Executive Team

John Gallant, Chief Executive Officer
John Gallant is CEO of Network World, Inc., and sets overall business strategy for the media company, which dominates the network IT market in print, online and events. Network World serves 170,000 print readers with its award-winning newsweekly Network World, 1.6 million monthly visitors to its Web site networkworld.com and over 7,000 registered attendees for its highly regarded events, including the IT Roadmap conference series, DEMO – the premier product launch pad – and The Security Standard conference for senior IT and security leaders.

Gallant, one of Network World’s founders, was formerly president and editorial director for the company, where he guided content and business development for online, as well as Network World’s seminars and events programs. Gallant is highly visible in the marketplace and frequently speaks at industry conferences. He has been named by Technology Marketing magazine as one of the most influential people in computer journalism, and was cited as one of the “most visionary editors-in-chief” by Press Access. Gallant was also cited as Best Conference Host by Conferenza for his role as Executive Producer for the Vortex conference. Gallant’s 25 years of expertise in covering the technology industry has been tapped by top-tier television media outlets, including CNN, CNNfn, CNBC, NPR, and Bloomberg. He often hosts roundtable discussions on technology and other topics for a wide variety of organizations, including leading vendors, I.T. buyers and industry associations. Gallant also co-chairs the executive committee of the Boston College Technology Council and is the chair of the Metrowest Red Cross Industry Council.

Dan Hirsh, Publisher
Hirsh leads Network World’s sales, product development, custom programs, marketing, and research efforts. With nearly 20 years of experience in developing and executing products and strategies that achieve desired marketing results, Hirsh has helped fuel Network World’s relentless focus on creating programs that maximize our customer’s ROI. Hirsh joined Network World in April 07; prior to that he was Publisher of Design News Magazine and worked as VP of Corporate Marketing for Parametric Technology Corp.

John Dix, Editor-in-Chief
Dix is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the newsweekly and overseeing its Web properities, including NetworkWorld.com, LinuxWorld.com and JavaWorld.com. A 27-year industry veteran, Dix started his career at International Data Corp. in 1980 where he was editor of an executive newsletter covering developments in networking and distributed processing. He joined Computerworld in 1984 as the newsweekly’s senior communications editor, then in 1986 was part of the team that launched Network World. Dix has served on the boards of many industry trade shows, including Interop, Comnet, Comdex, PC Expo and SatCon.

Neal Silverman, Executive Vice President, Events & Executive Forums
Silverman sets the strategic direction for Network World 's events portfolio. These events are produced under three distinct brands: NWLive, IDG Executive Forums and DEMO. Events include five regional IT Roadmap Conference and Expos, the international portfolio of DEMO conferences and a two day security conference, The Security Standard. Silverman manages the operations, sales, audience development and international expansion to ensure this portfolio of events exceeds the information needs of highly qualified audiences. Silverman has over 15 years experience in sales and marketing with both technology and media companies such as The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, Fast Company and CMGi.

Susan Cardoza, Vice President, Online Sales/Operations
Susan Cardoza oversees sales, advertising operations and client services, and is responsible for developing programs and product initiatives to drive revenue and provide high quality post sales support for Network World client programs. She started her IDG career in 1987 at Macworld, followed by sales positions at Computerworld and Federal Computer Week. She joined Network World in 2003 as National Online Sales Director and was promoted to Associate Publisher Online in 2005. During her tenure, Network World has achieved record-breaking sales growth.

Eric Cormier, HR Manager
Eric Cormier is responsible for all human resource functions at Network World, which includes organizational development, employee relations and recruitment. He started his career with IDG Corporate Human Resources in 1989 and joined Network World in March 2000. Eric is a member of the New England Human Resource Association (NEHRA), the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and part of IDG's HR leadership team.

W. Michael Draper, Chief Operating Officer
Draper is responsible for leading Network World's operations, information technology and corporate services functions. Draper has over 20 years experience in the technology industry, including experience in product development, technology management and professional services in both domestic and international settings. Prior to joining Network World, Draper worked in various strategic capacities at Olivetti, Stream International and Honeywell.

Mary Fanning, Vice President, Finance
Fanning is responsible for Network World's financial systems, which includes operational analysis, billing, accounting and budgeting. In 1986, Fanning was a part of the original team that launched Network World from Computerworld. Fanning is instrumental in developing the financial strategic operations for Network World and was promoted to Vice President in 1992.

Dan Gallagher, VP of Audience and Architecture
At Network World Dan oversees audience acquisition and User Experience for NetworkWorld.com, LinuxWorld.com, and JavaWorld.com. His responsibilities include the overall site strategy including architecture/design, user flow, analytics, as well as SEM and SEO. In 15 years in the online media industry Dan has served as the Online Design Director for News Corp New Media, a Director at Forrester Research, and the VP of Online Strategy for CMGI’s MyWay.com.