Robert Shaw

As the newly appointed chief executive of USWeb/CKS, Robert Shaw, 51, is an anomaly among Internet CEOs. A self-proclaimed "gray-haired man who has been there," Shaw knows how to build a profitable business.

Prior to joining USWeb/CKS in November 1998, Shaw was a senior member of Oracle Corp.'s executive team in charge of the company's worldwide consulting services and vertical markets. During his six-year tenure, Shaw was responsible for building the global consulting organization, setting strategy, defining the service offering and overseeing service delivery and overall client satisfaction. In addition, Shaw managed the worldwide sales division for the company's largest and most strategic clients. He established a methodological engine for recruiting the right people, and refined training and professional development programs to retain employees and increase productivity. As a result, Shaw saw Oracle's Worldwide Consulting Services Group grow to a team of 15,000 consultants and reach levels of profitability and revenues in excess of $2.5 billion.

Prior to joining Oracle, Shaw was the partner responsible for the San Francisco office of Booz Allen & Hamilton and previously served as managing partner in charge of the IT practice for Coopers & Lybrand, now PriceWaterhouseCoopers. With a resume that includes 20 years of consulting and technology experience, Shaw left Oracle in August 1998?eager to run his own company and bring his breadth of expertise to the Internet.

As CEO and a member of the board of USWeb/CKS, Shaw oversees the executive management team worldwide and focuses on the company's long-term strategy to build the leading professional services firm offering clients a single source for strategy, Internet and marketing communications expertise. He is building a firm that can identify a client's issues and help them rethink how they do business in an environment of constant change.

"Today, you've got to think about new ways to do business instead of looking at how it was done in the past. If you concern yourself with the past, you'll miss the shift," proclaims Shaw.

Shaw holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas. He is a certified public accountant and serves on the board of directors for Portera, an emerging provider of business portals for mobile professionals, and Quintas, a growing privately-held company providing customer call center solutions.