Speakers

Ed Dziedzic

Senior Partner, ICF Next

Mary Elizabeth Germaine

Chief Data & Strategy Officer, Ketchum

Mary Elizabeth leads Ketchum’s research, measurement and analytics sector, Ketchum Analytics. Since joining the agency in 2001, she has been instrumental in growing the business from a handful of team members to well over 60 in 12 cities globally today.

With close to 20 years of experience as a marketing and communications researcher, Mary Elizabeth counsels clients on how to make the best use of data and analytics and derives insights to develop, measure and optimize strategic communication programs. Her work spans all stages of the communications process – from planning to testing to evaluation. She is responsible for the development of a variety of Ketchum’s proprietary tools, including those used for measurement, audience profiling, strategy and creative testing, optimization, as well as the agency’s strategic planning process among others. Her remit is to infuse data and analytics across all aspects of the Agency’s work.

Her background is in the area of corporate reputation research. When she first joined Ketchum, she launched and managed Ketchum Reputation Lab which is a proprietary specialization of the group. In the Lab, the team uses analytics as the basis for the development of corporate reputation programs. Work in this space includes the following clients: Takeda, Janssen, Novartis, NBCUniversal, Kohler, Hilton Worldwide, Michelin, Dow, ConAgra, White Wave Foods, Best Buy, Newmont, Genentech, Sears, Nokia, and Cox Communications. 

Prior to joining Ketchum, she was a Senior Project Manager at Roper Starch Worldwide. While at Roper she worked in the Public Affairs division managing custom research for a variety of clients. She was also responsible for the design, analysis, and reporting of the Fortune/Roper Corporate Reputation Index. 

She has also worked as Senior Project Director at Capstone Research where she managed sales tracking studies for tobacco and food companies. These studies looked at how various promotions and point of sale/purchase materials affected overall sales. Her responsibilities also included quality control management of 1000 vendors nationwide. She received a B.A. in Psychology and History from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

Mary Elizabeth is a thought leader within the research space, and regularly speaks about data and it's use within communications at various conferences and events. Some recent examples include moderating panel discussions at the AMEC Global Summit, regular speaking engagements with PRSA, including PRSA ICON, and Ragan Communications Conferences among others. 

Alanna Glass

Partner, ICF Next

Paul Holmes

Founder & Chair, PRovoke Media

Paul Holmes, founder and chair of PRovoke Media, has been writing about public relations for more than 25 years. Paul began his career in local newspapers in the north of England and also worked for a newspaper group in South London before joining PR Week as news editor in 1985.

In 1987 he moved to New York to launch the short-lived US edition of that publication, and after that project came to an inglorious end worked with Adweek and Adweek’s Marketing Week for a year.

In 1989, he launched his own company, initially publishing Inside PR, and later Reputation Management magazine, both focused on providing analysis of critical trends and issues in the public relations industry. He created the annual Public Relations Agency Report Card, which included profiles of the leading PR firms in the US, and the Creativity in Public Relations Awards, which grew to become the largest in North America.

Early in 2000, Holmes launched The Holmes Group, which provides knowledge and insight to public relations professionals across a variety of platforms, including a website, an e-newsletter, events, printed reports, research and consulting assignments, and the SABRE Awards competition. The group’s flagship title, PRovoke Media (p/k/a The Holmes Report), covers the public relations business in the Americas, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2011, Paul was inducted into the ICCO Hall of Fame.

Jennifer Kamienski

EVP, Consumer Lifestyle Lead, Coyne PR

Aaron Kwittken

Founder and CEO, PRophet

Aaron Kwittken is founder and CEO of PRophet (prprophet.ai), the first-ever generative and predictive AI SaaS platform designed by and for the PR community. The platform uses AI to help modern PR professionals become more performative, productive and predictive by generating, analyzing and testing content that predicts earned media interest and sentiment. Aaron is also CEO of the Comms Tech Unit for the Stagwell Marketing Cloud, a suite of AI SaaS solutions for PR, social media, and content creators.

Aaron founded KWT Global in late 2005 (f/k/a Kwittken), a highly acclaimed global PR and brand strategy consultancy where he currently serves as Chairman. Stagwell acquired KWT Global in 2010. 

A proud George Washington University alum, Aaron serves on GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs advisory board. He is immediate past president of the Public Relations Society of New York, past president of the Americas for the International Communications Consultancy Organization, a former Board member of the PR Council, a former adjunct professor at New York University and a former Forbes columnist. He currently writes a monthly column for The Drum and is the creator and host of the popular Brand on Purpose podcast that features companies and leaders that do well by doing good. 

Ali Lieberman

Manager, North American Brand PR and Earned Media, The Kraft Heinz Company

Ali Lieberman currently serves as a Manager of North American Brand PR and Earned Media at The Kraft Heinz Company working across brands including HEINZ, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Kraft Real Mayo, Grey Poupon, and more. Prior to joining Kraft Heinz, Ali spent several years on the agency side working on integrated strategic comms for CPG and QSR brands including PepsiCo's Tea portfolio, Unilever's Ice Cream portfolio, McDonald's, and more. A born and raised Chicagoan, Ali most recently lived on the East Coast for 8 years, first getting her degree from Yale University before moving to New York City. She moved back to Chicago in 2022, and in her spare time loves to horseback ride, do yoga, travel, and try out Chicago's best restaurants.

Brian Lindo

Content Creator, Food & Lifestyle

Brian is a food & lifestyle content creator based in New York with a passion for culinary exploration. Growing up in a Jamaican household where family meals played a central role, it was clear to Brian that food was his ideal entry point for cultural immersion. Brian has worked extensively with restaurants highlighting their cuisine and humanizing their story to his audience of 200k+ across Instagram and TikTok.

Brian has been featured in Forbes, and NY Mag’s The Cut. When he’s not sharing the latest hot spots around the city, he enjoys running, meditation, and planning his upcoming wedding to fiancé Alyssa.

Diana Marszalek

Senior Reporter, PRovoke Media

Sophie Merven

Vice President, Brand PR & Events, Inspire Brands

Sophie has worked in PR and Communications for over 20 years, in many corners of the world. Her unique experience and background brings a global mindset and multi-cultural perspective to her work, as well as fluency in 3 languages (English, French, and Spanish). After an award-winning career in various agency roles, Sophie jumped into the corporate world running global brand PR first for IHG Hotels + Resorts, and now at Inspire Brands. From hotels & hospitality to food & beverage, Sophie’s entrepreneurial spirit and knack for creativity (mixed with a little side of crazy) enable her to deliver breakthrough PR strategies that drive optimal business results.

Shreya Mukherjee

Chief Strategy Officer, MSL

As the Chief Strategy Officer for MSL US, Shreya brings with her two decades of strategic excellence, sharpened by her global perspective living and working across three continents. A multicultural anthropologist and ambidextrous strategist, Shreya has been a future trends forecaster for Fortune 100 clients, built one of the first global trends practices in the U.S, led global and consumer research, branding and innovation for a cross category of brands, and helped incubate and deliver new business models/ practices for startups. Shreya has worked across industries and regions. Always pushing the boundaries to build influence for clients, Shreya is viewed as a change agent, bringing into focus shifting consumer values and belief systems. By helping clients question assumptions, re-examine their role in culture in a fast- evolving and diverse landscape, Shreya counsels brands and leaders on how they can shape their identity while maximizing influence and impact. 

Carole Munroe

VP, Global Communications, Hilton

Will O’Connor

Senior Vice President, Mastercard (North American Markets)

Will leads Communications for Mastercard’s North American Markets. He is an accomplished communications and marketing strategist who brings nearly twenty years of experience, spanning US, EMEA and Asian markets.

At Mastercard, Will is responsible for managing the company’s brand and reputation across consumer, corporate and B2B segments, leveraging the company’s products, executives, sponsorship assets and purpose-led initiatives to build stakeholder preference. Prior to this, he led global communications for Mastercard’s Products and Innovation (P&I) division.

Will joined Mastercard in 2019 from Edelman, where he led the company’s New York Technology Practice. A strong proponent of progressive, integrated campaigns, Will worked with global brands including HP, Nissan, and Samsung to help evolve, promote and protect their reputations

 Will joined Edelman New York in 2011 following five years with Edelman London where he directed regional and global corporate communications programs for brands like Samung, Xbox, Motorola, Orange [France Telecom] and Canon. His tenure included two years leading the firm’s A&R Technology sub-brand.

 A keen observer of cultural and technology trends, using these insights to navigate changing market conditions and anticipate future business and user dynamics. He spent his early career helping build brands in the nascent digital audio, video, rights management and publishing segments. He is a Sociology and Criminology graduate of Durham University in the UK, and lives with his wife and two sons in Westchester, NY. 

Colleen O'Hara

Senior Vice President of Digital, Zeno Group

Colleen O'Hara is a leader in the world of influencer creator marketing. She is a seasoned member of Zeno Group's digital practice, where she leads the creator specialty in the Central Region and serves as the co-lead for their global center of excellence. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Colleen is known for her ability to develop custom creator strategies across a wide range of industries and with some of the world’s most recognized brands, including P&G, Coca Cola, Netflix, Pizza Hut, SCJ and ALDI. She is on the frontline of the industry transition from influencer to creator marketing, and her programs reflect a deep commitment to innovation, inclusion and the creative potential of creators.

Ellen Rose

Chief Marketing Officer, Arby's

Ellen Rose serves as the Chief Marketing Officer of Arby’s, part of the Inspire family of restaurants. Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 32,000 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC Drive-In restaurants worldwide.

As CMO, Rose oversees brand content, integrated marketing calendar, menu and culinary innovation for Arby’s.

Prior to becoming CMO, Rose served in multiple roles across the marketing organization such as Vice President of Strategic Growth Initiatives, Vice President of Brand Calendar & Field Marketing,
Vice President of Brand Innovation, and Senior Director of Field Marketing for Arby’s.

Before joining Arby’s, Rose served as Director of Account Development at Vendormate, a cloud based solution in the healthcare space. She has also held roles at the Burger King Corporation, Dairy Queen, and Blimpie International.

Rose is an alumnus of the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee where she received a bachelor’s degree in finance.

Zach Silber

Chief Strategy Officer, Kivvit

A pioneer in the strategic communications field, Zach works across Kivvit’s offices to lead the firm’s Insights and Innovation practice — an award-winning team of technologists and data strategists charged with analyzing news, social media, advertising, and audience trends. The group integrates cutting-edge data tools and technologies throughout Kivvit’s campaigns.

Zach’s work has put Kivvit on the leading edge of analytics and research, cementing its status as the Agency of the Future as he innovates new products and services, and provides clients a strategic advantage through data-driven insights. In his role on Kivvit’s management team, Zach works across every geographic market and sector, advising dozens of companies, nonprofits, and institutions each year.

Prior to joining Kivvit, Zach was the political director of the New York Observer. In that role, Zach directed business operations for the Observer’s political properties, including digital advertising strategies, subscription sales, audience development. Zach previously worked on special projects at the Observer’s 17-state Politicker.com network, and he began his career in politics working for political strategists James Carville and Mary Matalin.

Arun Sudhaman

CEO/Editor-in-Chief, PRovoke Media

Arun Sudhaman is CEO and editor-in-chief at PRovoke Media.

In this role Arun oversees PRovoke Media's global content offering, including its analysis and insight into reputation, public relations and communications trends and issues. Since joining PRovoke Media in 2010, Arun has comprehensively redefined the title’s content platform, which includes its digital presence and new products such as the Influence 100 compendium of key global influencers, the Global PR Agency Rankings, the Global Creative Index, and the PRovoke Media podcast. He also led the rebrand of the Holmes Report to PRovoke Media in 2020.

Arun has also played a pivotal role expanding PRovoke Media's coverage into Asia-Pacific and other emerging markets, and has helped steer the company’s international events programme, particularly the Global Public Relations Summit — which has featured such luminaries as Sir Martin Sorrell, P&G’s Marc Pritchard, Chuck Porter and IBM’s Jon Iwata. 

He brings to the position more than a decade’s experience as a journalist and digital content specialist, most of which has been spent analysing the media, marketing and communications industries. His career has encompassed coverage and analysis of reputation and leadership issues in numerous countries across the world, including the US and UK, Russia, China, India and South Africa. 

Prior to joining the Holmes Report, Arun spent more than seven years with Haymarket Media in Hong Kong, Singapore and London. He joined Haymarket title PRWeek UK in January 2009, after covering Asia’s media and marketing landscape at sister Haymarket title Campaign Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Before Haymarket, Arun spent one year at public relations firm Weber Shandwick during its tumultuous mergers with Weber and BSMG. During his career as a journalist he has appeared on BBC News and has also contributed to The Guardian and the South China Morning Post, where he began his career as a business reporter.

In 2015, Arun became the youngest-ever inductee into the ICCO Hall of Fame.

Denise Vitola

VP, Integrated Comms, PR, Social & Influencer, Bayer

Lisa Wolleon

EVP, Consumer Health, Wellness and Beauty Lead, Coyne PR