Professional Profile - David J. Waks

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE -- David J. Waks

Mr. Waks is President of System Dynamics Inc., and specializes in the technology and economics of broadband, multimedia and interactive services. His client projects have focused on applications and strategies for broadband-enabled PC and TV services for the home and SOHO markets. His consulting experience with cable operators and other service providers implementing high-speed Internet services, IP telephony and advanced video applications has provided hands-on experience with the current state of the existing infrastructure and products. He has applied this experience to assist vendors who are creating next generation products for broadband services to and in the home. His background includes over thirty years experience in information technology, including on-line applications, multimedia and broadband communications.

Mr. Waks was employed by Prodigy Services Company for more than ten years, holding senior positions in technology and business development. He helped to develop the initial business plan for the Prodigy venture, and led the team which created the technical architecture. As Executive Director of Technology, he led Prodigy's efforts to focus the industry on the migration to broadband access and applications. He directed implementation of Prodigy's cable strategy and created the earliest demonstrations of video-based on-line multimedia delivered to the home PC over cable.

Earlier, he organized and directed an independent business unit developing a product focused on the needs of small businesses. He led discussions with many companies interested in partnering with Prodigy, resulting in a number of new Prodigy offerings.

He directed Prodigy's evaluation of international expansion, and led strategic discussions with major companies headquartered throughout Europe and Asia. He visited Japan many times as Prodigy's principal contact executive with major Japanese companies, holding high-level discussions on technology transfer and Japanese market readiness for on-line services.

Throughout the 1980s he was Prodigy's Director of Technology. In this role, he recruited and led a group to evaluate emerging technologies and to implement working prototypes showing the company's evolution into the future. The group's focus was on key emerging technologies, including PC evolution, multimedia, CD-ROM, ISDN, cable, the Internet, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS).

Mr. Waks founded System Dynamics Inc. in 1977. As a consultant to CBS Inc. from 1982 to 1984, he provided strategic and technical direction for a proposed consumer on-line service venture, and co-chaired the operational planning team during the joint-venture negotiations with IBM and Sears which led to the formation of Prodigy Services Company.

Other SDI projects included project auditing, financial and strategic analysis, organizational development, system procurement, and system architecture. Clients included DEC, AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, and Northern Telecom.

From 1961 to 1977, Mr. Waks was employed by Applied Data Research, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, a leading independent software supplier. Positions included Vice President and General Manager of the Control Systems Division, which designed and developed state-of-the-art products integrating computer and communications technologies. Customers included CitiBank, United Airlines, Con Edison, Amtrak, AT&T, and DEC. He was responsible for marketing and sales, engineering, programming, manufacturing and field support.

Mr. Waks has been an invited speaker at many recent conferences -- including many Voice on the Net (VON) conferences, the National Cable Show; the Western Cable Show; the Yankee Group's Cable/Telco VI; the 19th Montreux International Television Symposium; and The Impact of Cybercommunications on Telecommunications, sponsored by the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information.