Board of Directors

Jean-Louis Ecochard

A native of Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Jean-Louis builds and leads teams to generate value and expand businesses with innovative technological products. He is an expert at analyzing corporate dynamics in order to develop successful information systems solutions. He leverages his creativity, software skills and a global perspective to achieve change and growth.

After an education in France, Jean-Louis launched his career path by working as an independent consultant for major corporations and governments. He designed and implemented the first electronic credit card processing system for Citicorp and as a consultant for Bell Laboratories he invented caller id technology. An expert for the United Nations, Jean-Louis advised the government of Indonesia on building the nation’s first data network, integrating government databases with private enterprises by blending U.S., European and Japanese technologies. In 1989, Jean-Louis founded Network Research Group, a software consulting company that led major strategic national and international projects such as the first digital-trading system (Salomon Brothers in New York, London and Tokyo) and the first worldwide video conferencing trading system for Chase Manhattan Bank.

From 1996-1999, Jean-Louis served Physicians’ Online, the world’s largest medical information and communications network (~280,000 members). He pioneered online medical advertising, the first prescription drug transactions system over the Internet and the first clinical-trial management system on the Web. As President/COO he successfully completed the sale of the company to Mediconsult, a NASDAQ listed corporation. As Vice President of Operations for Mediconsult and chair of the executive committee he integrated seven acquired companies, managed the successful launch of the Eli Lilly-Mediconsult Prozac.com site and the mydoctor.com consumer site. Most recently, Jean-Louis served as President/CEO and as a member of the Board of Directors of Electronic Direct Internet Transactions, a healthcare business-to-business startup based in Atlanta that he successfully structured and grew by raising capital and recruiting a solid business team. Jean-Louis was also the Chairman of the advisory board of Lexias, a security software company. He is fluent in several major and minor languages.

Jean-Louis joined the Nature Conservancy as Vice President and Chief Information Officer on May 28, 2002.