The CEO of Etsy on Connecting to Communities and Democratizing Access: Lessons for the Industry

John Potthoff, Ph.D., is a  respected veteran with nearly 28 years in the clinical research services industry and has directed major business for a number of companies.Potthoff’s career began with a series of executive roles involving increasing responsibility at PPD. After seven years, he left to become the founder and CEO of Tanistry, Inc., a contract research organization focused on the central nervous system. After selling Tanistry to INC Research in 2001, he joined INC Research, an 11-year career step that culminated in the role of COO.Following his success at INC Research, Potthoff assumed the position of CEO at Theorem Clinical Research in 2011. In four years, he doubled its revenue, sales, backlog, and earnings before selling to Chiltern International in 2015.Potthoff is NACD Directorship Certified and currently serves on the board of directors of Chembio (NASDAQ: CEMI) and previously served on the board of directors for Chiltern, Advarra, and Synteract

Josh Silverman is Etsy's Chief Executive Officer, leading the company as it builds a platform that empowers creative entrepreneurs around the world. He is also a member of Etsy's board of directors.Mr Silverman's two decades of leadership experience include growing consumer technology companies and scaling global marketplaces. He previously served as President of Consumer Products and Services at American Express, CEO of Skype, and CEO of shopping.com, and he held various executive roles at eBay. Earlier in his career, Mr Silverman co-founded Evite, Inc. where he also served as the company's CEO. He is currently on the board of directors of Shake Shack.Mr Silverman has a deep commitment to community and civic engagement. He currently serves as Chairman of Code Nation, a non-profit that equips students in under-resourced schools with both fundamental coding skills and professional experiences. He was previously a member of the Stanford Business School Management board and the Lincoln Center Theater board.