Chief Executive Officer
As chief executive officer of Tickets.com, Larry Witherspoon is responsible for the execution of the company's overall direction and strategic plan, including global technology development, sales and marketing, and the operation of the business.
He joined Tickets.com in 2005 as chief information officer, overseeing information technology, product development, architecture, and operations.
Mr. Witherspoon has more than a decade of sports entertainment experience, along with an extensive engineering background. Prior to joining Tickets.com, Mr. Witherspoon served as vice president of technology services for the Seattle Mariners, where he was responsible for all aspects of the Mariners' technology services department, including information services, audio/video, ticketing operations and concession services. Previous to his position with the Mariners, Mr. Witherspoon was co-founder and chief technology officer of AccessOne Internet Services.
Mr. Witherspoon started his career at Science Applications International and has held various positions with AT&T Wireless and McCaw Cellular. He received an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Washington Business School and attended Central Texas College.
Daniel Wu
Chief Financial Officer
In his position as chief financial
officer, Mr. Wu oversees accounting, financial planning and analysis,
and human resources. He joined Tickets.com
in 2005 from Trojan Capital Resources, where he was founder and president.
Mr. Wu served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer at
DentalView, where he played a key role in the development and commercialization
of innovative dental technology. His background also includes management
positions with Nobel Biocare USA, Inc., and Calmar, Inc.
He began his career at KPMG, where he managed all phases of financial statement audits. Mr. Wu is a CPA and earned an accounting degree at California State University, Long Beach and an MBA at the University of Southern California.
Derek Palmer
Chief Commercial Officer
In his role as chief commercial
officer, Mr. Palmer is the fueling force behind Tickets.com's operational
and sales organizations. Over the
course of his tenure with Tickets.com, Mr. Palmer has experienced nearly
every facet of the company's operation, including client support, training
and installations, technical service, consumer services, professional
services and strategic operations. With his multi-faceted background
in the business, the 15-year ticketing industry veteran has successfully
streamlined and improved efficiencies within his organizations.
Setting internal record history with new client integrations, Mr. Palmer has perfected this set-up process by aligning the right internal resources and developing the appropriate execution teams launching clients such as Times Union Center, formerly known as Pepsi Arena, 9:30 Club, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Additionally, Mr. Palmer has major event experience working as ticketing manager for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and a call center trainer for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from George Mason University.
Brett Michalak
Chief Information Officer
As chief information officer, Mr. Michalak is responsible for all aspects
of the Tickets.com global product strategy and lifecycle. He oversees the
global technology organization and plays an essential role in analyzing
and evolving Tickets.com business processes to enable the company's growth
and optimize the existing technology infrastructure.
Mr. Michalak has 20 years of experience in information technology, systems development and process design. He has held a variety of senior leadership and technical positions for leading technology and financial services corporations, including Exodus Communications and Ameriquest Capital Corporation. Brett is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
David McClellan
Managing Director, EMEA and APAC
David McClellan joined Tickets.com as Managing Director, EMEA (Europe,
Middle East and Africa). The EMEA region is host to 600 clients covering theaters and
festivals, sports venues, concert halls, museums, visitor attractions and cinemas.
David also oversees the sales functions for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and the Regional Manager, APAC.
David most recently comes to us from Hewlett-Packard where for the last ten years he contributed to the substantial growth of the business development and sales organizations. He joined HP from the ticketing industry where he was involved with venue-based integration projects. David has also served as a Senior Account Executive for a number of IBM AS/400 software companies and Regional Manager for Synchro Systems. He has more than 25 years of IT experience.
David graduated with an honours degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Liverpool. He is an avid sports and music enthusiast, playing in bands and involved with football clubs. David is a credentialed UEFA Part B Coach, FA Referee and a volunteer weekend sports reporter for the BBC.
