Leadership Team
James Gary
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
James leads Virtual Incentives as Founder and CEO, driving the company to the forefront of the incentives tech industry. James’s strategic vision and expertise have been crucial to the company’s dynamic growth and success.
Before Virtual Incentives, James founded mdINR, which became the world’s largest platform for home health diagnostic services for anticoagulation patients. Its success led to an acquisition by Linde AG in 2009.
James began his entrepreneurial journey with GlobeTrend Technologies, a value-added reseller for AT&T Business Services. His diverse background and experiences have shaped a unique leadership style and vision for Virtual Incentives.
Nate Shelley-Reade
Chief Revenue Officer
Nate Shelley-Reade
Chief Revenue Officer
Nate serves as the Chief Revenue Officer at Virtual Incentives, where he focuses on developing solutions that precisely meet client needs. His role is central to fostering relationships and expanding the company’s reach through a robust partner network.
With a strong background in developing and structuring new business models, Nate brings a wealth of experience in managed services and technology solutions. His expertise has been honed through significant roles, particularly at Axiom, where he focused on legal managed services.
Before joining Virtual Incentives, Nate’s career included a pivotal role at Ernst & Young. There, he further developed his skills in helping clients mitigate risk and grow their businesses. His strategic vision and innovative approach continue to contribute to the success and growth of Virtual Incentives.
Sarena Straus
Chief Legal and Compliance Officer
Sarena Straus
Chief Legal and Compliance Officer
With twenty years of in-house legal expertise across highly regulated industries, Sarena’s career path has been diverse, including significant roles at technology-based startups and renowned Fortune 500 companies such as Bristol Myers Squibb and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Her expertise spans a broad spectrum, covering crucial areas like advertising and promotional review, consumer privacy and protection, and legal process optimization. Sarena’s skills in these areas have been integral to her success and recognition in the legal community.
In addition to her corporate experience, Sarena has a strong foundation in legal practice. Early in her career, she honed her skills as a prosecutor with the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
Seth Brennan
Chief Product Officer
Seth Brennan
Chief Product Officer
Seth Brennan serves as the Chief Product Officer at Virtual Incentives, where he spearheads the expansion and enhancement of the company’s global payments operations. His focus lies in building a top-tier team and elevating the value of Virtual Incentives’ technology platform for clients.
With extensive expertise in scaling businesses, Seth has over a decade of experience in pivotal roles such as CEO and Managing Director as well as in product and change management. He is particularly known for his significant contributions at Citi Prepaid, acquired by Swift Prepaid and now known as Onbe, guiding it to become a major player in the Open Loop (Visa/Mastercard) fintech payments sector.
Monique Hartl
Chief People Officer
Monique Hartl
Chief People Officer
As Virtual Incentives’ SVP, People, Monique leads all hiring, people operations and culture initiatives, helping Virtual Incentives scale to become the go-to platform making payments, rewards & incentives simple.
Prior to her work at VI, Monique spent the past 10 years leading People Operations for a digital medtech organization. Earlier in her career, Monique focused on growing brand value, and driving employee and stakeholder buy-in through marketing and communications leadership roles at startups including Clean Currents Energy and Recyclebank, and for established multimedia brands including Oxygen Media and Walt Disney Internet Group.
Monique holds a Master’s degree from Emerson College, Certificate in Strategic Human Resources from Cornell University and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Global Marketing from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business.
Reed Anderson
Chief Financial Officer
Reed Anderson
Chief Financial Officer
Reed has over 25 years of experience in strategic financial planning and leadership, specializing in scaling and enhancing the profitability of PE-backed, publicly traded, and founder-led tech-enabled and subscription software businesses. His career includes impactful roles in Telecom and Card Processing, particularly at TSYS, bringing depth to his expertise in tech-enabled and subscription software businesses.
His skill set includes financial modeling, forecasting, budgeting, SaaS pricing, and analysis. Reed is also adept in mergers & acquisitions, team building, and mentoring, coupled with a proficiency in system implementations and financial reporting.
Reed’s strategic approach integrates aligning people, processes, and technology. This method drives business growth and manages acquisitions effectively, ensuring companywide alignment with financial goals. Reed’s efforts create scalable platforms, enhancing visibility into business operations and financial results.
Steve Larmon
Chief Technology Officer
Steve Larmon
Chief Technology Officer
As the Chief Technology Officer at Virtual Incentives, Steve brings over fifteen years of experience in software development and IT management. His expertise spans high-security industries, including defense, financial technologies, and healthcare, providing a solid foundation for his role at Virtual Incentives.
Prior to joining Virtual Incentives, Steve co-founded and served as CTO for mdINR. Under his leadership, mdINR became the world’s largest platform for home health diagnostic services, catering to anti-coagulation patients. This successful venture was acquired by Linde AG in 2009.
Steve’s entrepreneurial spirit was also evident in his founding of Medmatics, a medical software company later acquired by Linde AG. Before his ventures in healthcare technology, Steve consulted in the defense industry, working on critical projects for Pratt and Whitney and Lockheed Martin, focusing on system migration, networking, and security.
Romy Parznick
SVP Client Experience
Romy Parznick
SVP Client Experience
Romy is a dynamic, multi-cultural, bilingual fintech leader with a history of driving change and solving complex problems. She brings a wealth of experience to the table, including roles at Netspend and as CEO of Vault.co. As a coach and mentor, Romy champions team engagement and empowerment, blending professionalism with a light-hearted approach.
Her career is marked by entrepreneurship and advocacy for positive corporate impact, evidenced by her nomination for the Aspen Institute’s First Movers Fellowship in 2015. Romy’s global perspective is informed by her appreciation of diverse cultures and business methods, enriched by her experiences in the fintech sector.
As a global citizen, Romy appreciates diverse cultures and business methodologies, bringing a wealth of experience and perspective to any venture.
Ashley McCutcheon
VP of Product Development
Ashley McCutcheon
VP of Product Development
As Vice President of Product Development, Ashley brings over 15 years of expertise in product management. Her role has been pivotal in leading projects across the entire product lifecycle and expanding the business’ product and feature offerings. This contribution has solidified Virtual Incentives’ position as an industry leader.
Before joining Virtual Incentives, Ashley’s career spanned significant roles at Bed Bath & Beyond and John Wiley and Sons. Her technical acumen and leadership were evident in these positions. At Virtual Incentives, she collaborates closely with Development and Client Success teams, focusing on delivering the best client and recipient experience in the industry.
Wendy King
VP of Account Management
Wendy King
VP of Account Management
Wendy brings a strategic and forward-thinking approach to building client relationships. With over 15 years of experience in account management and client relations, including a significant role as VP of Account Management at Netspend, Wendy has a proven track record of identifying and nurturing valuable partnerships. She ensures that every collaboration aligns with our company’s values and clients’ long-term goals.
Under Wendy’s leadership, the Account Management team has excelled, consistently demonstrating a commitment to excellence. She fosters a culture of proactive service and responsiveness, ensuring that our clients receive the highest level of care and attention. Wendy’s ability to cultivate enduring relationships is reflected in the sustained growth and satisfaction of our client base.
Beyond her role in client relations, Wendy is a champion for continuous improvement within our organization. She advocates for innovative strategies to enhance client engagement and satisfaction.
Alex Rogow
Employee Engagement Practice Leader
Alex Rogow
Employee Engagement Practice Leader
From his tenure at Cashstar, a pioneering platform in the digital gift card industry (now part of Blackhawk Network (BHN)), and Xcelleration, a prominent player in the employee recognition space, where he led the charge in business development efforts, Alex brings over twenty years of experience to his role as the Incentives, Reward and Recognition Practice Lead at Virtual Incentives.
Before joining Virtual Incentives, Alex was Vice President of Partner Success at Loop Commerce.
Renowned for his prowess in crafting compelling revenue narratives, Alex is a dynamic leader with an enthusiasm for innovative solutions, distinguishing him in the competitive incentive industry.
Frank Kelly
Market Research Practice Lead
Frank Kelly
Market Research Practice Lead
Frank brings over thirty years of experience to his role as the Market Research Practice Lead at Virtual Incentives. Passionate about delivering high-quality and impactful insights, he collaborates with a talented team to design innovative solutions for engaging respondents through incentives. Frank’s expertise in process improvement, strategy, and market research significantly contributes to creating value for partners and stakeholders.
Previously at Ipsos, Frank served as the Global Head of Panel Platforms and Systems, where he led the development of online panel platforms across various markets. He also managed global teams as the Head of Operational Products at Ipsos Interactive Services, operationalizing new research techniques and methods.
Always eager to learn and grow, Frank values collaboration and continuous self-improvement in his professional journey within the market research industry.
Jonathan Price
Co-Founder
Jonathan Price
Co-Founder
Jonathan Price applied his decades of experience as an executive leader behind some of the largest incentive and reward programs in the industry in founding and establishing Vi.
He is well-known for his work in the prepaid field and was recognized in 2016 with the Gold level award for Most Innovative CEO and Gold Status in the Golden Bridge Awards® Most Innovative Executive of the Year as a result of his ground-breaking work in the digital rewards and incentives industry.
Jonathan advocates on behalf of the goals of Vi clients to increase engagement, strengthen brand awareness and maintain customer loyalty. At Vi, he is leading the team to challenge conventional thinking and continue to passionately drive the future of rewards.
Most recently, Jonathan was Vice President, B2B at Incomm. Prior to Incomm, he led consumer promotions and agency sales at American Express Incentive Services. Before entering the Prepaid industry, Jonathan spent seven years with the prestigious J. Walter Thompson advertising agency.
ABOUT US
Where Rewards and
Technology Meet
Before Virtual Incentives revolutionized the market, the typical reward experience was far from satisfactory. Despite rapid technological advancements, delivering virtual rewards was a cumbersome and inefficient process, often leading to audience disengagement. A growing gap emerged between consumer expectations and what brands could deliver.
Recognizing this disconnect, VI founders James Gary and Jonathan Price leveraged their combined expertise in the incentives industry and technology sector to create a groundbreaking solution. They developed the first-ever virtual rewards platform, offering a seamless, customizable experience.
Virtual Incentives has transformed the reward payment landscape with its state-of-the-art API and a customer-centric approach. Our full-service platform and API technology now effortlessly provide instant incentives, payouts, and digital gift cards. With an extensive range of options including virtual Visa®, MasterCard®, and global eGiftCards, we empower our clients to meet their audiences’ desires promptly.
What began as an innovative blend of rewards and technology has swiftly evolved into a globally trusted partner. Through our VI platform, we distribute millions of rewards annually to industry leaders, including over forty Fortune 100 companies, establishing a new standard in reward solutions.
In 2012, Virtual Incentives was founded with the goal of addressing a significant industry shortfall. We observed that brands struggled to effectively reward their customers, employees, and research respondents, as the existing models were outdated and lacked appeal.
Our mission is dual-focused: firstly, to streamline the process for our clients, enabling them to efficiently distribute payouts, incentives, or rewards globally to their customers or employees; and secondly, to assist our clients in gaining deeper insights into their customer and employee behaviors and preferences, to help them to drive higher levels of engagement.
Our mission is dual-focused: firstly, to streamline the process for our clients, enabling them to efficiently distribute payouts, incentives, or rewards globally to their customers or employees; and secondly, to assist our clients in gaining deeper insights into their customer and employee behaviors and preferences, to help them to drive higher levels of engagement.