Great Minds

Avinash is the global Chief Strategy Officer of Croud, a leading full-service marketing Agency. His prior professional experience includes a sixteen-year stint at Google, and roles at Intuit, DirecTV, Silicon Graphics in the US & DHL in Saudi Arabia. Through his newsletter “The Marketing < > Analytics Intersect”, his blog “Occam’s Razor,” and his best-selling books “Web Analytics: An Hou...

Julia Haart is a self-made businesswoman, designer, and bestselling author. She was raised in an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. At age 42 she fled, changed her name, and without any formal education or background in fashion launched her career as a designer with her namesake shoe collection. Just a few years later, she was named creative director of La Perla and would become co-owner and CEO of...

Andrew has over fifteen years of Ad and MarTech experience at eBay, Google, Facebook/Meta, Netflix, Snap, and fintech startups.  He has tackled hard challenges in product, strategy, growth, go-to-market, and partnerships across many verticals and geographies.  He is highly strategic, and has experience building and applying buy- and sell-side ad technology at scale. Andrew has been advising compan...

PJ Pereira is an industry veteran of over 20 years, most famously known for co-founding the independent award-winning creative agency, Pereira O’Dell. In 2023, PJ was also named Chief Creative Officer of independent agency network Serviceplan Americas. Pereira is a pioneer in the marketing world, sitting at the intersection of tech, entertainment and advertising. His credentials have made him one...

Esther-Mireya is a high-performing strategic marketer with a knack for building results-driven powerhouse integrated, strategic marketing functions that deliver maximum enterprise value and operational efficiency. Experienced leader in large-scale digital transformation and organizational change – including rebrands, mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs. Effective in matrixed organizations requiring st...

Rob is CEO of SmartFrame Technologies , an innovative image-streaming service that brings control and fresh monetisation opportunities to image owners, publishers and advertisers. Based in London, Rob joined as CEO in 2015 as a highly experienced entrepreneur and business leader to help define the company’s commercial strategy, take the product to market, and raise the required funding. His previo...

As the founder and global CEO of Advertising Production Resources (APR), Jillian leads the world’s largest and fastest growing production consultancy with over 150+ people in 50+ countries. APR helps marketers to optimize their content creation ecosystem by providing services such as production consulting, cost controlling, vendor selection, and quality assurance. Jillian’s mission is to help adve...

Elizabeth Brennan is General Manager, Advertising, for Permutive, which is powering the future of targeted advertising on the open web. With over decade of experience in digital advertising, Elizabeth is a champion of women in business and a strong believer in the power of mentoring. A graduate of the University of Reading, Elizabeth is a former winner of the prestigious NABS Fast Forward award an...

Katy is CEO of the Valuable 500, the global business partnership of 500 companies working together to end disability exclusion. She played an instrumental role in the initiation of the Valuable 500 when she partnered with Dr Caroline Casey to launch the programme at DAVOS 2019. With over a decade of experience at AMV BBDO, Katy held leadership roles, including Chief Client Officer, Chair of BBDO E...

Ahead of Advertising Week New York 2023, taking place at THE PENN DISTRICT, Great Minds welcomes Skylight CEO Stephanie Blake. Skylight is a placemaking and venue development, management and consulting firm committed to creating bespoke venues in storied places.

Over the last two decades, Shachar has helped to build and scale global brands, including Meta Reality Labs, Bumble, Snapchat, and Apple. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Shachar turned to women’s politics, and helped to legalize emergency contraception through Planned Parenthood with John F. Kerry. That led her to develop the brand for the century-old women’s orga...

Jon Steinlauf serves as Chief U.S. Advertising Sales Officer for Warner Bros. Discovery. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing sales, research, marketing, branded entertainment, pricing and inventory control, as well as developing advanced advertising and convergent revenue streams for the company’s portfolio. Steinlauf most recently served as Chief U.S. Advertising Sales Officer, Discove...

As Chief Marketing Officer for UnitedMasters, Inc., Chaucer works across UnitedMasters and Translation teams to provide diverse solutions designed to bridge partners across the enterprise. Chaucer has spent over 15 years in the media and advertising landscape and, prior to, several years as an independent musician in search of the ideal toolkit to segment, mature, and monetize his own unique fan b...

Jerry Shereshewsky has been in the advertising industry since 1969 and worked in general advertising, direct marketing, and public relations. He has been a brand/product marketer, the marketing arm of a major publisher’s sales organization, the CEO of an internet publishing company and a consultant combining all of the above specialties.

Dr Karen Nelson-Field is a globally acclaimed researcher in media science, with over 17 years spent researching and redefining how people deliver successful marketing and media outcomes through the guise of human attention. Regularly called upon to speak at major industry events across the globe including AdWeek, Cannes and SXSW, Karen’s work has also been recognised and noted in leading publicati...

Chef Frank Brigtsen and his wife Marna are the owners of Brigtsen’s Restaurant, in the Riverbend neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans. Frank began his culinary career in 1973 while attending Louisiana State University. In 1979, he apprenticed at Commander’s Palace Restaurant under the guidance of Chef Paul Prudhomme and became the first Night Chef at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in 1980. During his se...

Michael Sugar is the CEO and Founder of Sugar23 – a management, production and private equity company with a multi-year deal with Netflix – after a long stint at Anonymous Content where he was a partner for many years. He was awarded the Oscar® for Best Picture for “Spotlight,” starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams.          Sugar’s recent Executive Producer credits include MSN...

In her current role as CEO of Digitas North America, Amy will focus on delivering new solutions for Digitas clients, tapping into the agency’s Creative, Media, Data and Technology expertise. Her ability to connect products and services; infused with a commerce lens will lead the agency forward in the next generation of growth. Prior to joining Digitas, she was Chief Operating Officer of Publicis C...

This week on Great Minds we speak with Daniel McCarthy, CEO of FM. FM is a family of brands that exist to empower and inspire the global community of creatives. A charismatic and invested Owner and CEO that constantly drives the FM brands to build the global creative community and participate in local and international philanthropic efforts.

From commercials to television series to film, legendary actress and star of television’s hit show Get Smart, Barbara Feldon, discusses her extraordinary career.

Clay Melton is quickly establishing himself as a rising star, having played world-famous venues such as Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, opening for Grand Funk Railroad on the Chevrolet Main Stage at the State Fair of Texas, and sharing the stage with Sir Earl Toon, of Kool & The Gang fame. Past credits also include opening for blues-legend Robert Cray and platinum-selling artists Chris Daughtry a...

Journey Gunderson is the Executive Director of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY  – the United States’ official cultural institution dedicated to the art of comedy – where she led the planning, strategy, fundraising and creative development for its acclaimed museum and archives. Named one of the Top 50 Museum Influencers worldwide by international museum and attractions authority Blooloo...

Bogdan is a Product and Marketing leader with a rich and diverse track record, spanning over 15+ years in the SaaS and IT industries. He is driving strategy and go-to-market execution to help businesses in Cybersecurity, MarTech, and AdTech grow in the global market. As the VP of Marketing at Creatopy, Bogdan orchestrates a mix of strategic and tactical elements to enhance our marketing campaigns...

Monette is an award-winning strategic advisor in the insurance business. Monette may be in the insurance business, but she does not sell insurance. She is in the business of protecting strong bottom lines and delivering sustainable long-term business solutions for her clients. Her tools are her depth of knowledge and her business acumen. ​Monette is known through her numerous accomplishments and a...

On this episode of Great Minds, we’re pleased to be speaking with Jim Prior, Chair, Design Bridge and Partners, WPP. Launched in January 2023, Design Bridge and Partners formed with the merger of Design Bridge and Superunion. The new company enables clients to leverage a full range of industry-leading design expertise, driving growth and transformation through consumer, business, lifestyle, and ex...