Agenda

A seasoned executive with more than three decades of experience, Bruce Biegel has led hundreds of engagements in growth strategy, commercial diligence and enterprise data and technology for firms in media, financial services, retail, technology, and advertising and marketing agencies.

Bruce has worked with a wide range of enterprise marketers, advertising and marketing agencies, data and digital marketing service and technology providers, as well as private equity firms. Some client engagements include Acxiom Inc., Capital One Financial Corp., Citi, Epsilon, Experian, Hewlett-Packard Co, Meredith, KRG Capital, KKR, L'Oreal, Mountaingate Capital, Time Warner and others.

As an entrepreneur, Bruce has hands-on experience building companies from the ground up. Before establishing Winterberry Group’s strategic consulting practice, he founded and sold two companies, one in marketing technology and another in data. Prior to that, he served in numerous roles at companies as a board member, president, CFO, EVP of sales, as well as in marketing and customer service. Bruce began his career at Kidder Peabody in MIS and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition to his role at Winterberry Group, Bruce has served as a senior advisor to investment bank Petsky Prunier LLC and as a member of the DMA board. He is an advisor to and member of the board of directors for several private marketing companies and a frequent speaker at major marketing industry conferences. He is also a recipient of the Silver Apple and Mal Dunn Leadership awards from the Direct Marketing Club of New York.

Jonathan Ricard, SVP Agency Sales, brings 20 years of expertise on the intersection of data and marketing in the digital media industry.

He has been an executive at high growth startups, SaaS platforms and data companies including Signal, IXI Digital, Revolution Health and AOL.

As President, Matt works alongside agencies every day to help them implement repeatable new business processes that help them generate qualified conversations with their most sought after prospects. Many agencies approach Matt and his team when they are tired of waiting on word of mouth or referrals to cross their path and are in need of driving revenue now. Utilizing marketing automation, CRM, predictive data, and bespoke content, Matt and his team look to provide a truly proactive approach to new business development.

When Matt isn’t in the office he is almost exclusively outdoors either climbing mountains, sailing, or competing in triathlons. Although originally from Florida, he graduated undergrad from St John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, and later moved to Atlanta where he received his MBA from Stetson School of Business at Mercer University.

The most recognized action sports figure in the world, Tony Hawk was just nine-years old when his brother changed his life by giving him a blue fiberglass Bahne skateboard.

By fourteen he’d turned pro, and by sixteen he was widely considered the best skateboarder on earth. He was world champion 12 years in a row, won an unprecedented 73 contests, and is a 16-time X Games medalist. He also invented over 100 tricks.

In 1999, he became the first skater to ever complete a 900, the holy grail of vert skating at the time. Shortly thereafter, he teamed up with Activision to launch Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, now a billion dollar video game franchise.

He has created a Tony Hawk brand that includes Birdhouse Skateboards, Hawk Clothing, and the Tony Hawk Signature Series sporting goods and toys.

He is also one of the founding partners in D/CAL, a strategic creative agency specializing in brand marketing. Tony authored a New York Times bestseller and oversees his film, television and commercial production company, 900 Films.

He founded The Skatepark Project (formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation), which has given away over $10 million to over 600 skatepark projects throughout the United States that serve over six million visitors a year.

Ravid is a structured creative thinking trainer in the field of brand communications, working with numerous advertising agencies and brands around the world.

He is a former advertising professional with 14 years of experience in a variety of roles. He is a frequent keynote speaker and trainer at international marketing conferences and advertising festivals, including recurring appearances at the prestigious Cannes Lions festival. Most important of all (for Ravid), he is also an aging goalkeeper at an amateur football club.

Mindscapes is active in 35 markets worldwide (North and Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific). 42 Cannes Lions, including 3 Grand Prix, have been awarded to work created by Mindscapes trained agencies using their creative thinking tools.

LinkedIn page: https://il.linkedin.com/in/ravid-kuperberg-59752041

E.J. Schultz is the News Editor at Ad Age, overseeing daily coverage of the marketing industry. He also contributes to reporting on the beverage, automotive and sports marketing industries. He is a former reporter for McClatchy newspapers, including the Fresno Bee, where he covered business and state government and politics, and the Island Packet in South Carolina. He has won awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the Jesse H. Neal Awards, the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the South Carolina Press Association and Investigative Reporters and Editors. A native of Cincinnati, Schultz has an economics degree from Xavier University and a masters in journalism from Northwestern University.

Dimi is the Global CEO of Dept, where he’s made 20 acquisitions under private-equity firm Waterland before being bought by Carlyle Group and snapping up small and mid-size properties such as marketing tech agency Byte, software consultancy Devetry, and app-building firm Rocket

He has now been at Dept for 15 years, starting out in Account & Strategy and moving on to run the Design & Tech team and the Amsterdam office before he was appointed CEO.

Travis is a longtime investor and creative entrepreneur, bringing his entrepreneurial spirit to a wide range of business ventures over his 20+ year career. He is the Founder and CEO of York Creative Collective (YCC) — a portfolio of privately-owned creative ventures working together to maximize their growth potential and connected by a shared focus on quality, craft and authenticity.

Deeply involved with the brands within the collective, Travis is the CEO of GYK Antler, an independent, midsized integrated marketing company representing a diverse roster of clients. GYK Antler serves as the growth engine powering YCC, providing creative marketing services to both its brand clients and ventures in the portfolio. He is also the co-founder and CEO of video production company Big Brick Productions; advisor and investor to Iron & Air Media, a premier motorcycle enthusiast platform; co-founder and Executive Chairman for YORK Athletics Mfg., a family-owned DTC performance footwear company; adviser and investor to Noble & Cooley Drum Co., a historic, family-owned premium drum manufacturer; and an advisor and investor in TorchPro, a sports media company committed to changing the way fans and athletes interact.

Beyond serial entrepreneurship, Travis is an avid angel investor. As an investment partner and adviser to York IE — a hybrid strategic advisory, investment and operational growth firm — he has invested in several companies, including CloudApp, Worthee and Datanyze, which was acquired by ZoomInfo.

Farah has worked for three decades in the global creative and media industries with a passionate belief in the power of creativity to unlock change. Creativity in its broadest sense, both as an art and a science, applied intelligently can address the world’s most complex challenges She has led creative companies of scale as well as a not-for-profit creative enterprise of significance. Her quest at kyu, since joining in 2018, is to enable purpose-led growth of a creative Collective committed to propelling the economy and society forwards.

Headquartered in New York, kyu is a Collective of strategically curated companies including IDEO, the design and innovation firm, Kepler Group, a data-driven media company, Sid Lee, the brand-building advertising network, SYPartners, a leadership transformation consultancy, BEworks, a behavioural economics consultancy, and more.

In her role as President, she seeks to accelerate the growth ambitions of kyu’s member companies as well as the systems of dynamic collaboration and belonging to deliver high impact outcomes for their clients. She actively seeks to invest in new partners, one of a kind creative companies who will flourish in joining the kyu platform and shaping the future of the industry. She serves on the boards of kyu’s Member Companies; ATÖLYE in Istanbul, Godfrey Dadich Partners in San Francisco and Public Digital in London.

Farah was previously CEO of Nike Foundation’s Girl Effect, CEO of private equity backed ALL3Media and Chairman & CEO of AMV BBDO. She served on the British Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group between 2013 and 2015 and was a Business Ambassador for the Creative Industries of Britain. Previously she was a Trustee of the Royal National Theatre in London, served on the Advisory Board of the Cambridge Judge Business School, served as Non-Executive Director of Huntsworth plc, and a Director of the Board of Aldo Group headquartered in Canada. She is currently a Trustee of the Young Vic theatre, Sadler’s Wells dance company and Prince’s Trust International.

Tag is a global Content Partner working for 38 of the top 100 global brands, creating advertising content across all media and channels worldwide. Now owned by Advent International (which also owns a majority stake in Ansira), Tag has recently added further capabilities through M&A including the CGI specialist Taylor James in NYC, content for social media business The Hot Plate in Toronto – and most recently MoniMedia – an e-commerce specialist with its HQ in Singapore.

Bringing M&A and digital transformation experience, David has spearheaded multiple business transformations across his 28 year career in private equity, creative, media & tech. He believes life is too short to stand by and watch – doubly true in the media and creative world.

With an academic background in economics, Roy serves as the agency’s first Chief Innovation Officer, keeping VMLY&R COMMERCE on the cutting edge of tech transformation. Roy’s unique background has served to accelerate the delivery of a future-forward engine that enables a more collaborative and agile way of working through data and technology. Living Commerce™ is a proprietary platform and approach that understands how, when, and why people buy to deliver channel-agnostic creative commerce solutions that drive commercial impact.

With a distinct approach to understanding people, and the new behaviors that drive engagement and ultimately purchase, Roy is ensuring the company’s highly skilled talent can operate more efficiently and effectively, especially in a remote working environment. He also leads the innovation practice globally, based out of EMEA.

Co-founder of Sid Lee, Philippe is responsible for the whole agency’s creative output. Thanks to his multidisciplinary approach and the creative directors / ECDs he oversees, Sid Lee has received numerous and prestigious awards and accolades.

Famous for his Zen-like approach to the craziness of running a large creative group (consequences of his love for surfing and yoga), Philippe firmly believes that great work comes from happy people, and he lives by this motto 24/7.

A pragmatic creative and a powerful team player, Vito is a driving force and a true ambassador for Sid Lee’s creative community. As a long-time partner, he strives to build a thriving workplace for our artisans, as well as relevant and innovative experiences for our clients. As a relentless advocate for the importance of fostering a creative culture, he is known for infusing creativity in everything he does, whether it’s business strategy or community involvement and personal projects.

Throughout his 15+ years at Sid Lee, Vito has been instrumental in establishing our roots in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, and nurturing client and partner relationships that lead to longstanding collaborations. Vito’s strong entrepreneurial expertise and business acumen are surpassed only by his profound love for his family and soccer. A good day for Vito is one in which he gets to help our clients and artisans achieve their aspirations and objectives, continue to build an inspiring and thriving organization, and cook breakfast and dinner for his family.

Brent Hodgins is the Managing Director at Mirren, a firm that specializes in organic growth and new business training for agencies in digital, PR, advertising, promotions, experiential and design. As you probably guessed, Mirren is also the force behind this event. Each year, more than 700 agencies now participate in Mirren’s annual conference, training programs and webinars (www.mirren.com). Brent has trained CEOs and their senior management teams in every major region around the world. He is highly competitive as he pushes himself, his Mirren team, and his clients to accept nothing less than a commitment to growth.

His approach to converting business is down to a science – strategic and methodical – but often contrarian. In fact, he believes you have no choice but to break many rules of prospecting and competitive reviews, as the process is purposely designed by clients to commoditize agencies. He also believes that agencies need to stop bowing down to clients and command the respect they deserve. “As soon as you put the client up on a pedestal, it’s a downward spiral from there. If you bring a high level of expertise to the table, then take a stand and command the respect you deserve.”

Brent began his career in account management at Leo Burnett, where he worked on Kellogg’s, Johnson & Johnson and McDonald’s. Later at TBWA\Chiat\Day he launched their digital group in New York, before moving into new business at Wieden + Kennedy.

After 17 years in New York, Brent moved to Seattle to open Mirren’s west coast office. He resides in the Ballard area with his wife and son.

Nadine is a Director of Agency Growth Strategy at Mirren, a firm that specializes in organic growth and new business training for agencies in digital, PR, advertising, promotions, experiential and design. As you probably guessed, Mirren is also the force behind this event. Each year, more than 700 agencies now participate in Mirren’s annual conference, training programs and webinars (www.mirren.com).

Through her 15+ years in the industry, she has built a business-focused outlook with clients in order to avoid “vendor” status and to protect the long-term relationship. Clients are looking for business partners, and not simply tactical executions. It is essential to frame your efforts, no matter how big or small, through this lens.

Nadine spent the majority of her career at various agencies in Los Angeles and has worked with retail powerhouse clients, including Taco Bell and T-Mobile. She moved to a WPP shop in Seattle, Cole & Weber, to lead key accounts and new business pitches. During her tenure as the agency partner for Washington’s Lottery, she led continuous years of record growth. She expanded their digital ecosystem, grew the account scope within the agency, and successfully defended against a large competitive review, securing the business for 6 additional years.

Always a West Coast city girl, she lives downtown and is a huge fan of Seattle’s theater and event schedule.

Mohan Ramaswamy is a founding partner of Work & Co, a design and technology company founded in 2013 with offices in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.

He works with client leaders to help them systematically plan and build their digital products and capabilities — driving new revenue opportunities and long-term transformations for these organizations. Engagements he's led at Work & Co include Apple, T-Mobile, Goldman Sachs, Virgin America, and Hippo.

Prior to founding Work & Co, Mohan was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey, where he developed customer experience programs and digital roadmaps for clients in the media, retail, and financial services sectors. Before McKinsey he helped build Huge’s strategy practice. Mohan is a graduate of Columbia University.

Mark spent 25 years working at boutique and global ad agencies such as Fallon and McCann in many roles ranging from EVP, Chief of Staff, Director of Business Development, Director of Account Management and Director of Learning.

Over the years, Mark has managed successful relationships with Fortune 500 clients including MasterCard, BMW, Pepsi and Starbucks.

As a coach and trainer, Mark has significant credentials from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC), Corporate CoachU and The Institute of Coaching at McLean/Harvard Medical School, and is a DiSC certified practitioner.

Christopher S. Martin, Executive Director on the S4 Board and Founder of Data.Monks within Media.Monks, has a 20-year track record of building and leading successful technology focused operations and client services organizations.

Christopher earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Lehigh University and Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Prior to co-founding MightyHive in 2012 (an original S4 Capital merger), Christopher held leadership positions at Yahoo!, including Director of Targeting Operations for Dynamic Creative and Audience Targeting Ad Products. While at Yahoo!, Christopher spearheaded the acquisition integrations of Dapper, 5to1 and Interclick.

Christopher is at the forefront of integrating the Data & Digital Media practice with the Media.Monks Content group. Within Data.Monks, Christopher is responsible for leading strategy & operations, bringing in a number acquisitions over the past 2 years, including Delicious Data in Korea, ConversionWorks & Brightblue in the UK, Digodat in Argentina, Lens10 & Destined in Australia, Orca Pacific in the United States, and ProgMedia & Raccoon Group in Brazil.

Data.Monks employs over 850 people in 34+ offices globally and has been nominated for several industry awards, including AdExchanger Awards Best Programmatic Consulting Or Advisory Firm, Top 20 Google Solutions Provider by CIOReview, and Digiday’s Most Dedicated to Employee Growth. Further, MightyHive’s work in-housing digital media at Sprint has been turned into a case study by Harvard Business School.

Joe has held the Chief Growth Officer role at Media.Monks (LSE:SFOR) since 2018 where he has global responsibility for organic growth strategy, process and execution across sales, marketing and strategic partnerships. Since 2018, Media.Monks has been recognized as one of the top 10 fastest growing global agencies with a current market value of over £4B.

Prior to Media.Monks, Joe founded and sold several companies in the technology and marketing and advertising services industries. An engineer by trade and lifelong entreprenuer, Joe has been recognized as an innovator by peers and press including Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the New York Times. He’s been featured at numerous marquee events including SxSW and the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. He’s a player/coach leader interested in creating zero-to-one business at the intersection of technology and pop-culture, helping brands and businesses succeed in the virtual age.

Judann Pollack (Judy) is executive editor of Ad Age. She joined Ad Age in 1985 as editorial assistant, along the way fielding pretty much every position on the masthead, including reporter, Chicago bureau chief, New York bureau chief, features editor, executive editor and managing editor-international.

Michele Prota is a Global Chief Talent Officer who partners with CEOs, executives and employees to design working environments where people can do the most transformational work of their careers. After spending over a decade working in Talent for multibillion dollar companies, global advertising networks and small tech-led creative shops, Michele knows what drives creativity, employee happiness, business growth and profitability – and it’s not expecting people to work inexhaustibly for anyone anymore. It’s about creating a space where people can be the same person at work that they are with their friends and family on the weekends.

Michele has landed coverage in outlets around the world, including Campaign and The Drum, and has been featured in AdWeek where the parental leave she designed was coined the ‘Gold Standard’ by The 3% Conference. She is a contributing webinar leader for the 4As, quoted in the AEF’s most recent research on classroom education for marketing and media students, and is an active She Runs It Executive Class Member. In addition to her extensive Talent and Human Resources experience, Michele is a certified ATD trainer.

After almost ten years as a law firm partner, Andrea Ostrovsky needed a new challenge, so she joined COLOR Creative, an award-winning agency in a period of explosive growth. As Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Andrea brings order and clarity to the agency’s creative energy.

Andrea is passionate about building organizations where all employees thrive and can do their best work every day. In addition to managing the operations of the company, she serves as the executive liaison to COLOR’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee.

Somehow, she also manages to find time in the day to serve as the Head of Operations for CURATOR Pictures, COLOR’s sister company with a focus on championing female and non-binary directors and storytellers.

Jeff is an award-winning, accomplished leader in Talent, Leadership, HRO and Sales solutions. His broad background has included experience with start-ups, mid-sized and Fortune 500 organizations. He brings tremendous talent insight as a senior director at TriNet, a firm that specializes in HR strategy and services.

Over the past 27 years, Anderson has gained executive, leadership, sales and talent management experience in key positions and leading roles with global organizations.

In Jeff’s current role, he serves as National Practice Leader for Marketing & Advertising - Professional Services for TriNet Corporation, a leading provider of human resource solutions to small and medium-sized businesses.

Throughout his career, Mike has always had a passion for building high performance teams. He’s the President & CEO of creative agency Zulu Alpha Kilo, who have been named Ad Age’s International Small Agency of the Year. The shop was also named to Forbes list of Best 25 Small Companies and one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures.

An independently owned creative agency of 130 “Zuligans”, Zulu has built an international reputation as an industry outlier and one of the most respected independent agencies in the world. It’s radical operating philosophies challenge everything wrong and antiquated with the ad industry. In fact, they turn down approximately 80% of the new business opportunities that come their way. Despite pitching far less than most agencies, the 13-year-old shop has grown with big-name clients such as Bell, Campbell’s, Cineplex, Consonant Skincare, Harry Rosen, HomeEquity Bank, Interac, ParticipACTION, Subaru and Whirlpool.

Mark Power is the Founder and CEO of Podean, a global Amazon agency and marketplace consultancy and also the co-author of the groundbreaking book Amazon for CMOs.

As a 20 plus year digital marketing, media and e-commerce leader, Mark has a proven track record of delivering innovative digital solutions and growth for brands globally. Mark is also the founder of LiveCraft, a pioneering new agency helping brands capture opportunities in the gaming, live streaming and the emerging discipline of live commerce

As President of Strategic Growth, Matt partners with agency leadership across the network to deliver on CMO demands for modern, unified brand experiences that grow businesses. With more than 25 years of agency experience, Matt adds a unique blend of client-side perspective and deep communications expertise to team building, which is essential for success in today’s collaborative interdisciplinary work environment.

Prior to his time at Huge, Matt spent four years as Global Chief Marketing Officer and Global Chief Revenue Officer at Havas. He was also Chief of Staff at MDC Partners, KBS, and spent more than 15 years at McCann, putting together an impressive run of wins and awards, making the agency one of the true powerhouses in the industry.

He was classically trained in both strategy and account management, running a wide variety of accounts such as MasterCard, Coca-Cola, Intel and Goldman Sachs. He's a frequent speaker within the industry and a past Cannes Jury member for brand effectiveness.

Brenda has the ability to think strategically and creatively to solve her client’s most pressing challenges. Her clients credit her for helping them build solutions that address their immediate needs while preparing and planning for the future.

Throughout Brenda’s 20+ career, she has worked at agencies large and small including Leo Burnett, The Richards Group and Omnicom’s Downtown Partners where she managed new business activities, built integrated teams, and guided clients across multiple industries from Comcast, Tropicana, and Quaker to Kellogg’s, Illinois Tourism and Illinois Lottery to name a few.

Jenn has more than 25 years of outsourced accounting and finance experience, with a particular expertise in startups and the advertising and creative production industries.  She is passionate about seeing companies utilize the latest accounting technology to maximize their efficiency, productivity, and ultimately, success.

Before joining Armanino, Jenn founded and led Team Jenn Corp., a firm dedicated to the strategic financial management of startups and small businesses, offering a comprehensive back office solution with accounting, finance and HR solutions.  Previous roles include stints at advertising giant Ogilvy and Mather, and in the cash management industry.

Jenn has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Pepperdine University and is a member of several professional associations including the National Society of Accountants, ProVisors and the Women's Business Enterprise Network.

Courtney Nelson is the newly hired Managing Director of TBWA\Chiat\Day, LA. Prior to joining the agency, Courtney spent 12 years at Wieden+Kennedy managing various global accounts including Nike, P&G, Instagram, TurboTax and Levi’s. She is a strategic thinker and a devout champion of creative work.

Prior to W+K, Courtney spent nine years working at other well-respected agencies including Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, TBWA\Chiat\Day, and Deutsch LA. During that time she gained a wealth of experience across a myriad of brands including Hewlett-Packard, Saturn, Adobe, and Dreyer’s Ice Cream.

Courtney was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. An avid sportswoman, she is competitive by nature and enjoys running, yoga and spending time outdoor. She balances her busy life by spending quiet time at home with her husband, Kurt, and their two young children.

Brent Trimble is a 15-year agency leadership veteran who’s led agency practices offices growth and operations. As a leader in Mavenlink’s advisory services practice he specializes in mapping and improving agency workflows.

Deploying market understanding and best practices Brent helps agencies refine processes and staffing dynamics. He isolates key metric improvements resulting in faster revenue recognition speed to cash and ultimately models performance impact.

Before joining Mavenlink Brent held positions at Interpublic Group Accenture WPP independent agencies and consulting firms.

Jason Siegel is an accomplished agency executive. As Managing Partner, chief marketing officer, and head of the Bluetext creative and digital services group, Jason manages and directs development of a wide range of interactive services for Bluetext clients. He has an exceptional record for great client service with all facets of creative and digital services. Over 50 clients Jason has led engagements for have concluded in a brand acquisition.

Prior to founding Bluetext Jason was a Partner at Qorvis for 8 years. He joined Qorvis after his digital agency Internet Gravity was acquired by Qorvis. Siegel founded his own interactive agency, Internet Gravity, in 1998 grew the company’s clientele exponentially. He has produced, designed and built more than 1000 websites for a variety of businesses and was selected by Yahoo as the nation’s best college web designer of 1998 and was selected twice to the 40 Under 40 by Direct Marketing Association (ages 36 and 38).

Helen Johnson is the founder of Tangram, a consultancy that works with agencies worldwide on business transformation, technology, and operations.
Before founding Tangram in 2014, she worked in various roles agency, client, and technology vendor side on large-scale technology and change management projects.

Jason Lonsdale joined Deutsch LA as Chief Strategy Officer in July 2021. Previously, he had been at Ogilvy NY as Head of Brand Strategy since 2018.

A true internationalist, Jason’s 20+ year advertising career has spanned New York, London, Toronto and Sydney, as well as his native New Zealand, and he has been instrumental in award-winning work on brands such as LG, Toyota, McDonalds, IKEA and T-Mobile.

Jason has taught at Miami Ad School, in Miami as well as in Sydney and Sri Lanka, and designed and taught the Strategy Planning course in his capacity as Chair of the Account Planning Group of Australia. More recently, he was a guest lecturer at the New School in NYC. Additionally, he sits on the board of the ANA Educational Foundation, and is a member of the 4A’s Strategy Committee.

In his spare time, he scours record shops for rare vinyl (which, these days, he mainly spins for an audience of his two sons, ages 11 and 7, and his rescue dog, Bowie) and tends to the ever-increasing collection of houseplants he acquired during lockdown.

Rachael is a Senior Knowledge Expert in McKinsey's Marketing & Sales Practice. Her areas of expertise include: brand strategy, marketing procurement, and marketing organization.

Rachael has worked across a variety of industry areas including: retail, consumer packaged goods, financial services, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and hospitality. Prior to joining McKinsey, Rachael worked at two digital agencies, managing strategy and creative development for luxury fashion and consumer financial services companies.

As an expert partner in the firm’s Marketing & Sales Practice, Ed’s client work focuses on developing and deploying digital, data, and analytics capabilities. He works with large consumer packaged goods, retail, and financial services companies to identify growth opportunities and increase the value of their relationships with customers and consumers. His expertise includes digital strategy, digital marketing, growth and marketing analytics, segmentation, and advertising and marketing technology. Ed also leads the Marketing Efficiency for Growth Diagnostics (MEG) team, where he focuses on helping companies leverage insights using analytics to power their relationships with their customers.

Over the course of his career, Ed has advised some of the world’s major brands on how to apply new capabilities, analytics, and technology to improve their marketing and sales performance. Prior to joining McKinsey, Ed was a leader with a multinational professional services network, where he helped establish the CMO practice. He served on the board of directors of one of the first commercial buy-side data management platform companies. As an executive vice president and senior partner at a marketing data analytics company, Ed oversaw the analytics technology solutions, product management, product development, and transformation consulting groups and during his tenure, helped transform the organization from a data provider to a digital solutions company, with full technology, advisory, and data offerings. Prior to that, Ed was president of a major marketing analytics company, where he helped establish it as an industry leader in improving marketing effectiveness through predictive analytics.

Brent Hodgins is the Managing Director at Mirren, a firm that specializes in organic growth and new business training for agencies in digital, PR, advertising, promotions, experiential and design. As you probably guessed, Mirren is also the force behind this event. Each year, more than 700 agencies now participate in Mirren’s annual conference, training programs and webinars (www.mirren.com). Brent has trained CEOs and their senior management teams in every major region around the world. He is highly competitive as he pushes himself, his Mirren team, and his clients to accept nothing less than a commitment to growth.

His approach to converting business is down to a science – strategic and methodical – but often contrarian. In fact, he believes you have no choice but to break many rules of prospecting and competitive reviews, as the process is purposely designed by clients to commoditize agencies. He also believes that agencies need to stop bowing down to clients and command the respect they deserve. “As soon as you put the client up on a pedestal, it’s a downward spiral from there. If you bring a high level of expertise to the table, then take a stand and command the respect you deserve.”

Brent began his career in account management at Leo Burnett, where he worked on Kellogg’s, Johnson & Johnson and McDonald’s. Later at TBWA\Chiat\Day he launched their digital group in New York, before moving into new business at Wieden + Kennedy.

After 17 years in New York, Brent moved to Seattle to open Mirren’s west coast office. He resides in the Ballard area with his wife and son.

With 15 years of ad agency experience in operations, scoping & pricing, project management, creative resourcing, and creative recruiting under her belt, Regan uses her insider knowledge of how creative agencies and the industry work to help Deltek develop tailor-made solutions.

Theresa Contario is the VP of Payment Sales at FastPay where she oversees the growth of agency and political accounts and supports ePay product development.

She has 10+ years of experience in the agency and ad tech world having worked at Ogilvy Washington and Rocket Fuel planning integrated media campaigns for the Federal government, professional services, public affairs, and advocacy clients. Most recently, she served as the National Sales Director at Rubicon Project managing and growing relationships with holding companies.

Theresa studied Communications and Marketing at Elon University and Georgetown University.

Gary recently joined Evergreen Trading as Chief Financial Offer responsible for all financial, reporting and compliance aspects of ET’s financial media operations.  Gary was previously Chief Financial and Operating Officer of HAVAS Media North America where he had primary oversight of all areas of finance and operations of its’ day-to-day $3.5B global media and entertainment agency.

A well-known financial executive and business leader within the uppermost echelons of the media industry, Gary’s cross-functional and client specific expertise on both the Traditional and Digital side of the equation, ensures our clients have dedicated oversight of all their financial, treasury, vendor arrangements and operational needs at ET.

Over the course of his career at HAVAS Gary has had the distinction of overseeing the agency’s financial, human resource and operational functions for large and small clients in practically every category as well as guiding complex agency and holding company acquisitions/buyouts/restructure and business plan implementation. His stewardship of the financial, billing, banking and operational requirements of various clients encompasses a virtual whos-who of the industry.

Prior to HAVAS. he held the position of Senior Financial Manager at Ernst & Young LLP.  Gary holds a B.S. in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the NYS Society of CPA’s and is a member of the 4As Media Finance Committee.

As chief operating officer, David is responsible for the management of all business operations and is exceptionally committed to creating a collaborative and innovative work environment for the Chernoff Newman team. He determines the strategic direction for the agency, evaluates new business development opportunities and ensures cohesiveness between all of the Chernoff Newman offices. He oversees the operations for all four of Chernoff Newman’s offices and has been responsible for mergers and acquisitions of the firm as well as succession planning. His business acumen comes from his previous positions with Fannie Mae, as manager of investor marketing and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) trading, and the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corp., where he was a financial analyst.

David generously shares his business expertise with community service organizations, where many call him treasurer or chairman. He is currently the national chair of the American Advertising Awards Committee for the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and previously served as chair of the Council of Governors. He has served on multiple boards within South Carolina including the commission chair for the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, advisory board member for the College of Charleston School of Communications, advisory council member for the school of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina, a past foundation board member and former treasurer for the Richland County Public Library, past chairman of the board of directors for Historic Columbia, current board member for the Ronald McDonald Housing Corp., past board member and marketing committee chair of the United Way of the Midlands and a former trustee for Claflin University.

David has a BA from Mississippi State University and an MBA from George Washington University.

Kevin Sweeney has 17+ agency years of experience and is currently CFO of independent agency Allen & Gerritsen, an integrated creatively led agency located in Boston and Philadelphia.  He has consistently helped and led driving results whether it is developing and executing the business strategy, modernizing financial processes, operational process improvement, team management, revenue\cash management and overall P&L influence.  Sweeney, an accomplished Finance and Operations leader, is responsible for leading both the agency’s finances and client finances along with the operational duties for the agency.

Prior to A&G, he was Group Vice President, Finance Director at Brooklyn-based HUGE, an advertising agency within the Interpublic Group.  Sweeney originally started in the industry at Digitas in Boston, a Publicis company, for 11+ years.

Sweeney is a member of the 4A’s Eastern Region Finance Committee and also a member of The CFO Leadership Council.

He has a BA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MBA from Boston College.

Vivian Ho is the Director of Finance and Secretary of Two Nil Holdings (TNH), an emerging global marketing services network. TNH operates through its three business units (TWO NIL, Juice Media LLC, GlitchAi). It combines the strategic excellence of a consultancy with media planning & buying and decision-making supported by advanced analytics. Founded in Los Angeles, TNH works with brands across the globe to drive business outcomes. In her role, Vivian drives the business’s performance, strategic planning, and growth orientation through leadership in corporate and operational financial functions, including financial and operational control, business integration, planning, forecasting and analysis, cash flow, taxes, and corporate development.

Before Two Nil Holdings, she was the Associate Director, Finance at Canvas Worldwide, the world’s second-largest independent media agency. She was a key team member in the launch and subsequent exponential growth of Canvas Worldwide. Vivian also worked for WPP and a brand agency in NYC before joining Canvas.

Vivian is a member of the IPS Customer Advisory Board. She has a BA from the CUNY Baruch College Zicklin School of Business, and an MBA from Jack Welch Management Institute.

Elizabeth is the Chief Strategy Officer of The Martin Agency. She recently rejoined the creative juggernaut after four years at IPG sister agency MullenLowe U.S., where she became one of the youngest CSOs in the industry. An Ad Age “40 Under 40” and “Woman of the A-List,” Elizabeth is best known for the way she turns strategy into the cultural engine of an agency.

Her approach to running an integrated strategy group like an R&D lab has netted a social content studio that generated tens of millions of dollars in earned media for Burger King, a data arts lab that fueled a 92% new business win rate, and cultural insights that landed E*TRADE among the top Super Bowl spots in industry rankings. In recent years, she’s had the opportunity to work on brands like JetBlue, Grey Goose and “Change the Ref,” a youth movement that uses urban art and non-violent communication to raise awareness about mass shootings.

Elizabeth has led teams that have won Lions at Cannes, Pencils at the One Show and Effies at, well, the Effies. She is a three-time winner of the Jay Chiat Awards — the industry’s highest award for strategic excellence — and she’s a contributing writer for Fast Company, Ad Age and Adweek.

Tiffany Golden is the Director of Community and Partnerships at world-renowned independent creative agency Wieden+Kennedy, a role she moved into after a decade of production experience.

A Seaside, California native who holds a degree in Criminal Justice, Tiffany made the move to Wieden+Kennedy in 2013, where she led integrated productions for some of the agency’s biggest clients, including Coca-Cola and Old Spice.

As someone who was first exposed to the creative industry through Streetlights, a nonprofit that connects people of color to careers in the film industry, Tiffany has made it her mission to create opportunities and growth for others. She founded Wieden+Kennedy’s first employee resource group and has been instrumental in scaling the agency’s equity and community efforts across the board, including effecting change in the community at large. An ADCOLOR Rising Star Award nominee and recipient of the OMPA Service and Inspiration Award, she has gained recognition from various organizations for her contributions to the betterment of business and society.

Currently Executive Director of PR and Marketing at Campbell Ewald, Suzanne is a highly skilled PR executive with more than 15 years of experience in advertising, technology and entertainment. Her strengths include driving PR strategy, executing national PR programs, and securing coverage in national and trade press. She has worked for some storied companies including NBCU’s USA Network, R/GA, MullenLoweGroup, as well as her own shop.

Brenda has the ability to think strategically and creatively to solve her client’s most pressing challenges. Her clients credit her for helping them build solutions that address their immediate needs while preparing and planning for the future.

Throughout Brenda’s 20+ career, she has worked at agencies large and small including Leo Burnett, The Richards Group and Omnicom’s Downtown Partners where she managed new business activities, built integrated teams, and guided clients across multiple industries from Comcast, Tropicana, and Quaker to Kellogg’s, Illinois Tourism and Illinois Lottery to name a few.

Laura was recently tapped to lead Havas Worldwide New York’s flagship office, servicing some of the most recognized companies in the world including IBM, TD Ameritrade, Liberty Mutual Insurance, The Hershey Company, NetJets, Green Mountain Keurig, Dos Equis, among many. Laura will utilize her depth and breadth of leadership skills to drive culture, talent and innovation.

Prior to the President role, Laura served as U.S. Chief Growth officer for Havas Worldwide North America and Managing Director of Havas Worldwide Chicago Group. With nearly 20 years of strategic marketing and leadership experience, ranging from digital pure-play agencies to globally integrated ad networks, Laura spent the past three years spearheading new business development, organic agency growth and strategic brand building across North America resulting in two consecutive years of more than 35% revenue growth and a >300% increase in profitability, all while becoming a first-time mother.

Ambitious, focused, and optimistic, Laura has an insatiable appetite for winning and helped augment Havas’ client roster with new business wins including Sears Holdings, DISH Network, RJR, Ragu, Bertolli and Moen.

Candice Kersh is recognized as an industry leader in the advertising and media businesses.

In 2016, she was recognized by Folio Magazine’s Top Women in Media - the only lawyer to receive this honor, and, in 2008, Ms. Kersh was the first lawyer ever named to the prestigious Advertising Age ‘Women to Watch’ list.

Ms. Kersh has been named a best lawyer in Advertising Law by Best Lawyers since 2010 and in 2014 was named ‘Advertising Lawyer of the Year - New York City’. The Legal 500 continues to recognize her as one of the nation’s leading lawyers in advertising, and Ms. Kersh has been repeatedly named a New York-area “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers magazine for Intellectual Property (2006), and for First Amendment & Media (2007-2013), and Media & Advertising, Intellectual Property, Entertainment & Sports (2014-2020).

Ms. Kersh’s experience and creativity combine to make her one of the nation’s go-to attorneys for all issues of advertising and marketing law, including structuring branded entertainment deals, advising on emerging technology transactions and platforms, union issues, and helping major brands overcome legal hurdles to advance some of the world’s most celebrated and innovative advertising campaigns. She has a unique “appetite for the untried and undiscovered,” and “a passion for helping sort through the issues and translating the solutions to other key stakeholders” according to Jeff Hicks, former President and CEO of Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

In the past, Ms. Kersh has acted as production counsel on independent feature films, and negotiated agreements for writers, directors, and performers. Her experience with both Hollywood and Madison Avenue makes her an invaluable advisor to advertisers and agencies in their negotiations with entertainment firms and individual talent.

In addition to her transactional and regulatory practice, Ms. Kersh also counsels advertising and entertainment executives and corporations on compensation packages and other employment matters.

A frequent speaker at industry seminars and conferences, she also conducts internal seminars for her clients’ advertising, marketing, and public relations personnel. Ms. Kersh is a member of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and the Steering Committee for the International Marketing & Advertising Law Forum.

Ms. Kersh attended Brown University and the University of Miami and is a graduate of the New York University School of Law (cum laude, Order of the Coif). She is admitted to practice law in both New York and Florida.

At Media.Monks, Myles leads the Data.Monks go-to-market team, commercializing solutions to help brands maximize the value of their advertising, marketing, and customer data sets. Previous to Media.Monks, he was an ad tech entrepreneur and built the Canned Banners dynamic creative platform. Writing frequently on the topic of digital privacy, he's a regular contributor to industry publications such as Adweek, AdExchanger, and AdMonsters and lives in Portland, OR.