Speakers

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Jazmin Thadani

Growth Leader
TikTok

 

Lunch KeynoteNavigating the Ethical Dilemma of Hyper-Personalization in Digital Marketing

Have you ever wondered how you received an ad about the very product you were just thinking about? Dive into the world of hyper-personalization, where marketing meets mind-reading, and discover the ethical boundaries that come with it.

Key Takeaways:

  • Unravel the mechanisms behind hyper-personalized ads and content.
  • Examine real-world instances of hyper-personalization, weighing its advantages against its ethical challenges.
  • Delve into pressing concerns, from data privacy issues to the risk of creating echo chambers.
  • Learn actionable best practices to ensure ethical use of hyper-personalization techniques.
  • Participate in a dynamic Q&A session and ponder the future of personalized marketing.

 

Jazmin's Bio

With a rich tapestry of experiences spanning a decade, Jazmin Thadani is a seasoned marketer, distinguished for pioneering innovative strategies in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Currently steering the helm as the Growth Lead at TikTok, Jazmin collaborates with leading agencies to amplify their TikTok presence, successfully onboarding and scaling their impact on the global platform.

Before this transformative role at TikTok, Jazmin honed her expertise across diverse environments—from dynamic ad agencies to agile startups. One of the pivotal moments of her journey was when she imparted knowledge as an instructor at Rice University. There, she didn’t just teach; she inspired, earning the accolade for the highest overall metrics for the digital marketing cohort. This flair for education extended into the entrepreneurial realm, with Jazmin founding a digital marketing consultancy that empowers businesses with strategies tailored for the modern consumer.

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Tanu Grewal

Vice President – Marketing, Innovation, Ecommerce
AlEn USA

KeynoteDecoding the Hispanic Consumer: The Growth Catalyst for the next Decade

In the ever-evolving landscape of brand leadership and marketing, our success hinges upon our ability to adapt, innovate, and seize the right opportunities. The Hispanic consumer is a force to be reckoned with as Hispanics become one of the fastest growing consumer demographics in the US. Understanding this consumer powerhouse is not just an opportunity; it’s an imperative for any brand, whether in the realm of B2C or B2B.

Key Takeaways:
  • Understand the transformative power of the Hispanic consumer. This flourishing community not only represents 63 million strong but contributes a staggering $1.9 trillion to the US economy.
  • Learn how the Hispanic consumer is not a homogenous entity; their diversity and vibrancy enrich our market in countless ways.
  • Discover the keys to engaging with this dynamic audience in a manner that is not only meaningful but profoundly impactful.
  • Join me in this quest to understand, embrace, and harness the essence of the Hispanic consumer – a journey that promises to revolutionize the way we approach our brands and connect with our audience. Together, we will redefine the future of marketing and brand leadership. The power of diversity awaits, and it’s time to seize it.
Tanu's Bio
Tanu is a global brand builder and strategic marketer with over 15 years of expertise in both established and emerging markets across the US, EMEA, and India. With a track record spanning the consumer-packaged goods (CPG), durable goods, luxury, and hospitality verticals, Tanu is driven by her unwavering passion for harnessing brand purpose to fuel innovation and foster genuine emotional connections with consumers.

Reporting directly to the CEO, Tanu is currently the Vice President Marketing & Innovation at ALEN USA, a hyper-growth division of the global CPG leader GRUPO ALEN. Her top achievements here have been building a strong portfolio of brands, a strong marketing team and enterprise capabilities, to double the size of the business in the last 5 years.

Prior to her current role, Tanu worked with iconic brands like Kohler, Maytag, and Whirlpool. Here, she elevated commodity categories into coveted lifestyle brands through a winning combination of award-winning product design, trailblazing innovation, and immersive experiential marketing campaigns.

Tanu’s career commenced at Whirlpool North America, where she embarked on an eight-year journey that encompassed diverse roles in marketing and product development, including an enriching expatriate experience in Italy. Complementing her hands-on experience, Tanu holds an MBA degree from Rice University in Houston.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Tanu is an ardent advocate for community-building initiatives that empower individuals to thrive. As a sought-after public speaker, she shares her insights on launching and scaling challenger brands and carving a distinctive niche in crowded markets through innovative marketing strategies. Drawing from her unique perspective as an Indian woman living in the United States and working for a Mexican company (AlEn), Tanu also offers invaluable guidance on navigating the intricacies of multicultural work environments and market landscapes.

Outside of work Tanu is a dedicated globetrotter and an enthusiastic connoisseur of culinary delights. She currently resides in Houston with her loving family, including her husband, son, and her faithful canine companion Enzo.

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Bo Bothe

President and CEO, BrandExtract

We’re More Valuable Than The Effort

It’s more than the things we make and the time it takes to make them; it’s about the value our creativity brings to those we serve. The idea of value can be tricky; the key is knowing what’s “King” regarding your organization and the organizations we serve. After 30 years of serving clients, teammates, friends and family, I’ve learned three key things that can make our work and lives amazing. And, in the age of the robot, we’ll need it more than ever. 
Bo's Bio

For Bo Bothe, imagination and perseverance play an equal part in inspiring belief. Imagination allows companies to shed perceptions, blocking the path to seeing its true purpose. Perseverance is the grit to share that vision and get others to join. With more than three decades as a veteran designer, communicator and entrepreneur, he channels his experience building BrandExtract and its brand into helping the firm’s clients identify transformation opportunities and when to seize them.

A Houston native, Bo grew up in the carpet business with his dad. He graduated from Strake Jesuit, Texas Tech University (Design Communications) and Rice University (MBA). His awards and accolades include HBJ’s 2022 “Most Admired CEO,” and is a member of the HBJ’s inaugural 2009 “40 Under 40,” Rice Jones School Alumni Service Award, Jones Citizenship Award, and Strake Jesuit Ignatian Award.

Bo regularly volunteers for organizations that share his passion. He’s a former President of AIGA Houston, President of the Jones School Alumni Board, and City Councilman for the City of Spring Valley Village. Currently, he sits on the board of The San Jacinto Battlefield and Museum. He and his wife Heather have been married for 30 years, and they share four busy kids, a son-in-law, and one busy grandson.

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Chris Cheetham-West, MBA

Founder & President
LR Training Solutions

Putting Your Customer First: Learn What They Want to See Before Buying

There are so many powerful online tools that can help us be great marketers. It can be overwhelming to figure out how to make them work for us. In this session, we will go over how you can use Google Analytics 4 and other tools to understand what gets customers to engage. Wording, formatting, and imagery all play a major role in online success! Knowing how visitors behave on your site and online is crucial to your business growth! 

Takeaways

  • Learn what content converts the best 
  • Use GA4 to predict user behavior
  • Learn how to use the data to grow online traffic
  • Learn words and phrases that matter to your customer

 

Chris' Bio

Chris Cheetham-West, MBA is an international speaker, author, and Founder of LR Training Solutions. Global brands, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies seek out Chris and his company for their events and training. In his former position at Google, he managed marketing programs and strategies for key products. Experienced and driven, Chris’s career has allowed him to present in 48 states and to teams in various countries including Serbia, Germany, Canada, and France. He Chris and his team take the time to understand the needs of each new customer. Chris has worked with teams at global brands such as: The Government of Canada, Lamar Advertising, Pattern Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross, and more. Chris helps teams save time and focus on what truly matters, by using Google Analytics 4 and other useful tools. He is the author of Digital Marketing For Results.

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Jordan Clark

Sr. Manager, Event Program Design, Cvent

Behind the Scenes: How Cvent Used AI to Build a Webinar

Everyone is being asked to do more with less. So, how can you use AI to help fill in the gaps when it comes to your webinars and events? In this session, Jordan Clark spills the beans on how the team at Cvent used AI to create a webinar that was so good, it had people lining up to attend (virtually, of course). She’ll share all the juicy details on how we crafted a killer title, created engaging content, and promoted our webinar to the right audience. 

Join this session to learn: 

  • How can AI be used to ideate topics, build the abstract, and write the content outline and script?
  • What are some ways that AI can be used to help promote a webinar?
  • Can audiences distinguish between AI and human input?
  • Does using AI actually save time or does it add to the workload?

 

Jordan's Bio

Jordan Clark has established Cvent’s Event Program Design team that focuses on ensuring clients have the right product mix and support for their meeting and events program. Jordan graduated from the University of Washington, with a BA in Business Administration and is currently pursuing her Master of Business Administration. After graduation, Jordan spent over 15 years in the Meeting, Events and Travel industries supporting notable organizations, associations and non-profits helping them define, create, and manage their Meeting and Travel Departments. Jordan resides in Dallas, TX with her son and dog when they are not traveling the world together.

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Nicole Finkbeiner

International  Marketing Communications Manager
LiquidPower Specialty Products Inc. (a Berkshire Hathaway Company) 

#BrokenMarketing and easy, effective ways to fix it

You spend all your time, effort, and budget on marketing, and yet there are things happening at your organization that are stopping your efforts from being as successful as they could be. Utilizing Cognitive Dissonance Theory, we will explore humorous examples of #BrokenMarketing and go through simple, yet effective strategies to fix them.

 

Nicole's Bio

Nicole Finkbeiner is an effective strategic marketing and communications professional with experience in marketing, social media, advertising, public relations, branding, media relations, online reputation management, crisis communications, online advertising, outdoor advertising, sales, radio advertising, and internal communications.

Finkbeiner enjoys being very active in the community through various business organizations and community volunteering. In her free time she enjoys mentoring, attending lectures, pursuing creative projects, reading, spending time with friends, and working out.

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Kathleen Perley

Managing Director, Unlock Health

Founder of DECODE

Beyond the Buzz: Tangible AI Takeaways for Trailblazing Marketers

In this session, we’ll explore the role of marketers in driving your organization’s AI efforts and how one can master it with just an hour of daily dedication.

 

Kathleen's Bio

Kathleen’s passion for developing data-driven consumer engagement not only delivers results, it delivers the kind of results that consistently exceed clients’ expectations. Recognized among MM+M’s “40 Under 40 in 2021,” Kathleen is devoted to creating digital transformation that drives both relationships and growth. Kathleen’s passion for AI expands beyond her position at Unlock – as an adjunct professor for Rice University’s MBA program, she will be teaching courses on Applied AI in Business in the spring semester of 2024.

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Cathlene Schroeder

HP Global Marketing Manager

Using AI to go from local to global

Extending the value of creative assets worldwide

 

Cathlene's Bio

Cathlene is a seasoned marketer who started her career at advertising agencies before moving to the client side at HP.  She has over 20 years’ experience in consumer, commercial, global, local and master brand level marketing and advertising.  She lives with a growth mindset and loves learning from others.  She believes that a positive attitude and great relationships is the key to building a successful career and having fun along the way.