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Agenda & Speakers

Loyalty360 Awards Finalist Presentations: Customer Loyalty Strategy

Thursday, June 6, 2024 - 9:50 AM - 10:50 AM
The finalists competing in the 2024 Loyalty360 Awards will share details of their programs and strategies in fast-paced presentations. These presentations give attendees a chance to hear first-hand from the brands that are delivering experiences that set them apart from the competition in creating loyal customers. 

As a part of the award process, all registered conference attendees are eligible to vote for platinum, gold, silver, bronze and honorable mention (if applicable) for each category. Winners will be announced during the Loyalty360 Awards ceremony. 

Category Description - Customer Loyalty Strategy
Through a combination of technology, training, socialization, and implementation, finalists in the Customer Loyalty Strategy category are truly dedicated to keeping customer loyalty top of mind. This category recognizes brands that have implemented an effective longterm customer loyalty strategy with measurable impacts. This can include traditional points-based customer loyalty/rewards programs or non-transactional loyalty/engagement strategies.

Speakers

Barb Millette, Senior Director of Loyalty & Gift Cards, Subway

Barb is the Head of Loyalty & Gift Cards for Subway and has been with the company for over four years. She has an extensive background in strategically designing, building and managing all aspects of loyalty products and programs, resulting in positive business results.  Prior to her position at Subway, Barb was the Head of Loyalty CRM and Gift Cards at Bloomin’ Brands, building more than a decade of experience in the restaurant industry with previous tenure in the financial services and co-branded loyalty space.  
 

Dave Van Saun, VP of CRM and Ancillary, Great Wolf Resorts

Dave Van Saun is the VP of CRM and Ancillary for Great Wolf Resorts, which he joined in 2017. On the CRM side, he drives customer engagement and repeats with the Voyagers program and platform, as well as driving personalization and segmentation efforts across all of Great Wolf’s channels. He also leads revenue optimization of all Ancillary products, including F&B, Retail, Attractions, Cabanas, and packages. Prior to Great Wolf he spent seven years at United Airlines in Merchandising, Operations Strategy, and Finance after receiving his MBA from The University of Chicago - Booth School of Business. He attended Boston College for undergrad, and lives in Chicago with his wife with two daughters.
 

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 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.

Karen Szarvas, Sr. Director of CRM and Loyalty, The Vitamin Shoppe

Karen Szarvas serves as Sr. Director of CRM & Loyalty at The Vitamin Shoppe®, an omni-channel specialty retailer and wellness lifestyle company. In her role, Karen provides expertise and leadership to design marketing strategies to increase acquisition, customer engagement and retention. Karen has 20+ years of global marketing, CRM and Loyalty experience and is a dynamic, innovative, thought leader. Prior to joining The Vitamin Shoppe, she worked at Wyndham Worldwide where she managed the Wyndham Rewards Loyalty program, email, and direct marketing efforts and consulted at KMS Marketing Solutions specializing in loyalty, branding, and customer experiences.

Maria Mora, Sr. Manager - Digital Growth and Innovation, Burger King

Maria is a dynamic leader at the intersection of Marketing, Technology, and Innovation, with over 15 years of extensive industry experience.

At Burger King, Maria spearheads digital innovation campaigns and partnerships that build brand loyalty and drive customer acquisition. Her initiatives have employed a variety of gamified tactics and emerging technologies, including NFTs, cryptocurrency, and, most recently AI, where she led Burger King’s first AI-powered campaign, “Million Dollar Whopper Contest.” Her expertise in blending technology with creative marketing solutions is continuously reshaping the digital experience.

Maria’s creative foundation is rooted in Graphic Design and Art direction and her previous experience at companies like Fox Entertainment and Spotify have sharpened her ability to drive brand engagement through creative content strategies. As a proud Colombian and an empowered Latina, Maria brings a unique perspective, championing diversity and innovation in every project she undertakes.

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