Scott Kauffman
Scott L. Kauffman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Known for | Chairman and CEO of MDC Partners |
Scott L. Kauffman (born 1956) is an American executive in the business sector, serving as the chairman and chief executive officer of the advertising holding firm MDC Partners. In July 1992, Advertising Age recognized him among the top 100 marketers in the United States, and in 1996, he was listed as one of twenty distinguished "Digital Media Masters."
Early life and education
Kauffman was born in Princeton, New Jersey and raised alongside his siblings Jane, Geoffrey, and Matthew. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Vassar College and later completed an MBA specializing in marketing at NYU Stern.
Career
Throughout his professional journey, Kauffman has held significant roles at prominent media organizations such as Benton & Bowles, Newsweek, and Time Warner, where he played a key role in launching Entertainment Weekly. During his tenure as vice president at CompuServe, he oversaw online brand management and was instrumental in creating SpryNet, CompuServe's Internet service provider platform. With backing from Goldman Sachs, he contributed to one of the earliest IPOs within the Internet sector.
In 1997, Kauffman assumed the position of president and CEO at ClickOver, a company dedicated to Internet advertising management solutions; following its acquisition of Focalink, it was rebranded as Adknowledge. Prior to its acquisition by CMGI, AdKnowledge expanded to a workforce exceeding 80 employees and served over 100 clients.
His leadership experience extends to roles at eCoverage (an online insurance provider), Coremetrics (which was acquired by IBM in 2010), and MusicNow (an online music platform sold to Circuit City). In 2005, he led digital magazine distributor Zinio as CEO. The next year, he took on the roles of president and COO at BlueLithium.
On December 4, 2008, Kauffman was named CEO of Geeknet, the parent company of SourceForge.net, ThinkGeek, Slashdot, and Freecode.
He joined MDC Partners as chairman of the board in 2006 and was elevated to CEO in 2015 following the departure of then-CEO Miles Nadal amid an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other activities
Kauffman holds chairmanship positions on the boards of ChooseEnergy.com and Lotame, while also serving as a board member for Vindicia.
Motivated by his son's ALS diagnosis at age 27, he is actively engaged in supporting ALS research. He chairs the ALS Association's board and established the Iron Horse Foundation, which focuses on advancing ALS support and scientific study.
Further reading
- MDC chief Scott L. Kauffman puts a new face on Nadal's vision
- MDC Partners’ New CEO Tries to Turn the Page After Tumultuous Stretch
- Ten Things You Don't Know About MDC's New CEO