Speakers

Adam Bryant conducts interviews with chief executives for Corner Office, a weekly feature about leadership and management that he started in 2009. In 2016, Bryant was named editorial director of NYT Live, The Times’s global conference enterprise.

Bryant is the author of “Quick and Nimble; Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation.” His first book, “The Corner Office; Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed,” was a New York Times best-seller.

Bryant has had many roles at The Times, including deputy editor in the Science department, business reporter, deputy business editor, deputy national editor and senior editor for features. He is also a former senior writer and business editor at Newsweek magazine.

Gregory Carpenter focuses on understanding how firms create competitive advantage through marketing strategy. Based on award-winning research, his recent book, Resurgence: The Four Stages of Market-Focused Reinvention (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014), examines how firms become more customer focused, regaining advantage and renewed success. He previously co-edited the Handbook of Marketing Strategy (Edward Elgar, 2012).

As Faculty Director of the Kellogg Markets & Customers Initiative, he fosters research, teaching, and engagement on topics that cross traditional academic boundaries, including customers and corporate culture, data analytics, and trust. He co-chairs the Marketing Leadership Summit, bringing thought leaders together each fall to explore the future of marketing, and as Academic Director of Kellogg's Chief Marketing Officer Program he helps prepare executives for the challenging role of CMO.

Appearing in leading academic journals, such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Management Science, Marketing Science, and Psychometrika, his research on marketing strategy has been recognized by The American Marketing Association with the William F. O'Dell Award, the Paul E. Green Award, the Donald R. Lehmann Award, and the Sheth Foundation/Journal of Marketing Award.

Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, Forbes, BusinessWeek, and National Public Radio have featured his research, and it has been cited in arguments before the United States Supreme Court. Recognized by BusinessWeek as one of a small group of outstanding faculty in its Guide to the Best Business Schools, he was voted Outstanding Professor of the Year by the Kellogg Managers' Program, and he received the Sidney J. Levy Teaching Award.

He often speaks and advises firms on marketing strategy. Past and current clients include Bacardi, Carnival Corporation, Coca-Cola, Cunard Lines, Diageo, Dow Chemical, Federal Reserve Bank, Government of Mexico, General Electric, Harley-Davidson, Health Management Academy, Novartis, PepsiCo, Pfizer, SC Johnson, Target, Unilever, and Visa.

A former Academic Trustee of the Marketing Science Institute, he served as a member of the board of advisors of Hamilton Consultants, and a member of the advisory board of Terlato Wine Group. He was named a Chevalier in the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne for his contribution to champagne.

Carpenter previously served on the faculty of UCLA, Columbia University, and the Yale School of Management. He received his BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, and MBA, MPhil and PhD degrees from Columbia University.

Dave is a partner in McKinsey’s Marketing & Sales Practice with 30 years of experience in marketing, advertising and brand strategy development. His work with leading companies includes developing growth strategies, marketing organization/capabilities, brand positioning and consumer insights. Dave developed the Consumer Decision Journey (CDJ) knowledge initiative for McKinsey in order to understand the fundamental shifts in decision-making in a digital world and help marketers align with the changing CDJ.

His experience includes the creation of the Customer Growth Indicator (CGI), a new metric that helps clients understand their growth prospects relative to competition in the next purchase cycle. This metric is based on data from more than 125,000 consumers in 30 categories on 350 brands. The CGI has greater than 60% R-squared in explaining the variance in future growth.

Dave has directed Consumer Decision Journey initiatives across industries and geographies to identify growth opportunities leading to 5-10% performance improvement through new product/service innovations (smartphones, credit cards), new brand communications (travel, appliances) and budget reallocation to highest impact touchpoints (auto insurance, beverages).

He has led Global Marketing Excellence programs for multiple clients across industries (e.g. pharmaceuticals, consumer and industrial goods) with the objective of upgrading capabilities across foundational marketing dimensions such as customer insights, marketing planning and brand positioning, resulting in 3-10% business performance improvement.

Additionally, he has developed market segmentation/global brand positioning on $1B+ brands across industries including pharmaceuticals, cars, credit cards, beverages, travel and retail fashion. He has also developed consumer brand strategy for green industry, seeking to dramatically accelerate consumer adoption of environmentally friendly, energy-efficient technology through defining consumer target, industry positioning, and core consumer requirements to deliver on the new strategy.

Prior to McKinsey, Dave was a Director of Marketing at the Quaker Oats Company. During his 11 years in brand management, he worked on a variety of businesses in both beverages (Gatorade) and Foods (Quaker Chewy). Dave began his career in media planning at Grey Advertising in New York. Dave holds his MBA from The Kellogg Graduate School of Management and his B.A. in International Economics and Politics from Northwestern University. He is based in Chicago.

Rory Finlay is based in the Chicago office of Egon Zehnder and leads the firm’s Consumer Practice Group globally and is a member of the Chief Marketing Officer Practice Group. He has over 25 years of experience in marketing well-known and iconic consumer brands around the world.

Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Mr. Finlay was Senior Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., where he led the company’s marketing function globally. He previously spent eighteen years with the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, where he held various global positions, including two years based in Munich, Germany, leading Wrigley’s European marketing operations across 30+ countries and as Vice President and General Manager of Wrigley’s Confectionary Brands. He started his marketing career in the textile industry at Celanese Corporation in New York.

He was recognized by Advertising Age as a Top 50 Marketer of the Year for his attention-getting work on Jim Beam. He has also won several prominent marketing and advertising awards, including Cannes Lions for Orbit chewing gum, Canadian Club whiskey and Altoids Sours.

Mr. Finlay is a Scot and native of Great Britain.

Meg Galloway Goldthwaite serves as Chief Marketing Officer for National Public Radio, Inc. (NPR) where she leads the branding and communications efforts of one of the nation’s most iconic news organizations. Committed to creativity, innovation and social responsibility, Meg aims to attract new and diverse audiences to NPR and Member stations as she works to highlight NPR’s platform for the free and thoughtful exchange of ideas and information.

Previously, Meg was Chief Marketing Officer at Conservation International (CI), an organization dedicated to protecting nature for the benefit of us all. Meg proudly launched CI’s award-winning Nature Is Speaking campaign which invites the human race to listen to a simple message – Nature doesn’t need people. People need nature. An avid SCUBA diver since age thirteen, in 2016 Meg was thrilled to dive into the creation of CI’s virtual reality series, including its first film, “Valen’s Reef,” an underwater exploration of one of the most beautiful and biologically diverse places in the Pacific Ocean.

Prior to Conservation International, Meg served in leadership positions at the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund where she helped Haiti tell its hopeful stories of smart, sustainable economic development, and Women for Women International. At World Wildlife Fund, she brought Earth Hour – WWF’s signature climate change initiative – to the United States in 2008. Meg’s corporate background includes 15 years in the telecom industry at MCI (now Verizon), leading teams in marketing, operations, and strategic partnerships.

Born in Washington, D.C., Meg graduated from Maine’s Colby College where she studied French and Government, and she received her MBA from the University of Maryland at College Park.

As part of the Kellogg Markets & Customers Initiative (KMCI), Kent is the faculty director and co-founder of The Trust Project at Northwestern, a digital platform designed to provide different perspectives on the concept of trust as well as highlight the connections between these perspectives. Kent is also the co-organizer and co-founder of the Chicago Consumer Culture Community (C4), which hosts discussions among consumer researchers whose work is influenced by theories from sociology, anthropology, communications studies, and cultural studies.

Kent teaches marketing management to MBA and executive audiences. For executive audiences, he frequently focuses on market segmentation and targeting issues. In 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014 he earned the Chairs' Core Teaching Award in marketing at Kellogg. He was a finalist for Kellogg professor of the year in 2010.

Over the past fifteen years, Kent has worked on marketing issues with several consumer goods and services companies, including British Airways, Diageo, Electronic Arts, Exxon/Mobil, Hilton International, Microsoft, Nestle, Nissan, TD Bank, and Sony. He has also worked on business-to-business marketing issues with Rockwell Automation, Herman Miller, and John Deere.

In the 1980s, Kent spent four years working in advertising (including two years at a division of Saatchi & Saatchi), during which time he focused on financial services, recruitment advertising, and high-tech accounts.

Kent researches the role of fabrication and fact in consumption. His research looks at such topics as the benefits and drawbacks of trusting a business partner, how consumers decide whether something is authentic or fake, and what happens when a "true" friend tries to sell you something. In a related research area, Kent studies direct selling, which is sometimes known as "pyramid selling" or "network marketing."

Kent joined Kellogg in September, 2002. For eight years before that, he was on the marketing faculty at London Business School.

Areas of Expertise:

• Brand Management
• Consumer Behavior
• Trust and Deception

Betsy D. Holden is a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company, working with clients across industries on strategy, marketing, innovation and board effectiveness initiatives. She was formerly Co-CEO of Kraft Foods and CEO of Kraft Foods North America. At the time, Kraft Foods was the largest food company in North America and the second largest in the world.

She has over 30 years of experience in consumer goods with expertise in general management, strategy, marketing and innovation. In addition to her CEO role at Kraft, Ms. Holden also held the positions of President, Global Marketing and Category Development; Executive Vice President with responsibility for Operations, IT, Procurement, R&D, and Consumer Insights and Communications; President of the Kraft Cheese Division; President of the Pizza Division; plus multiple line brand management assignments. She has a record of success in leading brand building, organic growth, acquisitions, global expansion, turnarounds, talent management, restructurings, and cost management.

Ms. Holden graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Education from Duke University and received an MA in Teaching from Northwestern University. Holden received a Masters of Management in Marketing and Finance from Northwestern’s J. L. Kellogg School of Management, where she was named Valedictorian.

She serves on the boards of Diageo PLC, Western Union, Catamaran Corp., the North American Advisory board of Schneider Electric, Duke University’s Board of Trustees, and the Kellogg School of Management Executive Committee and Global Advisory Board. Ms. Holden also is a Senior Fellow of the Kellogg Innovation Network, President of the Board of the Off the Street Club, serves on the boards of the Chicago High School for the Arts, Museum of Science and Industry, and Ravinia. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the Chicago Network.

Sanjay Khosla is a Senior Fellow at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group.

Sanjay was President, Developing Markets at Kraft Foods (now Mondelez International) from January 2007 to March 2013, responsible for 65,000 people in over 60 countries and iconic brands like Cadbury, Oreo, Milka, and Trident.

During his tenure, Sanjay:

• Transformed the business from $5 Billion to $16 Billion in 6 years (doubled the business organically) while dramatically improving profitability and cash flow
• Transformed brands like Oreo from $200 million to a $1 Billion and Tang from $500 million to $1 Billion in 5 years in developing markets
• Helped spearhead and successfully integrate the acquisition of Cadbury (bought for $20 Billion) and Danone biscuits (bought for $7.8 Billion)

Before joining Kraft Foods, Sanjay turned around the $3 Billion consumer business of Fonterra, a global dairy company based in New Zealand. Prior to his tenure at Fonterra, Sanjay enjoyed a successful 27-year career with Unilever based in the UK, Europe and India. Sanjay implemented a bold program (Paint the World Yellow with Lipton) as Chairman of the Global Category Board for Unilever Beverages. Sanjay also created the Wheel detergents business in India, which is one of Unilever™s largest brands in India.

Sanjay is on the board of Zoetis Inc. (previously Pfizer Animal Health), NIIT Ltd and Iconix Brand Group. Khosla was previously on the board of Best Buy Inc., Big Heart Pet Brands (previously Del Monte) and Hindustan Unilever. He was co-chair of the Nestle/Fonterra joint venture for the Americas and on the board of the Lipton /Pepsi joint venture.

Sanjay has lectured extensively at Universities in the U.S. and in forums such as the Economist conference in London and Davos.

Sanjay authored a book, Fewer Bigger Bolder, with Professor Mohan Sawhney. The book discusses Focus7, a proven framework for achieving sustained profitable growth.

Eric Leininger joined the Kellogg School faculty full time in September 2010, coming from McDonald's Corporation, where he was corporate senior vice president since 2004. He has been an affiliated faculty member since 1997.

With Professor Gregory Carpenter, Eric leads The Kellogg Chief Marketing Officer Program. This by-invitation-only program was the first university-based development experience for newly appointed and rising Chief Marketing Officers. The program has attracted attendees from leading organizations, including AT&T, Cisco, Colgate-Palmolive, Discover, GE, General Motors, Hyatt, IBM, Intel, John Deere, McDonald's, Motorola Solutions, Sargento, SAP, SC Johnson, Textron, and The Cleveland Clinic. Eric and Professor Carpenter also lead Kellogg's annual Marketing Leadership Summit in partnership with McKinsey and Egon Zehnder.

His MBA teaching has included Global Marketing, and Marketing of New Products and Services. Eric is a regular contributor to Kellogg's executive programs, such as "Kellogg on Branding," "The Customer-Focused Organization," and "Leading with Big Data and Analytics." He also leads custom executive education programs for a diverse group of companies, including Abbott Labs, Abbvie, Chevrolet, The Coca-Cola Company, Hyatt, John Deere and SC Johnson.

Eric was a member of McDonald's Senior Leadership Team, comprised of the business unit leaders and the global, C-suite functional leaders. His primary responsibility was consumer and business insights: additionally, he was the executive sponsor for McDonald's marketing training.

Eric joined McDonald's from Kraft Foods, where he held a variety of marketing services and information positions for 11 years, including senior vice-president of marketing services. Prior to Kraft, Eric held leadership positions at AC Nielsen and Quaker Oats.

A wide range of companies draw on Eric's expertise in building leading-edge consumer insights and marketing capabilities. Recent consulting assignments include Abbvie, ABInBev, HAVI Global Solutions, Kimberly-Clark, Mattel, Merck Consumer Care, Ulta, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon.

Eric received his MBA from the University of Michigan, where he was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma. He also holds a MA from the University of Virginia and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, cum laude.

Julie Loeger is Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Discover Financial Services. As Chief Marketing Officer, she is responsible for the entire marketing organization and plays a key role in driving overall company strategy as a member of the company’s Executive Committee.

Ms. Loeger led the team that developed and launched several large-scale innovations, including the 5% Cashback Rewards program and the national rollout of the company’s flagship platform, Discover it. Since the rollout, she has led the launch of additional product extensions and enhancements such as the It Miles card, It Chrome for students, the Secured card, as well as the Free FICO, Freeze It and Credit Scorecard features.

During her 24-year tenure, she has become intimately familiar with Discover’s brand, products and customers, having held leadership positions in many areas, including Rewards, Portfolio Marketing, Acquisition, Brand Management and Product Development. Prior to joining Discover, she held various marketing positions at Anheuser Busch, Inc.

A native of Chicago, Ms. Loeger holds a B.B.A. degree from The University of Texas at San Antonio and an M.B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago, and has attended the executive program at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Boys & Girls Club of Lake County.

With more than 30 years of automotive industry marketing experience, Tim Mahoney has successfully managed and led teams in nearly every aspect of the category — from Research and Planning to Product Management and from Marketing Communications to Customer Dealer Service.

Today, as the head of Chevrolet Global Marketing, Tim is thrilled about growing Chevrolet globally, uniting the many moving parts of the brand under the banner “Find New Roads”.

Tim began his Automotive career in 1984 with Subaru of America Inc., and by the time he became Director of Marketing (1995–1999), he had introduced the world to a new category of vehicles — the “Sports Utility Wagon” and etched one of the more recognizable slogans, From the wheels that slip, to the wheels that grip, into the car consumers’ minds.

In 1999 he became General Manager Marketing of Porsche Cars North America and quickly influenced the launch of the new Cayenne — the first ever non-sports car from Porsche. Positioning the Cayenne as the “first SUV fathered by a sports car” became the guiding idea for all marketing communications and brand experience touch-points. By 2004 he was promoted to Vice President of Marketing then tapped to lead the creation of a 5-year Strategic Vision for North American division of Porsche AG.

In 2006–2011 Tim returned to Subaru as the Senior Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer where he rebuilt the brand’s image with the now famous “Love” campaign. His mission was clear — connect more emotionally and more deeply with the Subaru core. Under his watch, Subaru grew share and volume in the midst of one of the worst recessions in several decades. For his work, Tim was recognized by Brandweek as one of the top 10 marketers in the U.S.

Tim joined Volkswagen as the Chief Product and Marketing Officer (2011–2013), reporting to the President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Brand. As the head of the brand, Tim saw the opportunity to reassert the powerful benefits of German engineering — something most other German car brands had all but dismissed. Tim was also responsible for the highly acclaimed launch of the 3rd generation Beetle.

Tim earned a Master degree in Business Administration in Marketing Management at Drexel University in 1983 and a Bachelor’s degree in Arts of Foreign Languages & International Studies from Newberry College in 1978.

He was appointed Chief Marketing Officer Global Chevrolet and Global GM Marketing Operations Leader in April 2013. Tim earned a Master degree in Business Administration in Marketing Management at Drexel University in 1983 and a Bachelor’s degree in Arts of Foreign Languages & International Studies from Newberry College in 1978.

• Ranked #3 of the world’s 50 most influential CMOs, Forbes Magazine — November 2014
• Automotive Marketer of the Year, MediaPost — April 2017

As CMO, Marc leads U.S.–based marketing across all lines of the company’s business including home entertainment, home appliances, and telecommunications. He also leads the Global Marketing Center of Excellence, designed as an incubator for marketing innovation and excellence across the company. Marc is a storied marketing veteran known for developing talent, digital innovation, and driving big ideas across the business.

Prior to joining Samsung Marc served as the senior vice president of global marketing at Unilever where he launched the “Crafting Brands for Life” campaign and drove the company’s global marketing strategy. Marc also served as senior vice president of global brand marketing at Coca-Cola, where he is credited with branding Coke’s turnaround with the “Open Happiness” strategy and the “Coke Side of Life” global campaign.

Marc is a marketing maverick in today’s digital world, specializing on building brands with purpose and a self-proclaimed data enthusiast. He has a passion for theater and sits on the Board of Directors for the Almeida Theatre and Punchdrunk. Citizen of the world, Marc was born and raised in France and has variously lived across Asia, Europe and America. He now divides his time between London and Los Angeles.

Kristi, based in Dallas, is a core member of the firm’s Consumer Practice with a focus on Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality. She conducts executive search for CEO, CMO, CIO, digital and e-Commerce leaders. Kristi also provides assessment and development support for clients.

Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Kristi spent her career at the intersection of marketing and technology: helping consumer brands grow through digital leadership. With Procter & Gamble, she leveraged emerging media solutions to launch new brands and increase loyalty for brands including Crest, Oral-B, Whitestrips and Secret. She led client growth and strategic initiatives at imc2, a leading digital agency. She also worked at Mary Kay to optimize the global CRM and e-Commerce platform.

Earlier in her career, Kristi worked with JCPenney and Mary Kay’s technology organizations to develop merchandising, HR and product management processes and systems.

Recent clients include Nordstrom, Wal-mart, TGI Friday’s, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Dyson, Samsung, and 7-Eleven.

Dick Patton is Global Managing Partner of Egon Zehnder's CEO Practice. He advises clients in a spectrum of industries focusing on CEO succession and search, board consulting and search, and the recruitment of senior level executives in the C-suite. Dick co-founded Egon Zehnder’s global Chief Marketing Officer Practice and co-leads the firm’s partnership with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Dick was Senior Vice President, Affinnova, an MIT-affiliated technology company that provides innovation and new products consulting. Previously, Dick was a general manager and marketer with The Coca-Cola Company. While with Coca-Cola, he launched five new products and won a variety of awards for his marketing initiatives. He began his career in sales and marketing with Frito-Lay, Inc. He serves as a director on the board of Groton School.

Dick’s work has been featured in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review and Forbes.

Amanda, based in New York, is a core member of the Consumer Practice Group. She leads the firm’s North America Chief Communications Practice and is also a leader within the Chief Marketing Officer Practice Group. She partners with a variety of US-based and global clients, focusing on commercial executives in the retail, technology and consumer goods sectors.

Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Amanda served as COO and led all marketing and business development initiatives at Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a national non-profit focused on high potential minorities. In addition to working the not-for-profit sector, Amanda has extensive sales and marketing experience, with roles serving as the Chief of Staff to the global Chairman of Young & Rubicam Brands, where she assisted with global leadership development programs and agency key accounts; Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Wall Street Institute, where she traveled among 27 countries to establish franchised marketing and sales programs; and Principal Consultant at The Parthenon Group, a strategic management consulting firm, where she worked across consumer, healthcare and education sectors.  Earlier in her career, Amanda led national accounts at a targeted marketing start up and led a retail sales force for the launch of wireless services in the telecommunications industry.

Cynthia, based in Chicago, is a core member of the Consumer Practice Group, and serves clients across all consumer goods and services sectors, with deep experience in consumer durables, packaged goods, and retail. She conducts executive search for leadership roles in marketing, digital, general management, consumer insights, and customer experience. She is also the Co-Leader of the U.S. Diversity Council.

Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Cynthia spent 13 years in brand leadership, with a focus on harnessing consumer behavioral insight to drive innovation. She served as senior brand director at Whirlpool Corporation, overseeing KitchenAid through a global brand position refresh and the redesign of all major appliances. She also led the marketing services organization, including Consumer and Marketplace Insights and internal Creative Services, and established the company’s first Digital Center of Excellence. Prior to Whirlpool, Cynthia was a brand manager at Procter & Gamble, where she held roles in business delivery, upstream innovation, and shopper marketing. Throughout her career, Cynthia has been engaged in leadership development for diverse employees, serving as a leader of Whirlpool’s Women’s Network and P&G’s Asians in Marketing and CMK.

Cynthia resides in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two children, and a Springer Spaniel.

Nuno Teles is Heineken USA’s Chief Marketing Officer. Since his appointment in early 2014, Teles has driven the 3Ss marketing strategy, focusing the team behind Science, Story and Speed, delivering top creativity and thought leadership in digital across the entire HUSA portfolio, with relevant industry recognition.  Most notably, Heineken brand’s 2015 Cannes Creative Marketer of the Year award. Teles was also named to AdWeek’s top 50 list of most influential marketers, buyers and sellers in the U.S.

Prior to his current role, Teles served as the CMO for HEINEKEN Brazil, during which time he grew the Heineken brand by 500% over four years and helped it achieve the top market share position among all premium imported brands in the country. Teles began his career with Unilever, spending eight years in a variety of marketing and innovation roles across Europe, had his own business and acted as Global CMO of Scottish&Newcastle group before Heineken's acquisition.

A native of Portugal, Nuno holds an Executive MBA at IMD Business School Switzerland and graduated in Business Administrations at Universidade Catolica Portuguesa.  He lives in New York City with his wife and four daughters.