ABOUT US

The Joint Interest Group (JI Group) is first and foremost, a network of young multicultural, career-driven men and women who meet at the crossroads of media, lifestyle, and social interaction.™ Founded 2003, in New York City, Joint Interest today is multimedia company. Built upon an experiential event model highlighting, celebrating, and enriching the lives of its influencer audience of successfully minded professionals at every stage of their achievement, JI has defined “social networking” as a powerful career tool for over 10 years.

Joint Interest ‘s core strength is as a premier networking destination for New York City’s savvy business professionals, with an expert mix of both enrichment and social engagement, through social events, experiential vacations, philanthropic fundraising, business development and networking events and JI’s original award events. JI quickly grew from their first events for 100 close friend influencers to today, easily attracting over 500 attendees to each event. JI’s current international audience of more than 30,000 dedicated and active members is a well-established and growing meeting and marketplace destination.

The New Connected World. The JI Audience.

America has a new face and it is multi-cultural and cross-cultural. The commonalities of diversity, which makes each one of us unique, increasingly draws us together. This the new connected world of JI. JI’s platform of event programming and media speaks to this new influencer audience, connecting and defining its lifestyle and social interaction.

Stay Tuned, Stay Connected.

The core progressive Gen Y/X members of JI are an authoritative voice and influencer of the New Connected World. From its heart in New York City, JI is tuned into the most active, world-traveling, culturally savvy professiona consumers and networks them, both online and off. JI now naturally expanding its reach digitally. JI Goes Global.

JI’s New Connected World

JI’s New Connected World will expand through integrated on and off line media and social networking, such as dating and mentoring platforms, among many other exciting new ventures. Together, Christopher S. Whyte and Juanito Fortuno, JI’s dedicated and talented entrepreneurial founders, share a vision and unique ability to tune into this new connected audience.

Founders
Christopher S. Whyte, Global MBA

Christopher Whyte holds a Global MBA, with a concentration in Business
Strategy and Global Marketing from Rutgers Business School, in partnership
with France’s ESCEM School of Business Management and Germany’s number
one ranked, European Business School. As a recipient of the Network Journal’s
“40 Under Forty Award,” Whyte is also certified as a lateral Mover at the Center
for Excellence in Advertising (CEA) in association with the American Association
of Advertising Agencies (The 4A’s). Whyte’s affinity for the pulse of what
is pertinent, and potentially purchasable for the multi-cultural audience, ranges from
his joint interests in business, fashion, film, culture, and
world travel.

Juanito Fortuno, MBA
Juanito Fortuno holds a MBA from St. Johns University with a concentration
in Executive Management. As a former Manager of Project Management at
Prudential Financial, Juan’s expertise in both corporate and social sectors has
led The JI Group for over 10 years. His BA, in Political Science, positions JI as
a thought-leader, and thus fully informs its members on the progressive side of
cultural and societal intelligence to realize excellence in business.