, Customer Relations Manager Africa and Middle East, joins Active Europe from SA-Active. Anne will continue her role as the key contact and customer relationship manager for the Africa and Middle East markets. With SA-Active she managed all correspondence between sa-active and its participants, managed the events calendar and worked closely with event directors to ensure the accurate and fast delivery of information. Prior to her work with SA-Active, Anne was the Public Relations Officer and road leader for Run/Walk for Life Bedfordview – a branch of a well-known franchise focusing on wellness by providing group workouts and fitness programmes. Anne holds an honours degree in Sport Science from the Rand Afrikaans University. Anne is an avid Triathlete and has completed the Ironman as well as a number of SA Ultra Races, swimming and running competitions. She has recently qualified to the South African Ultra Triathlon team for World Long Distance triathlon. Anne is a qualified Sports Massage Therapist, plays the drums, and speaks English and some German. Dominique Montaggioni Dominique Montaggioni, Mountain Bike/Cycling Sales Director, Europe has spent the last 5 and a half years at Cannondale Europe as the marketing coordinator. His areas of expertise were Press relations, dealer education and promotion. For the promotion, he spent almost 25 week ends a year at bikes events and trade shows. He has a good knowledge of road cycling and mountain bike events around Europe. He is a bike competitor in long distance races, like Cristalp, a 135k, 4600 total altitude, or 200k road race. He has competed in some Olympic distance triathlons, and looks forward to participating in a future Ironman. He plays Tennis, Squash and also windsurfs. Eric Rosant Eric Rosant, Sales Manager, Germany and Austria for Active Europe Network Ltd., is a french native who has lived in Austria for the last 16 years. After completing technical studies (école supérieure dingénieur), he worked in several different roles including customer support manager, professional services manager, sales representative, key account manager and international sales manager for french, austrian and american companies (Parametric Technology) in Europe in the CAD/CAM/CIM/EDM/SFA/CRM/eCRM and telecommunication business. After 15 years of basketball in France, Eric began running and mountain biking regulary. He completed his first marathon in spring of 1992 and spent four years very active on the running circuit (8 marathons (3:10), many half marathons, 15kms, 10kms and other road competitions). After a few years of reduced training, Eric more recently has rediscovered his sports passion, running the Vienna City Marathon, volunteering for the Ironman Austria, and competing in his first duathlon. Simon Lillistone Sales Manager, Cycling and mountainbiking, Great Britain and Ireland, worked for the past 5 years for Bell Sports (Giro Helmets, Bell Helmets, and other accessories) as the European Marketing Manager. In this role he was very much involved in the bicycle industry, product management, sales strategy, and all aspects of cycle sport, where much of Bell Sports’ promotional activity took place. Previously, Simon was a member of the Great Britain cycling team for over a 10 year period, during which he competed in 2 Olympic and Commonwealth Games. Simon remains a recreational road and Mountainbike rider. Simon speaks French and English. Antony Wegener Antony Wegener, Integration Consultant, will share his experiences from SA-Active as a consultant to Active Europe for the African and Middle East markets. Antony was SA-active’s Chief Technology Officer and Product Development Director. At SA-Active he led strategic negotiations, partnership building, and knowledge management. He has a background in engineering, marketing and business management. He spent 5 years developing specialization in process re-engineering and 2 years consulting on collaborative software design projects and packaged software product creation. Antony has, in addition, gained experience in the motor industry, running international tender and re-sourcing projects. Anthony is a graduate of the School for Engineering Science, Pretoria Technikon, and the Birnam Business College. Antony has a variety of hobbies including certification in yacht and ski-boat skippering and navigation, diving and first-aid. He is a member of Toastmasters International! and a regular speaker. He plays a variety of sports including cycling, triathlon and water sports. He speaks English and some German. Irina Kazakova Irina Kazakova, Active Europe Network Ltd. Athlete Irina is one of the top French marathon runners, with more than 100 international victories including the marathons of Venice (Italy), Vienna (Austria), Lausanne (Switzerland), Las Vegas (USA), and also some as prestigious as Paris-Versailles (France), the Cross of Mont Blanc (France) and the Jungfrau Mountain Marathon (Switzerland), which is of Russian origin. In Russia, she discovered professional competition at the age of 5, by practicing figure skating in Saint Petersburg. Irina is a self-taught athlete, capable of managing her sports activity independently. You can find out more about Irina at www.runIrina.com. Irina has now chosen to carry the colors of Active Europe Network Ltd..com, which represent her aspiration and vision of the sports world. |