Santi Pierini

As the global CEO of CJ, Santi brings extensive knowledge and experience in the affiliate industry, along with a talent for delivering innovative, platform-based solutions.

Before joining CJ in 2024, Santi led several performance marketing software companies known for their technological excellence and global reach. With a deep understanding of performance marketing, affiliate marketing, and partnerships, Santi possesses a keen grasp of performance and partnership marketplace dynamics.

Santi graduated with Honors and a BS in Computer Science from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. He is currently based in Laguna Beach, CA.

Kelly Merkel

In her current role as SVP of Publisher Development, Kelly leads the team that facilitates and expands the global distribution partnerships and affiliations that are responsible for the reach and growth across the CJ platform.

Kelly came to CJ in 2010 and quickly rose through the Client Development ranks. With 17 years of account management experience, Kelly continually grew her clients' business through strategic initiatives, innovative solution adoption, and an intense focus on elevating her team’s performance. 

Kelly graduated with a BS in Marketing and Operations Management from Indiana University and earned an MBA from the University of Southern California. 

Heather Pilat

Heather leads CJ's Global Finance team, responsible for FP&A, Accounting, payment, and billing functions across the CJ offices.  She took on this global role in 2021 and prior to that had been responsible for CJ's financial planning since 2007.

Since joining CJ in 1999, as part of Be Free, Heather has held multiple positions across the organization, including marketing, analytics, and product marketing.

Heather graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Quantitative Methods and Marketing from Babson College.

Linda O’Connell

As Senior Vice President of CJ UK & Ireland, Linda oversees the management and growth of our UK business. She’s responsible for Client Development, Business Development, Corporate Development, and Business Operations & Excellence, and works closely with Publisher Development.

Linda joined CJ in 2005 as a Business Development Executive and eventually made the leap to Client Development where she worked her way up to our UK leadership team. She took on the role of VP, Corporate Development EU, transitioned to VP, Client Development UK a few years later, and is now the SVP of CJ UK & Ireland.

Linda received a BA in Economics and Spanish and a Master’s in Marketing from University College Dublin.

Tobias Allgeyer

As Senior Vice President, EMEA, Tobias is responsible for the CJ business in Germany, France, and the Nordics. He also manages cooperation for Eastern Europe and the MENA region.

Tobias joined CJ in 2010. Prior to joining CJ Tobias held various Senior Management roles on both the publisher and the network side.

Tobias graduated in Business Administration (SMB) from the University of Aalen.

Vinod Prabhakaran

Vinod leads and guides our cross-functional teams at CJ's Bengaluru office, including client development, publisher development, data science, and technology operations.

Prior to joining CJ in 2023, Vinod garnered over eight years of experience in a Director role at a prominent technology company, where he excelled in establishing and expanding the Customer Experience and success function in India and across APAC and EMEA. His expertise lies in assisting customers to harness cloud platforms and solutions while ensuring a consistently exceptional experience throughout the engagement lifecycle.

Vinod holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electronics from Bangalore University.

Amalia Thomas

As Senior Vice President of Client Development, Amalia leads client growth and talent development for CJ North America. She's also responsible for the strategy to profitably scale our operations globally. Since joining CJ in 2010, Amalia has held multiple positions throughout Client Development, delivering growth for advertisers across multiple verticals. Prior to joining CJ, Amalia started her career in the software industry at Citrix Online, managing SMB accounts.

Amalia is a proud Gaucho! She graduated with a BA in Global Studies, with an emphasis in International Relations from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Sommer Urias

As Senior Vice President of Client Strategy and Influencer Solutions, Sommer brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role at CJ. She is responsible for spearheading the evolution of the company's strategy to ensure that CJ remains at the forefront of emerging trends and continues to lead the affiliate marketing industry into the future. In addition to her strategic responsibilities, Sommer also oversees CJ's partnerships with key industry players to build elevated and cohesive offerings for clients.

Sommer’s career at CJ began in 2007 as the receptionist in our Santa Barbara office. She worked her way up through Client Development, where she has been instrumental in helping shape CJ innovations with a data-first approach.

Sommer attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where she majored in Psychology.

Christopher McFarland

Christopher oversees the Finance Vertical Team and is responsible for holistically aligning CJ’s approach and investment strategy with trends in the finance space. He engages with teams across the company to help financial advertisers optimize their relationship with CJ and create effective publisher connections.

Christopher joined CJ in 2020, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge from his experience in roles at financial institutions such as American Express and JPMorgan Chase where he focused on loyalty, partnerships, and strategy.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Marketing from Cornell University.