An organization's vision is only a dream until pragmatism becomes an ally. Fathom President Dave Louden is our realist, helping to make viability an idea's best friend.

Dave is our clients' (and Fathom's) guardian against casual decision-making. He is perhaps best known for inventing the VeriSign Trust Seal (viewed over 650 million times per day) and for appearing on the cover of Time Magazine during the height of the dotcom craze. His experience in Silicon Valley and his natural inclination to see what's viable makes him an ardent defender of steering clear of any “craze,” unless it's one that makes sense.

By flexing his creative muscle through strategic thinking, Dave is instrumental in helping organizations effectively shape how they present themselves to the marketplace, all the while ensuring that this outward expression is consistent with growth goals. Internally, Dave keeps our own growth on track by ensuring the Fathom engine runs smooth and smart. Protector of the business side of being creative is a never-ending responsibility and one that is vital to helping our designers, writers, marketers and technologists do their thing.

A board member of Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, Dave is a Stanford University grad and a former national champion swimmer. Away from the Fathom conference room, Dave can be glimpsed spending time with his wife (a triathlete) and doing laps in the pool with his two young boys.