leadership
Leo Mullen brings more than 25 years of experience building and managing businesses in the communications, design, and technology sectors to his role as CEO of NavigationArts. Since helping found the company in 2001, Leo has guided the firm through its rapid growth to one of the region’s premier Internet consultancies. In addition to managing the growth of NavigationArts, Leo continues to provide strategic advisory services to some of the region’s leading businesses and organizations including the Smithsonian Institution, Marriott Corporation, and the U.S. Department of State.
Previously, Leo was co-founder and CEO of IconixGroup, where he specialized in creating long-term advisory relationships with clients on e-commerce implementations, marketing, branding, user experience design, and financial communications. Long-term clients included Fortune 500 and Service 100 businesses in the U.S. and Europe, including the Marriott Corporation, General Electric, Total, and Alcatel.
Leo has held numerous board positions among business, community and philanthropic organizations, including TravelGuide Software, The Greater Washington Initiative, Norwood School, and the Holton Arms School. He also serves as chair of an advisory board to the Pennsylvania State University's College of Art and Architecture, where he was designated a 2002 Alumni Fellow.
A seasoned manager of professional services organizations, Ted Smith has more than 20 years of communications design, technology development, and project management experience. As NavigationArts’ Chief Operating Officer, Ted directs the overall operations of the company, including consulting, design, and project management practices. Ted is also a NavigationArts co-founder.
In 1994, Ted co-founded the IconixGroup, rated one of the most successful interactive design firms in the country for its work migrating marketing and communication programs to the web for companies such as MCI Worldcom, UUNet, Morgan Stanley, PIMCO, Pepco, Cysive, and Lincoln National. After the sale of IconixGroup to Iconixx Corporation in 1999, Ted assumed the role of Managing Director for the Bethesda, Maryland office, with responsibilities for more than 120 consultants in design, development, and application integration of both B2B and B2C solutions for clients such as Geico, Sprint, Schlumberger, Columbia Energy, and Citibank.
Ted holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Communication Design from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.