Jim VandeHei vs Sam Gilliland

Jim VandeHei

CEO of AXIOS

BIO: Jim VandeHei was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and graduated from Lourdes High School in 1989. In 1995, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh with a double major in journalism and political science. As an undergraduate, he interned at The Brillion News in Brillion, WI the summer of 1993, and with Democratic Senator Herb Kohl in 1994, which led to his decision to become a political journalist. After working as a sports reporter for the Oshkosh Northwestern, VandeHei moved to Washington, D.C. In 1995, began working for Inside Washington Publishers. In 1996, he was hired by "Inside the New Congress," a weekly newsletter that focuses on the House and Senate. In 1997, he began working as a reporter for Roll Call, which covers Capitol Hill. While at Roll Call, VandeHei broke the story of House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston's affairs in 1998. He was the first to report in 1998 that Republicans were formally planning to impeach Bill Clinton. After a stint as a national political reporter for The Wall Street Journal in 2000, VandeHei joined The Washington Post and in 2006, VandeHei left The Washington Post to found a new political publication, Politico. In 2016, Jim left Politico and launched Axios.

Sam Gilliland

CEO of Cherwell Software

BIO: Sam Gilliland is CEO of Cherwell Software, setting the company’s strategic direction and driving its customer-first vision. As the global market for service management technology enters the era of digital transformation, Gilliland leads the company’s continued growth beyond IT Service Management (ITSM) and into new markets across the enterprise. He works to ensure Cherwell gives customers the platform and solutions they need to experience smarter service and automated workflows and, ultimately, achieve meaningful and measurable transformation faster. Gilliland draws on his knowledge of and passion for technology to improve customer service experiences and make peoples’ lives easier. For nearly a decade, Gilliland led more than 10,000 employees in 60 countries as chairman and CEO of travel industry technology giant Sabre Corporation and Travelocity.com, where rapid innovation and personalization were keys to the companies’ successes. Prior to becoming chairman and CEO of Sabre, Gilliland served in several senior leadership positions including executive vice president, chief marketing officer, and group president of Airline Solutions. Gilliland’s career is marked by a wide range of experience, which underscores his deep understanding of the technology sector – from macro market movements to the code that defines products. Most recently, Gilliland served as senior advisor with investment firm Dimensional Fund Advisors and executive partner with Siris Capital Group, a technology-focused private equity firm. Early in his career, Gilliland worked as an electrical engineer for Lockheed Missiles and Space in Austin, Texas. In addition to serving on the board of directors for Sabre Corporation and Travelocity.com, Gilliland formerly served on the boards of Brinks Home Security Holdings, Carlson, Inc., Gogo, Inc., Rackspace Hosting, Inc., and Digital River. Throughout his career, Gilliland has maintained a commitment to civic and community engagement. Under U.S. President Barack Obama, Gilliland served on the President’s Management Advisory Board and on the Energy Security Leadership Council. He also served as chair of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. Gilliland holds an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kansas.