Jodee Rich - Business Career

Business Career

Between 1981 and 1990, Rich founded and listed Imagineering, a microcomputer software and hardware distributor for Visicalc, dBase, Electronic Arts, Lotus 123, Borland and 3Com that operated in Australia and South East Asia. It acquired Imagineering's sister company Tech Pacific from James Kennedy in 1987. Both firms were sold to First Pacific in 1990. From 1990 to 1995, Rich attended the University of Sydney to study biochemistry and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also served as a commercial flying instructor.

Rich formed One.Tel, a service provider of GSM mobile and long distance calls, in Australia in 1995 (with James Packer as a shareholder). One.Tel expanded its operations overseas in 1998. In 1999, Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting and News Corporation made a $600 million investment in the business and committed to building Australia's fourth mobile network. The company acquired a GSM operation for $500 million in 2000. One.Tel Australia was placed in administration in May 2001, after PBL and News Corporation withdrew their earlier stated support for an underwritten rights issue. One.Tel UK was sold to British Gas for $200 million and is still trading with more than 1 million customers. Beginning in December 2001, Rich was involved in litigation with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC). The case, ASIC v Rich, was won by Rich on 18 November 2009, with Justice Robert Austin of the NSW Supreme Court stating in his judgment that ASIC had "failed to prove any aspect of its pleaded case". Justice Austin also said in his judgment Jodee "demonstrated that he was a very well prepared witness, knowledgeable about the subject matter of his evidence, who responded to questions thoughtfully and clearly, sometimes even perceptively. This was notwithstanding the arduous circumstances of his cross examination, extending over 25 days".

In 2007, Rich founded PeopleBrowsr, a service provider of social media data, campaigns and analytics.

In 2011, PeopleBrowsr launched Kred Influence Measurement.

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