John Philpott – Chief Executive Officer
John Philpott joined Interactive Advisory Software as Chief Executive Officer in April, 2011. Prior to IAS, John was the Senior Vice President and General Manager International of the S1 Corporation (SONE). S1, publicly traded, builds and deploys financial services technology to over 3,000 financial institutions worldwide. John was charged with creating and implementing S1’s International growth strategy and the expansion of the company across Europe and Asia. Prior to S1, John helped found Stillpoint Advisors, a wealth management and family office firm, which grew to over $950 million in assets under management. Before Stillpoint Advisors, John was one of the original employees of Security First Network Bank, the world’s first Internet bank. As part of the management of the company, he was instrumental in growing the company from a start-up phase to $220 million in annual revenue. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, John has his Bachelor of Arts degree from Davidson College in Charlotte, NC.
David Grace, PhD – Managing Director and Founder
Dave Grace is the founder and managing director of Interactive Advisory Software and is responsible for overseeing daily operations and the development of strategic plans.
Grace has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Following a successful career with industry leaders such as IBM, Prudential Bache and Robinson Humphrey, Grace formed his own software company, IFS, in 1981. IFS provided the first fully integrated software solution for the independent financial planner. Under Grace’s leadership, IFS was purchased in 1991 by an insurance company entering the banking marketplace. Grace assisted in the transition until 1994 when he created an independent consulting firm providing system design, development oversight, training and implementation services to broker/dealers and financial institutions. In 2001 Grace founded IAS to offer a holistic approach and single database software to investment advisors.
Stephen Derbis – Chief Technology Officer
Steve has more than 25 years of diversified experience primarily in technical and business leadership positions producing leading-edge software products. He has been with IAS over 12 years and has been instrumental as the application architect in the ongoing development of IAS’ proprietary software. Before joining IAS, Steve was VP, Application Software for Gateway Data, a startup software company, and Software Developer and Manager at FileNet and Computer Automation. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information and Computer Science from the University of California Irvine and is a member of the Atlanta CEO Council.
Greg Brown – Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Greg Brown brings over 20 years of technology sales and sales management experience to his role as SVP of Sales & Marketing. He is focused on the IAS’ Sales and Marketing strategy and execution, building the customer base and growing partner relationships.
Greg’s recent experience includes VP Worldwide Sales with dna13 and VP Strategic Accounts and Regional Sales Vice President with Salesforce.com. Additional experience sales leadership roles at E.piphany where he helped drive the company’s annual revenue from $2 million to $120 million and ultimately a very successful IPO. Greg joined each of these companies in their early stages and helped them build their sales organizations, create new markets, build and execute sales strategy and drive revenue.
Greg has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The University of Florida and started his career in Xerox’s sales organization.
Gene Reese – Director of Product Management
Gene is entrusted with crafting product vision, strategy and roadmap for the development of the IAS product suite. Gene joined the IAS team with nine years of experience in product management and investment performance reporting.
Gene’s career began at Investment Scorecard, Inc. (sold to Informa Plc., April 2007) performing roles ranging from investment data analysis to Project Management and Systems Analysis. Following Investment Scorecard, Gene established the Product Management function at Juris, Inc. (sold to Lexis Nexis, Inc., December 2007), a provider of accounting and practice management software. Most recently Gene helped establish the Product Management team and PureSafety, Inc. and served as Director before moving to IAS.
Gene earned a BS in Finance from Auburn University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management.
Larry Grimm, CPA – Vice President of Finance & Accounting
Larry Grimm brings more than 20 years of experience to his role at IAS. Prior to joining IAS, Larry was controller for ANTs Software (OTCBB: ANTS), a developer of database consolidation software. Before ANTs, Larry was Director, Finance and Accounting, for Internap Network Services (NASDAQ: INAP), a $250 million provider of managed Internet services, data centers and a content distribution network, primarily throughout the United States with operations in Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. Larry began his career at BDO, an international accounting firm serving middle market clients where he provided audit and accounting services to both publicly- and privately-held clients for more than 12 years. Larry’s experience includes significant internal and external financial reporting and technical accounting research, two IPOs, accounting and reporting of several private placements of debt and equity securities, M&A and due diligence reviews, a corporate spin-off and internal control assessments.
Larry earned his BBA in Accounting from Georgia State University and is a member of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Linda Grace, MEd, CFP
Linda Grace, MEd, CFP, brings to IAS extensive managerial experience in client service and training. In 1983, Linda joined Interactive Financial Services (IFS), where she managed software design, training, customer service and account management. In 1994, she started an independent consulting firm with her husband, David Grace, providing system design, development oversight, training and implementation services to broker/dealers and financial institutions. Clients included Chase Manhattan Bank, Sandler O’Neil, BHC Clearing and Sun America Securities Vision 20/20 project.
In 2001, Linda and David joined with Optima Technologies, Inc., at the request of over 80 independent advisory firms, to redesign and develop an IFS replacement product capitalizing on Optima’s current advanced technology and CRM platform. Interactive Advisory Software (IAS) was born to enable wealth managers to take control of their practice, simplify their workload, provide greater integrated services to their clients, and help differentiate themselves in a congested marketplace. Linda continues today with IAS as an independent consultant, providing training, client consultation and product direction.
Wade Waller III, ChFC®, CLU®, EA, CFP® – Director of Client Support
Joining Interactive Advisory Software (IAS) in 2001 as the first Customer Support Representative for Solution 360°, Wade Waller was appointed as the Director of Client Services & Customer Support in 2009 leading a collaborative effort to create the immediate and long term strategic plan to align, modify and optimize customer support practices. Mr. Waller has been instrumental in establishing a common customer experience and delivery of consistent high level support, which today are considered company differentiators and core competencies. Prior to joining IAS, Mr. Waller held positions as an Associate Financial Planner and Income Tax Preparer.
Wade graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Finance, is a CFP candidate and holds licenses in FINRA Series 7, 66, Accident & Sickness Insurance & Variable Products.
Ted Cullen – Director of Transition & Project Management
Ted is responsible for the business process management, business strategy and change management of all of Interactive Advisory Software’s products and solutions, including client implementation and support. Ted has considerable experience in the software and financial services industry, specifically the Registered Investment Advisor industry, most recently holding the positions of Transition Manager, Portfolio Management Specialist and Associate Financial Planner. Ted graduated Cum Laude from the University of Toledo with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance.
