William Adler, Chief Executive Officer, True Fit
Bill brings 20+ years of leadership experience building global brands and scaling successful businesses spanning retail, apparel, software and service to True Fit, where he has been CEO since 2010. True Fit is a retail software company with a Confidence Engine™ that helps consumers discover brands and new styles that fit and flatter. The company provides personalized recommendations powered by fit data from millions of consumers and a network of more than a thousand brands and leading retailers, such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, and Brooks Brothers. Prior to True Fit, Adler spent nearly a decade in senior management roles with Timberland, most recently as founder and head of Timberland’s global B2B business. Adler holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
Steven Alan, Chief Executive Officer, Steven Alan
In 1994 Steven Alan opened his first retail store in downtown Manhattan. Selling pieces from an eclectic group of emerging designers, Steven became known for his keen eye and uniquely urban sensibility. Building on his knack for scouting the most intriguing young talent, the Steven Alan Showroom opened in 1996 and quickly garnered an impressive roster of designers on the rise. Located in Tribeca, the Showroom now represents 20 independent designers of clothing, handbags and other accessories.
Benny Arbel, Chief Executive Officer, MyThings
Benny Arbel, founder and Chief Executive Officer of myThings. Prior to founding myThings, Benny was Associate Vice President for multi-billion dollar NASDAQ-100 company Comverse, where he established and ran the Content Management Unit for the company’s entertainment and new media solutions. Benny is a seasoned executive and has held several professional titles including founder and CEO of fast growing international, Internet and telecommunications companies, founder and COO of EverAd and Vice President Business Development of Netline.”
Omer Artun, Chief Executive Officer, AgilOne
Omer Artun is CEO
and Founder of AgilOne. He holds a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience and physics from Brown University where he studied under Nobel Laureate Physicist, Leon Cooper, on pattern recognition, data mining and complex systems modeling at the Institute for Brain and Neural Systems. He served as an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern School of Business where he taught on data-driven marketing and relationship marketing. Previously, Omer was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he specialized in analytical areas such as pricing, direct marketing and customer segmentation. He was also a VP of strategic marketing at CDW/Micro Warehouse, a $6B direct reseller of technology products, and a marketing executive at Best Buy. It was his work as a data-driven marketer that led to the founding of AgilOne, where he aims to empower people through machine learning – starting with marketers.
Marko Bon, UX / Creative / Digital Strategy Consultant
Marko Bon has twenty years of experience in fashion and luxury eCommerce. He has lead 10+ significant OmniChannel initiatives and is passionate about the inter-connections between Desktop, In-Store, and Mobile experiences. He is a business owner and consultant in the field of user experience, digital strategy, and creative. He believes strongly in testing and optimization, and that the customer is best served when UX sits shoulder to shoulder with Data/Analytics and Development.
Ryan Bonifacino, VP - Digital Strategy, Alex & Ani
Ryan Bonifacino oversees digital marketing, online advertising, social media and e-commerce as the Vice President of Digital Strategy at Rhode Island-based lifestyle brand Alex and Ani, previously having served as Director and Strategic Advisor to the company beginning in 2010. With over 1,100 employees and 2013 revenues of $230 million, Alex and Ani is currently the fastest growing mid-sized retailer in the US, operating a multi-channel business model that includes over 40 inline retail stores, thousands of global retail partners and multiple ecommerce and digital properties. Prior to Alex and Ani, Ryan was a Principal at Hedgeforce, a hedge fund marketing firm that represented over $8 billion in alternative investment managers. Ryan lives in New York City and is an active investor and advisor in early and growth stage technology ventures and alternative investment funds through Mount Cuba Capital. He also is a member of the Executive Advisory Board at the University of Rhode Island’s Harrington School of Communication and Media.
Lisa Butler, Head of Enterprise Solutions, eBay Enterprise
Lisa Butler joined eBay Enterprise (a leading provider of commerce technologies, omnichannel operations and marketing solutions for the world’s premier retailers and brands) in June 2012 and is Head of Enterprise Solutions Enablement. Her Team enables collaboration across the sales teams, drives sales support operations, global partnerships and cross-organizational processes while maintaining solid relationships with key innovators and thought-leaders in the industry. Before coming to eBay Enterprise, Lisa led the worldwide Solutions Consulting Team at Oracle’s ATG Web Commerce division. In the course of her career, she has held several leadership positions in the commerce space where she concentrated on building high-performing teams and driving client success.
David Caples, Director of Channel WW, Peer1 Hosting
David Caples is the Director of Channel Worldwide at Peer 1 Hosting. He has more than 20 years of experience in the digital technology industry, developing successful partner relationships at hosting and communications providers. At Peer 1, David manages a team to serve the company’s global partner markets, particularly Digital & Technology Services. Prior to joining Peer 1, he was Director of Vertical Partners for Digital Markets at Rackspace, where he built out programs for vertical channel partners and venture-backed startups. David has also held business development positions at Conceivium, Broadwing Communications (now Level(3) Communications) and XIF Commumications, Inc. He lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and son.
David Cost, VP - E-Commerce & Digital Marketing, Deb Shops
David Cost is Vice President of eCommerce and Digital Marketing at Deb Shops (http://www.debshops.com) an omnichannel retailer operating over 300 stores in the US. Deb Shops challenges the boundaries of affordable fast fashion and serves the needs of trendy junior and plus size customers. David rebuilt and relaunched Deb’s digital presence — eCommerce, Blog, Social Media, eMail and SMS. Since the relaunch in 2011, Deb’s eCommerce sales have increased over 500%. Deb has partnered in the development of new eCommerce technologies as a beta tester and early adopter with companies including BloomReach and 8thBridge. David serves on the customer advisory boards for Demandware and Listrak. Prior to Deb Shops, David was a co-founder of PriceSCAN.com and was an early pioneer of internet price comparison services.
Emily Culp, SVP - E-commerce, Rebecca Minkoff
Emily Culp is the Senior Vice President of eCommerce, Marketing & Retail at Rebecca Minkoff. She focuses on consumer marketing and driving revenue across all channels (web, mobile, retail stores, social, etc.) and strives to find new ways to innovate and adapt marketing strategies for the modern consumer.Emily has a diverse background in marketing, and has successfully led the global marketing teams at Clinique and Unilever. At Clinique, Emily formed the Global Digital/Consumer Marketing & Media Group. She established the global integrated marketing strategy which led to launching CRM, a consumer panel, a retail diagnostic test, social media, mobile, search and video content.At Unilever, she led the formation of the Amazon Unilever partnership and launched eCommerce brand stores. She also oversaw all 30+ brands in the social media space. Emily holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA from Wake Forest University.
Eytan Daniyalzade, Entrepreneur, Walmart Labs
Eytan Daniyalzade is currently leading various mobile initiatives at Walmart Labs to enhance the shopping experience in Walmart stores. Previously, Eytan co-founded Stylr, a shopping app powering product discovery in brick and mortar apparel retailers and joined Walmart, when Stylr was acquired by Walmart. Eytan’s previous startup experiences were at Adap.tv (acquired by AOL), a video advertising company and Chartbeat, a real-time web analytics service. Eytan received his BSc and MS from Stanford University.
Soraya Darabi, Co-Founder, Zady
Soraya Darabi is the co-founder of Zady, a mission-driven brand described best as “The Whole Foods of Fashion.” No more apparel in landfills, no more production with questionable roots: there is a large and growing population of people who demand honesty and quality in manufacturing. Zady searches the globe for stylish, timeless and sustainably produced products made from the highest-quality raw materials. From hand-stitched Nashville denim made by experts who happen to be husband-and-wife to Cashmere from Nepal made by widowed artisans, Zady tells the story of each product, down to the raw materials.
Sarah Davis, Founder & COO, Fashionphile
Sarah is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of pre-owned luxury handbag and accessory dealer, Fashionphile. Sarah started Fashionphile while she was in law school and never looked back. Forbes called Sarah one of the “Top Ten Female Entrepreneurs to Watch” and Entrepreneur Magazine called Fashionphile one of the top 100 “Smartest, Most Innovative, Hands Down Brilliant Companies” on their radar. Sarah received her BS from Brigham Young University and her JD from the University of Maryland. She currently lives in San Diego, California with her husband and four children.
Matt Deloca, VP of Sales, Smartling
Matt is a technologist, through and through (don’t let his title fool you). He just prefers working with clients to see our technology improve their bottom line. Before Smartling, Matt led Sales at The FeedRoom, prior to its acquisition by KIT Digital; he also helped grow the business of several other digital media start-ups, including Virage and Cinebase. He began his career in field Sales at Apple, selling into the large enterprise accounts in NYC. He’s picking up French in his spare (!) time.
Jonny Dixon, Ecommerce Channel Manager, dotmailer
Jonny works with Magento Solution Implementers and Technology partners across the UK and USA. Having worked for one of the UKs top Magento SIs as Head of Account Management, Jonny has a great understanding of both sides of the fence; what marketing managers need and what agencies require. Jonny has worked across multiple industries and some notable clients include Paperchase, Cowshed, USN and Rodial.
Kevin Eichelberger, Founder & CEO, Blue Acorn
Kevin Eichelberger is the Founder & CEO of Blue Acorn, a premium eCommerce agency that designs, builds, and optimizes eCommerce sites for brands and online retailers by leveraging its experience with innovative eCommerce development and the intelligence available through its clients’ data. A results-oriented entrepreneur, Kevin exhibits a focus on measurable success and remains committed to helping others understand the impact of the changes they make to their sites. By incorporating data and testing into the traditional design and development processes, Kevin has assembled a team that delivers not only features to their clients, but results.
Romney Evans, Co-Founder, True Fit
Romney is an award-winning product & marketing leader, and entrepreneur. True Fit began when Romney sat outside a dressing room hearing his wife struggle to find the perfect pair of jeans. After the 12th unsuccessful pair, Romney – experienced in disruptive innovation from working at HBS innovation guru Clayton Christensen’s Innosight – figured there had to be a better way. The idea for True Fit was born: combine big data with a simple user experience to effortlessly find the right styles. Romney has helped grow True Fit into the global leader in fit personalization. Now, True Fit powers fit personalization for the world’s leading retailers and a growing network of over 1,000 top footwear and apparel brands.
Mark Friedman, President of Ecommerce, Steve Madden
Mark brings 25 years of strategic and tactical experience to the direct marketing business, with the last 13 focused on the on-line channel within multi-channel retailing organizations. Mark has worked for the last 23years at Steve Madden where he is the President of E-Commerce. Prior to that, he worked as the Chief Digital Marketing Officer at Warnaco, a $2 billion wholesaler and retailer. He was responsible for the Speedo, Calvin Klein Underwear and Calvin Klein Jeans’s sites. Prior to that, Friedman spent 3 years as the Chief Marketing Officer at Redcats USA, a $1.5 billion catalog and internet company with 10 different brands operating online. He had direct responsibility for all web marketing , database marketing, private label credit party business relationships within the marketing area. During this 3 year and all 3rd period, the Redcats web channel grew from $150 million to $450 million.
Rob Garf, VP of Industry Strategy & Insights, Demandware
As VP of Industry Strategy and Insights for Demandware, Rob Garf is no stranger to the industry and the challenges retailers face. As the former retail strategy leader for IBM Global Business Services and Vice President of Retail Strategies Service at AMR Research, Rob’s been on all sides of the business. He currently guides Demandware’s retail and product strategy.
Dan Garner, Founder, On Tap
Driven by a rare mix of technical talent and acute commercial acumen, entrepreneur and proven digital retail specialist Dan Garner leads the dedicated team at On Tap which has built the smart Visual Merchandising suite for the fastest growing global ecommerce platform, Magento (an Ebay company). As technical director and co-founder of On Tap, the UK’s longest Magento Gold Solution partner, Dan is committed to helping retailers and brand owners realise their strategic implementation plans with a ‘best fit’ common sense approach to ecommerce coupled with innovation and product development excellence.
Keith George, Chief Merchandising Officer, Gilt Groupe
Keith George currently serves as Chief Merchandising Officer of Gilt. In this role heis responsible for driving revenue and innovation through a cross-functional team of merchandising, marketing, technology, operations, and creative professionals. He held previous positions as SVP and GM of Gilt, Men’s and Home, as well as Vice President of Merchandise Planning, where he was responsible for managing inventory investments for all Gilt businesses. Keith brings to Gilt retail and operations experience from such notable brands as Gap Inc., Coca-Cola Enterprises, UPS, and Ernst & Young. He holds a BA from the University of Virginia and a MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.
Michael Georgoff, VP – New Products, RetailMeNot
Mike Georgoff is VP of New Products at RetailMeNot, Inc, and his team is relentlessly focused on answering one question: what’s next in commerce? He currently invests the majority of his time and expertise in online-to-offline / omni-channel commerce, mobile commerce, and connected retail experiences, ultimately redefining what an exceptional shopper experience means to consumers and what “new media” means to retailers in the mobile epoch. Prior to joining RetailMeNot, Mike held a variety of roles at Redbox, from head of strategic planning to running business development and partner marketing. He started his career at CEB, a best practices research and consulting firm based in Washington, DC. His academic pedigree is that of a proud Michigan Wolverine.
Ryan Gibson, VP - Marketing, RKG
Ryan is responsible for expanding RKG’s brand awareness and communicating thought leadership throughout the industries where they work. His team is responsible for the production of popular online marketing content through presentations and publications like RKG blog, the RKG Dossier, the Quarterly Digital Marketing Report and the RKG Roadshows and Summit. Ryan joined RKG over seven years ago as a Paid Search Analyst and has managed multi-million dollar paid search programs for both internet-only and multichannel advertisers. In his current role, Ryan has helped RKG to grow and become one of the largest and most respected privately held online marketing agencies.
Dave Gilboa, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Warby Parker
Dave Gilboa is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Warby Parker, a transformative fashion brand offering designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially-conscious businesses. Prior to Warby Parker, Dave was an Associate at merchant bank Allen & Company and, earlier, worked at Bain & Company. He also served as Special Assistant to the Founder and CEO of the TriZetto Group, and has held strategy and business development roles at Genomic Health and Crescendo Bioscience. Dave has worked extensively with non-profit organizations, and serves as a founding member of the Entrepreneur Board of Venture for America, an organization dedicated to mobilizing graduates as entrepreneurs in low-cost cities. Born in Sweden and raised in San Diego, Dave graduated with a BS in Bioengineering with Honors from UC Berkeley and holds an MBA from Wharton Business School.
Melissa Gonzalez, Founder, The Lionesque Group
Melissa Gonzalez is the founder of The Lionesque Group and specialize in brand activation and Pop-Up retail experiences. In the fall of 2009, she co-founded RSPOP with the Roger Smith hotel and have since grown the venture into 3 street level revolving storefronts, called The Market, with clients including Prince Tennis & Apparel, Johnnie-O, Ariana Rockefeller and Ellen DeGeneres’ Halo Pets Foundation. In 2013, she joined the Advisory Board of the innovative online marketplace for short-term real estate spaces, TheStorefront.com, and actively work with them to expand business. She also works as a consultant for major hi-growth online retail brands and initiatives, such as J.Hilburn, Sole Society and Manufacture New York, looking to leverage omnichannel strategies via pop-up shops.
Roland Gossage, Managing Partner, Groupby
Roland Gossage is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GroupBy Inc, an industry-leading provider of e-commerce and media solutions. At GroupBy, Roland is responsible for the vision, direction, and overall operations. An 18 year veteran of the software industry, Roland has extensive sales, services, engineering, and business development leadership experience in the e-commerce, search, and BI software verticals. Prior to GroupBy, he was a vice president at Endeca, holding numerous positions while there. Roland is also a director and member of Flax Energy Corp’s Board of Directors.
Sarah Griffis, Senior E-commerce Analyst, Lyons Consultant
At the age of 25, Sarah Griffis has already had an impressive career. She is a senior eCommerce Analyst at Lyons Consulting Group, managing the eMarketing and eMerchandising efforts for the agency’s clients encompassing luxury items, consumer products and fashion accessories. Graduating high school at 16, and dabbling in such pursuits as screen-printing and learning Japanese for fun, Griffis is highly intelligent and has a broad range of interests both in and out of the office.
Victoria Grahan, Director of CRM, Guess?
Vicky Grahan is the North American Director of CRM for GUESS, Inc., a global lifestyle brand and omnichannel retailer operating over 500 stores across 4 store concepts in the US and Canada. Vicky is responsible for managing each of the brand’s loyalty programs which currently represents over 7 million members. Vicky also oversees customer analytics and direct marketing strategies for both the in-store and online channels. Prior to GUESS, Vicky worked in client management and partnerships for American Express specializing in the retail vertical and luxury brands. Vicky received a MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS from UCLA.
Lee Anne Grant, Director of Business Development, ShopStyle.com
Lee Anne Grant is Director of Business Development for ShopStyle.com, a part of POPSUGAR Inc. ShopStyle is the leading global shopping search engine which gives shoppers access to over 8.8 million products from the best stores and brands across the web. ShopStyle has localized sites in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Lee Anne oversees ShopStyle’s retail partnerships, which span from large, multi-brand retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Barneys, and Amazon to smaller local boutiques across the globe. ShopStyle works with over 1,200 retail partners and drives over $750 million in global retailer sales annually. Prior to joining POPSUGAR, Lee Anne worked in Business Development at AOL and Sales at Google. She received her B.A. from Northwestern University and MBA from Yale University.
Benjamin Guenther, CEO & Co-founder, Stylight
Benjamin Guenther is CEO and co-founder of STYLIGHT. In 2008 he found the STYLIGHT GmbH with his college buddies and friends Sebastian Schuon (CTO), Max-Josef Meier (CFO/COO) and Anselm Bauer (CTO). Benjamin has studied Business Administration and Technology Management at the LMU and CDTM in Munich as well as in Paris and Berkley. STYLIGHT is the best place to discover and shop fashion from the world’s leading online stores. Every day STYLIGHT features a curated selection of the latest trends, fashion inspiration, and must-have products from the fashion shops and boutiques online, on one website. With headquarter in Munich and office dependencies in London and New York City, the international company is available in 14 countries around the globe and has over 130 employees.
Kurt Hagerman, CISO, Firehost
As chief information security officer (CISO) for FireHost, Kurt Hagerman is responsible for all aspects of security and compliance for both corporate and customer facing products. He is responsible for leading FireHost in attaining ISO, PCI, HIPAA and other certifications, which allows FireHost customers to more easily achieve their own compliance requirements. Hagerman was most recently the managing director of the southwest region and PCI practice director for Coalfire Systems, Inc., a leading IT Security GRC company and QSA.
Blake Hall, Founder & CEO ID.me
Blake Hall is the Founder and CEO of ID.me, a digital identity bank designed to empower consumers to control how their personal data is shared with third parties. ID.me was selected by the United States Department of Commerce as one of the top five digital identity products in America in 2013 and awarded a $2.8M grant to increase consumer trust in online transactions. ID.me counts over 100 leading retailers as customers and Entrepreneur Magazine named ID.me one of 100 Brilliant Companies in their June 2014 issue.
Kylee Hall, Director of Product Marketing, Order Dynamics
Kylee has over 13 years of experience in retail and CPG analytics. With experience at The Nielsen Company, Marin Software and IBM, she’s been focused on helping retailers with their digital and mobile strategies across the globe. Kylee received her BBA in Marketing from The College of William & Mary and her MBA in Econometrics & Statistics from The University of Chicago.
Michael Harvey, Chief Operating Officer, Corra
Michael Harvey is the COO at Corra, a premiere digital ecommerce Agency and Systems Integrator with offices in New York and LA. He leads Corra’s delivery team overseeing the firm’s project management, analysis, marketing, and award-winning design. He is a keen observer of the ecommerce industry and has been quoted in a number of notable publications on topics as diverse as enhancing the customer experience and the future of Amazon. Beginning in 2002, he and his family spent four years aboard their sailboat circumnavigating North America. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford.
Morgan Hermand-Waiche, Founder & CEO, Adore Me
Morgan Hermand-Waiche is Founder and CEO of Adore Me, a disruptive e-commerce startup revolutionizing the lingerie industry, crowned by Inc.com as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in America. With $11.5M raised from VCs and private investors, Morgan leads a team of 50 employees across the US and Europe. Since its launch in 2012, Adore Me has established a loyal VIP Membership client base that grew by 450% in 2013, gained a massive online presence with nearly 600,000 Likes on Facebook, and sold over 850 bra styles.
David Hsieh, VP - Marketing, Instart Logic
David is responsible for all marketing functions at Instart Logic. He has 25 years of tech industry marketing experience, most recently serving as Chief Marketing Officer at Ubiquiti Networks, a high-growth, publicly-traded leader in wireless networking systems. Prior to Ubiquiti, David served as Vice President of Marketing for video and emerging technologies at Cisco. In that role he was responsible for marketing Cisco’s video portfolio to enterprises, service providers and growing emerging technology businesses across multiple market segments, including Cisco TelePresence. Prior to Cisco, he was the senior marketing officer for three publicly-traded companies — Evolve Software, LBMS, Inc. and WebEx — and a senior executive at Sybase, FaceTime Communications and Marrakech. David has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Northwestern University.
Lauren Indvik, Editor in Chief, Fashionista
Lauren Indvik is editor in chief of Fashionista. Prior to Fashionista, Lauren served as a business editor at Mashable for nearly four years, covering the intersection of technology, retail and media. Her work has also appeared on or in InStyle, Forbes.com, FastCompany.com, CNN.com and Fashion Theory, a peer-reviewed academic journal. A California native, she now lives in New York City and is still learning how to dress for the cold.
Danny Kourianos, SVP of Product, Rakuten Marketing
Danny is passionate about developing products that create real and measurable value. Danny brings more than 10 years of experience in the display ad industry to the Rakuten MediaForge team and his robust history on the client, publisher and agency side, give him a level of insight that is unique in this market. Prior to joining Rakuten MediaForge, Danny led Ebay’s Powerseller Account Management team through a complete overhaul of their membership level program. His previous work at Yahoo! was instrumental in building out monetization solutions for data providers on the Right Media Exchange. He was also responsible for setting the product strategy for Yahoo’s agency customers across North and South America.
Ross Kramer, Co-Founder & CEO, Listrak
Ross is a co-founder and CEO of Listrak. He has nearly 15 years of executive leadership, successfully launching and directing three technology start-ups. Ross has led Listrak from concept to leading email marketing solutions provider serving online retailers. As CEO, Ross is responsible for charting Listrak’s strategic vision and direction. Ross is a thought-leader within the online marketing community.
Al Lalani, Co-Founder & Head of Client Success, Social Annex
Al Lalani is the Co-Founder and Head of Client Success at Social Annex. He leads all customer management and technical interaction at Social Annex and is responsible for the product vision. Prior to Social Annex, Al oversaw eCommerce and Online Product Management at Teleflora, managing several eCommerce services and partners. Al has over 10 years of experience with eCommerce, including online marketing, conversion optimization and remarketing.
Cassie Lancellotti-Young, EVP of Customer Success, Sailthru
Cassie is responsible for driving quantifiable success across Sailthru’s client portfolio by way of optimization products and services, including Sailthru Advanced Analytics and the company’s professional service offerings. Formerly a Sailthru client and a long-time consumer marketer, Cassie joined Sailthru from Gerson Lehrman Group where as VP Marketing Analytics & Intelligence, she led GLG’s intrapreneurship efforts and evangelized lean development across the organization. Previously, she served as VP Marketing for Savored (acquired by Groupon).
Christopher Langway, VP - E-commerce Business Strategist, Optaros
Chris Langway has over 20 years experience in the retail, digital marketing and eCommerce industries. He currently serves as VP, eCommerce Business Strategist at Optaros, an eCommerce services company that conceives, designs, builds and supports eCommerce experiences for clients such as Macy’s, Stella & Dot, Nestle and Zoetis. In his current role, Chris works with current clients and prospects to devise effective strategies to accelerate eCommerce opportunities. Prior of Optaros Chris served as VP, eCommerce for Wolverine Worldwide’s performance + lifestyle group. Chris led global eCommerce business and operation for the Sperry Top- Sider, Stride Rite, Saucony, Keds, Robeez and Grasshoppers brands across the U.S. and Europe.
Jennifer Lee, Partner/National Digital & Omnichannel Consumer Business Leader, Deloitte Canada
A Partner and Leader of Deloitte’s National Digital and Omnichannel Practice, Jennifer Lee has over 15 years of experience advising global leaders in the consumer business industry — including retail, manufacturing, internet gaming and grocery — on strategies to monetize the ever-changing connected, digital consumer. She specializes in transitioning clients from a multichannel experience to an omnichannel experience via eCommerce, mobile and “Store of the Future.” Her extensive roster of retail clients includes Holt Renfrew.com, HBC.com and Lord &Taylor.com, Winners /TJ Maxx, TABI International, Levis Strauss Canada and Walmart Labs Global Mobile and Digital Division. Jennifer holds an Executive MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo.
Mark Lippmann, Managing Director, Deborah Lippmann
Mark Lippmann co-founded the Deborah Lippmann brand in 1999. As with many start up brands, the partners all serve multiple functions. Mark serves as managing partner, art director, as well as directing the brands digital marketing and web site development.
Morgan Lynch, Co-Founder & CEO, Needle
Morgan is a pioneer in Crowdsourcing and Gamification. As the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Logoworks he developed one of the earliest distributed workforces in 2001, which enabled Logoworks to provide high-quality graphic design services to thousands of small businesses worldwide. Logoworks was backed by Shasta Ventures and Benchmark Capital and was sold to HP in 2007. Prior to Logoworks, Morgan spent four years running marketing at InsurQuote, helping position it for a $320 million sale to Channelpoint in 2000. Morgan has 5 lively children, plays soccer and basketball, and is currently trying to keep up at his local Crossfit gym. Morgan earned an International Relations degree from Brigham Young University, and an MBA from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Joy Marcus, CEO, Bloglovin
Joy Marcus was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Bloglovin in January 2014. Previously, she held the position of Managing Director for Gotham Ventures (formerly DFJ Gotham) where she most recently led the firm’s investment in DailyWorth, a digital media company targeting professional women. Prior to joining Gotham, Marcus was the General Manager, US for video website Dailymotion, leading the company through its U.S. launch to its acquisition by Orange (France Telecom) in January 2011 for $180 million.
Karen Moon, Co-founder & CEO, Trendalytics
Karen is Co-founder and CEO of Trendalytics, a style-centric visual data platform that measures consumer engagement with merchandise trends. With over twelve years of experience in retail and technology, Karen worked with companies across the supply chain - department stores, luxury retailers and independent designers. At Goode Partners, she executed the firm’s investment in SkullCandy (NASDAQ: SKUL) and worked on the turnaround of a luxury specialty retailer. Previously she worked in Gap Inc.’s Corporate Strategy group, where she assessed acquisition and new retail concept opportunities such as Piperlime.com. Karen started her career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs & Co. where she executed over $1 billion in technology and media transactions.
Chris Moore, Ph.D., Chief Analytics Officer, True Fit
Christopher is a data science leader with diverse experience leveraging massive data to solve challenging problems in retail, pharmaceuticals discovery & development, and financial management. Prior to joining True Fit, he was the Chief Scientist at CargoMetrics, a technology-driven hedge fund where he designed proprietary investment models. Before that he worked in the pharmaceuticals industry at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Johnson & Johnson, and TransForm pharmaceuticals, where he led a skilled team of experienced scientists in data analysis, modeling, and virology in the development of new transdermal formulations. He also led the team in a project sponsored by the Gates Foundation to improve the thermal stability of measles vaccine. He also worked as a Senior Scientist at ProfitLogic where he developed optimal pricing strategies and business optimization solutions for apparel and footwear retailers.
Malia Nagle, Director of Design Research, PayPal
Malia is Director of Design Research at PayPal and the former Head of Usability at eBay Enterprise. She has 10+ years of experience leading teams to produce highly effective and engaging user interfaces that dramatically improve business outcomes. She brings a keen, hands-on focus to her user experience passion and has personally observed and tracked thousands of users interacting with a broad array of digital content and end-to-end purchase paths. Malia has frequently lectured at universities and has presented at numerous industry conferences.
Valerie Normand, Director - E-commerce Solutions Integration, Canada Post
An expert in the ecommerce ecosystem including platforms, web services and what online shoppers want, Valerie Normand knows what it takes for merchants to successfully integrate technology into their websites, enhance customers’ shopping experiences, reduce customer-service calls—and increase revenue. Valerie and her innovative team have consulted with more than 750 Canadian and American ecommerce merchants, and helped them to plan and implement individual ecommerce strategies that have boosted revenue by better meeting shoppers’ needs. Valerie holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa, a Masters in Project Management from George Washington University, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Ron Offir, Retail & E-commerce Executive, Advisor, Investor
Michael Kors. The Jones Group. Coach. Gap. The names that are synonymous with eCommerce and digital marketing excellence have a common bond: Ron Offir. Having served most recently as the Senior Vice President of Global eCommerce for Michael Kors, Ron led the global digital transformation of the brand as they launched a new world-class digital flagship experience. He served as the President of The Jones Group Direct, the firm’s $700M+, 5,000+ employee retail and eCommerce direct-to-consumer division and as President of eCommerce.
Mark O’Neill, CTO, JackThreads
Mark O’Neill is a technologist who has worked in the NYC tech industry since Web 1.0. For the last seven years he’s been CTO of Thrillist Media Group, supervising that company’s growth from 150,000 to 6 million subscribers, blending and content and commerce. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Tufts University. He’s also former bar owner & history geek who follows politics the way other people follow sports.
Corey Pierson, Co-Founder and CEO, Custora
Corey Pierson is co-founder of Custora, a SaaS platform that leverages predictive analytics to enable retailers to better understand and market to their customers. Custora works with some of the top e-commerce and omni-channel brands in the world, including LOFT, GUESS?, Etsy, Bonobos, and more. Prior to co-founding Custora, Corey worked at IDEO and was co-founder of foodtrux.com. Coreyreceived his BSE in Computer Science Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Lauren Remington Platt, CEO, Vensette
Vênsette was founded by notable New York entrepreneur, Lauren Remington Platt, who set out to provide fashionable, working women with a trusted resource for professional hair and makeup services on-demand and on location. Lauren created Vênsette in 2011 when working long hours in finance while balancing a social life; running from the office straight to a gala or fundraiser with little time to get ready. Lauren knew that other active women were dealing with the same issue. In response, Lauren set out to create a way to bring high-end beauty professionals to the doorsteps of hard-working women balancing their careers and families with social engagements. Today, Vênsette is the premier on-demand hair and makeup service in New York City, the Hamptons and Los Angeles; trusted by over 150 luxury corporations, hotels, countless celebrities and thousands of private clientele. Vênsette services individuals and group bookings, including bridal parties and girls’ nights out.
Chester Ritchie, SVP - Head of Market Development & Strategy, Worldpay
Chester Ritchie brings his sales and marketing experience in the technology and payment processing fields to his current position of vice president – business development and partner sales. Before joining Worldpay, Chester created the award-winning Retail STAR point-of-sale software. He also created the top-selling payment processing software called X-Charge. During his tenure with an ISO, he built the company into a powerhouse through sales initiatives that resulted in a share price appreciation of 1,850 percent, tens of thousands of new customers and hundreds of new business partners. He excels at helping companies unlock value through technology, partnerships and private equity.
Lisa Roberts, VP of Marketing, Edgecase
Lisa Roberts has dedicated her career to developing products and leading marketing and media programs for technology innovators and brands. She pioneered personalization technology and strategies for online media and eCommerce at I-Traffic, Garden.com, Dell and Toshiba, developing tactics and technology to use data and customer intelligence to deliver targeted content and next generation experiences. She also helped bring to market the early Bazaarvoice brand and products, and led the product development of a leading enterprise mobile point-of-sale.
Danielle Savin, Director – Retail Strategy Consulting, Lyons Consulting Group
Danielle Savin is a Multichannel Retail and Marketing Specialist providing eCommerce marketing consulting and implementation coaching. As a former multichannel retailer, Danielle’s hands-on experiences in design, usability, all forms of eMarketing, eMerchandising, technology, organization, and outsourcing positions her as one of the most seasoned consultants in the industry. Some of Danielle’s clients have included: Dylans Candy Bar, Warner Brothers, R.G. Barry, Charlotte Russe, NastyGal.com, Cache Stores, Perry Ellis, Tractor Supply Company, Steve Madden, Juicy Couture, Tory Burch & many others.
Adam Schwartz, COO BustedTees; Co-Founder, TeePublic
Adam Schwartz is the COO of BustedTees and Co-Founder of its sister site TeePublic. In his role Adam oversees all internal departments including product and engineering and is responsible for generating revenue growth through paid acquisition, email marketing, SEO and conversion rate optimization. After buying itself back from IAC in 2011, Adam led a fledgling BustedTees into one of the webs most sophisticated e-commerce marketers. In 2013 Adam co-founded TeePublic, an online platform where independent designers host their own t-shirt shops, a business that has grown over 1000% in 2014. Adam also co-founded Otis & Eleanor, a lifestyle electronics brand and Source4Style, a B2B marketplace where independent designers search and purchase textiles from global suppliers.
Robert Scoble, Startup Liaison Officer, Rackspace
As Startup Liaison for Rackspace, the Open Cloud Computing Company, Scoble travels the world looking for what’s happening on the bleeding edge of technology for Rackspace’s startup program. He’s interviewed thousands of executives and technology innovators and reports what he learns in books, YouTube, and many social media sites where he’s followed by millions of people.
Ken Seiff, Managing Partner, Beanstalk Ventures
Ken Seiff is the Managing Partner of Beanstalk Ventures, which invests in software companies that power retail, online marketplaces and eCommerce companies. The venture fund’s principal focus is to invest in software that makes retailers more efficient and more effective. The fund is staked with an investment from Novel TMT Ventures Limited, the investment group of Silas Chou and his family. Previously Ken has led large retailers (serving as the Executive Vice President of The Direct and Omni-channel Group at Brooks Brothers) and launched a series of innovative start-ups including founding Bluefly.com and co-Founding Poppin.com and Simply Gum. Ken has also consulted for or advised dozens of companies including Amazon, Lacoste, MyBuys, ShopRunner and Tribeca Films. Ken is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Retail Federation and Shop.org and has served on the advisory Boards of a variety of companies including the Google, Demandware and Coremetrics.
Rob Sopkic, VP of Sales - North America, Sociomantic
Rob Sopkic joins Sociomantic as Vice President Sales, North America. Previously, he was Regional Vice President of Sales at Criteo. During his time there, Rob met with hundreds of retailers across the country and witnessed the rise in demand for a transparent performance display offering. Prior to Criteo, Rob spent several years as a Regional Sales Director within AOL’s Advertising.com unit where he managed a team of sellers responsible for selling performance advertising solutions to Retail accounts on the west coast. Previously, Rob spent four years in media planning and account management at blue-chip agencies Publicis and BBDO. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Toronto and is a proud father of two.
John Squire, President, OrderDynamics
John Squire has spent more than a decade pioneering retail innovation and is passionate about helping leading retailers and brands realize new levels of vision and performance. Prior to eCommera, John spent 11 years driving Coremetrics’ growth to become the industry’s leading web analytics tool. He then went on to serve as the Chief Strategy Officer of IBM Smarter Commerce. John is a recognized expert on retail industry trends, and has offered his insights to audiences at preeminent industry events including Shop.org. He has a remarkable ability to combine innovative thinking, strategic leadership and practical application to solve retailers’ biggest challenges. This, combined with his engaging and enthusiastic style have made him a regular contributor to CNN, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, LA Times, NBC News and Forbes.
Brian Sugar, Chief Executive Officer, Popsugar
Brian Sugar is the Co-founder and CEO of POPSUGAR, which he started together with his wife, Editor-in-Chief Lisa Sugar in 2006. As CEO, Brian is responsible for setting the overall business direction and product strategy for the company. Prior to POPSUGAR, he served as Vice President & General Manager, Media at 2Wire, Inc., a home networking provider. Prior to 2Wire, Brian held several management positions in the retail and commerce industries. He was Chief Web Officer at Kmart’s BlueLight.com, Vice President of e-commerce at J.Crew, and a founder of Neptune Interactive, a leading Internet service provider.
Erika Szychowski, SVP - Marketing, Nine West
An international branding authority with a background spanning sports, entertainment, financial services, retail and footwear, Erika Szychowski has an unparalleled understanding and passion for brand strategy and the creation of omni-channel marketing campaigns. As SVP of Marketing for Nine West, Erika oversees all aspects of brand development for both the domestic and international markets, including advertising, public relations, retail and digital. Prior to joining the Nine West team, Erika served as Vice President of Global Brand Development at Brown Shoe Company where she initiated brand positioning and vision to all internal stakeholders, international partners, retail stores and consumers. It’s Erika’s strong creative eye, forward thinking and strategic approach that drive successful brand execution.
Leah Thelan, Director - Interactive & E-Commerce Marketing, L’Oreal
In her role as Director of Interactive Marketing and E-Commerce at L’Oreal USA, Leah Thelen is responsible for oversight of Lancome.com as well as the company’s digital marketing, supervision of its major E-Commerce processes and sales planning. She works with the Lancôme team to design, create, and implement product launches and support campaigns across digital marketing channels. Leah joined L’Oreal in 2005 and has held several roles in the organization including positions in Education, Customer Marketing and Sales. Before joining the Lancome.com digital team, Leah worked as Director of National Accounts managing the launch of L’Oreal brands Vichy and La Roche Posay at Walgreens. Leah is a graduate of Georgia State University and has an MBA in Marketing from Fordham University.
Jason Wallis, Chief Technology Officer, Mozu
As CTO, Jason Wallis is responsible for driving the next generation of the Volusion platform. He works closely with the leadership and product teams to define an architecture that efficiently meets the needs of our customers. Jason is a software developer at his core, owning a strong passion for crafting technology and software that drives business growth. Jason believes that any problem can be solved by “just doing it,” instead of spending unnecessary time talking about a solution. He brings almost 20 years of experience to Volusion, starting his career as a private consultant that built custom software to take small and medium businesses to the next level. Jason believes in the power of teamwork and knows that great things happen when people collaborate to solve a problem. He is an avid Agile enthusiast and embraces the power of innovative ideas and direct customer feedback. Jason believes that customers’ needs should drive the direction of a technology platform.
Andrea Wasserman, Chief Executive Officer, Sole Society
Andrea has been the CEO of Sole Society, the shoes and accessories brand, since August 2013. During this time, Sole Society has realized an expanded presence (now in 60 Nordstrom stores and on QVC), a new marketing strategy, and the realignment of the organization. Andrea moved to Los Angeles from Seattle, where she been with Nordstrom for more than five years. Andrea began her retail career in strategy but soon realized she wanted to be an operator. After getting experience in selling and merchandising, Andrea spent two years building Nordstrom Weddings, a cross-category bridal specialty concept in stores and online. She led a team in establishing a new business model, securing distribution from the likes of Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier, making an industry-leading assortment of bridesmaids dresses available online and establishing a brand.
Lydia Williams, Marketing Communications Manager for The Americas, Net-a-Porter.com
Lydia Williams joined NET-A-PORTER.COM in 2012 to oversee the Affiliate and Partnership programs, and in her current role manages all marketing acquisition channels for the US and Americas including online and offline media. Delivering on the business’s mission to be the global fashion destination for content and commerce, Lydia works to ensure that NET-A-PORTER constantly exceeds the expectations of its customer base. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University.
Will Young, Director, Zappos
As the Director of Zappos Labs, Will currently leads the San Francisco team, goaled with developing partnerships and building great products through experimentation, incubation, and off-roadmap projects. Will’s innovative and practical solutions fuel his passion for technology and interest in solving business problems. Prior to joining Zappos.com in 2010, Will gained more than ten years of experience in creating great web experiences. He has worked as an independent consultant, as well as for leading organizations including Yodlee Corporation and Sapient Corporation.
Greg Zakowicz, Marketing Strategist, Bronto
Greg Zakowicz is a marketing strategist at Bronto Software where he works with retail and commerce clients offering strategic advice and tactics on how to increase the revenue potential of their email programs. With over ten years of experience managing marketing programs, Greg brings a wealth of experience in email and online marketing for e-commerce. As a results-driven marketer, Greg is especially attune to metrics-based analysis which he uses to help improve the marketing programs and performance for his clients.
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