Eyal Yechezkell co-founded NextWeb Media in 1999 and has been the company’s leading voice ever since.  Today, as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Eyal continues to lead NextWeb Media’s dynamic team in building the company’s portfolio of unique digital products and direct marketing programs.

Eyal’s true entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, creativity, and drive for results continue to be the key ingredients in establishing NextWeb Media as a leader in the digital marketplace.

Eyal was born in Haifa, Israel and graduated with a BA in Finance from Florida Atlantic University.  He spends his non-business time with his family and enjoys playing soccer.

Itai Kathein co-founded NextWeb Media in 1999 and has served as its President since the company’s inception.  Itai has been setting the vision of the company, while working with cross functional teams towards driving its growth and positioning the company as a market leader in the digital content space across online and mobile channels.

Itai’s keen ability to design and apply efficient systems and processes to innovative product and marketing programs has been instrumental in scaling the company’s success.

Itai received a BA in Finance and International Business as well as a BS in Computer Information Systems from Florida Atlantic University.  He resides in Fort Lauderdale, FL with his wife and two children.

Eli Bakofsky serves as a the company’s Chief Financial Officer and oversees finance organization, banking and investment relations, acquisitions, treasury and risk management activities, controller functions, human resources and operations function.  Eli plays an important role in variety of strategic and operating initiatives for NextWeb Media, including the launching of new products and organizational strategies.  Eli spearheads the Company's efforts to significantly grow and improve its human resources function.

Prior to joining NextWeb Media, Eli was Controller of MobileESPN, CFO of Call Sciences and held numerous senior leadership positions in ATT Wireless Services. At these opportunities, he led numerous M&A activities and developed, implemented and maintained systems, processes and procedures. In addition, Eli negotiated partnerships and led domestic and international operating divisions.

Carin Obad serves as the Chief Technology Officer at NextWeb Media. In this capacity, Carin has lead the growth of the technology department, incorporated quality assurance & project management processes, and worked to continuously improve and enhance the core technology of the company. Carin has been leading the company's development teams to create the infrastructure to support the company's dramatic growth with emphasis on performance and capacity planning. These efforts have resulted in faster time to market for new innovative products and numerous enhanced service offerings.

Carin has over 20 years of experience leading fast-paced, cutting edge technology teams. Previous to her joining NextWeb Media, she has held senior management positions at World Avenue/TheUseful, Kanoodle.com, KPMG, and General Electric Corporation.

Carin graduated with a BS in Computer Engineering Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a MS in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University.  She is also a graduate of General Electric’s prestigious Information Systems Management Program.  Carin resides in Boynton Beach, FL with her domestic partner and their five adopted children.

Jill Labert is currently Vice President of Marketing at NextWeb Media.  Ms. Labert oversees all marketing strategies for the company, including media buying, direct marketing programs, affiliate sales, creative, public relations, and retention efforts.  Jill Labert  manages the KPI’s for all new customer acquisition efforts and maximizes customer lifetime value. 

Jill has over twenty years experience in direct marketing and business development.  She has a broad experience in all aspects of marketing including direct response, telemarketing, Internet marketing, compliance, advertising, branding, retention, loyalty, and sweepstakes promotions.   Prior to NextWeb Media Jill held executive positions at Publishers Clearing House, Vertrue Incorporated and iVillage.com.  At Publishers Clearing House, she held several senior positions in the Internet, marketing and legal departments. Ms. Labert was Vice President and Legal Counsel at Vertrue Incorporated where she worked on all mergers and acquisitions.  At iVillage she was Vice President of Business Affairs where she worked on all advertising sponsorship.

Jill Labert has received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor from Washington College of Law, American University.  Jill is admitted to the NY Bar.

Anthony Faulise is NextWeb Media’s Director of Product Administration.  Anthony’s responsibilities include new product development as well as supervising product roadmap of company’s existing products.  Anthony works with the executive team to identify new opportunities, define product concepts, and transform ideas to plans to live services that the company’s customers can enjoy. 

Prior to joining NextWeb, Anthony served as VP of Sales and Marketing for Netrics, a software company that delivered error-tolerant database search software to end users and OEMs.  Anthony was also a co-founder of Reactive Search, an eCommerce catalog search software company whose product guided shoppers to the products they wanted by making suggestions and reacting appropriately to shopper feedback.  Previously, Anthony lived in Tokyo, Japan, where he worked as a sales engineer for a leading semiconductor maker.

Anthony holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University., a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Rice University, as well as an MBA from Duke University.  Anthony is a member of Eta Kappa Nu and the IEEE.  In his spare time, Anthony enjoys renovating a 140+ year old home in Hoboken, NJ, spending time with his family, and training in taekwondo.

As Director of Operations, Ms. Benvenutti provides leadership for the company’s customer support, billing, logistics, and revenue assurance. She also oversees the company’s carrier compliance programs.

Ms. Benvenutti has extensive experience in driving operational efficiencies. Prior to joining NextWeb Media, Ms. Benvenutti spent a 15-year career at AT&T Wireless in a number of key operation and finance roles before being appointed Senior Director of National Operations. In this role, she led the Sales Operations organization, overseeing commissions and sales support for the company’s stores and nationwide indirect distribution network.

Ms. Benvenutti holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Ramapo College and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems from New Jersey Institute of Technology. Ms. Benvenutti resides in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

In his role as Creative Director, Mike McCabe is the style lead behind NextWeb Media's innovative products, overseeing front-end branding and content development. Mike brings over 15 years of design experience to the NextWeb Media team, covering all aspects of the creative process - from brainstorming, branding, identity, retail, and environmental design to conceptual interface and product development in the online and mobile device spaces.

Mike's extensive past client list includes Fortune 500 companies such as JP Morgan, IBM, Chase Manhattan Bank, Bear Stearns, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, and Bantam Dell. He has also worked with The Inside Store, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Los Angeles Conservancy, Fremont Symphony, Rockefeller Center and Calvin Klein.

Born in Hollywood, California, Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts in Design and Media Arts from University of California, Los Angeles. He has studied at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy as well as Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He is a member of the Graphic Artist's Guild, The Art Director's Club and AIGA New York. Mike lives in lower Manhattan and spends weekends communing with nature in upstate New York.