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Speakers

Claudia Infante
Senior Vice-President of Revenue Strategy
Margaritaville
Claudia is a consummate hospitality professional with a career that spans 25 years. Her field experience ranges  from technology, reservations, e-distribution, revenue management, operations, digital marketing and data management. Her executive management and branding experience from a 10-year role with Hard Rock International where she opened and oversaw revenue and data  strategy for 26 hotels around the world. In her 4+ years as Sr. Vice President of Revenue Strategy for Margaritaville, Claudia and her team have focused on future proofing the brand on all-things revenue, data, technology and loyalty.​
 
Claudia has extensive experience in the creation, deployment and optimization of initiatives that enhance the revenue capture and data processing power of the organization with staggering results. Claudia speaks regularly about data management and innovation in annual conferences. In her free time, she dances, knits and draws on walls with sharpie!
 
Troy Simms
US Retail Partnership Manager
ExxonMobil
As the Director for Retail Fuels Partnerships, Troy Simms leads partnership business development for the United States. With over 20 years of experience at ExxonMobil, he possess a deep understanding of the Retail Fuels business with roles ranging from global strategy development to sales & marketing. Since early 2021, Troy has directed the development of B2B collaborations that target end-consumer engagement and drive loyalty to Exxon™ and Mobil™ sites. He is currently accountable for ExxonMobil’s relationships and offers with leading brands in the loyalty and technology space including Walmart+, AARP, Albertsons, Apple, Google, Waze, and more. He was born and raised in the Bahamas but considers himself a proud Texas Longhorn after earning his MBA at the University of Texas Austin.
Karen Szarvas
Sr. Director of Customer Loyalty & Partnerships
The Vitamin Shoppe
Karen Szarvas serves as Sr. Director of Customer Loyalty & Partnerships at The Vitamin Shoppe®, an omni-channel specialty retailer and wellness lifestyle company. In her role, Karen oversees the newly redesigned Healthy Awards Loyalty program and is responsible for the development, execution and management of the program, as well as strategies to drive customer awareness, engagement and retention. Karen has more than 19 years of global marketing and loyalty experience and is a highly motivated, customer focused, thought leader. Prior to joining The Vitamin Shoppe, she worked at Wyndham Worldwide and consulted at KMS Marketing Solutions where she specialized in loyalty, branding, customer communications and experiences.
Sara Costa
Experience Product Specialist
Blue Buffalo
Sara Costa is a Loyalty Experience Product Specialist at Blue Buffalo. Prior to Blue Buffalo, she worked at Melissa & Doug in customer service. She then moved to the marketing team where she gained experience driving loyalty for their D2C website. About a year ago, she started at Blue Buffalo and in her current role, supports the strategy and execution of new loyalty enhancements, including features that encourage earning/burning of points. She has a strong passion for digital marketing and increasing customer loyalty. She has lived in Connecticut for her whole life, and she has a 2-year-old German Shepard/Husky mix named Kobe.
 
Mostafa Boutajrit
VP of Loyalty and Financial Services
Caesars Entertainment
Mostafa Boutajrit is responsible for strategy, design and execution of Caesars Entertainment customer loyalty program, Caesars Rewards, the industry-leading loyalty program which fuels Caesars analytics marketing engine. Mo started his career with Caesars over 20 years ago, with a multidiscipline background including Finance, Internal Audit, Casino and Hospitality Operation.
Ally Wallo
Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Ally Wallo serves as a Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. In this role, she manages key Wyndham Rewards partnerships including Caesars Rewards, Travel + Leisure, and Bakkt, delivering strategic marketing plans to drive member and program engagement.  Ally is back at Wyndham after previously spending 5 years with the brand marketing team, where she lead creative campaign development of 7 brands. In between her stints at Wyndham, Ally led brand marketing efforts at buybuy BABY, launching their new Welcome to Parenthood brand positioning. Prior to joining Wyndham, Ally worked at the American Cancer Society, leading events to raise money towards cancer research, education, advocacy and services. Ally holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Fairfield University. 
Stephanie Fernandez
Principal Loyalty Product Manager
Swiftly
Stephanie has anchored her career in loyalty and customer insights, leading loyalty program launches at BP, WIlliams-Sonoma, and Claire's. While at Cheetah Digital she supported a portfolio of enterprise level clients in the launch and enhancement of their interactive loyalty programs. As Principal Loyalty Product Manager at Swiftly, Stephanie builds loyalty solutions at the intersection of traditional loyalty and retail media to deliver profitable programs that drive incremental revenue and engage members. 
 
Kelly Ann Cook
Chief Marketing and IT Officer
David’s Bridal
Kelly Cook is a seasoned omni-channel, digital, and marketing executive who thoroughly enjoys the challenges of growing companies and transforming brands. She specializes in centering brands around the customer, advancing brands down the digital path, and galvanizing a workforce behind growth strategies. Her successes include substantial profit increases and stock growth relative to company competition and participatory growth sectors. Her industry experiences are as diverse as they come, from airlines to recycled waste to fashion to big box retail to home décor and brides. Companies include Continental Airlines, DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, and Pier 1, and now David’s Bridal where she proudly leads marketing, IT, digital, harmonious experiences, analytics and insights plus ecommerce. She was named one of Business Insider’s 2021 CMOs to watch and recognized by Harvard Business School as one of 2003’s Most Dynamic Women in Business. She considers herself a leader with a servant’s heart who is thrilled by ordinary folks doing extraordinary things. She has an MBA and a Masters of Finance from Tulane’s Freeman School of Business.
 
Tapan Vaidya
CEO of PJP Investments Group (Papa Johns United Arab Emirates/Saudi Arabia/Jordan & Iraq)
Papa John's

BSc in Mathematics from St. Xavier’s College & a Business Diploma from NMIMS, Mumbai, India, Tapan started working in restaurants from his University days – loved his work so much, he never left the industry. 

Now a veteran in the industry & on Caterer Middle East Power 50 List 2020 & 2021; RetailME ICONS awardee for 2021; Tapan is currently CEO of PJP Investments Group, owner-operators of Papa Johns in the UAE, KSA, Jordan & Iraq. With 36 years’ experience across Middle East & India, Tapan has been associated with the development of hundreds of restaurants across these markets with brands including Papa John's, Chili’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Outback Steakhouse… it is a long list. Currently focused on developing and expanding Papa John's in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Tapan is keen to give back to the industry from his deep knowledge and hands on experience. He is also on the Advisory Board of UAE Restaurant Group, a not for profit organization patronized by UAE Chamber of Commerce, the voice of the industry in UAE. The current crisis that the industry has now faced for almost two years, Tapan has dug deep to bring new insights and creative solutions in handling his business. 

Dean Stott
Former British Special Forces Soldier - 2x World Record Setting Cyclist - Adventurer - Philanthropist - Author - Global Speaker

After making it through the British Special Forces gruelling six-month selection process, Dean Stott became one of the very first army members to join the SBS (Special Boat Service). Throughout his esteemed military career, he has conducted deployments to overseas hostile environments and been involved in counter terrorism operations; he has travelled to some of the most dangerous places in the world.

Stott left the military in 2011, after 16 honorable years of service, and continues to live by the Special Forces’ ethos of ‘the unrelenting pursuit of excellence.’ The determination required throughout his career has become an integral part of Stott’s character.

Post-military, Stott established a distinguished career in the private security sector. He was renowned for his willingness to take on any job, no matter how challenging – a man who went where and when others wouldn’t. He has faced extortions, kidnappings, civil war, pirates, military coups and was single handedly responsible for the evacuation of the Canadian embassy in 2014 – rescuing 4 diplomats and 18 military personnel.

In 2016, Stott was ready for a new project and wanted to do something impactful that would help others. He began training to cycle the longest motorable road in the world – The Pan American Highway. Stott completed the 14,000 miles route from Argentina to Alaska in May 2018, achieving two world records and raising more than $1.4 million US dollars for mental health awareness charities in the process. Stott passed through 14 countries on his expedition, crossing some of the most dangerous passages in the world. In the final stretch, Stott continued for 17 hours and, driven by his determination, covered 340 miles on his longest day.

Stott is now a renowed international speaker, presenting to FTSE 100 companies, sporting bodies, military departments, schools and businesses.

His recenty released book, Relentless, shares his extraordinary, inspirational life story to date.  From his courageous military service and record-setting cycling adventures to his rescue missions and friendship with Prince Harry, the book takes a candid and honest look at the life perspective and shared stories of a real-life “James Bond.”  

Stott firmly believes, with the right mindset and plan, nothing you truly desire is out of reach. To him, “impossible” simply means, its hasn’t been done…..yet.

Ryan Draude
Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and Head of Loyalty & CRM
Giant Food

The current Head of Loyalty & CRM 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.

John Sellers
Head of Rewards
Bank of America

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.

Diane Eichler
Senior Vice President of Marketing
Kampgrounds of America
Diane Eichler, a seasoned marketing, branding and public relations executive, has worked in almost every marketing vertical over the last 25 years. Currently, she serves as the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Kampgrounds of America, Inc. – a role she was promoted to in January 2023 after joining the company the previous September. There, she guides the marketing department, focused on maintaining and expanding the presence of the KOA brand within the outdoor hospitality and lifestyle space. National creative, sales marketing, local marketing, loyalty programs, corporate partnerships, public relations, social media and marketing technology all fall under her purview.
 
Before her time with KOA, Diane founded and served as the President of Decibel Blue, gaining valuable experience in branding, marketing, advertising, and public relations on both the client and agency sides. She has worked with major players across almost every industry, including Real Estate, Technology, Banking and Finance, Healthcare and Wellness, Non-Profit, Education, Automotive, Sports and Entertainment, Telecommunications, QSR, Retail, Law, Broadcasting, and Hospitality.
 
Diane launched her career in Los Angeles, working at the acclaimed design agency COY. She moved to Toyota Motor Sales as a Director of Marketing and then was the agency lead for the North American launch of the Toyota Celica, Spyder, and ECHO. As the Director of Communications for Realty Executives International, she supervised teams in developing internal communications and media relations campaigns. As Director of Client Services at SHR Perceptual Management, she worked closely on branding the agency’s marquee accounts, including Andre Agassi, Apple, and Alaska Airlines.

Diane actively participates in philanthropic initiatives including participation with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Rocky Mountain Chapter, HomeAid Colorado, The Heard Museum, Suns 88 Charities, Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Planned Parenthood, Denver BASICS, Sojourner Center and Phoenix Art Museum.
 
Diane is a Public Relations Society of America’s Counselors Academy member, a network of industry-leading senior-level PR agency owners, and Public Relations Boutiques International. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Scripps College in Claremont, California.
Lisa Erickson
Sr. Director of CRM and Loyalty
Sleep Number
As the Sr. Director of CRM & Loyalty, Lisa leads the development, execution and management of Sleep Numbers Loyalty program, the InnerCircle, as well as all direct mail and email programs. Lisa is responsible for the overall success and ongoing growth and management of these programs.  She directs the testing of all programs to ensure continued evolution and growth.  She is responsibility for the InnerCircle member engagement and program profitability. Leveraging her deep experience in retail, holding positions in merchandising, finance, strategic and promotional planning and marketing she is able to activate new initiatives quickly and successfully. Lisa is constantly striving to take the InnerCircle program to the next level of engagement. Prior to joining Sleep Number, Lisa held management positions at Best Buy and the Department Store Division of Target Corporation. She is born and bred in Minnesota, living there all her life and earning her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota in Retail Merchandising and Business.
Dena Pizzutti
Sr. Marketing Manager - Personalization and Optimization
Wawa
Dena Pizzutti is the Senior Marketing Manager of Personalization and Optimization for Wawa, a chain of more than 900 convenience retail stores in the Mid-Atlantic and Florida.  She currently oversees the Wawa Rewards loyalty program and Customer 360 efforts.  Dena has over ten years of experience in loyalty marketing, previously working for CVS on the ExtraCare program.  Additionally, Dena holds a Doctorate in Business Administration and has taught marketing courses at West Chester University and St. Joseph’s University.
 
Kate O’Shaughnessy Jung
Senior Director - Loyalty & Customer Insights
Chico’s FAS
Kate is a senior executive with a history of successfully developing strategy and delivering outcomes that exceed goals, including her most recent June 2022 relaunch of the loyalty experience across the Chico’s FAS sisterhood of brands.
 
Experienced creating and leveraging customer data to inform business strategy, Kate has a track record of consumer file growth and revitalization. Kate led marketing for the Canadian based Tim Hortons quick serve restaurant’s U.S. expansion early in the decade and then left to take on a revitalization effort at specialty retailer EXPRESS through its reinvention of loyalty in 2017. Last year, Kate joined Chico’s, FAS for the unique opportunity to redesign the loyalty benefit structure and branding across three brands: Chico’s, White House Black Market and Soma.

In addition to her loyalty expertise, Kate is also an innovative insights leader who reads consumer trends and then mines the customer files of each through qualitative and quantitative means to help the business understand how to exploit or protect themselves from macro trends.
 
Kate is collaborative partner who believes in staring with data, creating simple solutions and setting clear and measurable goals for growth. This enables team members across the organization embrace the objective, know their role and drive performance.  
 
Kate embraced virtual work at Fort Myers, FL based Chico’s, FAS and lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and two son James (10) and Teddy (9).
Mostafa Boutajrit
Vice President of Loyalty Financial Services and Customer Assurance
Caesars Entertainment
Mostafa Boutajrit is responsible for strategy, design and execution of Caesars Entertainment customer loyalty program, Caesars Rewards, the industry-leading loyalty program which fuels Caesars analytics marketing engine. Mo started his career with Caesars over 20 years ago, with a multidiscipline background including Finance, Internal Audit, Casino and Hospitality Operation.
Katie Cassidy
Senior Director of Strategic Consulting
Kobie Marketing
Katie leads loyalty experience design and loyalty best practice engagements focused on meeting client program and profitability objectives for Kobie Marketing. She is committed to executing a data-driven and customer-centric approach in delivering client value to every project. She specializes in value proposition development, traditional and digital CRM planning and execution, customer lifecycle and retention framework, and short and long-range strategy development.
 
Matt Goldberg
Director PRO Strategy and Loyalty
Floor & Decor 
Matt Goldberg is the Director of PRO Strategy and Loyalty for Floor & Decor. Over the past 4 years, Matt has managed the growth of the PRO department and developed the loyalty strategy for Floor & Decor, including creating, rolling out and optimizing PRO Premier Rewards, F&D’s Loyalty Program. Matt has loved contributing to the tremendous growth of the company and is passionate about driving loyalty in an industry where there is so much opportunity to gain Wallet Share. 
Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard
Collaborative Innovator General
Bal Harbour Shops

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

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

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

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

Stephanie Paisley
Marketing Manager
SCENE+

Stephanie joined Scene+ in early 2021 and has helped transforms the brand into one of Canada’s top loyalty programs, taking it from and entertainment focused program to a lifestyle program that rewards members for their everyday purchases across retail, travel, dining and now grocery! As the Partnerships Manager, Stephanie played a lead role in the growth and development of Scene’s dining and entertainment partners, as well as the onboarding and launch strategy of our newly added retail partner. In her current role as Marketing Manager-Grocery, Stephanie is launching the new grocery vertical across Canada, and taking Scene+ to the next level.

Jessie Rosenberg
Loyalty Strategic Partnerships Manager
Ulta Beauty
Jessie Rosenberg, Ulta Beauty’s Loyalty Strategic Partnerships Manager, is a loyalty lover and beauty enthusiast hailing from Nashville, Tennessee. With over 5 years of corporate retail experience at major retailers, she currently works to help create and manage overall partnership loyalty strategies, with a key focus on Ulta Beauty at Target, for Ulta Beauty’s world-renowned loyalty program, Ultamate Rewards®. She works to drive execution of key strategies, metrics, and optimize partnership performance to underpin loyalty objectives and deliver meaningful benefits and experiences to Ulta Beauty’s 39M+ loyalty members.
Pam Erlichman
Chief Evangelist Officer
Jebbit
Pam Erlichman is the Chief Evangelist Officer for Jebbit.  With over 25 years of marketing and client relations experience, Pam is responsible for helping Jebbit clients and the industry as a whole understand the value of zero party data and how to use it to drive business outcomes.

Prior to joining Jebbit, Pam was the Vice President of Marketing for Oracle Data Cloud which included the creation and growth of Oracle Data Cloud’s industry firsts The Data Hotline and The Data Lab brands; providing data strategy and education to brand, media and agency partners.  Pam joined Oracle Data Cloud via the Datalogix acquisition, where she created and grew the marketing function from its inception.  Prior to Datalogix, Pam worked at Digitas, leading relationships with world class brands including Delta Air Lines, AT&T, FedEx, Ahold USA, Celebrity Cruise Lines and Progressive Insurance.
Don Smith
Senior Managing Director and Strategy & Chief Analytics Officer
Brierley
Don earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Florida State University, and spent 11 years in academia teaching statistics and policy evaluation. Prior to joining Brierley, he was a research director for Dallas County, in charge of database modeling, data mining, and program reporting. He has authored several journal articles and a full-length book. At Brierley, Don leads our strategic program design practice, responsible for engineering solutions which balance compelling value propositions with enhanced member experiences and data-driven customer engagement. His current client list includes Aramark, Bal Harbour Shops, European Wax Center, Express, Fleet Farm, GameStop, Hertz and QVC/HSN. An avid theater aficionado, his passion for presentation informs his marketing data analytics, where he eschews the traditional view in favor of a dynamic storytelling model that brings numbers to life through contextualization and the generation of actionable insights.
Loyalty360 Member (Brand Only) Roundtable Session: Loyalty360 Brand Member Roundtables: KPIs and Metrics Workshop
Carrie Trotter
Vice President of Loyalty CRM and Partnerships
AMC Theatres
Carrie Trotter is the Vice President of Loyalty, CRM and Partnerships for AMC Theatres, which is the largest movie exhibition company in the United States, the largest in Europe and the largest throughout the world with approximately 950 theatres and 10,500 screens across the globe. AMC has propelled innovation in the exhibition industry by deploying its Signature power-recliner seats; delivering enhanced food and beverage choices; generating greater guest engagement through its loyalty and subscription programs, web site and mobile apps; offering premium large format experiences and playing a wide variety of content including the latest Hollywood releases and independent programming.
 
In her role, Trotter leads AMC’s efforts to enhance experiences for their guests through AMC Stubs loyalty program, guest analytics, customer research and strategic partnerships. AMC Stubs has over 26 million households enrolled for benefits for every movie fan and enables a personalized, targeted marketing effort for those guests from a digital and in-theatre experience. Prior to AMC, she guided various retail clients on how to be on the inside track – inside the mind of the consumer, the needs of her partners and on the edge of innovation.  She’s passionate and enthusiastic about every movie, every theatre location and, of course, every movie snack!
 
Emily Mikus
Senior Director of Loyalty Strategy
Peapod Digital Labs (Ahold Delhaize)
 
Sarah Pannacciulli
Director of CRM Strategy and Enablement
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
Sarah Pannacciulli serves as Senior Director, CRM Strategy and Enablement, at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel brand franchisors and hotel management services providers with over 8,900 hotels across 95 countries under 21 hotel brands.
 
In her role, Sarah is focused on driving direct channel contribution, loyalty occupancy and Rev Par index. As a data-driven storyteller, she’s responsible for connecting data from multiple sources and assessing the impact of Wyndham’s multi-channel marketing investments to drive actionable insights and business strategy.
 
Jami Bond
Vice President of Franchise Development
Goodcents
Jami Bond, CFE, is vice president of franchise development for Goodcents. With an extensive background in restaurant marketing and franchise development, she loves helping entrepreneurs launch their own businesses, and she is very proud to work for a company that provides the support franchisees need to thrive. A graduate of Washburn University, Bond holds a degree in marketing and finance. She is a member of Chief, a private network built to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there.
 
Janelle Price
Marketing Manager
TELUS
Janelle Price is the Marketing Manager at TELUS leading the go-to-market strategy for TELUS Rewards, the only points-based loyalty program offered by a telco in Canada, with over 1.5 million members. In this role, Janelle focuses on how to build awareness, drive customer engagement, and personalize the value proposition of the Rewards program across all TELUS channels. Janelle graduated with her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and joined TELUS where she has supported a diverse array of marketing roles in various areas of the business, such as app product development, channel and sales strategy, and TV content engagement. 
 
In her free time, Janelle can be found hiking and exploring the Rocky Mountains near her home of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 
 
Chelsea McGough
Loyalty Program Strategy Manager
Blue Buffalo
With over 14 years of experience in Customer Experience and Loyalty, Chelsea McGough is an expert in Loyalty Strategy. Chelsea has a passion for brands that put Customers (human and furry) first. She started her career in the aviation industry at Southwest Airlines, working on their Rapid Rewards loyalty program with a focus on retention and engagement. A little over a year ago, Chelsea decided to transition to the pet industry and joined Blue Buffalo to support the launch of their first ever loyalty program. In her current role as Loyalty Program Strategy Manager, she oversees retention, engagement and acquisition as well as delivering strong CLV through the Buddies App. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her fur-baby Luna and is in the process of planning her upcoming December wedding.
 
Elizabeth McNeil
Senior Manager - Partnerships
SCENE+
Elizabeth McNeil is the Senior Manager, Partnerships for the newly relaunched Scene+, helping transform the program into one of Canada’s leading lifestyle loyalty programs. In her role today she oversees retail and grocery partnerships with brands such as Apple, Best Buy, Bakkt, Blackhawk, Empire and Rakuten. Formerly Elizabeth has worked on a variety of loyalty programs for leading Canadian retailers including Scotia Rewards, Air Miles and Plum Rewards. Her focus is on driving innovation and reinvention to enable established programs to reach new heights. 
 
Jason Adlman
Senior Manager - Customer Loyalty and Analytics
Hibbett | City Gear
Jason has spent more than 10 years working for Hibbett | City Gear and prior to that has over 10 years of experience with a number of different retailers ranging from apparel to the music industry. He started his tenure at Hibbett in the store setting, then working in inventory management, and now the marketing department where his current role concentrates on the loyalty program and promotions. 
Wendy Culpepper
Chief Customer Officer
Kobie
As Chief Customer Officer at Kobie, Wendy leads the company’s Client Services and Business Development teams. She is a specialist in Solutions Architecture, Corporate Strategy, and Business Development that allows our clients to receive the best services and support. She manages front-line representatives with a deep understanding of the power and flexibility of Kobie’s technical solutions.

Wendy has worked in a multitude of industries including Retail, Consumer Electronics, Insurance & Banking verticals, and has deep experience in corporate alignment and strategic initiatives including M&A assessments, emerging markets, and loyalty marketing training for the broader organization. In addition, Wendy was awarded Top 40 under 40 in the 2020 Tampa Bay Business Journal as an outstanding Chief Customer Officer. One of her biggest achievements in her professional career includes serving as a presentation lead and product subject matter expert, resulting in over $60M in new business from Fortune 50,100, and 500 clients.
 
Rich Long
Senior Manager – Global Loyalty and Customer Experience
McDonalds
Rich is an accomplished data and insight-driven customer-led, multi-disciplinary professional with extensive experiences and achievements over 20+ years in leading or contributing to various innovative and holistic customer loyalty programs and customer experience-related initiatives.  He has a broad perspective acquired from many roles in complex, fast-paced corporate, consulting and agency environments with knowledge and expertise gained across many well-known brand that span a diversity of consumer-oriented industries such as restaurant & hospitality, retail, insurance, telecom and financial services.  In his current role with McDonald’s, where he has been for 4+ years, Rich is a part of a core team responsible for creating, leading and supporting our global loyalty program design, strategies and our future roadmap & evolution, representing global loyalty on companywide initiatives and instilling a loyalty knowledge & learning culture across the company. 
Jaime Morillo
Senior Manager Membership Retention
Adidas
Jaime is the Sr. Manager of Membership at adidas North America. He has over 11 years of CRM and membership experience, including launching the first version of Membership for adidas in Latin America. He has been integral to the success of adiClub in the U.S., driving yearly double digit growth in members since program launch.
Lisa Erickson
Sr. Director of CRM and Loyalty
Sleep Number
As the Sr. Director of CRM & Loyalty, Lisa leads the development, execution and management of Sleep Numbers Loyalty program, the InnerCircle, as well as all direct mail and email programs. Lisa is responsible for the overall success and ongoing growth and management of these programs.  She directs the testing of all programs to ensure continued evolution and growth.  She is responsibility for the InnerCircle member engagement and program profitability. Leveraging her deep experience in retail, holding positions in merchandising, finance, strategic and promotional planning and marketing she is able to activate new initiatives quickly and successfully. Lisa is constantly striving to take the InnerCircle program to the next level of engagement. Prior to joining Sleep Number, Lisa held management positions at Best Buy and the Department Store Division of Target Corporation. She is born and bred in Minnesota, living there all her life and earning her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota in Retail Merchandising and Business.
Don Smith
EVP and Chief Consulting Officer
Brierley
Don earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Florida State University, and spent 11 years in academia teaching statistics and policy evaluation. Prior to joining Brierley, he was a research director for Dallas County, in charge of database modeling, data mining and program reporting. He has authored several journal articles and a full-length book. At Brierley (his home for the past 15+ years) he leads our Strategic Consulting practice, responsible for engineering solutions which balance compelling value propositions with enhanced member experiences and data-driven customer engagement.  Also responsible for innovation in data science, he is an evangelist on behalf of the BLQ (Brierley Loyalty Quotient) and other actionable analytics solutions and products. His current client list includes Accordia Golf, Bal Harbour Shops, Cinergy, European Wax Center, Express, FedEx, Fleet Farm, Hertz, MyStays Hotels, NBC Digital Sports, Pandora and other innovative brands. An avid theater aficionado, his passion for presentation informs his marketing data analytics, where he eschews the traditional view in favor of a dynamic storytelling model that brings numbers to life through contextualization and the generation of actionable insights.
Indya Davis
Manager
Ally Financial
 
Eoghan Slye
SVP of Marketing
Hertz

Eoghan Slye joined Hertz in 2016 and is responsible for overseeing the Hertz brand across strategy, partnerships, sponsorships, integration, media, B2B and Small Business.

Mr. Slye formerly led Brand Strategy at Accenture for 15 years and was based in Chicago, Zurich and Dublin. In 2013, he returned to the US and joined Avanade, a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture, for three years during which time he was based in Charlotte.  Mr. Slye is originally from Ireland, which explains the name Eoghan, which is pronounced Owen.

John Sellers
Head of Rewards
Bank of America

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.

Emma Patterson
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Airship
Energetic. Tenacious. Creative. When it comes to driving product adoption and growth Emma’s recognized as a mover-shaker in the mobile marketing industry. 
 
With 8 years of experience working in Customer Success and Marketing roles, Emma is passionate about helping brands get the most out of their martech stack. Emma’s ability to create compelling stories that are both utilitarian and attractive have captivated and helped accelerate mobile strategies of some of the world's leading brands. 
 
As Airship’s Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Emma is part of the team that launched the App Experience Platform - Airships’ solution for creating mobile app experiences and building brand loyalty and advocacy through mobile. She’s spent countless hours thoughtfully planning mobile app experiences with brands like Caribou Coffee, American Eagle and The Finish Line and loves engaging in the process that results in a brand creating and measuring better customer experiences and fanatic brand loyalty.
 
When she’s not helping brands master the mobile app experience Emma can be found listening to live music, traveling or hanging out with her dog. 
 
Richard Pistilli
Founder & CEO - Gambit | Loyalty Gaming

Richard is the founder and CEO of Gambit Rewards. He is an experienced fintech entrepreneur and investment banker, with over 20 years of capital markets experience. In 2012, Richard co-founded ACEPortal, a leading financial technology platform for private placements of securities. As Head of Business Development, he helped steer a strategic investment in ACEPortal by the New York Stock Exchange in 2013, and the sale of the company to the Beneficient Company in 2018. Previously, Richard had a successful investment banking career with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citi and CIBC. He holds an MBA from Yale University and a Bachelor's Degree in Business & Economics, Magna Cum Laude, from Cornell University.
 
Matthew Seagrim
SVP
Scene+
Matthew is the Senior Vice President of Scene+, one of Canada’s leading loyalty programs. In his 7 years at Scene+, Matthew has led a radical transformation of the program, expanding its brand, value proposition, membership, and corporate structure to become one of Canada’s largest and most engaging lifestyle programs. Matthew has over two decades of experience in business transformation, innovation, product development and customer engagement in global markets, with experience in loyalty, retail, financial services, and consulting.
 
Murilo Mello
Digital Product Manager
Tim Hortons
Murilo Mello is the Product Manager of Loyalty, Offers, Payments and Drive-Thru at Tim Hortons Digital. Working at RBI for the last 6 years, he is currently responsible for the roadmap, development, and execution of many digital innovations. With over 10 years of experience in software development and product management, he’s passionate about using technology to improve the customer experience and drive business growth. Murilo was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and holds a BSc in Computer Science from Mackenzie Presbyterian University.
 
Megan Spaid
Manager - Consumer Loyalty & Advertising
Certified Angus Beef

As the manager of consumer loyalty and advertising for Certified Angus Beef, Megan Spaid works directly with the vice president of branding to develop key resources and drive initiatives that engage consumers with the brand. One of her biggest projects includes Steakholder Rewards™, a consumer-focused loyalty program released in January of 2020. 

Megan came to the brand in 2017 after graduating from The Ohio State University’s honors program within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences with a degree in agricultural communications and an agribusiness minor. Her time in school allowed her to intern with agricultural businesses, such as FLM+ and COBA/Select Sires, Inc. Her experience served her well as a marketing specialist and continues to do so in her current role. 

Hailing from Sterling, Ohio, Megan isn’t far from her family’s farm, Double B Acres, where they raise Simmental-Angus cattle. She and her husband, Nate, live in Wooster and help on the farm in their spare time. Other hobbies include reading, attending musicals and plays, traveling, and taking pictures of friends and family. 

Favorite beef cut: a classic filet mignon, unless her mom is cooking a beef roast with mashed potatoes. 

Yan Cote
US Consumer Offer Director
ExxonMobil

Having studied economics and earned an MBA in marketing, Yan has held a wide range of positions over his 20+ years at ExxonMobil and Imperial Oil that have uniquely equipped him to lead ExxonMobil’s US Fuels Consumer Offer strategy and team.  

He is currently accountable for ExxonMobil’s retail fuels programs including the Exxon Mobil Rewards+™ program, the Exxon Mobil Smart Card+™ credit card, and Synergy Supreme+™ premium gasoline. 

His team prides itself on fully leveraging consumer data to understand consumers’ evolving needs and to engage them in ways most meaningful to them in order to build loyalty, share of wallet, and lifetime value.  

Yan is an avid car enthusiast who enjoys the outdoors.  He is married and the proud father of a high school senior. 

Márton Homola
Group-Level Head of Loyalty/Digital Channels & CRM
MOL Group

Márton is the Group-level Head of Loyalty, Digital Channels & CRM at MOL Group, which a leading integrated Central Eastern European oil and gas corporation with retail assets in 9 countries. Beside the business management of loyalty on regional level, he is the commercial leader of digitalization of loyalty programs from plastic card-based earn & burn structures to mobile application-driven solution with high-level marketing automation and personalization. 

Before MOL Group, he gained 15 years of experience in the telecommunication industry holding leadership positions in product management, pricing, digital transformation, B2B marketing and digital product development as part of Telenor and lately PPF group. 

During his whole career, he has always been seeking for solutions which make customers’ life easier, more efficient or convenient by finding the spot where the market needs and company goals meet. He was responsible for many tariff portfolio deployments including development of brand new customer journeys and CRVM strategy implementation, launch of new and innovative products in the field of IoT and Cloud and also implementation of digital loyalty programs in several countries. 

Aaron Jones
Director of Performance Marketing and Strategy
NFL
Aaron Jones has been at the NFL for seven years, and is currently focused on creating personalized experiences that build fan engagement.
Mayasa AlHejazi
Assistant Director Loyalty
Ooredoo Qatar

Mayasa AlHejazi is a seasoned and highly experienced Marketing professional who has transformed Nojoom Ooredoo's Loyalty program), the loyalty business for one of the best telecommunication company in the State of Qatar. She brings on her expertise in the areas of Digital marketing,  Campaign management and Customer engagement. 

Mayasa kick-started her career in 2013 with Ooredoo Qatar. She started as an analyst in the Direct Marketing team and went on the to become a Campaign Manager. As a Campaign Manager, her responsibilities were to improve customer experience, generate higher revenue through targeted propositions and through Upsell, Cross-sell, Acquisition and retention campaigns. Her exemplary performance in this area saw her promoted with additional responsibilities and she went on to manage the Loyalty business in 2019. For her exemplary performance in this adjacency, Mayasa was also recognized as the Employee of the year for 2019. 

Mayasa is currently the Assistant Director of the Nojoom program, one of the biggest programs in Qatar. In her current role she effectively leads a team of Loyalty marketers and has additional Profit/Loss responsibility. 

Mayasa has a Master's in Strategic Business Unit Management from HEC Paris and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Qatar University. She is immensely thankful to Ooredoo’s management for all the opportunities presented to her and prides herself on being an Complete Marketing professional. 

Markus Sturm
SVP and Head of Digital - Loyalty & Consumer Goods
Tim Hortons
Markus Sturm is the Senior Vice President and Head of Digital, Loyalty and Consumer Goods at Tim Hortons. In this capacity Mr. Sturm sits on the Tim Hortons Executive Leadership Team based in Toronto, ON, where he is responsible for modernizing and digitizing the guest experience, as well as broadening the ways Tim Hortons serves Canadians, either through new channels (e.g., grocery stores, delivery and e-commerce) or new products (e.g., grocery products, general merchandise and payment products). Markus joined the company in April 2015 and has held various roles across Marketing, FP&A, Development, and Real Estate. Prior to joining RBI, he was a Mergers & Acquisitions Associate for RBC Capital Markets.
 
Sydney Caminetsky
Product Manager
TELUS
Sydney Caminetsky is a Product Manager at TELUS leading the product roadmap and strategy for TELUS Rewards, the only points-based loyalty program offered by a telecommunications provider in Canada. In this role, Sydney focuses on identifying new opportunities and features for the TELUS Rewards platform to improve the customer experience and product performance while driving business outcomes. Sydney graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Honors Business Administration from the Ivey Business School at Western University.   
 
Claudia Infante
Senior Vice-President of Revenue Strategy
Margaritaville
Claudia is a consummate hospitality professional with a career that spans 25 years. Her field experience ranges  from technology, reservations, e-distribution, revenue management, operations, digital marketing and data management. Her executive management and branding experience from a 10-year role with Hard Rock International where she opened and oversaw revenue and data  strategy for 26 hotels around the world. In her 4+ years as Sr. Vice President of Revenue Strategy for Margaritaville, Claudia and her team have focused on future proofing the brand on all-things revenue, data, technology and loyalty.​
 
Claudia has extensive experience in the creation, deployment and optimization of initiatives that enhance the revenue capture and data processing power of the organization with staggering results. Claudia speaks regularly about data management and innovation in annual conferences. In her free time, she dances, knits and draws on walls with sharpie!
 
Yan Côté
Director - Consumer Marketing
ExxonMobil
Yan is currently Director - Consumer Marketing for ExxonMobil’s US Fuels business.  His team designs, develops and deploys marketing programs and offers, including Synergy Fuels, the Exxon Mobil Rewards+ program and app, ExxonMobil’s branded proprietary credit card and innovative, contactless payment options such as Alexa Pay for Gas.
 
He earned an Economics degree from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University before joining ExxonMobil’s Canadian Affiliate, Imperial Oil, in 1998.  Over the past 23 years, he has held leadership positions of increasing responsibility in sales, operations, strategy development, and marketing, in the US and Canada.
 
Yan is married and the proud father of a Junior in high school.  He enjoys skiing, biking and is a car enthusiast.  
 
Sarah Paik
Director of Ecommerce & Loyalty
Urban Outfitters
 
Tom Madden
Managing Partner - Customer Loyalty and CRM
ICF Next

Tom leads our loyalty and CRM Division, where he oversees program integration and implementation, and flawless execution for loyalty and CRM efforts across a variety of industries, as well as the design and optimization of our proprietary loyalty and CRM platform, Tally™. He previously led our loyalty strategy team and client success team. He also led the design and build of Allegiant Air’s loyalty program, and our multi-year Hilton Honors loyalty program integration, enabling Hilton to update their loyalty strategies and grow their member base to over 100 million. Additionally, Tom led the Sun Country Airlines loyalty program strategy overhaul and implementation.

Steve Wilhelmi
SVP - Sr. Digital Manager
Bank of America

Steve Wilhelmi leads Engagement Strategy for the Personalization and Loyalty Strategy team within Consumer & Small Business Digital at Bank of America. He is responsible for driving customer engagement opportunities for BankAmeriDeals, Partner Rewards and Incentives.

Steve joined Bank of America in 2021, and prior to his current role, spent over 20 years in the Turf industry with John Deere.  As the Loyalty Program Manager, he led the creation, strategy, and development for John Deere Rewards. During that time, he fueled growth by creating new programs for military servicemembers, first responders, Farm Bureau members and many corporate partners - propelling the program to over 7MM members.

Before his loyalty role with John Deere, Steve had a diverse career background with responsibilities in Tactical Marketing, Product Sales, Supply Management, Packaging, Project Management and Six Sigma. In 2015, he helped launch a revolutionary new product, the Michelin® X® TWEEL TURF, which was the landscape industry’s first-ever airless radial tire for zero-turn mowers.

Steve holds a B.B.A. in Marketing and International Business from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

He is involved in several community organizations including Wake County foster care and the Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue. He currently resides in Cary, North Carolina with his wife and two children.

SuAnn Carriero
Sr. Digital Director of Rewards
Bank of America

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.

Greg Lemen
Director of Loyalty Partnerships
Shell

Greg joined Shell in 2013 as an experienced hire and is currently the Director of Loyalty Partnerships for Shell Mobility.  In his current role, Greg develops the strategies for existing and new partners inside and outside of the Fuel Rewards program.  Prior to his current role, Greg was the Branded Business Development Manager for Shell and was instrumental in expanding the company’s retail presence within the United States.

Before his time at Shell, Greg worked in various leadership roles at Target and Coca-Cola over a 12-year span with the two companies.  He holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Missouri and is currently residing in Houston, Texas.  Outside of work, Greg enjoys spending time outdoors with his children as much as the Houston heat allows. 

Kristina Parag
Associate Marketing Manager- 1PD Acquisition and Consumer Retention Strategy
Johnson & Johnson

Kristina has worked at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health for over 6 years in a variety of cross-functional roles. She has been able to touch every single one of J&J’s consumer brands. She began her career in Customer Development, then moved into Supply Chain, and finally Marketing. Within the Marketing organization, Kristina has influenced the BAND-AID digital strategy, shaped Health & Wellness Shopper initiatives at Walmart & Sam’s Club, built the 2022+ Aveeno innovation strategy, and led 1PD engagement & retention strategy. 

In her current role as Associate Marketing Manager- 1PD Acquisition and Consumer Retention Strategy, Kristina leads the Care Club loyalty program and is responsible for shaping the 1PD and loyalty strategy for 25+ iconic consumer brands. Throughout the past year, Kristina has been able to educate the organization on the importance of 1PD and using it to engage and retain consumers, while increasing lifetime value. She has activated email journeys for each brand, empowered the brand teams to test and learn various vehicles for collecting 1PD with new consumer value exchanges, and pioneered merging paid & owned communications linked back to specific email campaigns.  

Kristina holds a BA in Marketing from The College of New Jersey and an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.