Christopher J Skinner
New Orleans,LA
Work Preference
Summary
Mathematician and data scientist with over 20 years of executive leadership, transforming data and operating systems into reliable decision-making tools. Developed a longitudinal platform connecting identity and financial signals, reducing onboarding time by 45%, and enhancing fraud detection. Proven ability to influence growth and operational efficiency across multiple industries.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Data Officer
HALCYON STILLWATER
Red Bank, NJ
01.2024 - Current
- Defined product architecture around actionable verdicts and reason codes rather than raw data, reducing customer onboarding time by 45% and enhancing fraud detection and regulatory readiness, while positioning platform for banks and fintechs.
- Architected a longitudinal identity and financial-intelligence platform spanning 280M+ individuals and 7.4T data points, designed to see what point-in-time verification misses.
- Connected identity, property, employment, financial, and behavioral signals across a decade-plus history to enhance customer representation and improve fraud and financial risk assessment.
- Established compliance-by-design separation between marketing intelligence and regulated credit decisioning, facilitating platform support for growth and risk across distinct regulatory regimes.
- Developed genealogy-based scoring for synthetic identity, impossible timelines and ghost occupancy; designed risk-adaptive routing that reduced false positives on legitimate thin-file applicants while escalating scrutiny where longitudinal signals warranted it.
Co-Founder & Chief Architect
STEALTH DOG LABS
New Orleans, LA
02.2020 - Current
- Build proprietary data and AI systems that identify variables conventional business models miss, turn them into measurable signals, and connect them to business outcomes.
- Collaborated with executives on key decisions regarding growth, AI transformation, organizational capacity, customers, products, markets, vendors, and risk, challenging untested assumptions within existing business and financial models.
- Create missing data, test its relationship to outcomes, and integrate decision-useful signals with financial, operational, product and market information.
- Conducted AI-transformation capacity modeling, facilitated individualized AI learning and mentorship, identified high-fit customers, employees, and vendors, and assessed product-customer fit alongside emerging ecosystem and supply-chain risks.
- Developed evidence-based reasoning systems that enable executives and teams to clarify assumptions, evaluate tradeoffs, and make risks explicit prior to key decisions.
Vice President of Data Science & Strategic Advisor
PSQ HOLDINGS, INC.
West Palm Beach, FL
03.2023 - 11.2024
- Advised CEO and product leadership on data strategy, ethical AI, and behavioral intelligence; designed values-alignment scorecards to guide product/GTM decisions amid growth to 80,000 merchants and 1.7M active users.
- Directed company-wide strategic initiatives to enhance operational efficiency.
- Collaborated with executive team to set long-term business objectives.
- Oversaw financial planning and budget management for diverse projects.
Founder & Managing Partner
MAKEBUZZ, LLC
New Orleans, LA
08.2001 - 06.2020
- Founded and scaled a decision-systems firm serving 500+ organizations and modeling/optimizing $800M+ in digital media investment.
- Developed behavioral, psychographic, econometric, and forecasting models revealing customer motivations and enabling clients to leverage decision-useful signals beyond demographic targeting.
- Transformed customer decision drivers into explicit targeting variables, co-invented three patented SEM/paid-media technologies, enabling United Airlines to pivot toward LTV-based direct acquisition as online ticket sales grew from ~$2B to ~$9B.
Chief Executive Officer
SPIDEROAK, INC.
Washington, DC
06.2016 - 02.2020
- As CEO, owned and drove SpiderOak's transformation from consumer/cloud security into a mission-systems company supporting U.S. intelligence, defense and space operations.
- Repositioned product and architecture for zero-trust, high-assurance collaboration and data integrity in need-to-know environments where failure was not acceptable.
- Converted national-security requirements into product and organizational decisions, securing institutional capital and establishing a new trajectory in mission-infrastructure market.
- Strategic Investor & Advisor | Feb 2020 – Present (investor)
Strategic Advisor & Entrepreneur-in-Residence
METHOD CAPITAL
Chicago, IL
02.2014 - 02.2020
- Conducted due diligence on organizational fit, scalability, and downside risk to inform portfolio investment decisions; developed capital-allocation and growth frameworks while providing hands-on leadership during critical inflection points.
- Developed strategic investment plans for diverse client portfolios.
- Advised clients on market trends and financial opportunities.
- Conducted comprehensive research on investment strategies and asset management.
Chief Innovation Officer
RAISE MARKETPLACE
Chicago, IL
06.2014 - 01.2016
- Joined during hypergrowth to establish operating structure, customer intelligence, and decision discipline for scalable growth.
- During the period, Raise grew from ~50 to ~375 employees and approximately $70M to $475M in annual revenue while completing a $65M Series B.
- Developed executive decision rights and accountability; leveraged behavioral data to enhance customer/market segmentation and align customer intelligence with product, GTM, and capital allocation.
Vice President, Strategic Insights
CENTRO (BASIS TECHNOLOGIES)
Chicago, IL
04.2011 - 12.2014
- Built and led an 8-person Strategic Insights function during rapid post-Series A scale.
- During the period, the company grew from ~80 to 450 employees,
- Reshaped Centro's offerings, sales strategies, and customer prioritization, transitioning from local/workflow-heavy services to higher-quality media, automation, and intelligence.
- Applied Deming-style quality principles to enhance product quality and customer satisfaction while establishing segmentation, analytics, executive structure, and P&L accountability.
Digital Innovation Expert
VODAFONE GROUP
London, UK
09.2006 - 02.2012
- Developed measurement and governance framework for Vodafone's digital transformation across 18 markets.
- Demonstrated online media's impact on store sales with UK model showing 7 store sales influenced for every 4 online sales, leading to test programs that increased retail sales by 175% and online sales by over 6x; expanded approach across markets as digital share grew from ~0.5% to ~12%.
- Worked successfully with diverse group of coworkers to accomplish goals and address issues related to our products and services.
President / Technology & Growth Partner
PERFORMICS
01.1995 - 01.2001
- Invented early search-engine marketing and automated bid-management technology, transforming Performics into global SEM leader.
- Valued business at ~$750M prior to integration into DoubleClick, leading to acquisition for ~$3.2B.
- Oversaw cross-functional teams to drive client engagement and satisfaction.
- Guided the development of innovative performance marketing solutions.
Education
B.S. - Abstract Mathematics
Louisiana State University (LSU)
Baton Rouge, LASkills
- AI Transformation
- Decision Intelligence
- Data architecture
- Data & Causal Modeling
- Product & Customer Intelligence
- Early-Warning & Risk Intelligence
- Risk assessment
- Behavioral analytics
- Enterprise strategy
- Business model transformation
- Go-to-market strategy
- Operating Model Design
- M&A / Diligence
- Strategic decision making
- Customer segmentation
- Problem solving
- Leadership development
- Leadership development
Core Capabilities
- Enterprise Strategy & Value Creation
- AI Transformation
- Product-Market Fit & Business Model Transformation
- Decision Intelligence
- Data & Causal Modeling
- Product & Customer Intelligence
- Organizational Capacity
- Early-Warning & Risk Intelligence
- Operating Model Design
- M&A / Diligence
- Go-to-Market & Growth
- Behavioral & Language Analytics
Selected Value Creation Evidence
- 500+, $800M+, MakeBuzz
- 280M+ / 8.4 trillion, Halcyon
- ~$750M, Performics / DoubleClick-Google roll-up
- $80M -> $450M, Centro/Basis
- $65M, Series B
- 18, Vodafone global digital transformation
Timeline
Chief Data Officer
HALCYON STILLWATER
01.2024 - Current
Vice President of Data Science & Strategic Advisor
PSQ HOLDINGS, INC.
03.2023 - 11.2024
Co-Founder & Chief Architect
STEALTH DOG LABS
02.2020 - Current
Chief Executive Officer
SPIDEROAK, INC.
06.2016 - 02.2020
Chief Innovation Officer
RAISE MARKETPLACE
06.2014 - 01.2016
Strategic Advisor & Entrepreneur-in-Residence
METHOD CAPITAL
02.2014 - 02.2020
Vice President, Strategic Insights
CENTRO (BASIS TECHNOLOGIES)
04.2011 - 12.2014
Digital Innovation Expert
VODAFONE GROUP
09.2006 - 02.2012
Founder & Managing Partner
MAKEBUZZ, LLC
08.2001 - 06.2020
President / Technology & Growth Partner
PERFORMICS
01.1995 - 01.2001
B.S. - Abstract Mathematics
Louisiana State University (LSU)