Speakers

Mario Garcia

Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and CEO, Garcia Media

He is also the Senior Adviser for News Design/Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, which he joined in 2013 as the Hearst Digital Media Professor in Residence. He is known worldwide as one of the premiere media designers, having completed over 700 projects in 120 countries, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Paris Match (France), South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), Sydney Morning Herald and The Age (Australia), New Straits Times (Malaysia), Aftenposten (Norway), The Philadelphia Inquirer, Die Zeit and Handelsblatt (Germany), all the McClatchy newspapers in the US, 8 Postmedia newspapers in Canada, Goteborgs Posten (Sweden), Il Secolo XIX (Italy), The Citizen (South Africa). His current projects include Tagesspiegel (Berlin), Kurier (Vienna) and NOZ Digital group (Hamburg). Currently, Dr. Garcia devotes most of his consulting and workshops to help organizations with transformation to a mobile first approach, including training for how to write/edit/design for the smallest platform—that of the smartphone. Among his clients: Walmart, Jet Blue Airlines, Hapag-Lloyd, Paul Allen and the United Nations. Dr. Garcia has just completed his 14th book, titled The Story.

Sean Griffey

CEO, Industry Dive

Sean Griffey is the co-founder and CEO of Industry Dive, a B2B media start-up that publishes news and original analysis to more than 4 million business executives across 11 different verticals. Industry Dive has been named a Folio Magazine "Startup to Watch", Top 10 Hottest Publishing Startup by Mattermark, and an ABM "Innovative Media Launch." Sean initially got started in the media industry at FierceMarkets where he served as President and oversaw the launch of more than 25 digital titles and products. Sean was inducted into the min Digital Hall of Fame in 2015.

Anita Zielina

Director of News Innovation and Leadership, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism

Anita Zielina is the Director of News Innovation and Leadership. She is an experienced digital media executive with a focus on digital transformation, change processes and innovation management. Her last role was as Chief Product Officer and member of the management board at Neue Zuercher Zeitung Media Group in Zurich, Switzerland, where she was responsible for all digital products. Before that, she held leadership roles as digital editor and deputy Editor-in-Chief at STERN, the German weekly news magazine published by Gruner+Jahr in Hamburg, Germany, and worked as a reporter and editor at the newspaper DER STANDARD and its digital platform derStandard.at in Vienna, Austria. In 2012, Anita was the first Austrian journalist selected for the fully funded one-year Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, dedicated to entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership in journalism. There, she did research on innovation management in media and user engagement. In 2018, Anita was a visiting fellow at the Reuters Institute at Oxford University, focusing on issues around leadership in media. Anita holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France and a Master in Law from Vienna University.

Carrie Bourke

Director of Customer Analytics and Insights, Harvard Business Review

Carrie Bourke is Director, Customer Analytics and Insights for the Harvard Business Review Group at Harvard Business Publishing. In this role, Carrie leads a team of analysts focused on leveraging our wealth of customer data - subscription, product purchase, registration, web behavior, demographics - to help drive customer engagement and retention, marketing efficiency and deeper insights into the HBR.org audience. She also oversees the Email Operations team supporting Editorial, Ad Sales and Marketing to deploy a broad spectrum of emails across HBR’s customer file. Carrie joined HBP and the publishing industry in 2014, bringing extensive marketing and analytics experience from Staples, L.L. Bean and other ecommerce companies.

Andrew Briney

Senior Vice President of Products, TechTarget

David Chun

Founder & CEO, Equilar

David has led Equilar since its inception to become one of the most respected and trusted names in the executive compensation industry and has been recognized as one of the "100 Most Influential Players in Corporate Governance" by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). David often speaks publicly on issues facing the executive compensation industry, including events hosted by The Conference Board, Directorship, The HR Policy Association, NACD, NASDAQ OMX, National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP), NYSE Euronext, RiskMetrics, Stanford's Directors' College, and WorldatWork. Prior to founding Equilar, David was a Vice President in the Investment Banking Division of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, a global investment bank that has since merged with Credit Suisse. Prior to DLJ, David was a management consultant with Bain & Company and also Kenan Systems, a telecom billing software developer that was subsequently acquired by Lucent Technologies. David is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), a Charter Member of the Asian-American Multi-Technology Association (AAMA), a director of the Asian Pacific Fund Community Foundation, and a co-founder of the Korean American Society of Entrepreneurs (KASE). David earned his M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelors of Science with Honors in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Matthew Cibellis

Director of Programming, Live & Virtual Events, Education Week

Matthew spearheads event programming for Education Week, the nation’s source for K–12 education news and information. He develops both custom and editorial events showcasing best practices in the field. Annually, he oversees “Leaders To Learn From” and the production of 65+ webinars, live chats, livestreams, and 25 sponsored dinners. Matthew is responsible for developing videos with thought leaders, PSAs with celebrities, and other multimedia projects to generate interest in and drive registration. Matthew has held event leadership roles at Reading Is Fundamental, Post-Newsweek Tech Media Group, Magination Press, and Fox Television.

Matt Cocchiaro

Vice President of Product and Technology, Questex

Matt Cocchiaro is the Vice President, Product and Technology at Questex. Matt is responsible for the management and strategy of Questex’s product vision, development and execution across all platforms as well as for driving revenue and engagement for its brands. He brings a strong background in technology, data, engineering, project management and products to this newly created position. Matt was most recently Executive Director of Industry Solutions at IHS, where he led a team in the maritime and trade sector, working with data and industry experts across the business to deliver custom solutions to customers in all industries.

Emmanuel Debuyck

Founder and CEO, Adwanted

Mark DeVito

President, Bates Creative

As President of Bates Creative, Mark brings 20+ years of unique expertise, strategic thinking and creative cohesion to clients’ challenges. What separates Mark from other industry leaders is his ability to listen—listen to a client’s goals, a brand’s differentiating purpose and what the market demands. Mark engages audiences on topics including digital transformation, brand and CSR strategies, customer-centric marketing campaigns and more to give them something to talk about. A three-time Emmy Award-winning creative director, Mark has established himself as a speaker with experience on stage at national marketing and technology conferences including: Sustainable Brands, the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit, Comdex and CES.

Jim Elliott

President, James G. Elliott Co., Inc.

Jim Elliott has more than 40 years experience in the advertising industry, including media planning, research, and sales. Prior to founding the James G. Elliott Co., Inc. in 1984, he held numerous executive positions including director of field services at CBS Magazines and western advertising manager for Road & Track Magazine. He writes frequently for industry publication and often speaks at venues such as ABM, AM&P, digitalNow and Folio: events. The James G. Elliott Co., Inc. is the nation’s largest national outsourced media ad sales company and a full-service media solutions consultancy for print and digital publishers and organizations, with extensive experience in business-to-business, association, and consumer publishing. Elliott Co. offices are located in the major advertising centers of the United States.

Dave Emery

Director, U.S. Products, Media Division, SRDS/Kantar

Chris Ferrell

CEO, Endeavor Business Media

Emma Forber

Head of Client Services, Publish Interactive

Emma Forber is the head of client services at Publish Interactive. For 15 years Publish Interactive has helped high-value research publishers deliver and monetize their content through a proprietary software platform which offers authoring and workflow tools, licensing and subscriber management and usage analytics. Current clients include leading research publishers such as 451 Research, the Sauer Report and Freedonia. Emma helps clients achieve their business objectives by getting the most out of Publish Interactive’s software. Emma holds a degree in Visual Communications from the University of Leeds and has worked extensively in sales and marketing roles across the electronic document storage and software sectors.

David Fortino

SVP Audience and Product, NetLine

David Fortino is SVP of Audience & Product at NetLine Corporation where he is responsible for the strategic direction and management of NetLine's audience, publisher, and client facing technologies, operations, platform and product development. He brings more than 15 years’ experience managing the development of content distribution, audience monetization, and digital marketing/targeting platforms. Prior to NetLine, Fortino served as Director of Strategic Alliances and Audience Development for VerticalNet. Fortino holds a B.A. in Media Studies with a Corporate Communications focus from Pennsylvania State University.

Dan Grech

Founder, BizHack Academy

Dan Grech is the founder and lead instructor of BizHack, a digital marketing training academy based in Miami that serves business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketing and sales professionals nationwide. BizHack offers courses, workshops and private consulting in digital advertising, analytics, strategy and storytelling. Since 2015, BizHack has worked with more than 300 top businesses and corporations, including NBCUniversal, Univision, Royal Caribbean, Whirlpool and Novartis. Dan is an award-winning digital marketer, journalist, storyteller and entrepreneur. He's headed marketing at a billion-dollar energy company and two software startups. He contributed to a Pulitzer Prize, worked as a correspondent for business shows on NPR and PBS, and was News Director of Miami's NPR station. Dan has taught at top universities including Princeton, Columbia and The University of Miami. He is vice chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board at FIU’s Communication School Dan is a proud member of the Miami innovation ecosystem. He's mentored startups and established businesses at accelerators and incubators run by the InterAmerican Development Bank, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, Babson College's WIN Lab, StartUP FIU, The Idea Center at Miami-Dade College and more. He has two Masters degrees, is a graduate of Princeton University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Argentina. He is fluent in Spanish, proficient in Portuguese and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Spain.

Dean Horowitz

President, CommARCH (Commercial Architecture)

Dean Horowitz is leading Business Development for Sibyl Surveys by Signet Research. Over a 20+ year career primarily in media, he has partnered with associations on membership growth initiatives, publications, and educational offerings. His responsibilities have included research department oversight for multiple media companies and divisions netting expanded offerings, actionable insights and significant revenue increases. He is a graduate of Rutgers University as well as Harvard Business School’s Strategic Leadership program.

Wilma Jordan

Founder and CEO, Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI)

As leader of the most successful independent investment bank for the media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors since 1987, Ms. Jordan has been instrumental in completing more than 600 M&A transactions for global corporations, private companies, entrepreneurs, and private equity and venture capital firms. Ms. Jordan’s Best Practices approach to M&A advisory services has been influential in forging the firm’s reputation for overall excellence, integrity and the ability to maximize value for its clients. Her experience includes having founded, owned, managed, advised and served on the Boards of Directors of media, marketing, interactive and technology businesses. Ms. Jordan was one of the founders and initial shareholders of the 13-30 Corporation. She also participated as shareholder, chief operating officer and principal negotiator in the revitalization and 1986 sale of the Esquire Magazine Group. Ms. Jordan has served on the Boards of Directors of four public companies – Lin Broadcasting (NYSE), Lin Television (NASDAQ), Clayton Homes (NYSE) and Lin TV (NYSE). She recently joined the Board of Directors of Fenimore Asset Management, a preeminent wealth management group. In addition, Ms. Jordan is a Trustee of Guideposts, Inc.

Rajeev Kapur

CEO, 1105 Media

Rajeev is a noted entrepreneur and technologist who specializes in kick-starting revenue growth for small and mid-sized businesses. He has a unique view on how business in general and b2b media and information in particular will change in both the short and long-term, from a fundamental shift in one of our core business—lead generation—to an industry on the brink of mass consolidation and why b2b players need to become more vertically-focused.

Michael Marchesano

Managing Director, Connectiv Division, SIIA

Mike Marchesano is the managing director of ABM. Previously, Marchesano most recently was president and CEO of Aequor Media, a consulting firm dedicated to providing strategic, customized technology solutions for b-to-b and consumer magazines, newspapers, and Fortune 1000 companies. Marchesano was also managing director at the Jordan Edmiston Group, an investment banking firm, where he led the sale of Congressional Quarterly to the Economist Group. Before that, he was executive vice president & chief transformation officer at The Nielsen Company; president and CEO at VNU Business Media; president and CEO at Bill Communications (an operating company of VNU), and president at BPA International (now BPA Worldwide). Marchesano was an ABM board member from 2001-07, serving as chairman in 2006-07, and a SIIA Content Division board member from 2007-11.

Joe May

Marketing Director, Pro Farmer

Joe is the Marketing Director for Professional Farmers of America (Pro Farmer), a division of Farm Journal Media and is responsible for marketing strategies across Pro Farmer’s entire suite of products including their e-commerce website ShopFarmJournal.com. As a veteran of direct, data-driven advertising and marketing from the automotive industry, Joe brings this one-to-one customer focused mentality to promote Pro Farmer content across varied marketing channels including print, digital, mobile, broadcast and live events. In addition to being an active SIPA member, Joe is a member of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), Women’s Certified®, received the Dale Carnegie Highest Achievement Award, and frequently assists local businesses and non-profits fine-tune their marketing strategies.

Paul Miller

CEO, Questex

As Chief Executive Officer of Questex, Paul is responsible for shaping the Company’s growth strategy and enhancing its offerings to better serve its customers as a next-generation Information Services Company. Paul will drive Questex’s franchises in its core markets – Beauty and Wellness, Travel, Hospitality, Pharma and Technology. He will also invest in activities including acquisitions to advance Questex’s leadership positions in its core markets and will explore expansion into new market segments that have attractive growth characteristics. A visionary leader with a keen ability and track record of growing businesses, Paul has a passion for creating winning cultures and high performing teams. Paul has led and grown businesses with revenues ranging from $30 to $250 million in both privately and publicly held companies.

Jessica Morrison Ph.D.

Product Manager, Chemical & Engineering News, American Chemical Society

As product manager for Chemical & Engineering News, Jessica Morrison ensures that all of C&EN’s product development efforts are both user-focused and user-informed. Morrison has worked with leadership in editorial, operations, creative, and advertising business units to identify and implement project management solutions, to develop C&EN's first organization-wide roadmap, and to define strategies that allow C&EN to better understand the behavior and desires of its readers.

Kelly Mount

VP, Brand Studio, Industry Dive

Tom Needham

Executive Director, Business Journals Content Studio

Leads an in-house native advertising strategy and creative team dedicated to generating quality custom content experiences on behalf of advertisers that align and resonate with The Business Journals’ audience.

Joanne Persico

President, ONEcount

Joanne Persico is the president and co-founder of ONEcount, the original customer data platform (CDP) turning data into revenue. For over 20 years, the company has worked to consolidate disparet data sources and streamline data silos. With a background in publishing activation has always been a key component of Joanne's work, and is why segmentation and targeting tools are built in to ONEcount's CDP.

Geordie Pierson

Principal, Falfurrias Capital Partners

Mr. Pierson joined Falfurrias Capital Partners as a Senior Associate in 2014. He was later promoted to Vice President in 2016 and Principal in 2018. Previously, Mr. Pierson was an Associate at Pamlico Capital, a Charlotte-based private equity firm with approximately $2.5 billion under management. While at Pamlico Capital, Mr. Pierson focused on the execution of middle-market growth equity and leveraged buyout transactions in the business & technology services and communications industries. Prior to Pamlico Capital, Mr. Pierson worked in investment banking with Wells Fargo Securities (formerly Wachovia) where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, equity financings, and leverage finance transactions for both public and private companies as a member of the Financial Sponsors Group.

Stuart Poyser

Group Director, Corporate Development, Informa

Experienced corporate development executive with 15 year track record working with corporates and entrepreneurs in the media sector.

Renaud Selmes

CTO, BVR

Jesse Serventi

Founding Partner, Renovus Capital

Mr. Serventi is a founding partner of Renovus Capital. Previously, Mr. Serventi was an investment professional at Leeds Equity Partners, an education focused private equity firm. Mr. Serventi began his career at Citigroup, first in its investment banking division and then its principal investment division, Citi Private Equity.

John Siefert

Group President, Questex

John Siefert is Group President of Questex’s fast-growing Beauty & Wellness, Travel and Hospitality markets. With a proven track record of leading and growing global digital and events businesses in the healthcare, lifestyle and nutrition markets, John is responsible for accelerating Questex’s Beauty & Wellness, Travel and Hospitality businesses through organic growth and the acquisition of new capabilities and assets. John was most recently the Chief Marketing Officer of STYR Labs, a direct to consumer app & CPG company where he was instrumental in launching DYPER, a "Dollar Shave Club" style digital subscription service for biodegradable bamboo diapers with triple digit monthly growth rates. Prior to STYR, John served as Informa Exhibitions’ President Global Health and Nutrition Network managing the exhibition and media businesses in the U.S., Europe and Asia and achieved double digit growth across all platforms and geographies. Earlier, John was CEO of Virgo Publishing, LLC, a private equity owned media and exhibition business, where he helped the company nearly double in top line revenue and EBITDA in three and a half years with a focus on digital revenue. The company was successfully acquired by Informa Exhibitions in 2014.

Tony Ulwick

Founder and CEO, Strategyn

Tony is the pioneer of Jobs-to-be-Done Theory, the inventor of the Outcome-Driven Innovation® (ODI) process, and the founder of Strategyn — a leading strategy and innovation consulting firm. Tony has applied his ODI process at many of the world’s leading companies and across nearly all industries to inform breakthrough innovations—achieving a success rate that is 5 times better than the industry average. Philip Kotler calls Tony “the Deming of innovation” and credits him with bringing predictability to innovation. Published in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, Tony is also the author of 2 best sellers: What Customers Want and JOBS TO BE DONE: Theory to Practice.

Terrillo Walls

Technology Director, Brief Media

Jason Ward

Vice President, Digital Operations, EnsembleIQ

Matt Weiner

President, Marketing Services, ALM

Gerald Yao

Chief Strategy Officer, FiscalNote

- CSO & Co-Founder of FiscalNote, a technology company that utilizes open data and artificial intelligence to create next-generation legal software. FiscalNote is also the owner of publications CQ and Roll Call and combines its software with news to add value to its clients. - Previously managed a consulting firm that specializes in Entrepreneurial Incubation and Social Media Optimization for government, small businesses, and non-profits - Headed fundraising and corporate partnerships for the 750,000-member National Youth Association - Acted as a founding member of Operation Fly, a nationwide student-run organization that helps the underprivileged in cities

Amanda Yarnell

Editorial Director, Chemical & Engineering News

Amanda Yarnell A chemist by training and a journalist by passion, Amanda works for the American Chemical Society's flagship chemistry news outlet, C&EN. She was an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins before doing her graduate work in chemistry at MIT, where she studied the mechanism of action of the cancer drug cisplatin. It's also where she discovered the world of science journalism, which inspired her to merge her fascination with the power and beauty of chemistry with her long-time love of telling stories. Soon thereafter she joined the staff of C&EN, where she has held various writing, editing, and leadership roles over the past 15 years. Today she oversees C&EN editorial operations and product development from her home office in Somerville, Massachusetts. Jessica Morrison Jessica Morrison manages product development and user research for Chemical & Engineering News. She works closely with with leadership in editorial, operations, creative, tech, and advertising business units to define product strategy and to ensure that C&EN's product development efforts are reader-focused and reader-informed. Jessica received her PhD from the University of Notre Dame and her undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University. Previously, she was a reporter covering health, science, and environmental policy with bylines appearing in the Chicago Tribune, the Charlotte Observer, Nature, and Chemical & Engineering News.