Edward Gold
Advertising Director
State Farm

Edward Gold is an Advertising Director for the State Farm Insurance Companies headquartered in Bloomington, IL, and has been with the company since 2003. Ed’s primary responsibility is to oversee the development of State Farm’s media strategy, planning, and execution across all State Farm product lines and customer segments. Also, Ed was named a 2008 “Online Media All-Star” by Mediapost. Previously, Ed oversaw State Farm’s entry in NASCAR, partnerships with the NCAA and NFL, and led State Farm’s first foray into entertainment marketing through co-branding efforts with Disney/Pixar for the movie CARS. Before coming to State Farm, Ed was Partner/Media Director for the Gold Consulting Group in Los Angeles, CA.

Gerardo Guzman
Director of Video Games, Product Leadership
The Nielsen Company

Gerardo Guzman is responsible for building comprehensive audience measurement and customized market research services for the video game industry. Gerardo joined Nielsen Games in October 2006 after 12 years of experience in building agency media and research services for Nielsen. At Nielsen he directs strategic initiatives, including opportunities to build partnerships in the video game industry. He is responsible for coordinating Nielsen’s vast research and measurement resources to meet the growing needs of video game marketers and researchers. Gerardo has oversight of operations and serves as strategist for Nielsen 's long-term planning.

Gannon Jones
Vice President, Marketing
Frito-Lay North America

Throughout his career, Gannon has consistently transformed brands to accelerate their growth. In his current role for Frito Lay North America, he is doing that again. Overseeing a $5 billion portfolio of brands, he leads the company’s efforts to drive growth by elevating its portfolio via health & wellness and sustainability initiatives. Through his leadership, SunChips has been widely hailed for its ‘responsible’ green marketing, and Lays potato chips have shattered consumer perceptions by highlighting their simple ingredients & local heritage. Additionally, Frito Lay has aggressively strengthened its relevance to women through new product innovations and a ground-breaking consumer campaign (“Only in a Womans’ World”). Gannon is a graduate of Queen’s Business School in Canada. He lives in Dallas with his wife and three young children.

Ann M. Mack
Director of Trendspotting
JWT

Ann M. Mack oversees global trendspotting for JWT, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. She helps clients turn shifts in the zeitgeist—related to everything from digital technologies, gaming and globalization to retail, philanthropy and the environment—into opportunities. Ann has worked on strategic projects for clients including Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s and Kimberly-Clarks. Most recently, she led the development of JWT’s AnxietyIndex.com, which focuses on helping brands navigate consumer anxiety. Ann has appeared on The Early Show on CBS, Fox and Friends, and Sky News; has been interviewed by numerous radio outlets, including the BBC and NPR; and has been quoted in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, USA Today,and International Herald Tribune for her thought leadership. Before joining JWT in 2004, Ann led Adweek's coverage of the digital advertising industry as Interactive Editor. She started her career as a crime reporter for the Mansfield News Journal in Ohio after graduating magna cum laude from Ohio State University with a BA in journalism.

Mary Murcko
Senior Vice President, Publisher
Prevention

Mary Murcko is SVP, Publisher of Prevention, the #1 healthy lifestyle magazine brand in the U.S. and the top online health magazine destination, with 16 international editions and a full stable of branded books, most recently New York Times bestseller Flat Belly Diet!, special interest publications (SIPS), and DVDs. Appointed in March 2009, Murcko spearheads the brand's advertising sales and marketing initiatives. In June 2009, she was named one of Advertising Age’s “Women to Watch,” joining the ranks of top women executives within the advertising industry. Murcko serves as an active board member of the YWCA – whose mission is to empower women - and is on the board of Cosmetic Executive Women. She is also a seven-year member of the Advertising Women of New York. A graduate of Purdue University, she lives in Rye, NY, with her husband and daughter.

Jill Nykoliation
President
Juniper Park

Jill’s extensive experience in brand strategy underpins her role as President and lead strategist of Juniper Park. In two years, Jill and her Partners have achieved unprecedented growth for their agency. Her team brings the disciplines of strategy, design and advertising together for their enviable client roster: Lay’s, SunChips, SmartFood, Quaker Lite Snacks, Virgin Mobile, Astral Media, Chicago Tribune and Red Cross.  Juniper Parks has already been recognized as a finalist for “Agency of the Year” by Marketing magazine, and Jill was named to AWNY’s 2009 “Women to Watch” list. Jill’s passion and skill for creating brand platforms were cemented through her prior work at Kraft Foods where she was the co-creator of Kraft’s award-winning, North American CRM initiative. Prior to that, Jill pioneered a new Corporate Marketing division for Kraft Foods as well as managed brands such as Post Cereals, Maxwell House Coffee and Kraft Cheese. Jill’s entered the agency world five years ago, joining Grip Limited as Partner Business as the strategic lead for GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft Foods, Lululemon and Cleveland Clinic. Jill is a graduate of Queen’s Business School in Canada.

Fiona Pietruski
Chief Marketing Officer
SheSpeaks

With over a decade of experience in all aspects of global online product development, launch and marketing for banking and financial products, Fiona plays a pivotal role in developing the SheSpeaks community, website and client programs for leading beauty, food and media brands – programs designed to spark women’s interest, obtain candid feedback about products and services, grow word-of-mouth awareness and build long-term brand advocates. Prior to joining SheSpeaks in 2007, Pietruski spent more than 10 years building international expertise in online marketing at Marubeni Corp, HSBC Bank and Global E-Business.

Jennifer Powell
Brand Manager
Brown-Forman

Keeping Spirits Alive and Kicking. Jennifer Motlow Powell, descendant of the great distiller, Jack Daniel, and his nephew and proprietor of the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, is the Brand Manager for the Jack Daniel’s family of fine whiskies.Powell has a Bachelor Degree in Public Relations and a Master’s degree in Marketing from the University of Alabama. She manages the US marketing strategies for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel. “The best part of my job is that it immediately makes you approachable because everyone has something they associate with Jack Daniel’s – a memory, an experience, a story. There are no strangers.”Jack Daniel’s reminds its friends to drink responsibly.

Tina Sharkey
Global President and Chairman
BabyCenter, LLC

Tina is a recognized business leader who for more than 20 years has grown consumer brands and businesses at the forefront of technology innovation. Tina was instrumental in the U.S. introduction of HDTV, co-founded iVillage, where she coined the term “social media,” built Sesame Street’s digital business and led the launch of the AOL Network, overseeing all Instant Messaging and Social Media businesses. She has been featured as a Top Leader in Technology by BusinessWeek, Fast Company, and USA Today and recognized as a Woman to Watch by Advertising Age. Tina is Chairman and Global President of Johnson and Johnson’s BabyCenter, the leading global interactive parenting network, reaching 16 million online moms across 20 markets worldwide. Tina is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a founding board member of Baby Buggy and currently serves on the boards of the IAB, ad-tech, and CES MommyTech.

Brian Sugar
CEO & Founder
Sugar Inc.

As CEO & Publisher, Brian Sugar sets the overall direction for Sugar Inc. Prior to founding Sugar Inc., Brian served first as Vice President of Marketing then as Vice President & General Manager of 2Wire, Inc.'s media business unit. Before joining 2Wire, Brian was founder and CEO of Sugar Media, a digital media software company, which was acquired by 2Wire in October 2003. Brian was Chief Web Officer at Kmart's BlueLight.com, Vice President of eCommerce at J.Crew, and a founder of Neptune Interactive, a Washington, DC-based ISP.

Anne Welch
Vice President & Brand Publisher
ELLE

Anne Welch is Vice President/Brand Publisher of ELLE, a division of Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. where she has been since 2002. Anne’s previous positions at ELLE include VP/Associate Publisher and Advertising Business Director. Anne’s publishing background encompasses senior level positions with titles such as Vibe and Spin where she was Co-CEO/Vibe-Spin Ventures, Parenting and BabyTalk as Executive VP/The Parenting Group, and various roles at Time Inc. including General Manager, Time Inc. Ventures and Business Manager, Entertainment Weekly, where she was part of the launch team. Anne also served as Chief Operation Officer for the start-up phase of American Town Network, LLC which operates a network of hyper-local community websites.