Agenda

As CEO of Loyalty360, Mark is committed to bringing loyalty to the forefront as a critical marketing strategy. To further this goal, he has created an unbiased, market-driven clearinghouse and think tank through which users and loyalty providers can interact and collaborate with. His finger on the pulse of what’s happening in loyalty, Mark is driven to give members the expert insight and guidance they need to develop strategies and implement programs that effectively engage their customers and employees and build stronger relationships with them.

Connecting with consumers is the name of the game for Christy Johnson, the Certified Angus Beef ^® brand’s vice president of branding. In her role, she enjoys strategizing with design, media and advertising professionals to create pieces that resonate with the shopping audience, and developing the brand’s consumer loyalty program, Steakholder Rewards^™. A big part of her success comes from her love for research and passion for not just marketing, but marketing intelligently.
 
A cowgirl at heart, Christy originally joined the brand’s supply development team in 1997 after interning at cattle ranches and graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in animal science. Her skills in coordinating events and training programs led her to a broader role with the marketing team, where she directed development of rancher profiles and video resources, and training programs for retailers, foodservice sales teams and restaurant waitstaff.
 
She resides in Dalton with her husband, Allen, and their four teenagers. After work hours, Christy’s usually found raising livestock and cheering on the kids at 4-H shows and sporting events.
 

 

Harveer Singh serves as the Chief Data Architect and Global Head of Engineering at Western Union where he manages the Cloud Data Platform, Martech & Adtech Platforms, Digital Banking Integrations, Loyalty and Consumer Ecosystem.. He is a technology executive with over 17 years of experiences spanning several industries such as financial services (including banking, payments, insurance, capital markets, and asset management), retail, and professional services. Previously, he has been working in EY’s Financial Services where he currently co-leads EY’s Next Generation architecture & solutions for Financial Services. Prior to EY, Harveer held various consulting roles at Deloitte, IBM, and Accenture. During his consulting tenure, he has presented and authored numerous professional points of views on Loyalty, Digital Transformation, Platforms, Architecture, Big Data, DevOps and Engineering Factories. 

Harveer has extensive experience in Digital Transformation, Technology Management, Data architecture, Governance and Platform development. He is dedicated to enabling business capabilities through continuous improvement of both data and processes. His past track record has proven success through his design and implementation of tech strategies, business cases, multiyear roadmaps, platforms and solutions.

Lucy has spent the last 15+ years working in digital, product, marketing and customer experience leadership roles with some of the largest financial services organizations globally, including Western Union, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and TD Bank. Prior to that Lucy held global consumer digital marketing leadership roles for Dell Technologies and Advance Micro Devices (Video Gaming Partnerships). In her current role at Western Union, Lucy is responsible for the Marketing, Loyalty and Consumer Ecosystem Product Portfolio strategy, accelerating the Western Union’s business strategy beyond its core money transfer business globally. Originally born in the UK, Lucy grew up in Canada, and was a resident of the UK for the last 15 years. Lucy recently moved to Denver in June 2018.

Don earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Florida State University, and spent 11 years in academia teaching statistics and policy evaluation. Prior to joining Brierley, he was a research director for Dallas County, in charge of database modeling, data mining, and program reporting. He has authored several journal articles and a full-length book. At Brierley, Don leads our strategic program design practice, responsible for engineering solutions which balance compelling value propositions with enhanced member experiences and data-driven customer engagement. His current client list includes 7-Eleven, Al Tayer, Express, GameStop, Grupo Gigante, Hertz and MoneyGram. An avid theater aficionado, his passion for presentation informs his marketing data analytics, where he eschews the traditional view in favor of a dynamic storytelling model that brings numbers to life through contextualization and the generation of actionable insights.

   

 

As CEO of Loyalty360, Mark is committed to bringing loyalty to the forefront as a critical marketing strategy. To further this goal, he has created an unbiased, market-driven clearinghouse and think tank through which users and loyalty providers can interact and collaborate with. His finger on the pulse of what’s happening in loyalty, Mark is driven to give members the expert insight and guidance they need to develop strategies and implement programs that effectively engage their customers and employees and build stronger relationships with them.

As CEO of Loyalty360, Mark is committed to bringing loyalty to the forefront as a critical marketing strategy. To further this goal, he has created an unbiased, market-driven clearinghouse and think tank through which users and loyalty providers can interact and collaborate with. His finger on the pulse of what’s happening in loyalty, Mark is driven to give members the expert insight and guidance they need to develop strategies and implement programs that effectively engage their customers and employees and build stronger relationships with them.

   

Don earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Florida State University, and spent 11 years in academia teaching statistics and policy evaluation. Prior to joining Brierley, he was a research director for Dallas County, in charge of database modeling, data mining, and program reporting. He has authored several journal articles and a full-length book. At Brierley, Don leads our strategic program design practice, responsible for engineering solutions which balance compelling value propositions with enhanced member experiences and data-driven customer engagement. His current client list includes 7-Eleven, Al Tayer, Express, GameStop, Grupo Gigante, Hertz and MoneyGram. An avid theater aficionado, his passion for presentation informs his marketing data analytics, where he eschews the traditional view in favor of a dynamic storytelling model that brings numbers to life through contextualization and the generation of actionable insights.

As the Senior Director Loyalty, Customer Engagement for Best Western International, Theo is fascinated by the chains of interactions between the end user and the systems across travelers' journeys, agnostic of the channel or device they use. He is focused on solving problems by articulating the objective of the interaction, what is displayed to the end user, what is the value to the consumer, and how it translates into better engagement, loyalty and increased revenue over time. Theo graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in Communication and has worked in senior leadership positions at some of the largest 3rd-party hotel management companies, as well as Hilton Worldwide. He is currently the Chair of the HSMAI Marketing Advisory Board and sits on AH&LA's Consumer Innovation Forum.
 

Victoria Dravneek is the head of Personalization and Loyalty Strategy within Consumer & Small Business Digital at Bank of America. She is responsible for leading the bank’s loyalty strategy, new program development, the personalization of loyalty and rewards as well as leading the BankAmeriDeals loyalty program.
 
Dravneek joined Bank of America in 2006, where she led an innovation portfolio of work for Global Treasury clients, which included web-based automation of manual processes. In 2009, she joined Consumer Fraud & Claims, where she led efforts to protect new digital products, including the build of what would later become Zelle, Mobile Deposit and Video Teller. In 2012, Dravneek joined the Digital Solutions Program Management where she led Payments program delivery as well as the digital delivery of the bank’s Safe Balance account and the Preferred Rewards program. For the next four years, Dravneek led strategy for the award-winning Preferred Rewards loyalty program, growing the program from inception to over 6MM members. In addition, she introduced personalized video to the bank as well as My Rewards, an innovative new portal where customers can view information on and learn more about their rewards programs.
 
Prior to joining Bank of America, Dravneek spent over a decade in the digital industry producing content, business and marketing strategies for new media, including Scholastic, iVillage.com and Showtime Interactive television.
 
Dravneek holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in English Literature from The King’s College in New York. She is also a Bank of America certified Six Sigma DFSS Green Belt and Black Belt. In addition, she has submitted over 70 patents around leveraging emerging technology to make financial services easier for clients.
 
Dravneek currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two children.
 

Yan is currently Director - Consumer Marketing for ExxonMobil’s US Fuels business.  His team designs, develops and deploys marketing programs and offers, including Synergy Fuels, the Exxon Mobil Rewards+ program and app, ExxonMobil’s branded proprietary credit card and innovative, contactless payment options such as Alexa Pay for Gas.
 
He earned an Economics degree from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University before joining ExxonMobil’s Canadian Affiliate, Imperial Oil, in 1998.  Over the past 23 years, he has held leadership positions of increasing responsibility in sales, operations, strategy development, and marketing, in the US and Canada.
 
Yan is married and the proud father of a Junior in high school.  He enjoys skiing, biking and is a car enthusiast.  
 

Nancy Flowers serves as the Vice President of Insights and Loyalty. In her role, Nancy develops strategies to maintain and elevate Hagerty's brand, market and consumer understanding and champion a member centric mindset through the organization. Nancy leads the development of loyalty strategies and tactics which deliver long-term member value and drive Hagerty’s industry leading NPS and client satisfaction results.
 
Since joining Hagerty in 2005 as a marketing manager, Nancy’s roles have had a singular focus: developing programs that drive loyalty, growth and revenue.
 
Her experience provides a unique platform that incorporates analytics, strategy and intuition to not only problem-solve, but drive change. Nancy is a thought leader and a regular contributor to podcasts, webinars, and conferences within the client experience field. Additionally, she was personally awarded a CX Impact award by the Client Experience Professional Association in 2014.
 
Her professional designations include Certified Customer Experience Professional through CXPA; Net Promoter Certification through Satmetrix; and Associate in General Insurance through The Institutes. Prior to joining Hagerty, Nancy supported a national telecommunications retailer with sales execution, training and service. She also developed marketing plans and strategies to achieve overall company
objectives.
 
Nancy is a graduate of McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland and holds a Bachelor of Arts in
Communication.
 

Adeline leads the Strategy and Insights team to create strategic engagement for the world’s largest brands. In her commitment to her role, she sets north star strategy, designs loyalty program recommendations, and creates acquisition and retention strategies that drive ROI for our clients. Her specialties include integrated marketing, relationship marketing and loyalty program designing. Adeline has over fifteen years of experience working with digital strategy, insights and innovation. Some of her achievements include leading digital strategy as agency of record for three global consumer product launches, six national brand campaigns, and recently with Kobie 5 loyalty program designs and loyalty center of excellence design.
 

 

Susan LeBlanc is an enthusiastic marketing leader who’s all about connecting science and art through data-driven marketing strategies that create exceptional consumer experiences and happy cross-functional teams. She is currently leading brand, acquisition and mass consumer marketing for SCENE, Canada's #1 Multi-Award Winning Entertainment Loyalty Program. Here she spearheaded the company’s largest-ever brand marketing campaign that activated 15% of the member base on a single day and moved consumer’s perception of the brand to being an instigator of fun, social experiences.

Adam has been part of Sleep Number’s CRM team for 4 years, and manages the InnerCircle Rewards loyalty program as well as all Email and SMS marketing.  He is passionate about customer-centric direct marketing, and has held related roles at Staples, the BBC, the College of William & Mary, and Schwan’s Home Service.  He, his wife, and their 2 daughters live in Minneapolis.

 

Karen Szarvas serves as Sr. Director of Customer Loyalty & Partnerships at The Vitamin Shoppe®, an omni-channel specialty retailer and wellness lifestyle company. In her role, Karen oversees the newly redesigned Healthy Awards Loyalty program and is responsible for the development, execution and management of the program, as well as strategies to drive customer awareness, engagement and retention. Karen has more than 19 years of global marketing and loyalty experience and is a highly motivated, customer focused, thought leader. Prior to joining The Vitamin Shoppe, she worked at Wyndham Worldwide and consulted at KMS Marketing Solutions where she specialized in loyalty, branding, customer communications and experiences.

 

 

John Sellers is the executive in charge of Rewards at Bank of America. In this role, John oversees all reward programs; including consumer, wealth management and small business relationship rewards programs and credit card rewards redemption. In 2019 Preferred Rewards for Business was named the ‘Most Innovative Product’ by Barlow’s Monarch Innovation Awards, which recognizes excellence and creativity in business banking

Prior to his current role, John had worked with other products including; Vehicle Lending, Investments, and Credit Card.  While in Card, John was the Director of Preferred Products and New Account Acquisition where he was responsible for all mass affluent BofA and Merrill branded products. John is the architect of the award winning Travel Rewards Card and led the effort to bring Chip technology to BofA cards.

Before his product roles, John spent the first half of his career in Credit Risk, where he was the Director of Risk Strategies. In this role, John oversaw existing account management strategies which included; line management, balance stimulation (cash and retail), authorizations (overlimit and delinquent) and other payment related strategies.

John began his career with BofA via the MBNA acquisition. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware where he was a Finance major. He also has an MBA from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business where he graduated with distinction and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society.

John is involved in several community organizations. He is a lifesaver for the Blood Bank of DE and coaches several youth sport teams in Kennett Square, PA where he resides with his wife and three kids.

 

 

 

 

 

Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard serves as the Collaborative Innovator General at Whitman Family Development and Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, Florida. She founded the ACCESS Membership and Rewards Program to celebrate the Shops’ loyal customers on their curated journey through the roster of retail, restaurants and luxury partners. Steph developed the Bal Harbour Shops app and created the Virtual Series for the company as well. She heads up the sponsorship program as well as creates innovative programming for the Shops. She secures external partnerships and produces large scale partner events including the Official Miami Super Bowl Host Committee VIP Party at Bal Harbour Shops for more than two thousand notables from the worlds of business, entertainment, media, sports and fashion.

Stephanie has collaborated with Bal Harbour Shops for decades before she joined the official team. While serving as Senior Director of Major Gifts, Corporate Relations, Marketing and Events at the University of Miami’s The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and The Buoniconti Fund, Steph created Destination Fashion, an interactive entertainment and fashion event at the Shopping Center.

In Steph’s spare time, she has covered the social, celebrity, sports, fashion and charity scene in South Florida for her Steph Sez column every Sunday in The Miami Herald for more than twenty years. Steph created, produced and hosted her own entertainment television show, Steph Sez, where she interviewed boldfaced names from George Clooney to Tiger Woods to Mikhail Gorbachev. 

She also hosts the monthly Steph Sez Book Club with Books & Books. Stephanie has received numerous accolades during her career and for philanthropic work from many organizations. Stephanie is married and is the proud mother of two sons.  

 

 

 

 

Victoria Dravneek is the head of Personalization and Loyalty Strategy within Consumer & Small Business Digital at Bank of America. She is responsible for leading the bank’s loyalty strategy, new program development, the personalization of loyalty and rewards as well as leading the BankAmeriDeals loyalty program.
 
Dravneek joined Bank of America in 2006, where she led an innovation portfolio of work for Global Treasury clients, which included web-based automation of manual processes. In 2009, she joined Consumer Fraud & Claims, where she led efforts to protect new digital products, including the build of what would later become Zelle, Mobile Deposit and Video Teller. In 2012, Dravneek joined the Digital Solutions Program Management where she led Payments program delivery as well as the digital delivery of the bank’s Safe Balance account and the Preferred Rewards program. For the next four years, Dravneek led strategy for the award-winning Preferred Rewards loyalty program, growing the program from inception to over 6MM members. In addition, she introduced personalized video to the bank as well as My Rewards, an innovative new portal where customers can view information on and learn more about their rewards programs.
 
Prior to joining Bank of America, Dravneek spent over a decade in the digital industry producing content, business and marketing strategies for new media, including Scholastic, iVillage.com and Showtime Interactive television.
 
Dravneek holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in English Literature from The King’s College in New York. She is also a Bank of America certified Six Sigma DFSS Green Belt and Black Belt. In addition, she has submitted over 70 patents around leveraging emerging technology to make financial services easier for clients.
 
Dravneek currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two children.

John Sellers is the executive in charge of Rewards at Bank of America. In this role, John oversees all reward programs; including consumer, wealth management and small business relationship rewards programs and credit card rewards redemption. In 2019 Preferred Rewards for Business was named the ‘Most Innovative Product’ by Barlow’s Monarch Innovation Awards, which recognizes excellence and creativity in business banking

Prior to his current role, John had worked with other products including; Vehicle Lending, Investments, and Credit Card.  While in Card, John was the Director of Preferred Products and New Account Acquisition where he was responsible for all mass affluent BofA and Merrill branded products. John is the architect of the award winning Travel Rewards Card and led the effort to bring Chip technology to BofA cards.

Before his product roles, John spent the first half of his career in Credit Risk, where he was the Director of Risk Strategies. In this role, John oversaw existing account management strategies which included; line management, balance stimulation (cash and retail), authorizations (overlimit and delinquent) and other payment related strategies.

John began his career with BofA via the MBNA acquisition. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware where he was a Finance major. He also has an MBA from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business where he graduated with distinction and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society.

John is involved in several community organizations. He is a lifesaver for the Blood Bank of DE and coaches several youth sport teams in Kennett Square, PA where he resides with his wife and three kids.

Visionary marketing leader passionate about driving business goals using data and analytics, with a proven track record of driving multi-million-dollar growth through Loyalty and CRM. Expertise in leading Loyalty & CRM strategy and execution, advanced data analytics, marketing technology, customer acquisition and retention strategies, Media Mix Modeling, Sales Forecasting, and Research. 

Currently, VP of Loyalty, CRM, and Marketing Technology at The Michales Store, a privately-held chain of 1,252 American and Canadian arts and crafts stores as of January 2021. It is one of North America's largest providers of arts, crafts, framing, floral and wall décor, and merchandise for Makers and do-it-yourself home decorators. 

Susan LeBlanc is an enthusiastic marketing leader who’s all about connecting science and art through data-driven marketing strategies that create exceptional consumer experiences and happy cross-functional teams. She is currently leading brand, acquisition and mass consumer marketing for SCENE, Canada's #1 Multi-Award Winning Entertainment Loyalty Program. Here she spearheaded the company’s largest-ever brand marketing campaign that activated 15% of the member base on a single day and moved consumer’s perception of the brand to being an instigator of fun, social experiences.

 

 

Chad Nikola is a customer first leader with a record of evolving and optimizing loyalty and personalization programs. He is currently serving as the Director of Customer Retention at American Eagle Outfitters where he recently led the complete rebrand and relaunch of AEO’s loyalty program - Real Rewards by American Eagle & Aerie. Chad’s background (Target, CVSHealth, Catalina) has helped shape his unique perspective on Loyalty/CRM programs and his unwavering passion for the customer.

Jay Hubbs is the VP of Advertising, Marketing, Innovation and Analytics overseeing Best Western’s customer-facing efforts including online and offline advertising and Best Western Rewards.   

Jay has over 25 years of experience in hospitality, travel, and digital marketing.  Prior to Best Western, Jay was with Remington Hotels in Commercial Services and Digital Marketing positions, and before that worked at Expedia, Starwood Hotels as well as hotel operations roles early in his career.  Jay has also built startup companies with consulting firm Scient and online review company ReviewPro, as well as entrepreneurial ventures.  

Jay holds an BS in Hotel Administration from Cornell University as well as an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  In 2018 Jay was named to HSMAI’s Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing and sits on HSMAI’s America’s Board.   

 

 

Jay Hubbs is the VP of Advertising, Marketing, Innovation and Analytics overseeing Best Western’s customer-facing efforts including online and offline advertising and Best Western Rewards.   

Jay has over 25 years of experience in hospitality, travel, and digital marketing.  Prior to Best Western, Jay was with Remington Hotels in Commercial Services and Digital Marketing positions, and before that worked at Expedia, Starwood Hotels as well as hotel operations roles early in his career.  Jay has also built startup companies with consulting firm Scient and online review company ReviewPro, as well as entrepreneurial ventures.  

Jay holds an BS in Hotel Administration from Cornell University as well as an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  In 2018 Jay was named to HSMAI’s Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing and sits on HSMAI’s America’s Board.   

Brian Beller is the Sales Program Manager at Otter Products (OtterBox + LifeProof.) As Program Manager, he is responsible for developing, deploying, and managing programs that enable sales. This includes loyalty, training, and CRM enhancements.

Brian joined Otter Products in 2012 and has had positions in Customer Service, Field Marketing, Sales, and Program Management. Before joining Otter, Brian spent over a decade in the fast-paced world of retail sales. His experience and expertise has helped to foster and create a unique loyalty program, Otter Rewards, that is helping to create sales associate advocacy with representatives selling OtterBox and LifeProof products.  This advocacy is directly correlated to driving profitable revenue for the company.

In his time away from work you can find Brian spending time with his wife and three children in the great outdoors of Colorado.

Jimmy Budnik, Overstock.com’s Vice President of CRM, began his  career  with  the  online  retailer  in  2008  as  a  Senior  Process  Improvement  Engineer  after  half  a  decade  working  as  an  Industrial  Engineer,  first  with  UPS,  then  with  Homeshield.  
 
Budnik  has  held  several  positions  in  his  time  at  Overstock,  where  he  developed  strategies  and  executed  improvements  initiatives  to  drive  growth  and  improve  the  customer  experience.  These  roles  included  transitioning  between  multiple  departments  as  a  Chief  of  Staff,  including  Customer  Care,  Marketing,  Merchandising,  and  the  Office  of  the  President.  Also  during  this  time,  he  was  a  Senior  Director  of  the  Product  Content  Teams,  worked  in  Overstock’s  technology  incubator,  OLabs,  and  most  recently  he  served  in  a  dual  role  as  the  General  Manager  of  Marketplace  and  the  General  Merchandising  Manager  for  Home  Essentials  and  Apparel. 
 
In  his  current  role  as  VP  of  Customer  Care,  Budnik  leads  a  workforce  of  hundreds  of  associates  that  consistently  deliver  a  world-class  customer  experience,  while  promoting  the  customer-centric  culture  that  has  given  Overstock  the  reputation  as  an  award-winning  leader  in  online  retail  customer  service  for  nearly  two  decades.

 

 

 

Adam has been part of Sleep Number’s CRM team for 4 years, and manages the InnerCircle Rewards loyalty program as well as all Email and SMS marketing.  He is passionate about customer-centric direct marketing, and has held related roles at Staples, the BBC, the College of William & Mary, and Schwan’s Home Service.  He, his wife, and their 2 daughters live in Minneapolis.

 

Derek Whitworth currently serves as Managing Director, Marketing & Loyalty Optimization at Air Canada. In this role, he holds overall accountability for Aeroplan program management & performance optimization, along with CRM planning, member data planning & intelligence, and marketing operations. His team was responsible for many of the features which were delivered when the fully-transformed Aeroplan launched in November 2020. In connection with this, Derek was also part of the leadership team whose work resulted in the reacquisition of Aeroplan in 2019. Derek has 15 years of experience in travel and loyalty, working at Air Canada, Citigroup, and Star Alliance in a range of roles across loyalty, eCommerce, and customer experience strategy. He holds Bachelor of Arts degree in Art & Archaeology from Princeton University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Emory University.
 

 

 

 

 

Chad Nikola is a customer first leader with a record of evolving and optimizing loyalty and personalization programs. He is currently serving as the Director of Customer Retention at American Eagle Outfitters where he recently led the complete rebrand and relaunch of AEO’s loyalty program - Real Rewards by American Eagle & Aerie. Chad’s background (Target, CVSHealth, Catalina) has helped shape his unique perspective on Loyalty/CRM programs and his unwavering passion for the customer.

 

Visionary marketing leader passionate about driving business goals using data and analytics, with a proven track record of driving multi-million-dollar growth through Loyalty and CRM. Expertise in leading Loyalty & CRM strategy and execution, advanced data analytics, marketing technology, customer acquisition and retention strategies, Media Mix Modeling, Sales Forecasting, and Research. 

Currently, VP of Loyalty, CRM, and Marketing Technology at The Michales Store, a privately-held chain of 1,252 American and Canadian arts and crafts stores as of January 2021. It is one of North America's largest providers of arts, crafts, framing, floral and wall décor, and merchandise for Makers and do-it-yourself home decorators. 

Todd Miller, Sr. Director of Brand Strategy and Experience, is responsible for the articulation and experience of the Wawa brand across all consumer touch points.
 
Prior to joining Wawa, Todd was the Chief Experience Officer of The Archer Group, an independent digital agency. At Archer, Todd was responsible for all of Archer’s core product teams (Analytics, UX, Research, Design, Content, Social, Media and Technology) as well as overall digital strategy.
 
Prior to Archer, Todd led and built product and design teams for various companies, agencies, start-ups and non-profits. 

 

 

Andrew Rebhun is an accomplished global marketing executive, who has delivered first-to-market products and profitable growth for billion-dollar brands across Fortune 50 companies, including McDonalds Corporation and Ford Motor Company, through product innovation/launch, brand strategy, integrated marketing, digital transformation, and customer service. He’s a franchisee leader with keen understanding of franchise models and partnerships – achieving unprecedented growth, sales and profitability. He’s known as an engaging people leader who operates with agility, motivating employees and franchisees at both general office and regional environments, employing innovation, data, insights and business acumen.
 
He is currently Vice President and Digital Officer at El Pollo Loco, where he is responsible for CRM, E-Commerce, the company’s off premise delivery strategy, loyalty program, and social media.  Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. He currently lives in Playa Vista, California, where he enjoys running on the beach, riding his Peloton Bike, finding hole in the wall restaurants, and traveling the world.
 

Jason Sprawka was appointed as the Global Director of Customer Experience in 2020 after leading US Customer Experience Team for two years. In his current role, he is responsible for creating world class customer experiences throughout the sales and ownership cycle. Jason brings together multiple organizations within Ford to drive cohesion and seamless integration for customer interactions. Jason has served in many roles during his 16-year tenure with Ford Motor Company, including Regional sales positions and Product and Brand Marketing positions for Fusion+Hybrid, Escape, Lincoln and FordPass.
 

Glenn has 20 years of expertise in Loyalty programs. He has spent his last six years at Woolworths as they transformed their Loyalty strategy and program, and prior to that has worked on leading Australian Loyalty programs such as Qantas Frequent Flyer and Commonwealth Awards. At Everyday Rewards, Glenn has led a variety of functions including Marketing, Operations, and Partnerships and for the last 15 months has led the Everyday Rewards program as a whole as it launched its App, a new brand platform, and adopted full agile ways of working, all whilst responding to Covid-19.  
 

Chad Nikola is a customer first leader with a record of evolving and optimizing loyalty and personalization programs. He is currently serving as the Director of Customer Retention at American Eagle Outfitters where he recently led the complete rebrand and relaunch of AEO’s loyalty program - Real Rewards by American Eagle & Aerie. Chad’s background (Target, CVSHealth, Catalina) has helped shape his unique perspective on Loyalty/CRM programs and his unwavering passion for the customer.

 

 

Melissa O’Neill is currently the Director of North America eCommerce sales for Lenovo. She is responsible for leading the strategy and execution for Lenovo’s online routes to market, including lenovo.com and marketplaces. Melissa has over 20 years of eCommerce experience involving roles ranging from P&L management, strategic planning, business development, sales/account management, customer experience and loyalty. She enjoys anticipating what the future of eCommerce looks like and building data-driven plans that deliver to both business KPIs and customer expectations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connecting with consumers is the name of the game for Christy Johnson, the Certified Angus Beef ^® brand’s vice president of branding. In her role, she enjoys strategizing with design, media and advertising professionals to create pieces that resonate with the shopping audience, and developing the brand’s consumer loyalty program, Steakholder Rewards^™. A big part of her success comes from her love for research and passion for not just marketing, but marketing intelligently.
 
A cowgirl at heart, Christy originally joined the brand’s supply development team in 1997 after interning at cattle ranches and graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in animal science. Her skills in coordinating events and training programs led her to a broader role with the marketing team, where she directed development of rancher profiles and video resources, and training programs for retailers, foodservice sales teams and restaurant waitstaff.
 
She resides in Dalton with her husband, Allen, and their four teenagers. After work hours, Christy’s usually found raising livestock and cheering on the kids at 4-H shows and sporting events.

Mary Riemer is the Director of Customer Experience for Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail service spanning 538 miles of rail across six counties that are home to nearly 20 million residents. Mary has a passion for the connection between mobility and innovation. With over 15 years of experience in the transportation industry, her expertise lies in understanding customer friction points, and using design and technology to solve them. She brings this focus to strategy, product design and implementation – including the application of real world problems like getting Metrolink back to its’ record breaking 12 million annual boardings prior to COVID. Launching a loyalty and rewards program is a central piece of that strategy, and of the future of Metrolink, as we prepare to move the region and the world for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 

Jimmy Budnik, Overstock.com’s Vice President of CRM, began his  career  with  the  online  retailer  in  2008  as  a  Senior  Process  Improvement  Engineer  after  half  a  decade  working  as  an  Industrial  Engineer,  first  with  UPS,  then  with  Homeshield.  
 
Budnik  has  held  several  positions  in  his  time  at  Overstock,  where  he  developed  strategies  and  executed  improvements  initiatives  to  drive  growth  and  improve  the  customer  experience.  These  roles  included  transitioning  between  multiple  departments  as  a  Chief  of  Staff,  including  Customer  Care,  Marketing,  Merchandising,  and  the  Office  of  the  President.  Also  during  this  time,  he  was  a  Senior  Director  of  the  Product  Content  Teams,  worked  in  Overstock’s  technology  incubator,  OLabs,  and  most  recently  he  served  in  a  dual  role  as  the  General  Manager  of  Marketplace  and  the  General  Merchandising  Manager  for  Home  Essentials  and  Apparel. 
 
In  his  current  role  as  VP  of  Customer  Care,  Budnik  leads  a  workforce  of  hundreds  of  associates  that  consistently  deliver  a  world-class  customer  experience,  while  promoting  the  customer-centric  culture  that  has  given  Overstock  the  reputation  as  an  award-winning  leader  in  online  retail  customer  service  for  nearly  two  decades.

Sabrina Davis is the Senior Manager, Marketing and Digital Programs at Metrolink based in Los Angeles. Her work is focused on developing and implementing all aspects of marketing initiatives. Her areas of expertise at Metrolink include marketing campaign planning and execution, loyalty program marketing management, email marketing strategy and much more. She has more than 20 years of marketing experience within major markets in both Canada and the USA in the restaurant and transportation industries. Sabrina’s passions include leadership, effective interpersonal communications and a great customer experience. Sabrina is looking forward to the challenge ahead for Metrolink; to restore ridership following a decline of more than 80 percent since the onset of the pandemic.
 

 

Connecting with consumers is the name of the game for Christy Johnson, the Certified Angus Beef ^® brand’s vice president of branding. In her role, she enjoys strategizing with design, media and advertising professionals to create pieces that resonate with the shopping audience, and developing the brand’s consumer loyalty program, Steakholder Rewards^™. A big part of her success comes from her love for research and passion for not just marketing, but marketing intelligently.
 
A cowgirl at heart, Christy originally joined the brand’s supply development team in 1997 after interning at cattle ranches and graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in animal science. Her skills in coordinating events and training programs led her to a broader role with the marketing team, where she directed development of rancher profiles and video resources, and training programs for retailers, foodservice sales teams and restaurant waitstaff.
 
She resides in Dalton with her husband, Allen, and their four teenagers. After work hours, Christy’s usually found raising livestock and cheering on the kids at 4-H shows and sporting events.

Sean has a 15+ year career with Price Chopper spanning marketing, merchandising, analytics, and accounting.  As Director or Loyalty Marketing and Analytics, Sean holds responsibility for consumer insights, targeting & personalization, offer activation, and program analysis across the retailer’s 130 locations in the Northeast.  

In the Summer of 2019, Sean led a team at Price Chopper that launched AdvantEdge Rewards, an evolution of the grocer’s fuel discount program.  In addition to fuel discounts, customers could now redeem for a discount off their total grocery bill.  In early 2021, they launched the AdvantEdge Rewards platform, a mobile-optimized site allowing customers to redeem their Rewards points online in a variety of additional new ways.  Customers can now redeem AdvantEdge Rewards points online as donations to local charities, to pay down student loans, to support local schools, or to enter sweepstakes for chances to win exciting prizes.  This evolution continues in late 2021, with even more new ways to earn and redeem Rewards coming soon. 

 

 

 

Sean has a 15+ year career with Price Chopper spanning marketing, merchandising, analytics, and accounting.  As Director or Loyalty Marketing and Analytics, Sean holds responsibility for consumer insights, targeting & personalization, offer activation, and program analysis across the retailer’s 130 locations in the Northeast.  

In the Summer of 2019, Sean led a team at Price Chopper that launched AdvantEdge Rewards, an evolution of the grocer’s fuel discount program.  In addition to fuel discounts, customers could now redeem for a discount off their total grocery bill.  In early 2021, they launched the AdvantEdge Rewards platform, a mobile-optimized site allowing customers to redeem their Rewards points online in a variety of additional new ways.  Customers can now redeem AdvantEdge Rewards points online as donations to local charities, to pay down student loans, to support local schools, or to enter sweepstakes for chances to win exciting prizes.  This evolution continues in late 2021, with even more new ways to earn and redeem Rewards coming soon. 

Born and raised in Turkey. After graduating from Middle East Technical University majoring in business, she worked in banking and consultancy at E&Y. 

She has been in Shell for 16 years working in various roles ranging from Customer Relationship Management, Loyalty Marketing & Operation, Global Marketing and Business Consultancy. She has been driving customer-centric initiatives such as Loyalty restructuring, the award-winning Shell Club Smart Extra Card launch in Turkey, the replacement of loyalty terminals and establishing a powerful CRM Programme with her team. As part of her passion for diversity and inclusion, she is taking roles in different community organizations and describes her purpose as ‘giving back to society’.  She is a strong supporter of workforce equality! Favorite quote: Be the change you wish to see in the world!