Speakers

Andrew, 26, is the Founder and CEO of dcdx, helping the world's top brands attract Gen Z. dcdx's work has been recognized by the NYT, WSJ, BBC & more for their new lens into Gen Z. Andrew leads dcdx on a mission to make the future human; a future where brands pull audiences in by forming meaningful, human connections with their audience.

Ben is the sponsorship director at Elsewhere, a multi-stage music venue supporting up-and-coming artists across genres like electronic, hip-hop, latin & indie. His department helps consumer brands engage hundreds of thousands of guests across 600 ticketed events annually with activations that elevate the fan experience. Prior to Elsewhere, Ben spent most of a decade at ad agencies before leading business development for health-app Breathwrk, where he won the inaugural NBA Launchpad competition. Ben earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, delivering the keynote speech to outgoing graduates from the Department of Communication in 2019, and currently lives in Brooklyn.

As the Senior Associate Brand Manager for OREO at Mondelez International, Caroline Suppiger (she/her) combines creativity with collaboration to drive innovative marketing strategies. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, she began her journey at Mondelez right out of college and has since dedicated three years to the dynamic OREO marketing team.

Caroline has played a pivotal role in the successful launches of limited-edition partnerships, including OREO Sour Patch Kids and OREO Star Wars. She also spearheads the brand's organic strategy, continually weaving OREO’s 112-year legacy into the fabric of cultural moments.

A being like no other, Caterina Mendez is wise beyond her years and inspiring by nature. Currently, she is on a mission to make complex life lessons accessible by writing in simple language aimed at children, while truly crafting transformative tools for everyone—after all, we are all on a journey of growth. At just 20, she published her first book, 'I Have Discovered: Tales of the Magic I Uncovered', and she is preparing for the unimaginable.

Originally from Guatemala, Caterina is committed to contributing to her country’s development by unleashing the potential of its young population. As the project leader of MetaHumanos502, an innovative program designed to impact the lives of 400,000 young Guatemalans in its first year, she is dedicated to creating a brighter future for her community.

Market Manager for Ilegal Mezcal, a Bacardi owned brand, Chris has 8 years of experience with sales, events, brand work, and execution.

Christina Vittas (she/her) is a social media manager for Sesame Workshop, the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street. Managing the social media presence of @Elmo, Christina brings viral moments of joy, laugher, and refreshed nostalgia to social platforms. Christina is an alumna of Quinnipiac University and is based in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Dennis Quinn is the Creative Director for Special Projects and Influencer Marketing at WP Creative Group, The Washington Post's award-winning, in-house brand studio and creative agency. In his role, Dennis develops first-to-market digital, social and experiential opportunities for advertiser engagement with The Washington Post’s consumer, B2B, and B2G audiences. He is a seasoned media business veteran with brand, marketing and creative strategy roles supporting global media brands including CNN and Adult Swim.

Emery Barnes (he/him) is a Sports & Entertainment Marketer currently based in NYC. He's a first-generation Liberian-American and Chicago native, with an untiring passion to seed culture into brands—through sports, music, entertainment, fashion, and art.

During his 7+ years of experience in Marketing & Advertising, he’s led global marketing campaigns & programs for Fortune 500 Brands including DoorDash, Anheuser-Busch, Samsung, Coca-Cola, and P&G. Through his “turn water into wine” approach, he’s brought ideas to fruition through Broadcast TVC, Social, Digital, Experiential & Earned Media — leaving an everlasting mark on some of the world’s largest brands and during the biggest cultural moments.

Eni Shabani (he/him) is Founder and Director at Rising Ballers, the biggest Gen Z football media brand in the UK. A passionate and purpose-led entrepreneur, Eni founded Rising Ballers to combat the lack of support and representation young and aspiring football players had. Originally working as a private equity consultant, Eni saw how disheartened his brother Brendon felt while playing at academy level and wanted to do something to help change that. Recognising a gap in the digital market for a community platform that would speak directly to grassroots football fans, Eni set about building a network to shine a light on young ballers.

Now on a mission to create culture and opportunity within football for the next wave, Eni’s impact spans far and wide. The Rising Ballers network has one of the most engaged, authentic communities out there boasting a following of 9M and impressive repertoire of brands partnered with. From activating successful campaigns and projects with the likes of Adidas, PlayStation and Premier League to running grassroots talent-finding tournaments up and down the country, the RB network educates and entertains communities while keeping young representation at its core.

Iris Olympia (she/he/they) is a nonbinary content creator who has been making videos since they were a tween. They turned their passion into a successful full-time career with an audience spanning across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Their content blends fashion and lifestyle, celebrating the beauty and euphoria of self-expression beyond traditional gender norms. Iris uses she/he/they pronouns.

Jack Adler (he/him) is the Founder & CEO of Out2Win Sports, a software enabling brands & agencies to build more effective influencer marketing partnerships with athletes. Our platform leverages AI and data analytics to help brands make more informed decisions regarding which athletes best fit their campaign goals. Jack was recognized by Front Office Sports as a top sports business leader under age 25 and was awarded Student Entrepreneur of the Year at Syracuse University in 2023.

Jacob Wallach is a social media strategist, creator, and founder of Social4TheWin, where he helps brands build comprehensive social strategies by leveraging data-driven insights and research to develop creative strategies, build effective distribution plans, and drive community development both on and off social platforms. A former TikTok insider, Jacob combines platform expertise with a creator's mindset.

As "Excel Daddy," with over 500k followers, he has redefined educational content with a fun and engaging approach. Jacob’s work empowers brands to navigate the evolving social landscape with strategies that resonate and deliver lasting impact.

Jenny Haggard leads Global Thought Leadership as part of the Business Brand Marketing Team at Spotify. She’s obsessed with all things culture, and she uses proprietary and partner data to create deeply human and culturally nuanced content and experiences that help marketers navigate the future. In her role, she analyzes trends, tests hypotheses, crafts content, builds GTM plans, and after almost 10 years at the company, is still trying to figure out how to turn on private mode while listening to her Guilty Pleasures playlist. She’s based in LA, and when she’s not squinting at data dashboards or wielding a pen, she enjoys spending time with her husband, making use of her Italian passport, and guiding others as a Certified Discernment Director.

Jessica Tomlinson (she/her) is the Student & Gaming Segment Manager for NA eComm at Lenovo, where she advocates for technology in education and gaming. With a focus on engaging Gen Z through innovative content and community-driven experiences, she aims to amplify authentic connections between brands and their audiences. When she's not strategizing at Lenovo, she enjoys cheering on the Carolina Hurricanes with her husband and two kids, curling up in a corner reading, or pretending to be a streamer on Twitch.

SVP Programmatic / Chief Media Officer at chargeFUZE/AdFUZE | Board of Directors | Board Advisor | Investor in Tech Startups | DOOH Advisor to Swiftmile.com micromobility.

Josephine (she/her) is a Fellow of the Market Research Society and has spent most of her career focused on understanding Gen Z.

As part of the senior team at Savanta she leads it’s Next Gen practice. She was the Managing Director of YouthSight research until it was acquired and before that she spent nearly a decade at GfK.

Josephine is an active member of the MRS, sitting on its Board as well as sitting on the steering group of MRSpride. She co-hosts the podcast OUTsights and is passionate about making market research an industry where everyone can succeed.

Josephine is also a regular on the international conference circuit, sharing her take on generational theory supported by Savanta’s unique State of the Youth Nation tracking data.

LaTecia Johnson (she/her) is an entertainment executive & entrepreneur who has spent more than 15 years at the intersection of culture, community, and technology. Currently, she’s the Founder & CEO of INGENIUS – a next-generation operating system maximizing marketing programs for brands and enterprise teams, connecting them with cutting-edge creators that push culture forward. She’s also Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Visionary Rising (VSNRY) – a design & creative-driven studio scaling million-dollar brands and talent through content and strategy. Previously, she’s worked with clients such as ABC, Amazon, Bacardi, Beats by Dre, ESPN, Disney, Facebook, Walmart, YouTube, and Vevo, among others.

Mara Stolzenbach is the Director of Strategy at dcdx, where she leads research and strategy with a highly specialized, investigative approach. An expert in youth culture, Mara uncovers hidden human truths beyond surface-level trends to drive strategic breakthroughs. She has worked with various clients across industries, including Hinge, Spotify, L'Oréal, and Crocs, helping brands stay ahead of the cultural curve and attract the next generation of consumers.

Michelle (she/her) drives Beauty business growth by improving national and retailer ROI, accelerating influencer marketing, and embedding emerging trends. She manages Media measurement innovation, leads supplier relationships, and guides the Digital Hub for continuous optimization. By leading the macro learnings agenda, she optimizes spend across brands and channels, both in the short and long term.

NYC-based marketing leader with a decade of experience driving growth and brand strategy for startups to Fortune 500s. Currently, Morgan (she/her) is the Head of Marketing at Andie Swim, where she prioritizes blending creativity and analytics to build strong brands and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Rawan (she/her) is a social media & marketing veteran, having held positions at BuzzFeed, Complex, ABC News and now leading the social media team at Major League Soccer. Rawan focuses on emerging social media platforms, maximizing player marketing efforts, and optimizing content for a youth audience. She is based in New York.

Richard heads up events & insight at Pion and over the past 10 years he has scaled the Youth Marketing Strategy event across the globe. Richard's passion for bringing communities together, youth marketing and all things brand is what has given the YMS event its unique positioning. Richard’s love of storytelling is what has kept the YMS event relevant year on year.

Shayna has over a decade of experience in marketing across Social Strategy, Influencer Programming, Performance Marketing and Product Branding. She’s worked both in-house and on the agency side in entertainment, beauty and CPG space with brands ranging from UTA, Conair, Landry’s, Whisps, HP, Samsung, IKEA US, Rainbow Shops and more.

Shayna has been featured in Vogue Business, DigiDay and spoken on panels from Creator Economy Live to E-Tail! Recently, Shayna joined legacy company Playboy leading their social strategy rebrand and spearheading their first ever affiliate and social commerce program.

Trisha Okubo is the founder of Maison Miru, a responsible jewelry brand creating a modular system of pieces that you can wear for life.  She bootstrapped the company from start to scale after spending a decade in product management in media and ecommerce, launching the original eBay Marketplace Facebook application and building out the eBay Fashion vertical.

Trisha studied industrial engineering and product design at Stanford University and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and she currently advises emerging brands as President of the board of Stanford Startups.

Troy hails from the green shores of Ireland, an entrepreneur, he started his first company when he was 21 and now leads the global expansion of Junk Kouture across the world.  Passionate about creativity and building a better future, his goal is to enrich and empower the lives of 1 billion young people.

Tyler Rutstein (he/him) is a creative and media-centric global marketing & merchandising executive who consistently drives brand strength and revenue growth through innovative marketing initiatives. Rutstein is currently the Chief Brand Officer at OTE and Head of Commerce at Overtime. At Overtime, Rutstein leads brand identity, including teams and leagues, consumer marketing, creative, consumer products & apparel, and commerce. Prior to joining Overtime, Tyler served at adidas for eight years where he created a number of memorable immersive brand experiences, designer/artist/athlete collaborations and successful product franchises.