Management Team Biographies
Dan Thompson – Chairman
David Tabizel – Founder
Tom Laidlaw – Chief Operations Officer
Rupert Ashe – Chief Financial Officer
Hans Stocker – Chief Technical Officer
Ashter Chomoko – Head of Development
Dan Thompson – is a successful entrepreneur who has started and developed a number of media businesses including Renegade (computer games publisher sold to Time Warner) and 365 Corporation PLC, taken from start up to flotation in 2 years, achieving a peak stock market valuation of approximately $1 billion. Dan has also been a non-executive director and senior adviser to a number of companies in the media, technology and leisure sectors including Gamesys Ltd (owners of Jackpotjoy.com the UK's leading online bingo and instant win operator); World's End Television (Johnny Vaughan's production company) and Glassworks Ltd (multi award winning television post-production company).
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David Tabizel – has been active for many years as an analyst and a founder and developer of businesses in the finance, media and technology sectors. He is credited with writing one of the first published reports on the Internet (1994). Companies either jointly started and/or developed by David include Durlacher Corporation, an investment bank that achieved a market capitalisation in excess of $3 billion, 365 Corporation plc (see above), Autonomy Corporation (a global leader in knowledge management technology which was peak valued in excess of $7 billion), Demon Internet (The UK’s first leading consumer ISP - sold to Thus for $100 million), Rage Software PLC (a computer games company that achieved a peak stock market value of approximately $300 million) and others. David lives and works in Spain and is jointly responsible for Videojug's international strategy in Europe and the US.
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Tom Laidlaw – Product & Operations Director began his career in new media in 1994. Notable positions include roles at AOL, Capital Interactive and GCap Media where he held the role of New Media Director. In 2008, Tom joined Videojug, the world’s most popular how to website, as Product and Operations Director. He lives in South London with his wife and three children.
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Rupert Ashe – is a chartered accountant who created Focus Communications which he subsequently sold to Grey Advertising. In 2002, he helped to establish the UK & Eire operations of Build-A-Bear Workshop®, the NYSE-listed entertainment retailer. During his career, he has advised on over 50 fundraisings, flotations and M&As.
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Hans Stocker – has a long track record of creating and managing high volume mission critical IT systems. Major achievements have included creating and running of Durlacher's online stock broking service Nothing-Ventured.com and the creation of the DLJDirect.co.uk online stock broking service.
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Ashter Chomoko – Head of Development has had over 15 years experience in Development, since graduating from University of Bristol with a degree in Maths with Computer Science. This experience includes developing products and designing and implementing large scale mission critical systems. Prior to Videojug, Ashter was Head of Development for Durlacher’s online stock broking service ‘nothing-ventured.com’
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