Shabbir Safdar

Current

• Columnist at PR News and Media Industry Newsletter
• Founder at Virilion Inc.

Past

• VP, Internet Security at Goldman Sachs & Co
• Founder at Voters Telecommunications Watch
• Student programmer at Purdue University Computer Center

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Education

• Purdue University

Recommended

5 people have recommended Shabbir

Connections

355 connections

Industry

Public Relations and Communications

Websites

• My Company
• My professional blog

Shabbir Safdar’s Summary

I have spent my entire adult life (and some of my teenage years) using communications technology to organize people.

In the late 1990's I co-founded a digital public affairs agency which thrives to this day.

I have a keen intellect, a strong technical background, a warm personality, and a calm demeanor which suits me well for consulting work. I continue to serve some of the firm's most important clients while building out new practice areas.

Shabbir Safdar’s Specialties:

metrics, web analytics, digital public affairs, digital public relations

Shabbir Safdar’s Experience

• Columnist

  PR News and Media Industry Newsletter

  (Public Relations and Communications industry)

  2008 — Present (1 year)

• Founder

  Virilion Inc.

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)

  October 1997 — Present (11 years 10 months)

  Virilion is a 10+ year old full-service interactive agency.

• VP, Internet Security

  Goldman Sachs & Co

  (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; GS; Financial Services industry)

  December 1992 — October 1997 (4 years 11 months)

• Founder

  Voters Telecommunications Watch

  (Non-Profit; Myself Only; Political Organization industry)

  September 1993 — September 1997 (4 years 1 month)

  VTW was an advocacy organization focusing on Internet free speech and privacy. We were a key part of the highest profile legislative battles in the mid-1990's over how the Internet would be regulated, like newspaper or like television. Although Internet freedom continues to be fought in legislatures and courts every day, the foundation of this work is what allows us to enjoy a free and open Internet today.

• Student programmer

  Purdue University Computer Center

  (Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Higher Education industry)

  January 1989 — August 1992 (3 years 8 months)

  I did a variety of types of programming for the university computer center, as well as served as a consultant, helping people with their technical homework. I worked on IBM mainframes, SunOS machines, Sequent's Dynix, Vaxen, and PDP-11's. In my final year I focused on Unix security issues, which led me to my job at Goldman Sachs & Co.

Shabbir Safdar’s Education

• Purdue University

  B.S. , Computer Science , 1985 — 1992

  I took the long way around to get a bachelor's degree from Purdue in West Lafayette, IN, stopping in the middle for a year and a half when I ran out of money, working full time from then on, living cheaply, and supplementing my income with blood plasma donations.
  
  In the early 1990's a West Lafayette city councilman, discovering his son was gay, introduced an ordinance protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in housing and employment. The city erupted into a hate-filled debate, and I organized a silent protest that garnered support for the measure from the centrists, and made the opponents look like the extremists they were. Although voted on in the dead of night, the measure passed with several council members abstaining.
  
  I have to say that although I did a lot of great technical work at Purdue, that organizing experience is one of the things I am most proud of in my life from that time period. For a short time, I helped make the world a better, more tolerant place.

  Activities and Societies:

  I was almost entirely dedicated to my job at the Purdue University Computing Center during my stay at Purdue. I lived in Wiley Hall before I moved off campus, but spent all my time buried in the Computer Center.

Additional Information

Shabbir Safdar’s Websites:

• My Company
• My professional blog

Shabbir Safdar’s Interests:

Technology, poker, wine, poker, cooking, poker.....you get the idea.

Shabbir Safdar’s Groups:

•    Purdue Alumni

Shabbir Safdar’s Honors:

2009: Passed the Google Analytics IQ certification
1996: Received the EFF Pioneer award

Shabbir Safdar’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch