About Me

Kevin Acker is an experienced international consultant in the fields of

corporate development, strategy, planning and product development. His

specialty lies in high-level strategic thinking, in negotiating complex

transactions, and in scoping and developing high-impact new products

and services.



For the past four years, Kevin Acker has used these skills while

serving as Senior Director, Product Development and Innovation for the

CORPORATE EXECUTIVE BOARD, a Washington, D.C., firm that provides

best-practices research, decision support services and executive

education to corporate executives.



Kevin Ackers responsibilities at Corporate Executive Board include

leading product development and quantitative research for the firms

information technology practice. While there, he has created a number

of key products and services, including: an innovative benchmarking

service focused on IT budget and spending; the IT Practice Platinum and

Gold Portals, offering value-added services to top-tier clients; an

online service to facilitate vendor-related networking conversations

among clients; and a survey-based diagnostic that measures alignment

between IT strategy and business needs.



Kevin Acker also spearheaded several quantitative research projects at

Corporate Executive Board. Chief among them was a study that tackled

the contentious question of whether excellence in the IT function

impacts overall corporate performance and a study that utilized an

innovative behavioral model to determine how best to increase secure

behavior among end-users.



Kevin Acker worked as an Independent Consultant from 01 to 03. During

that time, he conducted strategy, finance and organizational consulting

projects. One project involved a comprehensive strategy review and

restructuring of the Australian operations of an electronic security

and cash-in-transit service firm. Kevin Acker analyzed profitability by

customer size and industry, and then redesigned sales and marketing to

address the most attractive market segments.



From 00 to 01, Kevin Acker served as Corporate Development

V.P./Acting CFO and then CFO with USLAW.COM, the Internets leading

marketing partner for small law firms and legal reference Web site for

consumers. As CFO, Kevin Acker created and led the companys strategic

planning and budgeting processes. He also guided the company through a

restructuring, which included reducing the headcount, renegotiating

vendor contracts and changing the companys cost structure to a

break-even model, enabling a venture capitalist-led takeover of the

company. In addition, as CFO, Kevin Acker prepared a private placement

memorandum for a $15MM equity offering and a memorandum for the sale of

the company.



From 1998 to 00, Kevin Acker worked as a Strategic Planner and Senior

Manager of Corporate Development for STARTEC GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, a

telephone, Internet and communications service provider headquartered

in the Washington, DC area. In addition to leading the companys

mergers and acquisition efforts, Kevin Acker played a major role in the

companys $160MM high-yield bond offering. Kevin Acker led Startecs

expansion in East Asia, developing strategies for Startec to offer

Internet transport, VOIP and collocation services in region, where he

negotiated the acquisition of a Hong Kong telcommunications provider.



Prior to joining Startec, Kevin Acker served from 97 to 98 with ATX

TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Philadelphia, Pa., as Manager of Strategic and

Financial Planning, leading several corporate development efforts,

including a joint venture with a cable television company designed to

provide Competitive Local Exchange Carrier services over the companys

cable network.



Kevin Acker gained valuable experience from 95 to 97 with WILLIAM

KENT INTERNATIONAL, a Washington, D.C.-based management consulting firm

that specializes in strategy development and investment for Fortune

1000 companies. As a Consultant, he conducted a business restructuring

for a $250 million division of an abrasives manufacturer and directed a

market-assessment study for a $2 billion manufacturer of contact

lenses, lens care and ophthalmic pharmaceutical products in Brazil,

Argentina and Mexico.



Kevin Acker has written several articles for the National Journal and

Inside U.S. Trade, as well as Off With Their Overhead: How to Get More

Prison Bars for the Buck for Policy Review in 90 and Poisoning of

the Soul: New Leaders of Russia and Central Europe Talk About the Evil

Empire for the Policy Review in 91.



Kevin Acker earned an MBA with honors from The Wharton School,

University of Pennsylvania. He holds a bachelors degree in government

from Dartmouth College, graduating magna cum laude, where he was

editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth.



In his free time, Kevin Acker enjoys modern art and design, hiking,

mountain biking, classical music and high-end audio equipment. He has

climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and traveled in 37 countries.









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