David Liu
Cofounder, Chairman and CEO
David Liu is cofounder and CEO of XO Group Inc., formerly The Knot Inc. (NYSE: XOXO; www.xogroupinc.com), the premier lifestage media company devoted to weddings, pregnancy and everything in between.
In 1996, Liu and his business partners (including wife Carley Roney) predicted that the emergence of Internet technology would become the perfect solution to the frustrating, antiquated process of planning a wedding. Their vision: a bridal media brand that would reinvent the $70+ billion wedding industry by appealing to modern couples and providing 24/7 access to stylish editorial content, modern advice, thousands of local professionals, and an online community. The Knot has become the nation’s #1 wedding resource and most trafficked online wedding destination with more than 100 million monthly page views and over 1.8 million registered members.
Under Liu's leadership, XO Group has expanded its reach to serve its audience across multiple lifestages from brides to newlyweds to first-time parents, adding The Nest and The Bump to its brand network. The company has extended these brands across multiple media platforms spanning magazines, books, streaming television, mobile applications and social networking, as well as a massive merchandising arm that includes gift registry services and an Internet wedding favor and supplies store.
Since founding The Knot (now XO Group) 15 years ago, Liu has led the company from an Internet start-up to a publicly traded multimillion-dollar media leader in the wedding and lifestyle category, raising over $150 million in public and private financing along the way. Liu also led the acquisition and integration of the company's closest competitor, WeddingChannel Inc., uniting two leaders in the online bridal industry.
In 2008, Liu was named Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in the Media category. Currently, Liu serves on the boards of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) and the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). He lives with his wife and three children in Brooklyn, New York.
Carley Roney
Cofounder and Editor in Chief
Carley Roney is cofounder and editor in chief of XO Group Inc. (NYSE: XOXO; www.xogroupinc.com), formerly The Knot Inc., a global media and technology company devoted to weddings, pregnancy and everything in between.
Roney and her partners founded XO Group Inc. in 1996 and quickly took the wedding world by storm with a fresh voice, stylish ideas and up-to-date advice. Today, The Knot Wedding Network is home to the #1 online wedding-planning resource, TheKnot.com (www.theknot.com), and the #1 registry site, WeddingChannel.com, which together reach nearly 2 million U.S. brides annually. Roney has been the driving force behind the brand’s expansion across multiple media platforms: from the web to magazines and books, television and video, social media and mobile applications. In 2010, she even proved the brand’s global reach by instrumenting the launch of Ijie.com (www.ijie.com), a lifestyle website in China.
Inspired by thousands of loyal users, Roney has also created The Nest (www.thenest.com) and The Bump (www.thebump.com) brands for young couples and first-time parents—offering multimedia content, tools, and community platforms designed specifically for the unique needs of couples setting up homes and getting ready for baby. As today’s leading expert on real-world weddings and young married life, Roney has made frequent appearances on television shows such as TODAY, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC Nightline, Live! with Regis and Kelly, Access Hollywood and more. She is the author of more than a dozen popular wedding, newlywed and baby books, and her syndicated advice column "Ask Carley" appears in newspapers nationwide.
In 2008, Roney was named one of Crain’s New York “40 Under 40” and is regularly recognized and consulted as a mentor for women in business and entrepreneurs. She holds an MA in Cultural Studies and a BFA in Film and Television from New York University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and three children.
Carol Koh Evans
Chief Operating Officer
Carol Koh Evans is the Chief Operating Officer of XO Group Inc., formerly The Knot Inc. Prior to joining The Knot, Evans was General Manager for Massive Incorporated, a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation and leading network for video game advertising. Evans returned to XO Group in May 2008 as Chief Operating Officer with unique, first-hand experience at the company. She previously worked at XO Group in corporate development, where she was instrumental in the execution of the company's successful IPO in December 1999 and the acquisition of Weddingpages, Inc., in 2001.
As Chief Operating Officer of XO Group, Evans oversees day-to-day operations of the company, including the ecommerce warehouse, customer service, national sales operations, registry business, and HR/administration. She also leads M&A and strategic partnerships for XO Group and manages other corporate development initiatives, including the company's international expansion in China and Australia.
Prior to joining Massive, following the acquisition by Microsoft, Evans spent five years with Microsoft in Corporate Development, Corporate Strategy, and MSN M&A where she primarily supported Microsoft’s consumer initiatives, including the Online Services and Entertainment and Devices divisions. In addition, she worked as an investment banker with Lehman Brothers in New York and Hong Kong and Robertson Stephens in San Francisco and participated in General Electric’s Financial Management Program. Evans received her MBA from Columbia Business School and her BS in Business Administration from the Walter Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
John Mueller
Chief Financial Officer
John Mueller, Chief Financial Officer of XO Group Inc., formerly The Knot Inc., oversees the company’s financial and accounting functions as well as investor relations. Mueller joined XO Group in September 2008 from Genius Products, Inc., where he was Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President. In that role, he successfully managed the transition with the company’s new partner, The Weinstein Company, resulting in revenue growth from $22 million in 2005 to $474 million in 2007. In addition, he assisted in the expansion of 15 major content partners, completed the acquisition of a direct response marketing company and was responsible for implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Mueller brings extensive prior experience in investment banking. He was Senior Vice President of Media Investment Banking for Jefferies & Company, Inc., where he provided strategic financial advisory services on mergers, acquisitions, and equity and debt offerings for entertainment and media clients. Mueller also worked in the media and entertainment investment banking groups at Credit Suisse First Boston and SG Cowen Securities. He began his career in finance working for Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods company Kimberly-Clark Corporation.
Mueller received his MBA from the Harvard Business School and his BS in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.
Nic Di Iorio
Chief Technology Officer
Nic Di Iorio has been the Chief Technology Officer of XO Group Inc., formerly The Knot Inc., since February 2010 and served in the same position under the title Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Technology Group since February 2008. Before joining XO Group, he was cofounder and CEO of City24/7 LLC from October 2006 to January 2008 where he remains a member of the Advisory Board. Di Iorio was also Principal of MarCom ASP Limited, a consulting company, from July 2006 to January 2008. Before that, he was Chief Technology Officer of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) after serving as Chief Information Officer of the McCann WorldGroup (a wholly-owned subsidiary of IPG) among other roles at the company.
Prior to joining McCann, Di Iorio spent four years at Young & Rubicam as Vice President, Director of Global Network Services, responsible for the worldwide strategy and implementation of its IT infrastructure. He also spent 10 years in Research and Development organizations at GTE and AT&T Bell Laboratories working on new technologies in the area of distributed systems, data networking, security, and telecommunications.
Di Iorio received a BS from City College of New York, earned an MS from Polytechnic University and has been published in both trade and academic publications.
Jeremy Lechtzin
General Counsel
Jeremy Lechtzin has been our General Counsel since May 2007 and Secretary since October 2007. He has been a Senior Vice President since August 2008 and before that served as a Vice President. Before joining XO Group Inc., formerly The Knot Inc., he was in private practice representing XO Group (then The Knot) and other public and private technology clients on securities, mergers, venture capital, intellectual property and general corporate matters with the law firms of Proskauer Rose LLP from February 2003 through May 2007 and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP from September 1999 through February 2003.
Lechtzin received a BA in History from the University of Michigan and earned a JD from New York University School of Law.