Agenda

Jason Lee is an American businessman and technology entrepreneur. He has dedicated his life to building new technology that empowers low income people to unlock their financial progress. Jason was the founder and CEO of DailyPay — the pioneer in earned wage access — which he started in his basement and grew to become a $2 billion enterprise before he exited in 2022. 

In 2022, Jason founded Salt Labs to empower the same population of people to successfully build savings through its cutting edge technology. Jason sold Salt Labs in 2024 to Chime Financial, where he now serves as Chief of Chime Enterprise. He is an operating partner at Third Prime Capital and serves as an advisor and board member to several early stage technology companies. Jason is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and currently resides in New York City with his wife and three children.

Scott Rayburn is Chief Marketing Officer at DataArt, where he leads global marketing efforts across brand, content, digital, and go-to-market strategy. He joined the company in 2023 as VP of Marketing and quickly made an impact, helping evolve DataArt’s messaging, strengthen alignment with sales, and drive demand through smarter, more creative campaigns. In 2025, he stepped into the CMO role to continue scaling the brand and deepening connections with clients around the world.

With nearly 15 years of experience, Scott has led high-performing teams at the intersection of content, strategy, and growth. He brings deep industry knowledge in technology and IT services, especially in areas like AI/ML, data, cloud, and product development. A copywriter at heart, he’s passionate about telling stories that matter, and making sure they drive results.

Before joining DataArt, Scott held various marketing roles at Wizeline, EPAM, Risk Management Association, and Proscia, where he built and scaled content-driven marketing programs that supported rapid growth.

With over 20 years of experience at ExxonMobil Egypt, Karim Nour has held various key positions, including Egypt Head of Loyalty Finished Lubes and Retail Sector Manager, demonstrating a strong commitment to improving business performance and driving sales growth. As Head of Loyalty, He has successfully managed "Mobilawy" Mobil loyalty program, enhancing customer retention and satisfaction through personalized incentives and rewards, and driving significant recurring revenue growth. He has optimized profit performance and enhanced operational excellence across, showcasing skills in strategic planning, sales analysis, team leadership, and effective negotiation.

SVP, Marquita Ferguson manages the Preferred Rewards for Business loyalty program at Bank of America that provides exclusive rewards for business members who deepen their relationship with the bank. She is responsible for managing the rewards lifecycle by developing the program’s overall strategic roadmap and driving tactics to support the program’s business objectives while integrating across multiple product lines and solutions. She leads the annual strategic development and execution of the company’s popular personalized year-end summary rewards videos, and continues to achieve recognition as a Loyalty360 industry leader in B2B rewards programs. In 2023, Marquita received the company’s most prestigious Pinnacle Award for her team’s innovative digital production efforts in support of National Entrepreneur’s Day. She has also made valuable contributions to the bank over the years within the bank’s Digital Marketing division, championing an innovative operational excellence workflow efficiency tool, as well as providing critical marketing support to strained businesses in need during the 2020 Pandemic.

 

Marquita is originally from the Philadelphia area and graduated from Temple University, Magna cum Laude, with a B.A. in Broadcasting & Mass Media.  She is a mother of one and holds a position on the Mentorship Council for Bank of America’s Black Professional Group Charlotte Chapter where she volunteers her time in support of mentorship and career guidance to chapter members.

Jacob is a dynamic business leader and strategist specializing in media, technology, and telecommunications. At TELUS, he leads the teams responsible for content deals, consumer product strategy, and global partnerships. With a proven track record spanning corporate strategy, global deals and partnerships, and product commercialization, Jacob was the visionary for the newly refreshed and national TELUS Rewards loyalty program. Starting with a groundbreaking airline strategic alliance with WestJet, the refreshed TELUS Rewards program includes new partner perks and provides Canadians with more reasons and ways to join, maximizes engagement and value for members, and enhances customer retention.

Digital marketing, eComm and loyalty leader with 20+ years’ experience at Domino's and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. At Tropical Smoothie, Melissa led Loyalty, CRM, 3PD and Digital Listings, growing loyalty by 50% in one year and leading MarTech strategy. She crafted promotions that drove the highest sales days in Tropical Smoothie’s history and drove the app to #1 in Food. At Domino’s, she oversaw one of the largest loyalty programs and implemented the some of the largest eCommerce A/B testing wins in the brand’s history. Melissa also led store tech, including the self-driving pizza delivery test, ordering & check-in kiosks and digital menu boards.

Arapit Patel, Vice President of Loyalty at AARP, is an accomplished technology and product leader with deep expertise in digital strategy, systems integration, and customer engagement platforms. With a background in technology consulting, Arapit has spent a majority of his career guiding organizations through complex transformation efforts—spanning cloud enablement, enterprise application development, and business-critical integrations.

A pivotal move to a smaller firm led Arapit to AARP, where he was recruited to lead the technical build-out of the AARP Rewards Loyalty Program. After successfully delivering the program’s digital infrastructure and launching it to millions of members, Arapit officially joined AARP to oversee the Rewards program. Under his direction, the program has evolved into a key engagement engine—driving member value, member retention, and digital innovation.

Chad is a visionary retail leader with over 20 years of experience across companies such as American Eagle, Aerie, Target, CVSHealth and Catalina Marketing. Today, Chad is focused on maximizing customer value through the Real Rewards Loyalty Program, integrated Credit Card portfolio and Customer Analytics. This focus spans brands, countries and channels to unlock new ways to engage the member base to fuel retention and customer lifetime value. 

Glenda Gabriel is an executive at Bank of America in the Employee Banking & Investments organization. She is the Head of Employee Financial Services. In this capacity, Glenda is part of the Enterprise focus on emotional, physical, and financial wellness. Glenda leads the comprehensive strategic effort to connect clients, employees and retirees with financial education, solutions, resources, and tools to help empower them to achieve their life priorities at every life stage.
 
Glenda joined Bank of America in 2006. Prior to her current role, Glenda led Neighborhood Lending, a team dedicated to developing strategies and identifying opportunities to increase homeownership, inclusive of first-time homebuyers. She led the collaboration with national partners to deliver consumer education, homeownership programs and services across the enterprise. She has also held leadership roles covering strategies to deliver exceptional client care and solutions.
 
Glenda graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and obtained her Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor of Science from the Haas School of Business.
 
Glenda has served on numerous local and national boards, including serving as the former Chair of the Girl Scouts, Hornets’ Nest Council. Glenda is currently serving on the National Association of Mental Health (NAMI Charlotte), Board of Directors, and is the Vice President.
 
Glenda resides in Waxhaw, North Carolina with her husband, an attorney. Glenda and her husband have four adult children who live across the United States.

 

As Head of Global Benefits, Kate works to provide competitive benefits that help make Bank of America a great place to work while supporting the diverse needs of our teammates globally.  She is responsible for delivering physical, emotional, and financial benefits and wellness programs including, healthcare plans and accounts, Employee Assistance Program, time away, education benefits, the employee discount program and much more. 
 
Prior to this role, Kate led Life Event Services (LES), a team dedicated to supporting employees and their families during major life events by providing personalized connections to resources and benefits, leveraging experts inside and outside the company.  The team supports employees, retirees and their family members on a wide range of needs such as survivor support, domestic violence, specialized leaves, natural and man-made disasters, retirement, transition related to military service and other major life events.  During the pandemic, the team expanded its support to serve as a human connection to teammates through care, compassion, and empathy. 
 
Kate joined Bank of America in 2008 as part of the Global Human Resources (GHR) Development Program. Kate has held HR generalist roles supporting the bank’s Risk, Compliance, Marketing, Legal, and Corporate Audit and Credit Review functions.  Kate also previously served as the HR Executive for the Local Markets Organization and led the Market HR network across the U.S. 
 
Prior to joining Bank of America, Kate led a team of researchers at the Corporate Executive Board (now Gartner) managing cross-industry client relationships through customized research support and consultative insight on HR topics and issues. 
 
Kate graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and obtained her Master’s in Business Administration from George Washington University.
 
Kate is a board member of the Alexander Youth Network, the ERISA Industry Committee and the American Benefits Council Policy Committee.  She and her husband, Ben, reside in Charlotte, NC and have two sons, Matthew and Luke.
 

Jessica Starnes is the Director of Loyalty at Weigel’s, where she leads one of the most successful convenience retail rewards programs in the country. With a sharp focus on customer engagement, data-driven strategy, and seamless digital experiences, Jessica has been instrumental in transforming loyalty from a transactional tool into a cornerstone of Weigel’s growth. Her impact hasn’t gone unnoticed—Jessica is a two-time Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) honoree, having earned both the Rising Star and Senior Level Leader awards. Most recently, she was named the 2025 Category Manager of the Year for Loyalty, a reflection of her ability to blend innovation with measurable business results. Under her leadership, Weigel’s has achieved record-breaking loyalty penetration and built high-impact programs like “100 Days of Summer” and exclusive NIL partnerships that emotionally connect with customers. From acquisition to retention, Jessica’s strategy is rooted in making every interaction meaningful—translating into stronger brand loyalty and increased customer frequency. Jessica’s cross-functional approach ensures loyalty touches every part of the business—from merchandising to marketing to operations. A trusted voice in the industry, she continues to set the standard for customer-first innovation while building scalable platforms that drive long-term growth. She is a Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional, holds a NACS Category Management Certification, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee.
 

Abbey is a retail marketing professional who has spent the last 10 years finding new and exciting ways to engage and delight customers – from grassroots strategy to national activations, resulting in tens of thousands of inspired participants. Most recently, she turned her efforts to revamping Fleet Feet’s national loyalty program and launched Fleet Feet Milestones in July 2024. Abbey is a Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional through the Loyalty Academy. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and currently resides in North Carolina with her husband. When she’s not working on new campaigns to nurture customers, you can find Abbey outside ticking another U.S. National Park off the list (she aims to visit them all!) or volunteering with her local Woman’s Club.

Alaina Camsell-Schafer is the Manager of Loyalty Marketing at SIGA, where she leads the strategy and execution of the SIGA Rewards program. With over 20 years of experience in customer engagement, marketing, and operations, Alaina specializes in transforming data into strategies that enhance the player journey and drive measurable results. She played a key role in launching SIGA Rewards in 2024, overseeing its successful rollout across all seven casino properties.

Before joining SIGA, Alaina spent six years with the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, where she contributed to the successful opening of Saskatchewan’s first dedicated children’s hospital. Her work focused on donor engagement, campaign coordination, and community-based fundraising efforts that helped bring this transformational project to life.

Alaina’s career is grounded in building meaningful relationships—whether with donors, players, or teams—and she brings a people-first, purpose-driven approach to everything she does.

Aly Blawat is an accomplished CX leader with over 15 years of experience in developing and executing customer-centric strategies that drive business growth. As the Senior Director of Customer Strategy at Blain's Farm & Fleet, she has successfully led various initiatives to enhance customer engagement, loyalty, and personalization. Aly oversees customer research, insights, analytics, loyalty, personalization strategy, and customer growth initiatives at Blain's. She has held positions in Marketing, Loyalty, Ecommerce and Customer Experience with Kohl's and Harley Davidson Motor Company prior to Blain's. 

Chad is a visionary retail leader with over 20 years of experience across companies such as American Eagle, Aerie, Target, CVSHealth and Catalina Marketing. Today, Chad is focused on maximizing customer value through the Real Rewards Loyalty Program, integrated Credit Card portfolio and Customer Analytics. This focus spans brands, countries and channels to unlock new ways to engage the member base to fuel retention and customer lifetime value. 

Pablo Sordo is a senior executive with 20+ years of experience leading strategy, business development, and marketing across global organizations in the aviation, agribusiness, and consulting sectors. Proven ability to design and scale transformative initiatives, such as Doters, VivaAerobus’ loyalty program, which reached over 8 million members and achieved financial break-even in two years. Known for a results-oriented leadership style, strong analytical capabilities, and cross-functional collaboration that drives sustainable growth.

Arnab Goswami is an accomplished leader in loyalty, customer value management (CVM), and
engagement strategy, with over 15 years of experience across telecom, retail, and media
industries. As Vice President of Content, Engagement & Partnerships at Deutsche Telekom
Europe, Arnab plays a pivotal role in reshaping how the brand engages with millions of
customers across Europe through innovative loyalty solutions.

A key architect behind the launch of Magenta Moments — Deutsche Telekom’s groundbreaking
cross-border lifestyle engagement program — Arnab has been instrumental in pioneering a shift
from traditional transactional loyalty to emotionally driven customer connections.
 
Within just 18 months of launch, Magenta Moments has expanded to 8 markets, attracted over 6.3 million members, enabled 47 million transactions, and partnered with over 3,500 brands across Europe. Under Arnab’s leadership, the program introduced Hearts, a gamified engagement currency rewarding both digital and lifestyle behaviors. This initiative has significantly boosted customer frequency (+70% app visits), improved satisfaction (+16 rNPS), reduced churn (-45%), and increased ARPU (+53%).

Arnab’s philosophy centers on delivering loyalty as a digitally immersive, gamified, and
emotionally resonant experience. By integrating thousands of partnerships, gamified journeys,
and contextual personalization into Deutsche Telekom’s digital ecosystem, he continues to drive sustainable growth, new revenue streams, and brand affinity at scale.

Known for his collaborative approach, strategic foresight, and passion for innovation, Arnab is
shaping the future of loyalty by blending customer-centricity with next-generation digital
engagement.
 

With over 11 years’ experience in loyalty partnerships, Jillian leads the Global Retail and Lifestyle
Partner Strategy for Emirates Skywards, the loyalty programme of the world’s largest international
airline. In this role, she drives member acquisition and engagement through a diverse portfolio of
strategic partnerships - ranging from luxury brands to everyday retail.

A proven leader in global loyalty strategy, Jillian has built and scaled high-impact collaborations that
deliver value to members while contributing to Emirates Skywards commercial growth. Aligning
with brands that span multiple customer touchpoints, creating compelling everyday opportunities
for members to earn and spend Skywards Miles, deepening loyalty and enhancing the overall
customer experience.

Focused on innovation and long-term value, Jillian continues to shape the future of loyalty through
integrated, cross-industry initiatives that reflect evolving consumer behaviour and deliver
measurable business outcomes.

Your customers and team know me as Karl Mecklenburg, #77, All Pro Captain of the Denver Broncos. I'm a keynote speaker now. A CSP (Certified Speaking Professional through the National Speakers Association).
 

• 4× First-team All-Pro (1985–1987, 1989)
• Second-team All-Pro (1987)
• 6× Pro Bowl (1985–1987, 1989, 1991, 1993)
• Denver Broncos Ring of Fame
• 2× Second-team All-Big Ten (1981, 1982)

Nirali is a Senior Product Manager at Forter, where she leads the development of scalable solutions to prevent fraud and policy abuse while preserving seamless customer experiences. With nearly a decade of product management experience, she works closely with global merchants to design configurable tools and policies that align risk mitigation with business goals. Nirali has spoken at industry events including MRC and NRF, and is recognized for her ability to translate complex fraud challenges into actionable, business-friendly solutions.

Priyanka is a seasoned product marketing leader with a proven track record in fraud and identity protection space. At Forter, she leads the go-to-market strategy for the Account Protection solution—driving product value and helping many Fortune 500 companies reduce risk and boost customer trust. Prior to Forter, she led high-impact campaigns for API-first device intelligence solutions, helping businesses across industries defend against bots, automation abuse, and fraud rings.

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.

JR focuses on creating engaging data-driven experiences for brands that customers love. His commitment to craft critical thought-out strategies allows him to perform complex customer analytics and to drive results with relevant data. He specializes in customer analytics, marketing communications and strategic planning.  
 
JR has close to 10 years of experience within the Loyalty Marketing industry and has extensive experience across retail, travel, entertainment, restaurants, and financial institutions. Some of the retail companies that he has worked with are, Warner Bros, PetSmart, Dillard’s, and Walgreens.

Yosef Peterseil is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for marketing technology and a recognized leader in AI-driven marketing innovation. He is the Co-Founder and COO of Blings, a company revolutionizing how brands engage with customers through real-time, personalized video powered by its patented MP5 technology.

Before founding Blings, Yosef worked in venture capital and successfully exited his first business. His career spans consulting, go-to-market strategy, and the development of scalable marketing solutions, with a strong focus on helping enterprises grow through emerging technologies.

Yosef holds an MBA from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya) and The Wharton School. Today, he is regarded as a leading voice in marketing, loyalty, and customer engagement, and currently lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Nirali is a Senior Product Manager at Forter, where she leads the development of scalable solutions to prevent fraud and policy abuse while preserving seamless customer experiences. With nearly a decade of product management experience, she works closely with global merchants to design configurable tools and policies that align risk mitigation with business goals. Nirali has spoken at industry events including MRC and NRF, and is recognized for her ability to translate complex fraud challenges into actionable, business-friendly solutions.

Don Smith is the Global Consulting Officer at Capillary. Prior to the Brierley acquisition, Don led Brierley’s strategic program design practice, responsible for engineering solutions that balance compelling value propositions with enhanced member experiences and data-driven customer engagement. An avid theater aficionado, Don has a passion for presentation. That passion informs Don's marketing data analytics philosophy in favor of a dynamic storytelling model that brings numbers to life through contextualization and the generation of actionable insights. Don earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Florida State University and spent 11 years teaching statistics and policy evaluation in academia. Prior to joining Brierley, Don 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.

As CEO of Engage People, Jonathan Silver oversees all aspects of the business, driving long-term strategy, marketing, and sales for one of Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies (as recognized by Profit magazine). With over 20 years of executive experience in the loyalty and technology sectors, Jonathan has a strong track record of building high-growth organizations and delivering impactful solutions.

Before founding Engage People, he held several senior leadership roles in the loyalty space, including Chairman and Co-owner of MyAxs, and CEO and Co-founder of Access (formerly LRG Rewards). Passionate about the customer experience, Jonathan is focused on creating innovative solutions that generate measurable results.

He also serves on Engage’s leadership team and board of directors, and holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.

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.

Your customers and team know me as Karl Mecklenburg, #77, All Pro Captain of the Denver Broncos. I'm a keynote speaker now. A CSP (Certified Speaking Professional through the National Speakers Association).
 

• 4× First-team All-Pro (1985–1987, 1989)
• Second-team All-Pro (1987)
• 6× Pro Bowl (1985–1987, 1989, 1991, 1993)
• Denver Broncos Ring of Fame
• 2× Second-team All-Big Ten (1981, 1982)

Ryan Gardiner is the Product Manager for Addtowallet. With a deep understanding of wallet technology & a hands-on approach to product development, he ensures that new features are thoughtfully scoped, thoroughly tested, & aligned with real-world user needs. Before joining Avagate & Addtowallet, Ryan held various roles across digital marketing, analytics, & operations — experiences that sharpened his eye for user experience & taught him the value of building practical tools that solve real problems. His work bridges product, QA, & service, making him a trusted partner to both internal teams & the brands using Addtowallet. When he's not troubleshooting wallet pass logic, Ryan enjoys performing music, sitting on a beach, & hanging out with his Westies.
 

Steven Douglas is the Founder and CEO of Avagate and the driving force behind Addtowallet.com, the no-code platform helping brands launch digital wallet passes for Apple Wallet and Google Pay with speed and style. With over 15 years of experience in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Steven helps companies simplify loyalty, improve retention, and modernize their mobile engagement strategies. He’s also the Co-Founder of stashr.io, the first backup and restoration utility for Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and a proud co-founder and investor in Blocks Edit, a growing SaaS platform for visually editing and collaborating on branded email campaigns. A self-taught developer who built his first app at age nine, Steven brings deep technical expertise, creative problem-solving, and a community-driven mindset to every project. Outside of work, he enjoys bowling, kayaking, and playing Mario with his toddler.

With over 12 years of experience working in professional sports, Haylee Becker manages and oversees the Green Bay Packers affinity and fan engagement programs. As Fan Engagement Manager, Becker develops and executes strategies that further enhance the Green Bay Packers’ overall footprint with its fan bases. Becker runs the Packers official kids club, loyalty program, Packers Everywhere website and social channels and leads the NFL fan engagement club directed initiatives related to the NFL Draft and Fan of the Year/International Fan of the Year contesting.

Sean Eidson is a 20 year veteran of loyalty strategy, designing, renovating, or managing over 80 consumer-facing loyalty programs covering retail, QSR, restaurant, grocery, CPG, and B2B. Prior to joining Mastercard, he led the loyalty practice at Material and was SVP Strategy at Brierley where he led insights, analytics and journey strategy.  He has an MBA from the Darden School at UVA.

Caron oversees Merkle’s Promotion & Loyalty Solutions Client Services Team and brings over 20 years of global consumer marketing experience to the team. Caron is passionate about building trusted client relationships focused on driving key business results and has proven experience in customer experience and loyalty marketing across multiple verticals including CPG, Retail, Restaurant, Automotive, Finance, Hi-Tech, B2B and Travel. Before joining Merkle in 2010, she held numerous roles with BBDO / Omnicom.
 

James Riess leads the Loyalty practice at Merkle, helping brands unlock growth through data-driven, technology-enabled customer strategies. With over two decades of global leadership experience, he is a trusted advisor to leading brands, a recognized voice in the loyalty space, and one of the architects behind Human Loyalty®, a framework that blends emotional connection with personalized marketing.

As VP of Loyalty Strategy at Merkle, Kaitlyn Mitchell specializes in fostering deep loyalty with a brand's most valuable customers. With over 16 years of experience in both agency and in-house roles, she excels in developing and optimizing loyalty programs across various industries, including CPG, healthcare, retail, and restaurants.

With over 15 years of experience in strategy and account leadership, Maria excels at developing comprehensive solutions that drive measurable business results for leading brands like Burger King, J.Crew, and Victoria's Secret. Currently serving on the Promotions and Loyalty Strategy Team at Merkle, she transforms customer data into actionable insights to strengthen brand relationships and accelerate growth.
 

Barbara Hagen is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of ThriftBooks, the world’s largest online independent seller of used and new books. Hagen has more than 20 years of experience as a senior marketing executive with an exceptional track record of success at Fortune 100 companies spanning Retail, CPG, and Tech and proven expertise in many areas including global strategy; loyalty and retention; eCommerce, inclusive of digital and performance marketing; omnichannel marketing; media, social, and multi-channel communications. Her previous roles include executive marketing leadership positions at Target, Microsoft, Best Buy and Johnson & Johnson.

As a data-driven marketer she leverages her experience to drive profitable sales growth, establish deep customer loyalty, and bring to market innovative strategies for ThriftBooks. Her extensive background has enabled her to successfully deliver continued top-line and bottom-line growth for ThriftBooks while strengthening the brand’s overall market position within the industry.

Hagen received her undergraduate degree in Marketing and Advertising from Syracuse University, an MBA in International Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and a Master of Science in Business Analytics also from NYU’s Stern School of Business.  She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, three kids, and two much-loved cats.

Aly Blawat is an accomplished CX leader with over 15 years of experience in developing and executing customer-centric strategies that drive business growth. As the Senior Director of Customer Strategy at Blain's Farm & Fleet, she has successfully led various initiatives to enhance customer engagement, loyalty, and personalization. Aly oversees customer research, insights, analytics, loyalty, personalization strategy, and customer growth initiatives at Blain's. She has held positions in Marketing, Loyalty, Ecommerce and Customer Experience with Kohl's and Harley Davidson Motor Company prior to Blain's. 

Erik Kapila is the Loyalty Program Director at Marcus Theatres, the fourth largest theatre circuit in the U.S. with operations in 17 states. Erik led the launch of Marcus Movie Club in November 2024, a paid subscription extension to their Magical Movie Rewards loyalty program. He also leads all email marketing, member research & analytics, and insights-to-action development. In 2021, Erik partnered with Brierley+Partners on a successful launch of Fleet Rewards at Fleet Farm, a Midwest farm, pet and outdoors retailer. Prior to this, Erik spent 20 years at Kimberly-Clark in various retail advisory, analytics and insights leadership roles.  

 

Erik resides in Wisconsin with family and spends his spare time playing tennis, pickleball and watching his kids play in volleyball tournaments on the weekends.  

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.

The current Head of Loyalty for Giant Food, Ryan Draude has invested his career in the evolution of long-term customer relationships made through the benefits of loyalty & retention programs.

With Giant, he is responsible for fostering the customer relationships with prospective and current shoppers across omnichannel interaction points and forging the path toward benefits and experiences that serve millions of shoppers who shop both in-store and via eCommerce across the Mid-Atlantic.

Ryan formerly led Choice Privileges, the multi-billion-dollar reward program for Choice Hotels, and over a five-year period overhauled the program via the scrutiny of member data and the respect to listen to what members sought from the program. The results catapulted the program to its first major Freddie Award and moved the program from #11 in the country to #2 in the US News & World Report’s Best Hotel Reward Program category.

Prior, Ryan earned a U.S. patent for his work standing up Sallie Mae’s customer engagement efforts via his delivery of the first true-cost college affordability online tool for all families to understand the real education financing. His tenure includes other loyalty, marketing, and financial leadership positions with Rite Aid, Capital One, Citigroup and Switchfly.

He is also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, teaching Loyalty Strategy within their Hospitality Leadership program at the Master’s level for the past four years.

Joe Leone is Senior Director of Loyalty and Customer Insights at Tractor Supply Co. where he is privileged to lead the Neighbor’s Club - one of the largest and fastest growing loyalty programs in retail.  With over 40M members and $12B in sales, the program leverages robust analytics and data science to connect each customer with the most compelling marketing and uniquely relevant offers.  Joe is a retail veteran with over 25 years of experience leading teams across the merchandising and marketing spectrum.  He holds a bachelors in Finance from the University of Puget Sound and an MBA from the University of Houston.
 

Shamba, a 25-year veteran of the loyalty industry, partners with brands to determine the best loyalty marketing solutions to reach their objectives and drive growth. She's a strategic thinker and passionate about making loyalty better for all clients and their customers.

Karim Chaanine is a growth-hacking business strategist and the Chief Marketing Officer for Papa Johns in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. With over 15 years of experience in sales and marketing, Karim has consistently delivered exceptional results across various industries. His uncompromising approach to business transformation and a rich history in client-side sales and marketing at leading companies like Procter & Gamble and Nestlé distinguish him as a leader in the field.

Karim has also founded a successful media and marketing consultancy and a food and beverage brand in Malaysia. His innovative strategies and ability to disrupt traditional norms have earned him three Effie Awards and recognition for pioneering an efficient, digital-only communication ecosystem within his organizations.
 
At Nestlé, Karim achieved the position of the youngest associate executive manager, leading the company’s largest division with an annual turnover exceeding USD 0.5 billion. In January 2023, he joined PJP Investments as Chief Marketing Officer, bringing his strategic vision and expertise to further propel the growth of Papa Johns in his regions.

Krishna is an experienced business leader with a rare blend of hands-on commercial & technical expertise in building loyalty program infrastructure from the ground up. He currently manages Loyalty & CRM for Nahdi across key markets. In this role, Krishna focuses on program management, guest engagement, and partnerships with P&L responsibility. Since 2022 he has led a revamp of the program Nuhdeek Rewards by redesigning the core program strategy and customer value proposition, driving digital adoption supported by a comprehensive payment strategy. Before joining Nahdi, in a career spanning 16+ years in loyalty he has worked with large conglomerates across MENA and SEA markets leading coalition, multi-brand & monoline loyalty programs.

Donnarie Hales is Director, Loyalty Strategy and Experience with Merz Aesthetics. With over 20 years of marketing experience, she has held diverse roles spanning product management, customer experience and marketing system management. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to establishing strategies and systems that enhance customer engagement, to drive customer retention and revenue growth. Her expertise and commitment have led her to spearhead an aesthetic loyalty program with over 1 million members.

Abbey is a retail marketing professional who has spent the last 10 years finding new and exciting ways to engage and delight customers – from grassroots strategy to national activations, resulting in tens of thousands of inspired participants. Most recently, she turned her efforts to revamping Fleet Feet’s national loyalty program and launched Fleet Feet Milestones in July 2024. Abbey is a Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional through the Loyalty Academy. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and currently resides in North Carolina with her husband. When she’s not working on new campaigns to nurture customers, you can find Abbey outside ticking another U.S. National Park off the list (she aims to visit them all!) or volunteering with her local Woman’s Club.

Joe Leone is Senior Director of Loyalty and Customer Insights at Tractor Supply Co. where he is privileged to lead the Neighbor’s Club - one of the largest and fastest growing loyalty programs in retail.  With over 40M members and $12B in sales, the program leverages robust analytics and data science to connect each customer with the most compelling marketing and uniquely relevant offers.  Joe is a retail veteran with over 25 years of experience leading teams across the merchandising and marketing spectrum.  He holds a bachelors in Finance from the University of Puget Sound and an MBA from the University of Houston.

 

Jeremy Halek is the Senior Director of Consumer Marketing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA), where he leads innovative strategies in consumer research and product marketing. With a focus on driving strategic planning and the execution of fan growth across the organization, Jeremy oversees consumer marketing efforts for the Cleveland Cavaliers and their affiliated properties, including the Cleveland Monsters (AHL), Cleveland Charge (NBAG), and events at Rocket Arena.

A key contributor to Rock Entertainment Group, Jeremy supports various initiatives within this dynamic portfolio of sports and entertainment entities, formed under the Dan Gilbert ROCK Family of Companies in 2021. His expertise lies in creating impactful marketing campaigns that enhance fan experiences and expand audience reach.

Amy is the Senior Director of Marketing at Royal Bank of Canada, leading the Loyalty portfolio and Avion Rewards brand. She oversees the brand strategy, content and campaign strategies, as well as driving acquisition and engagement of the 10M+ Avion Rewards members. Joining Royal Bank of Canda in 2023 to launch the Avion Rewards brand in Canada and position ourselves as Canada's newest program.

With deep Marketing experience spanning some of Canada's top retail and loyalty brands, including Shoppers Drug Mart and PC Optimum, Amy brings a unique blend of strategic insight, thought leadership and constant agility to meet the evolving world of customer engagement in the Loyalty space. Proven success driving business impact across consumer packaged goods, health & wellness, beauty and loyalty by transforming customer insights and data into impactful and actionable strategies.

Nick Triantafellou is the Director of Marketing & Merchandising at Weigel’s, where he leads category management, marketing strategy, NIL campaigns, and retail media innovation. Under his leadership, Weigel’s has achieved industry-leading loyalty penetration, launched award-winning NIL partnerships, and rolled out a private label program that continues to exceed sales expectations.

Nick’s passion for community, innovation, and storytelling has helped transform Weigel’s into a powerhouse in convenience retail—blending tradition with bold, modern campaigns that drive real results. From leading successful beverage loyalty initiatives to overseeing multi-million dollar foodservice launches, Nick’s approach is both strategic and hands-on.

A frequent industry speaker and board member, Nick has earned multiple national accolades—including recognition for his category leadership and for innovation in private label development. His work has driven triple-digit year-over-year social engagement growth, viral campaigns reaching millions, and a company culture that’s as energizing as it is effective.

Barbara Hagen is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of ThriftBooks, the world’s largest online independent seller of used and new books. Hagen has more than 20 years of experience as a senior marketing executive with an exceptional track record of success at Fortune 100 companies spanning Retail, CPG, and Tech and proven expertise in many areas including global strategy; loyalty and retention; eCommerce, inclusive of digital and performance marketing; omnichannel marketing; media, social, and multi-channel communications. Her previous roles include executive marketing leadership positions at Target, Microsoft, Best Buy and Johnson & Johnson.

As a data-driven marketer she leverages her experience to drive profitable sales growth, establish deep customer loyalty, and bring to market innovative strategies for ThriftBooks. Her extensive background has enabled her to successfully deliver continued top-line and bottom-line growth for ThriftBooks while strengthening the brand’s overall market position within the industry.

Hagen received her undergraduate degree in Marketing and Advertising from Syracuse University, an MBA in International Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and a Master of Science in Business Analytics also from NYU’s Stern School of Business.  She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, three kids, and two much-loved cats.

As assistant director of market research at Certified Angus Beef, Christy Johnson leverages her nearly three decades in marketing, advertising and consumer loyalty to identify and share consumer and trade research. This research helps develop effective marketing strategies for the brand and its partners, showcasing their dedication to quality. A significant part of her success stems from her love for research and her passion for intelligent marketing.

 

With over 11 years’ experience in loyalty partnerships, Jillian leads the Global Retail and Lifestyle
Partner Strategy for Emirates Skywards, the loyalty programme of the world’s largest international
airline. In this role, she drives member acquisition and engagement through a diverse portfolio of
strategic partnerships - ranging from luxury brands to everyday retail.

A proven leader in global loyalty strategy, Jillian has built and scaled high-impact collaborations that
deliver value to members while contributing to Emirates Skywards commercial growth. Aligning
with brands that span multiple customer touchpoints, creating compelling everyday opportunities
for members to earn and spend Skywards Miles, deepening loyalty and enhancing the overall
customer experience.

Focused on innovation and long-term value, Jillian continues to shape the future of loyalty through
integrated, cross-industry initiatives that reflect evolving consumer behaviour and deliver
measurable business outcomes.

Karen Szarvas serves as Senior Director of CRM and Loyalty at The Vitamin Shoppe®, an omni-channel specialty retailer. Karen has 25 years of global marketing expertise, specializing in customer acquisition, engagement, and retention. She leads the award-winning Healthy Awards loyalty program and CRM initiatives including lifecycle marketing, multi-channel communications and gamified experiences.

Prior to joining The Vitamin Shoppe, she spent seven years as a consultant and 12 years at Wyndham Worldwide, designing loyalty programs, email strategies and branding initiatives that elevated customer growth and engagement.

Amanda Mitchell is the head of Loyalty at Petro-Canada.  Amanda has an MBA from the Smith School of business and her experience spans over 15 years in the Oil and Gas industry across a variety of disciplines including Strategy, Operations, Logistics, Sales, Marketing and Loyalty.  Amanda is passionate about finding the intersection between satisfying customer needs and driving business value.  In her spare time, Amanda loves skiing with her family, cycling, hosting parties, and travelling. 

Digital marketing, eComm and loyalty leader with 20+ years’ experience at Domino's and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. At Tropical Smoothie, Melissa led Loyalty, CRM, 3PD and Digital Listings, growing loyalty by 50% in one year and leading MarTech strategy. She crafted promotions that drove the highest sales days in Tropical Smoothie’s history and drove the app to #1 in Food. At Domino’s, she oversaw one of the largest loyalty programs and implemented the some of the largest eCommerce A/B testing wins in the brand’s history. Melissa also led store tech, including the self-driving pizza delivery test, ordering & check-in kiosks and digital menu boards.

Keith McLellan is Group Director of Digital Customer Experience at Whataburger, where he leads digital sales growth, innovation, and loyalty-driving marketing campaigns. With over 20 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, he’s passionate about turning complex challenges into simple, scalable solutions. Keith is a recognized team builder and mentor, and outside of work, he enjoys fishing, reading, and spending time with his wife Elizabeth and their three kids.

Amy Nicholson is the Director of Product Marketing for Mobility & Convenience Americas focusing on product and digital marketing efforts for bp, ampm, Thorntons and Travel Centers of America.

Amy is passionate about being a people-first leader. ‘Serving the guest or someone who does’ is the way Amy’s team works, as at the end of the day we’re here because of those working in our stores or for our guests coming into our stores.

Amy began her career at bp in 2021 working on loyalty for the Thorntons brand, then soon took over all aspects of Marketing for Thorntons and ampm. In January of 2025, Amy took on a new role leading Product Marketing for all brands. For 15 years prior Amy worked for Papa John’s International, holding roles in both Field Marketing and Digital Marketing.

Amy received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Mississippi State University. Outside of work, Amy’s favorite past times include spending time with her family, helping lead her daughters Girl Scouts troop, reading and occasionally watching bad reality TV.

Nicole is an accomplished business line owner with a passion for driving growth for organizations through data and designing consumer-first experiences.

Starting her career at State Farm, Nicole aided in the creation of an innovation area at State Farm and helped build processes to progress concepts through the innovation pipeline and deliver innovation at scale. Nicole continued her passion for consumer-led innovation joining Under Armour and leading Global Consumer Insights for several product categories, collaboratively influencing each category’s growth strategy and plan.
Most recently, Nicole was the head of Ulta Beauty Rewards, a best-in-class loyalty program with 44M+ active members that consistently achieved strong year over year growth under her leadership. Nicole also led personalization at Ulta Beauty, delivering against incremental sales goals from data-led and consumer-first experiences.
Currently, Nicole is the Senior Director of Loyalty at Lowe’s, leading two distinct loyalty programs for homeowners and professionals, as well as member experiences, events, and kid’s workshops. She leads a team of marketing strategists, customer experience experts, and operational specialists to deliver member performance, execute program operations, build a personalized loyalty experience, and develop the long-term loyalty strategy and roadmap.

Outside of work, Nicole and her husband stay busy chasing around their two young kids and two dogs.  In addition to family time, Nicole enjoys staying active through group fitness classes and discovered a hidden talent for cooking that has become a newfound passion.   
 

Prudence has over 25 years’ experience in marketing strategy that spans advertising, CRM and loyalty program development and customer experience in the digital space. Data-driven insights has always been at the forefront of each program she has created. She has worked with clients such as: APAC McDonald’s – Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia to develop a robust CRM program for each country’s McDelivery service. Additionally, she worked with America’s Test Kitchen, Biogen Idec, and others to establish data-driven CRM program frameworks. Most recently, Prudence led the strategy development for the Virginia Lottery’s new loyalty program and in her spare time, she just launched an entertainment app, called Shoes & Booze.
 

Tunc Ozcan brings over two decades of hands-on experience in transforming loyalty and data strategies into measurable business outcomes. Currently leading Loyalty and Business Data Analytics at Nahdi, he has reshaped the Nuhdeek loyalty program through a clear strategic roadmap, new digital features, and ecosystem partnerships that enhanced customer engagement and commercial performance. Prior to joining Nahdi, Tunc held senior roles at major conglomerates such as Alghanim Industries, Dogus Group, and Koc Group, where he led enterprise-wide loyalty and CRM, data analytics infrastructure, and digital marketing initiatives. His career reflects a consistent focus on building customer-centric organizations through data-driven decision making, advanced analytics, and scalable technology platforms.

Michael Fong is Head of Loyalty Analytics at RBC, where he leads the strategy behind one of Canada’s most data-rich personalization engines. At the intersection of AI, analytics, and member experience, Michael helps transform transactional data into tailored, meaningful interactions that drive engagement and loyalty. His work focuses on turning insights into action—enabling smarter personalization at scale for both members and merchant partners.

Nicole Hulstein currently holds the role of Loyalty Marketing Manager for Food Lion, a grocery retailer that operates 1,108 grocery retail locations over 10 states. As Loyalty Marketing Manager, Nicole is responsible for ensuring that the strategy of Food Lion's Loyalty Program achieves the key performance indicators of a strong loyalty program while achieving the financial obligations for the organization. She serves as the key CRM owner of the email and push channels.

Nicole has worked in grocery retail for 19+ years in many capacities including procurement, financial analysis, merchandising, category management and her current passion - loyalty marketing! In the years of service, Nicole has led teams through innovative dynamic supply chain changes, system migrations, process changes and category management of a multi-million dollar business. She brings creativity and a curious mindset to the loyalty area of the business - traits that were paramount to the creation of a 3 year strategy plan to inform the future of Loyalty for Food Lion.

Nicole has a bachelor of science degree with a marketing concentration from Pfeiffer University. She has enjoyed many post graduate training and development opportunities including: Cornell University Food Management Program, Scotwork North America Advanced Negotiation Skills and Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Arizona.

Nicole brings creative high energy and optimism to address business opportunities and align teams on a go-forward process to achieve objectives. She has a keen understanding of the supply chain side of the organization and our customer which she brings into creating meaningful marketing materials which communicate the right message while driving strong financial performance.

Nicole has received several professional recognitions including "Produce Business Top 40 Under 40" (2020), Emerging Leader (2021) and Mentor in the Making (2022).

She resides in Kannapolis, NC with her husband (Kevin), children - Noah and Quinn. 

Jeremy Halek is the Senior Director of Consumer Marketing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA), where he leads innovative strategies in consumer research and product marketing. With a focus on driving strategic planning and the execution of fan growth across the organization, Jeremy oversees consumer marketing efforts for the Cleveland Cavaliers and their affiliated properties, including the Cleveland Monsters (AHL), Cleveland Charge (NBAG), and events at Rocket Arena.

A key contributor to Rock Entertainment Group, Jeremy supports various initiatives within this dynamic portfolio of sports and entertainment entities, formed under the Dan Gilbert ROCK Family of Companies in 2021. His expertise lies in creating impactful marketing campaigns that enhance fan experiences and expand audience reach.
 

Evan Abrams is the Senior Director at VIP Nation, where he plays a key role in delivering premium fan experiences. With over a decade of experience in the live entertainment industry, Evan has helped shape VIP programs for some of the world's biggest artists, ensuring unforgettable moments for superfans. His expertise spans marketing, operations, customer service, and strategic partnerships, all aimed at enhancing fan engagement through exclusive access and tailored experiences.
 

Meghan Kirkpatrick is a CRM & Digital Marketing specialist with a passion for building customer loyalty through personalized experiences. As a Digital Experience Manager for the PC Optimum program at Loblaw Digital, she is responsible for developing and executing digital strategies that enhance the member experience, drive engagement, and increase program participation. Meghan leverages her project management skills and design expertise to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and deliver results for Canada’s most-loved brands. 

Kaelan Forgues is a Product Manager focused on building digital experiences that drive customer loyalty and long-term engagement. With deep expertise in eCommerce, marketplaces, and digital loyalty programs, she currently leads the PC Optimum program at Loblaw Digital. Kaelan brings a holistic approach to product strategy, shaped by her background in Finance and Operations, allowing her to connect business goals with user needs and execution realities. Her recent work centers on impactful in-app features designed to enhance engagement and retention. She’s passionate about digital transformation and the evolving intersection of loyalty, and online marketplaces.

Russ Fliegler is the Loyalty Manager at Portillo’s, an iconic fast casual chain known for American food with a Chicago twist. At Portillo’s, Russ is responsible for developing and executing the loyalty strategy for Portillo’s Perks, which launched in March 2025.

Before joining Portillo’s, Russ worked at Mastercard, where he managed the relationship with the flagship global QSR loyalty client. Prior to Mastercard, Russ spent a year at McDonald’s and served as a strategic advisor to the top five global markets regarding the My McDonald’s Rewards loyalty program. He also served as the Sr. Manager, Loyalty Integrated Marketing at Potbelly Sandwich Works. Before focusing on loyalty marketing and the digital customer experience, Russ held various marketing roles at PepsiCo and the National Basketball Association.

Russ received his MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and his BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Lucho Romero is a Manager within the Loyalty and Customer Engagement team at Hilton. With a strong background in loyalty technology and strategic planning, Lucho has been instrumental in driving innovation and enhancing the Hilton Honors program. Utilizing Phaedon's Tally platform, Lucho has streamlined operational efficiencies and partnered cross-functionally within Hilton to drive loyalty performance and execution. Having been with Hilton for 17 years, Lucho fosters a culture of continuous improvement and excellence within the team, ensuring that Hilton Honors members receive exceptional experiences. His dedication to technology strategy and passion for delivering outstanding results make him a valuable asset to the organization. Lucho's innovative mindset and commitment to excellence continue to drive the success of Hilton Honors.
 

Steering the course of operations alongside CEO Justin Howe, Heath Nielsen serves as the President of HTeaO, a position that epitomizes his dedication to orchestrating daily operations and nurturing relationships with HTeaO’s esteemed franchise owners.

With a career spanning over 25 dynamic years, Heath has led teams within renowned organizations such as Black Rifle, Starbucks, Sony, Vail Resorts, Gap, and the US Army. Throughout his journey, Heath has been driven by an unwavering commitment to excellence, a deep understanding of market dynamics, and a fervent passion for fostering growth and innovation.
 

Barbara Hagen is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of ThriftBooks, the world’s largest online independent seller of used and new books. Hagen has more than 20 years of experience as a senior marketing executive with an exceptional track record of success at Fortune 100 companies spanning Retail, CPG, and Tech and proven expertise in many areas including global strategy; loyalty and retention; eCommerce, inclusive of digital and performance marketing; omnichannel marketing; media, social, and multi-channel communications. Her previous roles include executive marketing leadership positions at Target, Microsoft, Best Buy and Johnson & Johnson.

As a data-driven marketer she leverages her experience to drive profitable sales growth, establish deep customer loyalty, and bring to market innovative strategies for ThriftBooks. Her extensive background has enabled her to successfully deliver continued top-line and bottom-line growth for ThriftBooks while strengthening the brand’s overall market position within the industry.

Hagen received her undergraduate degree in Marketing and Advertising from Syracuse University, an MBA in International Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and a Master of Science in Business Analytics also from NYU’s Stern School of Business.  She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, three kids, and two much-loved cats.

Steering the course of operations alongside CEO Justin Howe, Heath Nielsen serves as the President of HTeaO, a position that epitomizes his dedication to orchestrating daily operations and nurturing relationships with HTeaO’s esteemed franchise owners.

With a career spanning over 25 dynamic years, Heath has led teams within renowned organizations such as Black Rifle, Starbucks, Sony, Vail Resorts, Gap, and the US Army. Throughout his journey, Heath has been driven by an unwavering commitment to excellence, a deep understanding of market dynamics, and a fervent passion for fostering growth and innovation.
 

SuAnn Carriero is a Senior Digital Director in BofA Rewards.  In this role SuAnn is responsible for the Rewards Program Strategy, Overall Performance, Business Analysis, Associate Readiness and Client Satisfaction. In 2022, Preferred Rewards was named ‘America’s Best Loyalty Program’ by Newsweek and  ‘Best Bank Customer Loyalty Program’ by Motely Fool.

Prior to her current role, SuAnn worked in Quantitative Analytics leading various teams including Segmentation, Investment, and Rewards.   SuAnn led the Preferred Rewards Quantitative Analytics team when the program first launched in 2014. 

Additionally, SuAnn managed teams and processes across a variety or areas within Bank of America, including Business Intelligence, External Reporting, Finance and was the CFO of America’s Investment Banking. Through the 30 years SuAnn has been with the Bank of America/Merrill her passion about associate development has been apparent. Over the past 5 years SuAnn has helped to create employee satisfaction teams to foster cross team collaborations and shared best practices.

SuAnn graduated from Rider University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, majoring in accounting.  She is also a certified public accountant and is currently attending Lehigh University for her Master’s in Business Administration. 

SuAnn resides in Scarborough, Maine loves to spend time outside hiking, skiing and biking.  She is also active in her community across various school and non-profit organizations. She participates in her children’s school’s woman career days by sharing skills and experiences with young ladies. Recently SuAnn has been fostering puppies for the local Animal shelter.

Lucho Romero is a Manager within the Loyalty and Customer Engagement team at Hilton. With a strong background in loyalty technology and strategic planning, Lucho has been instrumental in driving innovation and enhancing the Hilton Honors program. Utilizing Phaedon's Tally platform, Lucho has streamlined operational efficiencies and partnered cross-functionally within Hilton to drive loyalty performance and execution. Having been with Hilton for 17 years, Lucho fosters a culture of continuous improvement and excellence within the team, ensuring that Hilton Honors members receive exceptional experiences. His dedication to technology strategy and passion for delivering outstanding results make him a valuable asset to the organization. Lucho's innovative mindset and commitment to excellence continue to drive the success of Hilton Honors.
 

Kelly Edwards is the Senior Manager of Loyalty Program Strategy at Bath & Body Works, where she leads the strategic direction for a loyalty program with over 38 million active members, driving over 80% of company sales. She oversees the long-term roadmap and manages the full membership experience—including seasonal offers, events, and exclusive access to brand partnerships & experiences —while partnering with IT, Digital, and Product teams to deliver new capabilities across POS and e-commerce. Kelly’s team has achieved double-digit growth in the program since national launch in 2021 and delivered key initiatives such as a loyalty engine re-platform and the launch of member-exclusive in-app shopping. Prior to Bath & Body Works, Kelly led North American loyalty programs at Designer Brands and held consulting roles focused on customer engagement and experience design strategy.

Monica Stevenson is a collaborative, results-driven marketing leader with deep expertise in partnerships, loyalty strategy, customer engagement, and product development.  In her role as Strategic Partnership Manager at Petro-Canada, she has been instrumental in supporting the evolution of the Petro-Points loyalty program and manages our newest strategic relationship with Canadian Tire Corporation. Outside of work, Monica enjoys spending time with her family and travelling around the world whenever she can.

Emma is on the Digital Innovation & Partnerships team at Burger King. Her work utilizes data-driven insights and cross-functional collaboration to support high-impact strategic partnerships and digital growth initiatives that align with Burger King’s brand vision and broader digital transformation strategy.

Andrea Navarro is a CRM and loyalty strategist driving customer engagement at Burger King through data-powered personalization and innovative lifecycle campaigns. Her work has helped evolve Burger King's approach to retention and loyalty, transforming behavioral insights into meaningful experiences that fuel growth for Royal Perks and deepen digital guest relationships.

She has played a key role in optimizing campaign performance and leading successful initiatives like Perks Weeks — designed to surprise and delight members while accelerating program engagement and driving incremental traffic and sales for the digital business. From segmentation to journey orchestration, Andrea continues to shape Burger King's loyalty and lifecycle marketing strategy into a smarter, more personalized, and results-driven engine.
 

Jay joined Church’s Texas Chicken in June 2022 as Senior Director of Digital & Loyalty, where he has played a pivotal role in shaping and managing the brand’s inaugural loyalty program, Church's Real Rewards(TM). Under his leadership, the program has experienced tremendous growth, achieving nearly a million members in less than a year. Additionally, Jay has been at the forefront of the brand’s digital transformation, driving significant advancements in digital e-commerce and customer engagement.

Before Church’s, Jay served as the Director of Loyalty at GoTo Foods (formerly FOCUS Brands), where he led the integration, enablement, and support of the company’s loyalty platform across multiple brands, including McAlister’s Deli, Schlotzsky’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba, and Carvel. Earlier in his career, Jay developed omnichannel marketing strategies, provided consultative analysis and optimization for CRM programs across a wide roster of clients, including Chick-fil-A, Equifax, Aflac, Footsmart, UPS, Phillips 66, Zagat, SeaWorld, Southern Company, NAPA Auto Parts, and Mizuno.

As the Director of Loyalty Marketing at SIGA, Crystal Thibodeau leads the strategic vision for SIGA’s loyalty club, overseeing loyalty initiatives that drive guest engagement and player development across seven casino properties in Saskatchewan. With over a decade of experience on SIGA’s marketing team, Crystal has played a leading role in evolving the loyalty club into a data-driven program that enhances the member’s casino experience.

Outside of the casino industry, Crystal spends time with her husband, two young boys and extended family. You can find her with a good book, starting a new crafting hobby or traveling up to northern Saskatchewan lakes over the weekends.

Steering the course of operations alongside CEO Justin Howe, Heath Nielsen serves as the President of HTeaO, a position that epitomizes his dedication to orchestrating daily operations and nurturing relationships with HTeaO’s esteemed franchise owners.

With a career spanning over 25 dynamic years, Heath has led teams within renowned organizations such as Black Rifle, Starbucks, Sony, Vail Resorts, Gap, and the US Army. Throughout his journey, Heath has been driven by an unwavering commitment to excellence, a deep understanding of market dynamics, and a fervent passion for fostering growth and innovation.

Nicole is an accomplished business line owner with a passion for driving growth for organizations through data and designing consumer-first experiences.

Starting her career at State Farm, Nicole aided in the creation of an innovation area at State Farm and helped build processes to progress concepts through the innovation pipeline and deliver innovation at scale. Nicole continued her passion for consumer-led innovation joining Under Armour and leading Global Consumer Insights for several product categories, collaboratively influencing each category’s growth strategy and plan.

Most recently, Nicole was the head of Ulta Beauty Rewards, a best-in-class loyalty program with 44M+ active members that consistently achieved strong year over year growth under her leadership. Nicole also led personalization at Ulta Beauty, delivering against incremental sales goals from data-led and consumer-first experiences.

Currently, Nicole is the Senior Director of Loyalty at Lowe’s, leading two distinct loyalty programs for homeowners and professionals, as well as member experiences, events, and kid’s workshops. She leads a team of marketing strategists, customer experience experts, and operational specialists to deliver member performance, execute program operations, build a personalized loyalty experience, and develop the long-term loyalty strategy and roadmap.

Outside of work, Nicole and her husband stay busy chasing around their two young kids and two dogs.  In addition to family time, Nicole enjoys staying active through group fitness classes and discovered a hidden talent for cooking that has become a newfound passion.   

Erik Kapila is the Loyalty Program Director at Marcus Theatres, the fourth largest theatre circuit in the U.S. with operations in 17 states. Erik led the launch of Marcus Movie Club in November 2024, a paid subscription extension to their Magical Movie Rewards loyalty program. He also leads all email marketing, member research & analytics, and insights-to-action development. In 2021, Erik partnered with Brierley+Partners on a successful launch of Fleet Rewards at Fleet Farm, a Midwest farm, pet and outdoors retailer. Prior to this, Erik spent 20 years at Kimberly-Clark in various retail advisory, analytics and insights leadership roles.  
 
Erik resides in Wisconsin with family and spends his spare time playing tennis, pickleball and watching his kids play in volleyball tournaments on the weekends.  
 

Amy Nicholson is the Director of Product Marketing for Mobility & Convenience Americas focusing on product and digital marketing efforts for bp, ampm, Thorntons and Travel Centers of America.

Amy is passionate about being a people-first leader. ‘Serving the guest or someone who does’ is the way Amy’s team works, as at the end of the day we’re here because of those working in our stores or for our guests coming into our stores.

Amy began her career at bp in 2021 working on loyalty for the Thorntons brand, then soon took over all aspects of Marketing for Thorntons and ampm. In January of 2025, Amy took on a new role leading Product Marketing for all brands. For 15 years prior Amy worked for Papa John’s International, holding roles in both Field Marketing and Digital Marketing.

Amy received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Mississippi State University. Outside of work, Amy’s favorite past times include spending time with her family, helping lead her daughters Girl Scouts troop, reading and occasionally watching bad reality TV.

Brett has worked in the loyalty space for the past seven years as part of The Vitamin Shoppe’s loyalty team. As the senior manager of loyalty, Brett oversees TVS’s loyalty program, Healthy Awards. In the last few years, Brett and the team have worked hard to expand what Healthy Awards can offer its members, branching into non-transactional earning and gamification. Brett’s excited to represent Healthy Awards as a finalist in this category and can’t wait to see what the other nominees have brought to the table!
 

Aly Blawat is an accomplished CX leader with over 15 years of experience in developing and executing customer-centric strategies that drive business growth. As the Senior Director of Customer Strategy at Blain's Farm & Fleet, she has successfully led various initiatives to enhance customer engagement, loyalty, and personalization. Aly oversees customer research, insights, analytics, loyalty, personalization strategy, and customer growth initiatives at Blain's. She has held positions in Marketing, Loyalty, Ecommerce and Customer Experience with Kohl's and Harley Davidson Motor Company prior to Blain's. 
 

Molly Fish is a loyalty and CRM expert with over a decade of experience building meaningful, data-driven customer relationships for prominent media and consumer brands. As the Sr. Manager of CRM, Loyalty & SEO at QDOBA, she leads the strategy behind the brand’s guest engagement efforts—designing lifecycle programs that drive retention, boost frequency, and increase customer lifetime value. Before joining QDOBA, Molly spent nearly eight years at The Walt Disney Company, where she led CRM and digital content initiatives for ABC7 Los Angeles and ABC Entertainment. Her work focused on creating personalized, multi-channel experiences across email, push, in-app, and social to deepen audience engagement and loyalty. Molly brings a unique blend of creative storytelling, technical expertise, and data fluency to her approach. She’s passionate about building customer-first programs that not only drive business results but also foster lasting emotional connections with brands.

Kelly Edwards is the Senior Manager of Loyalty Program Strategy at Bath & Body Works, where she leads the strategic direction for a loyalty program with over 38 million active members, driving over 80% of company sales. She oversees the long-term roadmap and manages the full membership experience—including seasonal offers, events, and exclusive access to brand partnerships & experiences —while partnering with IT, Digital, and Product teams to deliver new capabilities across POS and e-commerce. Kelly’s team has achieved double-digit growth in the program since national launch in 2021 and delivered key initiatives such as a loyalty engine re-platform and the launch of member-exclusive in-app shopping. Prior to Bath & Body Works, Kelly led North American loyalty programs at Designer Brands and held consulting roles focused on customer engagement and experience design strategy.

John Sellers is the digital executive in charge of Rewards at BofA. In this role, John oversees all reward programs; including consumer, wealth management and small business relationship rewards programs and credit card rewards redemption. In 2022, Preferred Rewards was named ‘America’s Best Loyalty Program’ by Newsweek and ‘Best Bank Customer Loyalty Program’ by Motley Fool. 

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.

Jay joined Church’s Texas Chicken in June 2022 as Senior Director of Digital & Loyalty, where he has played a pivotal role in shaping and managing the brand’s inaugural loyalty program, Church's Real Rewards(TM). Under his leadership, the program has experienced tremendous growth, achieving nearly a million members in less than a year. Additionally, Jay has been at the forefront of the brand’s digital transformation, driving significant advancements in digital e-commerce and customer engagement.

Before Church’s, Jay served as the Director of Loyalty at GoTo Foods (formerly FOCUS Brands), where he led the integration, enablement, and support of the company’s loyalty platform across multiple brands, including McAlister’s Deli, Schlotzsky’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba, and Carvel. Earlier in his career, Jay developed omnichannel marketing strategies, provided consultative analysis and optimization for CRM programs across a wide roster of clients, including Chick-fil-A, Equifax, Aflac, Footsmart, UPS, Phillips 66, Zagat, SeaWorld, Southern Company, NAPA Auto Parts, and Mizuno.

Donald Baal brings over 20 years of motorsports experience to NASCAR where he currently manages NASCAR’s loyalty program – NASCAR Fan Rewards. Prior to leading Fan Rewards, Donald oversaw the NASCAR Data Strategy team, established in 2020 as part of the newly integrated NASCAR, to create a dedicated unit that focused on the strategic development of consumer data. In previous roles, Donald has lead digital marketing and managed the front-end of NASCAR’s digital platforms including NASCAR.com and the NASCAR Mobile app.    Prior to joining NASCAR, Donald spent 10 years at International Speedway Corporation working in ticket sales, travel, and email marketing.
 
Donald lives near Daytona Beach, FL with his three children.  They spend most of their time playing sports, at the beach, and boating.   

Natalie Khalil is a Senior Manager of CRM within the Loyalty and Customer Engagement team at Hilton. With a strong background in marketing analytics, Natalie has an extensive history of leveraging big data and analytics to inform both customer and marketing strategies. At Hilton, her team leads the design of customer strategies within the Loyalty space and beyond, including offer strategy. Natalie also works to liaise between data architecture and business teams, ensuring that database design efficiently meets the needs of customer analytics teams throughout Hilton. She is passionate about the travel industry and is constantly working to ensure a customer-first mindset for Hilton and the Honors program.
 

Michael Fong is Head of Loyalty Analytics at RBC, where he leads the strategy behind one of Canada’s most data-rich personalization engines. At the intersection of AI, analytics, and member experience, Michael helps transform transactional data into tailored, meaningful interactions that drive engagement and loyalty. His work focuses on turning insights into action—enabling smarter personalization at scale for both members and merchant partners.

Nicole Hulstein currently holds the role of Loyalty Marketing Manager for Food Lion, a grocery retailer that operates 1,108 grocery retail locations over 10 states. As Loyalty Marketing Manager, Nicole is responsible for ensuring that the strategy of Food Lion's Loyalty Program achieves the key performance indicators of a strong loyalty program while achieving the financial obligations for the organization. She serves as the key CRM owner of the email and push channels.

Nicole has worked in grocery retail for 19+ years in many capacities including procurement, financial analysis, merchandising, category management and her current passion - loyalty marketing! In the years of service, Nicole has led teams through innovative dynamic supply chain changes, system migrations, process changes and category management of a multi-million dollar business. She brings creativity and a curious mindset to the loyalty area of the business - traits that were paramount to the creation of a 3 year strategy plan to inform the future of Loyalty for Food Lion.

Nicole has a bachelor of science degree with a marketing concentration from Pfeiffer University. She has enjoyed many post graduate training and development opportunities including: Cornell University Food Management Program, Scotwork North America Advanced Negotiation Skills and Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Arizona.

Nicole brings creative high energy and optimism to address business opportunities and align teams on a go-forward process to achieve objectives. She has a keen understanding of the supply chain side of the organization and our customer which she brings into creating meaningful marketing materials which communicate the right message while driving strong financial performance.

Nicole has received several professional recognitions including "Produce Business Top 40 Under 40" (2020), Emerging Leader (2021) and Mentor in the Making (2022).

She resides in Kannapolis, NC with her husband (Kevin), children - Noah and Quinn. 

Amber Gadsby is a dynamic digital marketing and innovation leader with a passion for transforming customer experiences and fueling business growth through bold, data-driven strategies. With deep expertise spanning CRM, loyalty, marketing automation, media, social, AI integration, and omni-channel product innovation, she has led groundbreaking digital initiatives for iconic brands including Domino’s, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and now as Sr. Director of Digital Marketing & Ecommerce at QDOBA. Amber is known for her ability to connect technology with storytelling—creating seamless, high-impact experiences that deliver measurable results.

An award-winning marketer featured in Adweek and Advertising Age, Amber is equally passionate about building high-performing teams as she is about delivering innovative solutions. From scaling a start-up business at Domino’s from just 3 to over 100, to leading digital transformation in large-scale environments, she brings a "scrappy innovator" mindset and an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement. Amber thrives at the intersection of creativity, technology, and leadership—driving not just marketing performance, but empowering others to grow and lead with purpose.
 

 

Brett has worked in the loyalty space for the past seven years as part of The Vitamin Shoppe’s loyalty team. As the senior manager of loyalty, Brett oversees TVS’s loyalty program, Healthy Awards. In the last few years, Brett and the team have worked hard to expand what Healthy Awards can offer its members, branching into non-transactional earning and gamification. Brett’s excited to represent Healthy Awards as a finalist in this category and can’t wait to see what the other nominees have brought to the table!
 

Karen Szarvas serves as Senior Director of CRM and Loyalty at The Vitamin Shoppe®, an omni-channel specialty retailer. Karen has 25 years of global marketing expertise, specializing in customer acquisition, engagement, and retention. She leads the award-winning Healthy Awards loyalty program and CRM initiatives including lifecycle marketing, multi-channel communications and gamified experiences.

Prior to joining The Vitamin Shoppe, she spent seven years as a consultant and 12 years at Wyndham Worldwide, designing loyalty programs, email strategies and branding initiatives that elevated customer growth and engagement.

Karim Chaanine is a growth-hacking business strategist and the Chief Marketing Officer for Papa Johns in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. With over 15 years of experience in sales and marketing, Karim has consistently delivered exceptional results across various industries. His uncompromising approach to business transformation and a rich history in client-side sales and marketing at leading companies like Procter & Gamble and Nestlé distinguish him as a leader in the field.

Karim has also founded a successful media and marketing consultancy and a food and beverage brand in Malaysia. His innovative strategies and ability to disrupt traditional norms have earned him three Effie Awards and recognition for pioneering an efficient, digital-only communication ecosystem within his organizations.
 
At Nestlé, Karim achieved the position of the youngest associate executive manager, leading the company’s largest division with an annual turnover exceeding USD 0.5 billion. In January 2023, he joined PJP Investments as Chief Marketing Officer, bringing his strategic vision and expertise to further propel the growth of Papa Johns in his regions.

Jessica Starnes is the Director of Loyalty at Weigel’s, where she leads one of the most successful convenience retail rewards programs in the country. With a sharp focus on customer engagement, data-driven strategy, and seamless digital experiences, Jessica has been instrumental in transforming loyalty from a transactional tool into a cornerstone of Weigel’s growth. Her impact hasn’t gone unnoticed—Jessica is a two-time Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) honoree, having earned both the Rising Star and Senior Level Leader awards. Most recently, she was named the 2025 Category Manager of the Year for Loyalty, a reflection of her ability to blend innovation with measurable business results. Under her leadership, Weigel’s has achieved record-breaking loyalty penetration and built high-impact programs like “100 Days of Summer” and exclusive NIL partnerships that emotionally connect with customers. From acquisition to retention, Jessica’s strategy is rooted in making every interaction meaningful—translating into stronger brand loyalty and increased customer frequency. Jessica’s cross-functional approach ensures loyalty touches every part of the business—from merchandising to marketing to operations. A trusted voice in the industry, she continues to set the standard for customer-first innovation while building scalable platforms that drive long-term growth. She is a Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional, holds a NACS Category Management Certification, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee.
 

Manager of Digital Promotions & Apptivities at Burger King. Leads the development of interactive digital campaigns, including gamified experiences and limited-time offers that drive engagement, frequency, and excitement for the Royal Perks loyalty program. 

Andrea Navarro is a CRM and loyalty strategist driving customer engagement at Burger King through data-powered personalization and innovative lifecycle campaigns. Her work has helped evolve Burger King's approach to retention and loyalty, transforming behavioral insights into meaningful experiences that fuel growth for Royal Perks and deepen digital guest relationships.

She has played a key role in optimizing campaign performance and leading successful initiatives like Perks Weeks — designed to surprise and delight members while accelerating program engagement and driving incremental traffic and sales for the digital business. From segmentation to journey orchestration, Andrea continues to shape Burger King's loyalty and lifecycle marketing strategy into a smarter, more personalized, and results-driven engine.

    

  

Marty O'Toole is the VP of Client Success at Whisp, where he leads a team focused on helping clients drive results through personalized support, data-driven insights, and tailored solutions. With over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, Marty ensures brands maximize the value of Whisp’s technology to improve engagement, streamline operations, and increase conversions.

Steve Doumar is the Founder and CEO of Whisp, a platform that enables brands to instantly connect with consumers through SMS, bypassing traditional forms and driving faster, more personal engagement. A seasoned entrepreneur with a track record in media, telecom, and technology, Steve built Whisp to simplify and accelerate how businesses interact with their audiences — turning interest into real-time conversations.

Per Jensen is the Loyalty Lead at Stop&Shop. Here he has transformed the impact and role of Loyalty through a customer centric approach and manages a promotion budget of $50M. He built Catalina Marketing from the ground up in Germany and has extensive experience within the Retail/CPG space. He has held high level roles in a few startups covering business strategy, operations, advanced analytics, consumer insights and new technologies.
 
He received his MBA in Marketing and Finance from The Columbia Business School in NYC, and in addition he has a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Engineering/Product Development from Denmark’s Technical University.
 
 

Brittany Miller is a results-driven marketing leader specializing in loyalty program strategy, customer retention, and growth marketing. As Director of Loyalty at Gabe’s Stores, Brittany led the successful relaunch of the company’s loyalty program, leveraging data-driven insights to enhance customer engagement and retention. By introducing a tiered rewards structure, personalized perks, and in-app gamification, they increased customer lifetime value and repeat visits. With expertise in CRM, digital marketing, and analytics, Brittany excels in transforming insights into impactful marketing strategies.
 

Michael’s experience spans Investment Banking, Private Equity, Corporate Strategy, and Marketing across companies such as JP Morgan, Cerberus Capital, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and currently, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

At Wyndham, Michael is the Global Vice President of Loyalty, Guest Engagement, and Strategic Partnerships. In this role, he leads Wyndham’s global loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards, digital transformation, merchandising, strategic partnerships, promotional strategy, CRM, and guest analytics. Michael’s team enhances the value of Wyndham Rewards to both members and franchisees, leads multi-year MarTech planning, and works cross-functionally to optimize Media spend through digital and guest analytics.

With over 20 years of marketing experience in loyalty, brand strategy, and consumer insights, Denise leads Phaedon's strategy, experience, and research team. She has spearheaded industry-leading research initiatives, including "Humanizing Loyalty" and "Sparking Consumer Participation Through Shared Values and Beliefs." Her strategic guidance serves clients across travel, hospitality, retail, restaurant, health, and wellness industries.

Prior to Phaedon (previously known as ICF Next), Denise ran her own strategy consulting practice, served as director of strategy at Optum, and spent more than a decade in loyalty and brand planning roles at Carlson Marketing. She excels at uncovering insights and actionable strategies that enable organizations to build emotional loyalty with their audiences and drive business growth. 

Nick Triantafellou is the Director of Marketing & Merchandising at Weigel’s, where he leads category management, marketing strategy, NIL campaigns, and retail media innovation. Under his leadership, Weigel’s has achieved industry-leading loyalty penetration, launched award-winning NIL partnerships, and rolled out a private label program that continues to exceed sales expectations.

Nick’s passion for community, innovation, and storytelling has helped transform Weigel’s into a powerhouse in convenience retail—blending tradition with bold, modern campaigns that drive real results. From leading successful beverage loyalty initiatives to overseeing multi-million dollar foodservice launches, Nick’s approach is both strategic and hands-on.

A frequent industry speaker and board member, Nick has earned multiple national accolades—including recognition for his category leadership and for innovation in private label development. His work has driven triple-digit year-over-year social engagement growth, viral campaigns reaching millions, and a company culture that’s as energizing as it is effective.

SuAnn Carriero is a Senior Digital Director in BofA Rewards.  In this role SuAnn is responsible for the Rewards Program Strategy, Overall Performance, Business Analysis, Associate Readiness and Client Satisfaction. In 2022, Preferred Rewards was named ‘America’s Best Loyalty Program’ by Newsweek and  ‘Best Bank Customer Loyalty Program’ by Motely Fool.

Prior to her current role, SuAnn worked in Quantitative Analytics leading various teams including Segmentation, Investment, and Rewards.   SuAnn led the Preferred Rewards Quantitative Analytics team when the program first launched in 2014. 

Additionally, SuAnn managed teams and processes across a variety or areas within Bank of America, including Business Intelligence, External Reporting, Finance and was the CFO of America’s Investment Banking. Through the 30 years SuAnn has been with the Bank of America/Merrill her passion about associate development has been apparent. Over the past 5 years SuAnn has helped to create employee satisfaction teams to foster cross team collaborations and shared best practices.

SuAnn graduated from Rider University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, majoring in accounting.  She is also a certified public accountant and is currently attending Lehigh University for her Master’s in Business Administration. 

SuAnn resides in Scarborough, Maine loves to spend time outside hiking, skiing and biking.  She is also active in her community across various school and non-profit organizations. She participates in her children’s school’s woman career days by sharing skills and experiences with young ladies. Recently SuAnn has been fostering puppies for the local Animal shelter.

Jacob is a dynamic business leader and strategist specializing in media, technology, and telecommunications. At TELUS, he leads the teams responsible for content deals, consumer product strategy, and global partnerships. With a proven track record spanning corporate strategy, global deals and partnerships, and product commercialization, Jacob was the visionary for the newly refreshed and national TELUS Rewards loyalty program. Starting with a groundbreaking airline strategic alliance with WestJet, the refreshed TELUS Rewards program includes new partner perks and provides Canadians with more reasons and ways to join, maximizes engagement and value for members, and enhances customer retention.

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.

Nicole has over 20 years of experience in QSR and Casual Dining. She joined Domino's in 2012 and took on progressive levels of responsibility, with experience leading teams in multiple areas of marketing. From running the in-house digital media buying team, to leading a/b testing and UX improvement across all eCommerce ordering platforms, to consulting with International markets on their digital strategies - Nicole has full funnel digital customer journey experience. In her current role, Nicole oversees digital customer retention activities, including owned media channels, targeted marketing and personalization efforts, and ownership of the loyalty program which recently evolved into the new Domino's Rewards.

Prior to Domino’s, Nicole worked in field marketing for Apple American Group and as a corporate trainer for Applebee’s International Inc. Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Western Michigan University and an MBA from University College, Dublin in Ireland. She currently resides in Michigan.

Nate Wardwell is passionate about building great experiences with technology. He's helped revolutionize B2C publishers and marketplaces, including as the Director of Digital Product for Hemmings Motor News. Nate is currently leading go-to-market strategies at Hightouch, the #1 Composable CDP and AI Decisioning platform. Wherever Nate has worked, he has been a powerhouse with data, a strategic consensus builder, and a strong talent developer.

Don Smith is the Global Consulting Officer at Capillary. Prior to the Brierley acquisition, Don led Brierley’s strategic program design practice, responsible for engineering solutions that balance compelling value propositions with enhanced member experiences and data-driven customer engagement. An avid theater aficionado, Don has a passion for presentation. That passion informs Don's marketing data analytics philosophy in favor of a dynamic storytelling model that brings numbers to life through contextualization and the generation of actionable insights. Don earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Florida State University and spent 11 years teaching statistics and policy evaluation in academia. Prior to joining Brierley, Don 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.

For over a decade, Donald Baal has been at the heart of NASCAR’s fan engagement efforts, ensuring that every interaction fuels deeper connections between the sport and its passionate audience. Since joining NASCAR in 2012, he has played a key role in shaping fan acquisition, engagement strategies, and database marketing, all with one goal—making NASCAR more rewarding for its loyal fans.

As Senior Director of Fan Loyalty, Donald has led the NASCAR Fan Rewards program since its design, execution and launch, building a unique fan experience that goes beyond the race track. From crafting personalized fan journeys to ensuring that every reward feels truly valuable, he has been instrumental in strengthening fan retention and enhancing the overall NASCAR experience.

With a deep understanding of data-driven marketing and customer engagement, Donald continues to evolve NASCAR Fan Rewards, ensuring it remains a best-in-class loyalty program that fuels excitement, strengthens community, and keeps fans coming back for more.

Lindsey Camell is the Head of Partnerships & Location-Based Experiences for North America at Hasbro, where she leads strategic initiatives across the company’s iconic portfolio of intellectual properties. In her role, Lindsey spearheads innovation in loyalty programs, leveraging Hasbro’s renowned IP to craft engaging consumer experiences that span multiple categories.

She creates partnerships across beloved content-based brands such as Peppa Pig, Transformers, and My Little Pony; globally recognized toy lines including Nerf, Play-Doh, Furby, and Mr. Potato Head; and an extensive array of gaming titles, such as Monopoly, Clue, Connect 4, and The Game of Life.

Before joining Hasbro, Lindsey spent over a decade working at various film studios across Theatrical Partnerships and Licensing.

Alyssa Callahan is Head of Marketing at bp and a Loyalty360 Advisory Board member. A seasoned, data-driven marketing leader with over 15 years of experience in loyalty, CRM, and digital marketing, Alyssa has previously held leadership positions at TravelCenters of America, L’Oréal, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Alyssa’s expertise in loyalty program design, customer segmentation, and performance-driven brand marketing has consistently delivered measurable results, making her a trusted advisor in the marketing industry. Passionate about continuous learning and staying ahead of industry trends, Alyssa is dedicated to fostering a data-centric culture within organizations. Alyssa is also enthusiastic about supporting next generation of marketing experts, as an active mentor in several university programs.

Max Everett leads strategy and execution for Enterprise Mobility’s three flagship loyalty programs—National’s Emerald Club, Enterprise Plus, and Alamo Insiders—spanning North American and international markets. In this role he’s focused on enhancing customer value, deepening engagement, and driving meaningful business impact across the portfolio.  Prior to Enterprise Mobility, Max developed his career managing and transforming loyalty and customer engagement programs in both corporate and start-up environments across B2C and B2B2C settings at brands such as American Express, HSBC, Mastercard and Optum.  His has global experience having held positions in several international markets including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Singapore, and speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently.

John Sellers is the digital executive in charge of Rewards at BofA. In this role, John oversees all reward programs; including consumer, wealth management and small business relationship rewards programs and credit card rewards redemption. In 2022, Preferred Rewards was named ‘America’s Best Loyalty Program’ by Newsweek and ‘Best Bank Customer Loyalty Program’ by Motely Fool.

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.

Brad is the Vice President of the Hilton Honors Program leading the team that sets the strategy and vision for building the best loyalty program experience across all industries for our over 210M+ members in every corner of the world. He currently served on the Board of Advisors of Loyalty 360 and been contributing to that group since 2024.

He has extensive experience in loyalty program design, CRM, global business strategy, financial and economic analysis, innovation methodologies, business case creation, product development, visualization analytics, project management, and communication strategy. He is very passionate for the hospitality and travel industry and is always seeking innovative approaches to marketing and the loyalty industry. 
He has served in a management role with responsibilities for guiding 65+ team members over the past 10+ years (current team is 40+ team members). He has also authored several papers, including the "The Craft of Incentive Prize Design: Lessons from the Public Sector," and "The Value of Crowdsourcing: A Public Sector Guide to Harnessing the Crowd."

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.