- Tickets to Challenger Summit are complimentary, but subject to review and approval. All attendees must be officially registered.
- Tickets include access to all content sessions and food and beverage throughout the day.
September 23, 2025 | Santa Monica, CA
Harness the Combined Power of People & Tech
In a world where customers demand authenticity and clear value, human expertise and creativity are more valuable than ever. At the same time, AI and data automation are unlocking unprecedented opportunities for personalization, efficiency, and scale. But how do you combine these two essential components into true intelligence that helps you spark real audience connection and forge new paths to growth?
This is the critical question of our time.
To answer this, our 2025 Challenger Summit is bringing together the B2C and B2B leaders and experts challenging the status quo by activating hybrid intelligence: where humans and tech come together in innovative ways to give brands the ultimate advantage in the market.
Join us to explore new ways of working, unique applications of technology and data, and the processes that bring it all together. You’ll leave with the confidence and actionable steps to augment and empower your teams to move faster, make smarter decisions, and drive better results for your brand and business.
Author & Keynote Speaker
Sharon Gai is a global expert on AI and innovation and former Alibaba executive, brings powerhouse insights and expertise to the 2025 Challenger Summit. A sought-after international keynote speaker, she’s energized audiences at TEDx, Singularity University, UBS, Nestlé, Deloitte, and more. She is the author of Ecommerce Reimagined, and her insights have been featured by Bloomberg, Reuters, ABC, CBC, and TechCrunch.
In her session, “Unlocking AI: How to Deliver More Impact (Even When Budgets Get Tight),” Sharon will reveal how AI can become a true strategic multiplier by automating resource drains, amplifying growth initiatives, and reimagining work in a fast-moving economy. Her actionable insights will equip marketers and leaders to achieve measurable results, even under tight constraints.
Join us for a jam-packed day of thought leadership, interactive sessions, and more on Tuesday, September 23rd.
7:30am
Breakfast & Registration
8:30am
Welcome Remarks
Christine comes from the worlds of tech, education, and politics, and excels at distilling complex ideas into high-impact content. She helps shape Wpromote's story and embrace the Challenger Mindset internally and externally by leveraging her background in instructional design and creative writing to ask difficult questions, build compelling brand positioning, collaborate on cross-channel marketing strategy, and deploy heavy-handed metaphors about dinosaurs.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“Of course I talk to myself. I like a good speaker, and I appreciate an intelligent audience.”
– Dorothy Parker
9:00am
Light the Fuse: How We're Moving Media Ever Forward
9:00am
Every transformation starts with a spark. Welcome to a new era in marketing—where bold thinking meets real accountability, and the brands that thrive are the challengers who refuse to sit still. Explore how to embrace change as your ultimate strength, fuse human brilliance with intelligent tech, and put business outcomes at the center of everything—not by chasing what’s safe, but by daring to lead.
Andrea Bendzick
Wpromote
Tom Hammel
Wpromote
As CEO, Andrea Bendzick drives independent marketing agency Wpromote with a bold vision: harnessing hybrid intelligence to drive client growth. Her proven ability to integrate tech into service organizations is vital to ensuring the agency stays ahead of industry shifts, enhancing the potential and creativity of the agency’s people with tech, particularly AI.
Bendzick has over 20 years of executive and C-suite leadership experience, serving as CEO, COO, and CFO across multiple high-growth enterprise organizations, including HP and NTT DATA. Prior to joining Wpromote, Bendzick served as CEO at tech firm Astreya Partners, where she launched a learning development team to upskill employees, enhancing both their technical expertise and career growth.
Tom leads product at Wpromote, helping brands accelerate profitable growth with digital marketing through clean data architecture, advanced analytics, predictive modeling, and assistive automation. Tom got his start with Wpromote managing their partnership with Google. He enjoyed the culture so much, he joined in 2018 as VP of Paid Media, where he launched two high growth services, Amazon and Performance Creative, and integrated them with Paid Search, Social, and Programmatic delivery to improve paid performance for clients.
Something You May Not Know About Me
I’ve been on a quest for 10 years to make the perfect cup of coffee. I imagine I’ll be chasing this for the rest of my life.
9:35am
Age of Volatility: Building Agile Media Strategies That Win
9:35am
Change is the new normal. From shifting media environments to new consumer preferences to AI search: your plans can’t afford to sit still. What used to be annual planning is now daily decision-making. Whether it’s testing new channels, adjusting messaging, or reallocating spend, you need to move from reactive to ready—and stay one step ahead. Learn how to anticipate, model, and respond to change to outmaneuver disruption.
Natalie McCaffrey
Wpromote
Rachel Klein
Wpromote
Natalie has a strong eye for identifying opportunities and developing solutions that drive real impact for both emerging and enterprise brands. As VP of Strategy, her approach combines brand-building with performance marketing to deliver measurable results and lasting brand value for clients. She's been instrumental in developing Wpromote's brandformance capabilities and strategic offerings that are shaping the agency's future. Natalie leads enterprise-level strategic initiatives that position Wpromote as a full-funnel, innovation-forward partner. She elevates pitch strategy by crafting compelling narratives that connect business goals to breakthrough solutions, helping win new business through clear storytelling. With extensive experience in growth strategies and cross-functional leadership, she's worked with leading marketers across fashion, beauty, retail, finance, and technology. Her strength lies in driving integration across teams and ensuring strategic excellence in every client relationship from initial engagement through long-term partnership.
As Vice President of Earned & Owned Media, Rachel oversees division-wide growth, profitability, innovation, and team development across Wpromote’s Email, SEO, Content Marketing, Influencer, Affiliate, and Content Development departments. An English major at heart, Rachel challenges her teams to build stories that engage organically, earn trust, and drive more profitable, sustainable performance.
The Best Challenger Advice I’ve Received
“You can’t teach someone to care.” Enthusiasm, dedication, and feeling personally invested in your client’s success are intrinsic and invaluable.
10:05am
Anytime Fitness Stretch Session & Break
10:40am
Unlocking AI: How to Deliver More Impact (Even When Budgets Get Tight)
10:40am
In today’s fast-moving economy, marketers are being asked to get creative about how to maximize the impact of every activity. Whether you're an individual contributor, running a lean team, or leading transformation at a large organization, AI offers a strategic advantage — not just a tactical one. Sharon Gai demystifies how artificial intelligence can be a multiplier for time, talent, and capital. Drawing from her experiences at Alibaba and global innovation ecosystems, she shows how businesses of all sizes can automate what drains them, amplify what drives them, and ultimately, reimagine how work gets done.
Sharon Gai
Author & Keynote Speaker
Sharon Gai is an expert in AI and innovation. She helps organizations do more with less by showing them how the workforce should shift in concentrating precious human hours on human-necessary tasks. In her tenure at Alibaba, she advised brands and heads of state in crafting their digital strategy with programmatic marketing and AI. She has worked with TEDx, Singularity University, UBS, Deloitte, Walmart, Coca Cola, Lenovo, LVMH, Nestle, Tetra Pak and many others.
She is in the AAE list of Top Keynote Speakers in 2023. She is a RETHINK Retail’s Top Retail Expert and a LinkedIn Community Top Voice in 2024. She has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg, Reuters, ABC, CBC, CCTV, TechCrunch, Wired, and The Next Web. She is the author of the book, Ecommerce Reimagined. Sharon has an Honors Bachelor’s degree in International Development from McGill and a Masters in Information Management from Columbia University. When she is not globetrotting, she is jamming pianos or making people laugh in New York’s stand up comedy scene.
11:10am
Challenger Chat with LegalZoom
Daniel has served as LegalZoom's Chief Marketing Officer since May 2023, having previously served as Vice President of Growth Marketing since July 2022. Prior to joining LegalZoom, Daniel served as Vice President of Growth Product & Marketing at Good Eggs, Inc., an online grocery service, from May 2021 to July 2022. From January 2015 to May 2021, Daniel held various roles at TrueCar, Inc., an Internet-based information, technology, and communication services company, serving most recently as the Vice President of Customer Acquisition from December 2019 to May 2021. Daniel holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
11:40am
Lightning Presentation with Amazon
Amazon speaker coming soon!
12:00
Lunch
1:15pm
Breakout 1 - Creative Track
Breakout 1 - Creative Track
Responsive Creative: AI-Powered, Authentically Human
1:15pm
The best creative is built to adapt in real time, but still connects like it was made just for you. Dig into how marketers are harnessing the power of AI to generate unique intelligence and combining machine-driven personalization with human emotion and cultural nuance to build creative that resonates and supercharges media impact.
Andrea Bottini
Jiffy Lube
Apoorva Dornadula
Smartly
Darren D'Altorio
Wpromote
Tom Hood
Wpromote
Andrea Bottini is a brand architect and marketing futurist with a decade of experience turning brands into cultural conversations. MBA-trained because learning never stops, and globally fluent, Andrea fuses data, storytelling, and AI to build brands that don’t just compete—they lead. Currently spearheading the transformation of Jiffy Lube, he’s leveraging Generative AI to rewrite the rules of customer engagement, search, and brand discovery. When he’s not decoding the future of marketing, you’ll find him racing cars, riding motorcycles, or championing local automotive culture.
Apoorva is the Sr. Manager at Smartly, where she leads Creative AI, focusing on integrating AI-driven solutions to enhance creative processes for marketers. Prior to this, she was a Co-Founder and CTO at Viralspace, a visual intelligence platform acquired by Smartly, where she developed technologies that provided actionable insights for social media advertising.
Apoorva holds a Master's in Computer Science from Stanford University, where she conducted research on visual relationships in images. She is on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her work advancing AI in marketing and she is a part-time Founding Partner at Dent Capital, an AI-focused investing firm.
Darren joined Wpromote in 2013 as an entry-level account manager on the SMB team. Over the past eight years, he's been on the incredibly rewarding journey to his current role as Head of the Social team. In past lives, Darren existed as a bartender, a journalist, and a digital content producer for a TV network. In his current role, he finds extreme joy in helping to shape our team, our clients' brands, and the way we all share our stories online. Darren is fueled by live music, inspiring conversations, and delicious craft beer.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
– Hunter S. Thompson
Tom is a digital marketing veteran with global experience spanning travel, automotive, financial services, tech, and government. Tom is passionate about insights and measurement and how these can drive meaningful business outcomes. When Tom is away from the office you can find him running on a treadmill at Barry's Bootcamp, snowboarding at Lake Tahoe, or dreaming about his next big travel adventure!
My Favorite Challenger Moment
Moving to the US from Australia in 2019 with no job and 3 suitcases determined to make it work!
Breakout 2 - Data/Intelligence Track
Breakout 2 - Data/Intelligence Track
Make Brand Make Sense: Accountability in Brand Media
Brand is the ultimate differentiator, especially when consumers are watching their dollars. Learn how to prove the impact of brand dollars and make them work harder with advanced measurement, predictive analytics, and a clearer line of sight to business outcomes.
Tyler Igou
Purpose Brands
Jonathan Ricard
Resonate
Drew Ford
Wpromote
Deanna Cullen
Wpromote
Tyler Igou is a digital marketing expert with over 15 years of experience spanning media, web, CRM, and social. Tyler excels at building authentic connections between brands and their audiences and making sure those connections last. As the Director of Marketing, Paid Media at Purpose Brands, LLC, Tyler leads the integrated media efforts for a dynamic portfolio of fitness and wellness brands, including Anytime Fitness, Waxing the City, and The Bar Method. He’s all about developing full-funnel media strategies that align business goals with consumer journeys, delivering campaigns that not only win awards but also drive significant, sustained growth. Tyler’s career has been anything but conventional. From his start as a digital strategist to his current leadership role, he’s built a reputation for creating impactful marketing strategies, nurturing high-performing teams, and solving complex challenges. Tyler holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Communications from the University of Minnesota. His expertise isn’t just in marketing, he’s also an expert in juggling life, work, and parenting two (yes, two!) three-year-old boys alongside his wife, Joy. Let’s just say, multitasking is his superpower.
Jonathan Ricard brings over 20 years of expertise on the intersection of data and marketing in the digital media industry. He has been an executive at high-growth startups, SaaS platforms and data companies including Signal, IXI Digital, Revolution Health and AOL.
As the head of Data Strategy & Analytics, Drew utilizes the power of AI and ML to revolutionize Wpromote's methods of measurement, optimization, data privacy, and experimentation to develop meaningful and actionable strategies for our clients. Drew's true passion lies in making analytics accessible to all, achieved through the development of scalable data products that empower marketing professionals to make informed decisions based on data. He thrives at the intersection of marketing and analytics, employing statistical insights and data-driven techniques to steer business growth and deliver measurable results to his clients.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“An approximate answer to the right problem is worth a good deal more than an exact answer to an approximate problem.”
– John Tukey
Throughout her career, Deanna has undertaken new challenges in her quest to gain diverse industry experience and perspectives to be a strong leader on behalf of clients and organizations looking to unlock the next stage of business growth. With a performance background that spans agency, brand, and publisher roles, she leverages her passion for holistic digital strategy, data and analytics, innovation, and partnerships to challenge the status quo and inspire long-lasting positive impact.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
– Rabindranath Tagore
Breakout 3 - Media Evolution Track
Breakout 3 - Media Evolution Track
Audience-Obsessed: Channels Don’t Buy Your Product, People Do
The days of channel-first planning are over. Unpack how brands are building audience-led strategies that meet people where they are—with media that adapts to intent, mindset, and moment, delivering value and driving connection across the customer journey.
Layla Khan
AB Tasty
Elizabeth Wilson
Nextdoor
Kate Breen
Athletic Brewing Company
Sammy Rubin
Wpromote
Aubrie LaMar
Wpromote
Layla Khan is the Director of Channel and Alliances, North America at AB Tasty, where she leads strategic alliances and drives digital experience innovation for top brands. With deep expertise in experimentation, CRO, and omnichannel strategy, Layla has built a robust partner ecosystem and delivered impactful co-marketing programs with leading agencies and technology providers. She is recognized for her hands-on approach, actionable insights, and commitment to helping brands accelerate growth through audience-first strategies and digital transformation. Layla’s leadership and collaborative mindset make her a trusted advisor to partners and clients navigating today’s evolving marketing landscape.
Eli Wilson leads West Coast Sales at Nextdoor, where she empowers a team that helps brands build meaningful connections with real people in their local communities. With over a decade of experience at top social platforms — including LinkedIn, Snap, and now Nextdoor — Eli has a proven track record of driving business growth through audience-centric strategies and creative, customer-first thinking. She's passionate about helping advertisers diversify their media mix, simplifying the complex, and blending storytelling with data to deliver results. Eli is known for her thoughtful leadership, collaborative spirit, and commitment to delivering meaningful impact.
Kate Breen leads brand and performance media strategy at Athletic Brewing Company. With a healthy obsession for finding the right media mix, she focuses on strategies that balance long-term brand building with real-time results. She’s passionate about reaching audiences with intention and with content that connects. When she’s not deep in campaign strategy, Kate is usually hiking or paddleboarding around San Diego with a great-tasting non-alcoholic beer in hand.
As Wpromote’s VP of Integrated Media, Sammy Rubin has led the agency’s evolution from a top performance marketing shop to a best-in-class full-service media agency. When she launched the media strategy team in 2021, she helped redefine Wpromote’s approach to “performance” by focusing on new ways to harness the agency’s digital prowess to build agile, full-funnel media plans that accelerate the business outcomes that matter most to clients. Most recently, she has focused on building Wpromote’s total commerce offering, which empowers brands to bring DTC, retail, and social commerce into a single strategy that connects the dots between media touchpoints across the purchase decision. She continues to help shape Wpromote’s vision and explore new ways to fulfill the full potential of brands through organizational, operational, and strategic marketing transformation. Sammy has been named a Media All-Star by Adweek and one of AdExchanger's Top Women in Media and Adtech; her unique perspective springs from her long experience working with diverse brands across many industries, including HBO Max, Nike, Edgewell Personal Care Brands & Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt.
Aubrie joined Wpromote in 2020 and is an experienced leader specializing in enterprise marketing strategy and vision. In her role, she leverages her expertise to provide strategic guidance to both Wpromote's clients and the Client Services team and is responsible for establishing relationships and new pathways to growth for clients. As a passionate, integrated digital marketer, Aubrie loves working with teams to bring a holistic strategy to life for clients.
Something you may not know about me
When not at work, you can find me playing with my 2 energetic little boys or working the cattle that my husband and I own.
2:00pm
Breakout 4 - Creative Track
Breakout 4 - Creative Track
The Creator Power Play: From Brief to Breakthrough
2:00pm
The most effective creator partnerships aren’t one-off posts; they’re built from the ground up to drive impact. Walk through a real-world collaboration from brief to launch, and explore how brands are working with creators to craft content fluent in platform language, powered by performance data, and ready to scale. Learn how tools like Wpromote's Creative Audit, first-party insights, and AI are reshaping the process, and why creators are essential partners in turning brand stories into measurable results.
Meta speakers coming soon!
Breakout 5 - Data/Intelligence Track
Breakout 5 - Data/Intelligence Track
Reimagining CRM: Unlocking Growth for Modern B2C Brands
CRM is no longer just a B2B powerhouse; it’s the secret weapon B2C brands can’t afford to overlook. As consumer expectations evolve and media habits shift, the pressure to deliver personalized, real-time experiences at scale is growing. In this collaborative session, dive into how CRM—powered by unified data, marketing automation, and AI-driven personalization—can fuel smarter strategies, stronger connections, and next-level growth. Come ready to challenge assumptions, swap insights, and uncover what a modern CRM approach could unlock for your brand.
Neil Gogate
Klaviyo
Neil Gogate is a seasoned Customer Success leader with over 15 years of experience driving growth and engagement across digital marketing and CRM. As a Manager of Customer Success at Klaviyo, Neil leads a team of CSMs who work with Mid-Market & Enterprise customers to unlock expansion opportunities, optimize omnichannel strategy, and implement data-driven recommendations that boost ROI. As a CSM, Neil was recognized as 2022 CSM of the Year for managing a $6M book of business with less than 1% churn. Prior to Klaviyo, Neil held senior CRM and analytics roles at Mattel, where he scaled global customer engagement programs across iconic brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price. A trusted mentor and thought leader, he is passionate about building strong customer relationships, modernizing brands, and empowering teams to succeed with efficiency.
Breakout 6 - Media Evolution Track
Breakout 6 - Media Evolution Track
The Authenticity Equation: Staying Human in a Machine-Led Moment
Brands are up against a powerful paradox: how to stay real while keeping pace with AI’s relentless momentum. The answers aren't coming from polished scripts or overproduced creative, they're coming from real conversations happening in the wild. Dive into how community-powered platforms are shaping what shows up in AI search, informing smarter performance strategies, and helping brands earn trust where it matters most. Ask your burning questions in a Reddit-style AMA that hands the mic to the audience and opens the floor for the unexpected.
Reddit speaker coming soon!
2:35pm
Afternoon Break
3:10pm
The Strategy Accelerator: Transform Insights Into Media Momentum with Hybrid Intelligence
3:10pm
The strongest media strategies are rooted in understanding your customers, but without action, even the sharpest insights won’t give you the edge. In this immersive experience, you'll put Wpromote’s AI-powered CommsCompass to work, revealing hidden cultural opportunities that go beyond generic marketing thinking. Together, we’ll turn them into disruptive objectives that drive performance from brand to demand. By flipping the 80/20 strategy-to-activation ratio, you’ll learn how to spend less time stuck in planning and more time winning in the market.
Janna Navarro
Wpromote
Sid Gowda
Wpromote
Janna, a Michigan native with entrepreneurial roots, has crafted a dynamic career in brand media strategy that spans Chicago, NYC and Denver. As VP of Brand and Media Strategy, Janna leverages her rich experience in creative + media agencies and brand-side positions, covering industries from QSR and D2C to automotive and beauty. Her true strength lies in her fascination with what makes people fall in love with brands, allowing her to build powerful bridges between corporate visions & goals to consumer hearts. Combining data-driven insights with intuitive understanding, Janna doesn't just create media strategies – she crafts compelling brand centered media stories that resonate deeply with audiences.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
– Oscar Wilde
Sid brings over 16 years of global integrated comms and media strategy experience spanning New York, Singapore, and Mumbai. Having spent half his career in creative strategy and the other half in media and innovation, he is a uniquely skilled creative, media-informed strategist. Sid has worked with P&G, Unilever, GSK, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and Mastercard among others. He is an expert in workshopping marketing priorities and translating data-driven insights into global strategic frameworks and disruptive ideas.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“Today is the oldest you’ve ever been and the youngest you’ll ever be again.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
3:40pm
Challenger Chat
Speakers coming soon!
4:10pm
Decoding the Next Generation of Creativity
4:10pm
From the intricate lore of Skibidi Toilet to the AI-generated chaos of "Italian Brainrot," a new aesthetic is taking over the internet, and it's driven by the tastes of today's teens. What looks like chaos is actually a new creative language. Join YouTube's Global Trends Insights Lead, Earnest Pettie, as he decodes "Creative Maximalism." You'll leave understanding the forces shaping what's next in culture. or shorter: What do Skibidi Toilet, AI-generated memes, and Kpop-influenced smashes have in common? They're all part of "Creative Maximalism," the new language of the next generation. Join YouTube's Earnest Pettie to learn how this generation is reshaping pop culture.
Earnest Pettie
YouTube
Earnest Pettie, a seasoned expert in web videos and trends analysis, plays a pivotal role in identifying emerging trends for YouTube, leading global trends research for YouTube’s Culture and Trends team. He has over 18 years of experience in the field and has provided valuable insights into the ever-evolving digital landscape through data visualization, video production, and public speaking. Earnest is also co-creator of YouTube’s Clio-winning documentary series, “Flowers,” which highlights the untold stories of Black creators’ impact on culture.
4:30pm
Prove It: Building a Common Language Between Marketing + Finance
4:30pm
Bridging the gap between the CMO and the CFO is more important than ever. Learn how to transform marketing from a cost center into a growth engine your CFO champions through strategic collaboration built on transparency, trust, and mutual goals. If you’ve ever been asked to “show the ROI,” this one’s for you.
Amir Feder
Wpromote
Barney Garcia
Peacock
Michael Block
Wpromote
Amir is a seasoned financial executive with over 25 years of experience delivering strategic financial leadership and partnering with executives and clients to drive growth. Previously, Amir was Global CFO at Droga5, where he shepherded the company through a decade of rapid global expansion and led its landmark sale to Accenture. His earlier career includes senior finance leadership roles at agencies such as DraftFCB, Mindshare, and Digitas. Amir lives in San Diego and enjoys spending time traveling with his wife, two daughters. When not spending time with the family, Amir can be found competing in local tennis leagues.
With over 15 years in performance marketing, I’ve been able to deliver both immediate ROI and long-term growth through data-driven and measurable digital strategies. As Sr. Director of Performance at Peacock, I’ve led growth initiatives that scale across acquisition and retention in the competitive streaming space. Prior to joining Peacock, I spent four years at Uber, developing performance marketing initiatives that helped fuel Uber’s rapid expansion.
One of the original members of the Wpromote team, Michael is responsible for the execution of all client services and manages the overall operations of the company. With extensive online marketing experience, he also supervises strategy and planning for our largest clients. Michael is considered Wpromote's foremost expert not only on paid search, but also on single malt Scotch and paleontology. There isn't a question about whisky or dinosaurs that he can't answer, which is a great comfort to the other employees.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”
– Jake the Dog from Adventure Time
4:55pm
Closing Remarks
Christine comes from the worlds of tech, education, and politics, and excels at distilling complex ideas into high-impact content. She helps shape Wpromote's story and embrace the Challenger Mindset internally and externally by leveraging her background in instructional design and creative writing to ask difficult questions, build compelling brand positioning, collaborate on cross-channel marketing strategy, and deploy heavy-handed metaphors about dinosaurs.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“Of course I talk to myself. I like a good speaker, and I appreciate an intelligent audience.”
– Dorothy Parker
5:15pm
Happy Hour & Networking
Amir is a seasoned financial executive with over 25 years of experience delivering strategic financial leadership and partnering with executives and clients to drive growth. Previously, Amir was Global CFO at Droga5, where he shepherded the company through a decade of rapid global expansion and led its landmark sale to Accenture. His earlier career includes senior finance leadership roles at agencies such as DraftFCB, Mindshare, and Digitas. Amir lives in San Diego and enjoys spending time traveling with his wife, two daughters. When not spending time with the family, Amir can be found competing in local tennis leagues.
As CEO, Andrea Bendzick drives independent marketing agency Wpromote with a bold vision: harnessing hybrid intelligence to drive client growth. Her proven ability to integrate tech into service organizations is vital to ensuring the agency stays ahead of industry shifts, enhancing the potential and creativity of the agency’s people with tech, particularly AI.
Bendzick has over 20 years of executive and C-suite leadership experience, serving as CEO, COO, and CFO across multiple high-growth enterprise organizations, including HP and NTT DATA. Prior to joining Wpromote, Bendzick served as CEO at tech firm Astreya Partners, where she launched a learning development team to upskill employees, enhancing both their technical expertise and career growth.
Andrea Bottini is a brand architect and marketing futurist with a decade of experience turning brands into cultural conversations. MBA-trained because learning never stops, and globally fluent, Andrea fuses data, storytelling, and AI to build brands that don’t just compete—they lead. Currently spearheading the transformation of Jiffy Lube, he’s leveraging Generative AI to rewrite the rules of customer engagement, search, and brand discovery. When he’s not decoding the future of marketing, you’ll find him racing cars, riding motorcycles, or championing local automotive culture.
Apoorva is the Sr. Manager at Smartly, where she leads Creative AI, focusing on integrating AI-driven solutions to enhance creative processes for marketers. Prior to this, she was a Co-Founder and CTO at Viralspace, a visual intelligence platform acquired by Smartly, where she developed technologies that provided actionable insights for social media advertising.
Apoorva holds a Master's in Computer Science from Stanford University, where she conducted research on visual relationships in images. She is on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her work advancing AI in marketing and she is a part-time Founding Partner at Dent Capital, an AI-focused investing firm.
With over 15 years in performance marketing, I’ve been able to deliver both immediate ROI and long-term growth through data-driven and measurable digital strategies. As Sr. Director of Performance at Peacock, I’ve led growth initiatives that scale across acquisition and retention in the competitive streaming space. Prior to joining Peacock, I spent four years at Uber, developing performance marketing initiatives that helped fuel Uber’s rapid expansion.
Daniel has served as LegalZoom's Chief Marketing Officer since May 2023, having previously served as Vice President of Growth Marketing since July 2022. Prior to joining LegalZoom, Daniel served as Vice President of Growth Product & Marketing at Good Eggs, Inc., an online grocery service, from May 2021 to July 2022. From January 2015 to May 2021, Daniel held various roles at TrueCar, Inc., an Internet-based information, technology, and communication services company, serving most recently as the Vice President of Customer Acquisition from December 2019 to May 2021. Daniel holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
Earnest Pettie, a seasoned expert in web videos and trends analysis, plays a pivotal role in identifying emerging trends for YouTube, leading global trends research for YouTube’s Culture and Trends team. He has over 18 years of experience in the field and has provided valuable insights into the ever-evolving digital landscape through data visualization, video production, and public speaking. Earnest is also co-creator of YouTube’s Clio-winning documentary series, “Flowers,” which highlights the untold stories of Black creators’ impact on culture.
Eli Wilson leads West Coast Sales at Nextdoor, where she empowers a team that helps brands build meaningful connections with real people in their local communities. With over a decade of experience at top social platforms — including LinkedIn, Snap, and now Nextdoor — Eli has a proven track record of driving business growth through audience-centric strategies and creative, customer-first thinking. She's passionate about helping advertisers diversify their media mix, simplifying the complex, and blending storytelling with data to deliver results. Eli is known for her thoughtful leadership, collaborative spirit, and commitment to delivering meaningful impact.
Janna, a Michigan native with entrepreneurial roots, has crafted a dynamic career in brand media strategy that spans Chicago, NYC and Denver. As VP of Brand and Media Strategy, Janna leverages her rich experience in creative + media agencies and brand-side positions, covering industries from QSR and D2C to automotive and beauty. Her true strength lies in her fascination with what makes people fall in love with brands, allowing her to build powerful bridges between corporate visions & goals to consumer hearts. Combining data-driven insights with intuitive understanding, Janna doesn't just create media strategies – she crafts compelling brand centered media stories that resonate deeply with audiences.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
– Oscar Wilde
Jonathan Ricard brings over 20 years of expertise on the intersection of data and marketing in the digital media industry. He has been an executive at high-growth startups, SaaS platforms and data companies including Signal, IXI Digital, Revolution Health and AOL.
Kate Breen leads brand and performance media strategy at Athletic Brewing Company. With a healthy obsession for finding the right media mix, she focuses on strategies that balance long-term brand building with real-time results. She’s passionate about reaching audiences with intention and with content that connects. When she’s not deep in campaign strategy, Kate is usually hiking or paddleboarding around San Diego with a great-tasting non-alcoholic beer in hand.
Layla Khan is the Director of Channel and Alliances, North America at AB Tasty, where she leads strategic alliances and drives digital experience innovation for top brands. With deep expertise in experimentation, CRO, and omnichannel strategy, Layla has built a robust partner ecosystem and delivered impactful co-marketing programs with leading agencies and technology providers. She is recognized for her hands-on approach, actionable insights, and commitment to helping brands accelerate growth through audience-first strategies and digital transformation. Layla’s leadership and collaborative mindset make her a trusted advisor to partners and clients navigating today’s evolving marketing landscape.
Margot Johnson is the Chief Digital Officer at Aritzia, with oversight across Performance Marketing, Digital Commerce, Omni Channel, and Concierge. With over 20 years of digital and retail leadership, particularly in Fashion and Beauty, Margot has a proven track record of leading multi-functional teams to launch, evolve, and scale successful digital experiences and businesses. Prior to joining Aritzia, Margot held leadership positions at McKinsey & Co and Amazon, working with Fortune 100 retailers and brands.
With over 25 years of experience, Megan has helped fuel brand and marketing growth across technology and retail, from disruptive start-ups to global Fortune 50 companies. As a visionary leader, passionate problem-solver, and catalyst for marketing transformation, she thrives on crafting bold strategies that drive real business impact. Throughout her career, she has partnered with some of the world’s most innovative brands, unlocking exponential growth and redefining industry standards.
One of the original members of the Wpromote team, Michael is responsible for the execution of all client services and manages the overall operations of the company. With extensive online marketing experience, he also supervises strategy and planning for our largest clients. Michael is considered Wpromote's foremost expert not only on paid search, but also on single malt Scotch and paleontology. There isn't a question about whisky or dinosaurs that he can't answer, which is a great comfort to the other employees.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”
– Jake the Dog from Adventure Time
Natalie has a strong eye for identifying opportunities and developing solutions that drive real impact for both emerging and enterprise brands. As VP of Strategy, her approach combines brand-building with performance marketing to deliver measurable results and lasting brand value for clients. She's been instrumental in developing Wpromote's brandformance capabilities and strategic offerings that are shaping the agency's future. Natalie leads enterprise-level strategic initiatives that position Wpromote as a full-funnel, innovation-forward partner. She elevates pitch strategy by crafting compelling narratives that connect business goals to breakthrough solutions, helping win new business through clear storytelling. With extensive experience in growth strategies and cross-functional leadership, she's worked with leading marketers across fashion, beauty, retail, finance, and technology. Her strength lies in driving integration across teams and ensuring strategic excellence in every client relationship from initial engagement through long-term partnership.
Neil Gogate is a seasoned Customer Success leader with over 15 years of experience driving growth and engagement across digital marketing and CRM. As a Manager of Customer Success at Klaviyo, Neil leads a team of CSMs who work with Mid-Market & Enterprise customers to unlock expansion opportunities, optimize omnichannel strategy, and implement data-driven recommendations that boost ROI. As a CSM, Neil was recognized as 2022 CSM of the Year for managing a $6M book of business with less than 1% churn. Prior to Klaviyo, Neil held senior CRM and analytics roles at Mattel, where he scaled global customer engagement programs across iconic brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price. A trusted mentor and thought leader, he is passionate about building strong customer relationships, modernizing brands, and empowering teams to succeed with efficiency.
As Wpromote’s VP of Integrated Media, Sammy Rubin has led the agency’s evolution from a top performance marketing shop to a best-in-class full-service media agency. When she launched the media strategy team in 2021, she helped redefine Wpromote’s approach to “performance” by focusing on new ways to harness the agency’s digital prowess to build agile, full-funnel media plans that accelerate the business outcomes that matter most to clients. Most recently, she has focused on building Wpromote’s total commerce offering, which empowers brands to bring DTC, retail, and social commerce into a single strategy that connects the dots between media touchpoints across the purchase decision. She continues to help shape Wpromote’s vision and explore new ways to fulfill the full potential of brands through organizational, operational, and strategic marketing transformation. Sammy has been named a Media All-Star by Adweek and one of AdExchanger's Top Women in Media and Adtech; her unique perspective springs from her long experience working with diverse brands across many industries, including HBO Max, Nike, Edgewell Personal Care Brands & Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt.
Sharon Gai is an expert in AI and innovation. She helps organizations do more with less by showing them how the workforce should shift in concentrating precious human hours on human-necessary tasks. In her tenure at Alibaba, she advised brands and heads of state in crafting their digital strategy with programmatic marketing and AI. She has worked with TEDx, Singularity University, UBS, Deloitte, Walmart, Coca Cola, Lenovo, LVMH, Nestle, Tetra Pak and many others.
She is in the AAE list of Top Keynote Speakers in 2023. She is a RETHINK Retail’s Top Retail Expert and a LinkedIn Community Top Voice in 2024. She has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg, Reuters, ABC, CBC, CCTV, TechCrunch, Wired, and The Next Web. She is the author of the book, Ecommerce Reimagined. Sharon has an Honors Bachelor’s degree in International Development from McGill and a Masters in Information Management from Columbia University. When she is not globetrotting, she is jamming pianos or making people laugh in New York’s stand up comedy scene.
Sid brings over 16 years of global integrated comms and media strategy experience spanning New York, Singapore, and Mumbai. Having spent half his career in creative strategy and the other half in media and innovation, he is a uniquely skilled creative, media-informed strategist. Sid has worked with P&G, Unilever, GSK, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and Mastercard among others. He is an expert in workshopping marketing priorities and translating data-driven insights into global strategic frameworks and disruptive ideas.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE
“Today is the oldest you’ve ever been and the youngest you’ll ever be again.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
Tyler Igou is a digital marketing expert with over 15 years of experience spanning media, web, CRM, and social. Tyler excels at building authentic connections between brands and their audiences and making sure those connections last. As the Director of Marketing, Paid Media at Purpose Brands, LLC, Tyler leads the integrated media efforts for a dynamic portfolio of fitness and wellness brands, including Anytime Fitness, Waxing the City, and The Bar Method. He’s all about developing full-funnel media strategies that align business goals with consumer journeys, delivering campaigns that not only win awards but also drive significant, sustained growth. Tyler’s career has been anything but conventional. From his start as a digital strategist to his current leadership role, he’s built a reputation for creating impactful marketing strategies, nurturing high-performing teams, and solving complex challenges. Tyler holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Communications from the University of Minnesota. His expertise isn’t just in marketing, he’s also an expert in juggling life, work, and parenting two (yes, two!) three-year-old boys alongside his wife, Joy. Let’s just say, multitasking is his superpower.
Some conferences give you fluorescent lighting—we prefer natural light with an ocean view. The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows is the ultimate setting for breakthrough ideas and maybe even a little beach time.
A limited number of discounted rooms are available for the nights of September 22 and 23.
Thank you to our incredible partners for their support and for championing the challenger spirit with us.
Amazon Ads offers a suite of products and solutions to help businesses achieve their advertising goals. By leveraging insights, shopping signals, and innovative ad formats, we enable advertisers to deliver relevant, engaging experiences that drive measurable results. Our offerings span sponsored ads, display, streaming TV, audio, and custom brand activations, reaching audiences where they shop, browse, and stream. From small businesses to global enterprises, Amazon Ads empowers brands to grow, engage customers meaningfully, and build lasting connections.
Google’s mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Klaviyo B2C CRM brings together your marketing, service, and analytics in a single platform. Powered by the Klaviyo Data Platform and built-in AI, it’s faster and easier than ever to create personalized, lasting customer relationships.
Social Media and Technology Platform - our mission is to build the future of human connection and the technology that makes it possible.
Reddit is a social platform where people come together to discuss, share, and learn about topics that matter to them, forming communities around their interests. Users participate in themed discussions, ask for advice, exchange recommendations, and research products or services. The platform is known for trusted peer-to-peer advice and robust conversations across myriad subjects, empowering users to make informed decisions—whether about technology, lifestyle, or purchases—guided by real experiences from other Redditors.
At AB Tasty, we’re your partner for pushing great ideas even further through optimization. We empower brands to build better experiences using personalization, experimentation, merchandising, recommendations, and the market’s only emotions-based segmentation solution. We are a trusted partner in optimization and innovation to over 1,100 brands including Kering, McDonald’s, Ulta Beauty, L’Oreal, LVMH, and many others. To learn more, visit www.abtasty.com.
Nextdoor (NYSE: KIND) is the essential neighborhood network. Neighbors, public agencies and businesses use Nextdoor to connect around local information that matters in more than 345,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries. Nextdoor builds innovative technology to foster local community, and brands and businesses of all sizes use Nextdoor’s advertising platform to engage with neighborhoods at scale.
Resonate is the leader in predictive consumer intelligence, delivering proprietary, privacy-safe consumer and voter data for insights, analysis and activation. The Resonate data set includes more than 15,000 rich, relevant, real-time data points that holistically describe more than 250 million U.S. consumer profiles. Hundreds of companies and campaigns use Resonate to drive more effective marketing strategy that extends beyond traditional demographics, psychographics and behavioral data to uncover why people choose, buy, or support certain brands, products, candidates or causes.
Smartly is the AI-powered advertising technology company ranked as the leader in The Forrester Wave™: Creative Advertising Technologies. Our platform unifies creative and media to produce intelligent creative—dynamic, data-driven image and video assets optimized for seamless activation across channels. Brands manage, optimize, and scale high-performance campaigns in one place, achieving PwC-validated results, including a 5.5x return on ad spend (ROAS) and 42 minutes saved every hour. We support 700+ brands and manage over $6 billion in ad spend globally. With strategic partnerships across major media platforms—including Amazon, Google, Meta, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap, and TikTok—we help Fortune 500 companies deliver relevant advertising at speed and scale. Backed by deep media expertise and best-in-class customer support, we empower brands to maximize performance and drive real business outcomes. Visit Smartly.io to learn more."
Funnel is the trusted marketing intelligence platform that empowers businesses to transform complex marketing data into clear, actionable insights that increases companies’ marketing effectiveness. By centralizing data from hundreds of platforms, Funnel enables teams to make confident decisions, report on their progress, optimize marketing efforts, and drive sustainable growth with a single source of truth.
The Nation’s Top Corporate Barter Firm who can buy and fund anything to help companies improve their bottom line. Additionally, ICON offers a full range of comprehensive media buying capabilities, placing nearly $2 billion in media annually.
Kargo creates breakthrough ad solutions for the world’s leading brands. Every day, we radically raise the bar on what mobile, CTV, social, and e-commerce campaigns can do to drive results and build businesses. We create and deliver innovative experiences across mobile, social and CTV that hold attention 2x longer than standard ads. The results: higher awareness, recall and sales.
Snap Inc. is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. We contribute to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The Company's three core products are Snapchat, a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world; Lens Studio, an augmented reality platform that powers AR across Snapchat and other services; and its AR glasses, Spectacles.
Tracksuit is the beautiful, affordable and always-on brand tracking tool to measure and communicate the value of brand-building. Built from best-in-class methodology, Tracksuit is accessible and easy to understand for everyone from CMOs to CFOs, brand marketing specialists to founders. Trusted by thousands of modern consumer brands around the world, Tracksuit surveys thousands of people each week to track consumer awareness, consideration, usage and preference of a brand. The data is collected from different markets and demographics, while also being used to benchmark each brand against its competitors. Tracksuit is now available in the US, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and gives full visibility on brand health in 30 days to help answer the common question, “Is what we’re doing working?”.
The Trade Desk is a technology company that empowers buyers of advertising. Through its self-service, cloud-based platform, ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and devices. Integrations with major data, inventory, and publisher partners ensure maximum reach and decisioning capabilities, and enterprise APIs enable custom development on top of the platform. Headquartered in Ventura, CA, The Trade Desk has offices across North America, Europe, & Asia Pacific.
By booking your stay at the Fairmont, you’ll stay steps from the action, maximize networking, and be fully immersed in the Summit experience. Reservations, modifications, and cancellations can be made directly here.
Interested in sponsoring? Contact events@wpromote.com.
Interested in speaking? Contact events@wpromote.com.
Contact events@wpromote.com.