Leadership

Wayne M. Ruting
Founder, Chairman and CEO

Wayne founded Decentrix in 2001 with a team of people with extensive experience in the linear and digital media world. The goal was to build an analytics centric company focused on the most challenging problems the media industry was facing with new emerging technologies and platforms.

Wayne has previously been founder and CEO of a number of software companies over a period of some 40 years. These businesses have provided solutions to Fortune 500 companies in the Media, Advertising, Entertainment and Telecommunications Industries in over 40 countries around the world.

Prior to founding Decentrix he was Chairman of Clickthings, an innovative Internet software development company based in New York. Coincident with that time he was also Vice-Chairman and CEO of Columbine JDS, which he grew to be one of the largest global providers of computer solutions to the broadcasting and advertising marketplaces, and he was an investor in Encoda prior to it being sold to Harris. In a prior business, he also had built the largest media software business serving the Asia/Pacific rim.

With and extensive background in astronomical research, communications engineering and process control systems he holds a B.Sc. (Physics), B.E. (Hons 1) and M.E. Electrical Engineering and CPU Design, University of New South Wales.

Taras Bugir
President

As President of Decentrix, Taras works with the Fortune 500 Media companies to enable their data-driven approaches to business leveraging the Decentrix BIAnalytixTM media-specific Analytics Platform. He has daily oversight on all aspects of development, deployment and support of the total Decentrix product line.

Taras has worked internationally in 26 countries across five continents for more than thirty years in the media industry spanning both business and technical requirements across content and advertising. Formerly Worldwide Managing Director of Media & Cable at Microsoft, Taras developed and executed enterprise strategies with the top 300 media companies across the globe.

His senior executive experience has evolved from hands-on customer engagements while at Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Harris Software Systems, Lintas Worldwide and Digital Equipment Corp. Taras has also owned, co-owned and managed several businesses focused on providing software, events, research and publications in media technology.

He has authored four patents on content management, and holds both a B.E. (hons) and a M.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Newcastle in Australia.

Ken Breen
SVP, Enterprise Sales

Ken is SVP, Enterprise Sales, for Decentrix and is responsible for all new business sales opportunities across the Decentrix product platform. Ken joined Decentrix in 2014. He has been a sales professional in the media industry for 30 years, having spent over 20 years in the advertising technology sales space primarily targeting the media ad agency and TV network sales sides of the business.

Prior to joining Decentrix, Ken spent 19 years heading up sales as SVP Sales for Donovan Data Systems and post-merger with Mediabank, Mediaocean. Prior to that he was a Sales Account Executive at the NBC television network in New York, and previously held various national broadcast & cable media buying positions at BBDO, Y&R and Saatchi & Saatchi advertising.

Ken graduated from Penn State University with a BA in TV Production & Speech Communications. He is a lifelong resident of New Jersey.

Nancy Jean Pennica
EVP, Chief Administrative Officer

As one of the original Decentrix founding team, Nancy is a senior executive with over 35 years of Media technology experience with oversight for a broad range of administrative, human capital, and legal responsibilities.

As CAO, she oversees all admin related activities for the entire organization as well as high level consulting engagement oversight for statements of work, NDAs, MSAs and corporate contracts of any type. She provides strategic leadership for all major corporate and new business initiatives and serves as the Human Resource EVP. 

Prior to joining Decentrix she was Executive Vice President of Sales for Columbine JDS, one of the largest global providers of software and service solutions for the broadcasting, cable and advertising marketplaces. At the predecessor company Columbine Systems, she had fulfilled roles including programming, management of project development teams, and managing the total support and service organization.

Nancy holds a B.S. Degree from Buffalo State University.

Michael A. Ledwich
SVP Analytics, Chief Architect

Michael is the SVP Analytics, Chief Architect, with oversight of the product design, development and delivery of advanced media analysis systems for Decentrix’s clients. He joined Decentrix in 2006. A key focus has been on revenue forecasting and maximization (yield optimization) across all digital and linear platforms and the enterprise data warehouse and analysis architecture necessary to support those strategic solutions.

With an extensive development background in the media industry spanning more than 35 years he has designed application solutions for media and ad agencies in Australasia, Asia, Europe, North and South American. These solutions extend across ad trafficking, proposal systems, campaign management, media buying, production costing and financials systems as well as advanced analytics solutions.

Prior to joining Decentrix Michael was Manager Consulting for Harris Corporation and the predecessor companies of Encoda, CJDS and Columbine Systems.

Michael is author of number of white papers and patent filings and he holds a PhD in Control Engineering, Cambridge; B.E. Engineering (Control); B.S. in (Mathematics).

Matt Ferris
VP, Analytics Group

Matt Ferris joined Decentrix in 2007 and currently is the VP of Analytics overseeing the teams responsible for the design and implementation of all initiatives in the analytics space. Matt has a formal background in engineering, and a number of certifications, covering areas including business intelligence, cloud computing, and predictive modeling.

The project teams reporting to him encompass all aspects of Decentrix’s BIAnalytixTM product portfolio, including all digital and linear analytics deployments. Matt has been designing and implementing complex analytics solutions that solve a diverse range of business problems for over a decade for all sectors of the media industry.

Prior to joining Decentrix Matt was involved in marketing technology in the resort and hospitality industry, and the development of enterprise customer data warehousing, and complex analysis systems.

Peter Wickwire
VP, Media Analysis

With a deep knowledge centered around content management Peter’s primary focus has been in the development of Decentrix’s Mediabase Content™ and the RetransFx™ platforms. In addition, he has been responsible for extensive work in the design of client side analysis dashboards and mobile deployment platforms.

Prior to Decentrix, he was the product manager and business architect managing and directing the business intelligence solution based on broadcast and cable traffic systems at Harris Corporation.

Previously, he spent over 15 years developing program management and rights solutions for both the national and international broadcast and cable markets and directed their installation for BMP, Columbine, CJDS, and Encoda Systems and consulted with programming and content management teams around the world.

Peter also spent 10 years working at both independent and network affiliate stations in a number of roles including engineering, operations management, and as a program director. He holds BS degrees in Political Science and Education from Tufts University, and a Masters of Science degree in Broadcast Research from Boston University’s School of Public Communication.

Mike Malcy
VP, Business Development

Mike has spent over three decades building and managing sales, marketing and product groups in the media, cable, consumer electronics and broadcast industries both domestically and internationally in over 43 countries.

Prior to joining Decentrix, Mike headed up sales at AdTech firm Visible World, now part of Freewheel (a Comcast company) where he worked with cable, satellite, telco and broadcast operators on programmatic and addressable advertising. Before Visible World, Mike held senior positions with Alticast, Samsung and Sharp.

Mike graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Radio, TV & Film Production and Design.