2026 Agenda

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PEER PRACTITIONER FORUM

The Peer Practitioner Forum is an exclusive, members-only space for dynamic, vendor-free discussions led by experienced practitioners. Participants gain hands-on learning and share proven best practices — leaving with practical strategies they can implement immediately and confidently.

12:30 pm

Registration, Networking, Refreshments

1:20 pm

Welcome and Introductions

1:30 pm - 2:10 pm Practitioner-Led Workshops

STREAM 1

Managing Tech Change: Adapting Platforms to Fit People and Process

Session Details

RFPs, consolidations, and tool sunsets can take over a team’s time. This workshop explores how peers are evaluating platforms, phasing migrations, and managing adoption fatigue. We’ll talk about aligning tool decisions with governance and training, setting realistic rollout timelines, and defining success metrics before contracts are signed.

STREAM 2

Proving Social’s Business Value: Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics to Earn Trust

Session Details

Executives want clarity, not dashboards. This discussion focuses on how teams are building credible, simple stories that link social activity to awareness, consideration, and conversion. We’ll look at ways to balance qualitative insights with quant metrics, simplify reporting, and earn leadership confidence without relying on vanity metrics.

STREAM 3

Global Strategy, Local Storytelling: Empowering Regions Without Losing Control

Session Details

Even the most global brands struggle to balance control and creativity. This workshop explores how teams are giving regions autonomy while protecting reputation and efficiency. We’ll discuss governance tiers, shared libraries, and review frameworks that enable local storytelling without eroding brand standards.

STREAM 4

Maximizing the COE’s Influence: Evolving From Governance to Guidance

Session Details

A Center of Excellence only works if it has influence. This session looks at how COE models are evolving to drive consistency, upskill regions, and prove value across the organization. We’ll talk about how leaders are modernizing COEs to act more like internal consultants and accelerators — especially as budgets and tech stacks shift.

2:15 pm - 2:55 pm Practitioner-Led Workshops

STREAM 1

Smarter Listening: Turning Sentiment into Signal to Drive Better Decisions

Session Details

Listening programs are moving from dashboards to decision-making tools. In this workshop, we’ll talk about how members are refining taxonomies, integrating insights across departments, and using AI to extract meaning from noise. We’ll focus on how listening is moving closer to consumer research — and what that means for staffing, reporting, and strategy.

STREAM 2

Elevating Social Care: Turning Customer Support into Brand Experience

Session Details

Social care is often the first and most visible touchpoint of brand trust. This workshop looks at how enterprise teams are elevating care as a marketing advantage — through better routing, unified dashboards, and agent empowerment. We’ll also talk about managing burnout, measuring CX outcomes, and strengthening credibility with leadership.

STREAM 3

Scaling Content Operations: Building for Speed Without Losing Control

Session Details

Reactive content can’t wait on old approval ladders. This session explores how teams are modernizing workflows, pre-approving creative assets, and building scalable templates for “always-on” content production. We’ll also talk about balancing risk management with speed, and what governance looks like when real time is the default.

STREAM 4

Balancing Risk and Creativity: Managing Creator Partnerships in Regulated Industries

Session Details

Influencer work in regulated industries takes precision. This session focuses on briefing models, legal workflows, and disclosure structures that reduce rework and risk. We’ll talk about how peers balance creative freedom with compliance and use post-campaign reviews to strengthen both policies and partnerships.

2:55 pm - 3:10 pm

Networking (Snack) Break

3:10 pm - 3:50 pm Practitioner-Led Workshops

STREAM 1

Governance That Enables Agility: Protecting the Brand Without Slowing Teams Down

Session Details

Good governance can empower creativity — or slow it down. This discussion focuses on practical frameworks for decision rights, escalation ladders, and pre-approved responses that protect the brand without creating bottlenecks. We’ll share examples of governance documentation that enables speed and discuss how to maintain buy-in after rollout.

STREAM 2

Building a Unified Voice: Connecting Brand, Leaders, and Employees to Tell a Cohesive Story

Session Details

As more brands lean on leader and employee voices to tell their story, alignment has never mattered more. This session explores how teams are connecting corporate messaging, executive visibility, and employee advocacy under one system — without adding layers of approval. We’ll dig into frameworks that scale participation safely, keep tone consistent, and measure business value across audiences.

STREAM 3

Future-Proofing the Social Org Chart: Structuring Teams for What’s Next

Session Details

Social’s scope keeps growing, even when headcount doesn’t. How are teams staying effective as roles, tech, and expectations evolve? We’ll look at models that balance specialist depth and generalist flexibility, when to centralize versus embed, and how automation and AI are reshaping daily work.

STREAM 4

Influencer Marketing’s Next Chapter: Doing More With Creators Who Matter

Session Details

Creator fees are climbing, expectations are rising, and measurement is still a challenge. This session takes a candid look at what’s working — from smarter briefs and mid-tier partnerships to performance-based compensation. We’ll also talk about balancing authenticity with brand safety and setting clear expectations with stakeholders.

3:55 pm - 4:35 pm Practitioner-Led Workshops

STREAM 1

Optimizing Paid Social Measurement: Finding Clarity When Data Gets Fuzzy

Session Details

With attribution getting harder, paid measurement needs a rethink. This workshop looks at how teams are adapting to signal loss — using MMM, incrementality, and qualitative testing to paint a fuller picture of performance. We’ll also discuss how leaders communicate results upstream when data gaps persist.

STREAM 2

From Community to Insight: Turning Conversations into Business Intelligence

Session Details

Communities often surface early signals — if you know how to listen. This discussion explores how teams are collecting, classifying, and sharing community insights across marketing, product, and CX. We’ll talk about how teams are turning community feedback into business intelligence that drives decisions.

STREAM 3

Rebooting the Brand–Agency Relationship: Getting More Value From Partners

Session Details

As budgets tighten, the brand–agency equation is shifting. This session explores how teams are rethinking scopes, collaboration models, and reporting expectations to get more value from agency partnerships. We’ll compare what’s working, what’s changing, and when it makes sense to bring work back in-house.

STREAM 4

Data Fluency for Social Teams: Making Metrics Make Sense

Session Details

Data storytelling is everyone’s job now. This session focuses on how leaders are building data literacy across creative, care, and strategy teams — helping everyone interpret numbers, not just display them. We’ll talk about training approaches, simplifying dashboards, and making data part of everyday planning.

6:45 pm

Member Dinner

September 28th

12:30 pm

PEER PRACTITIONER FORUM (MEMBERS ONLY)

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

NAMLS WELCOME DRINKS

(All Attendees Welcome)

6:00 pm

Executive dinner

(By Invite Only)

September 29th

7:45 am - 8:15 am

registration & breakfast

8:15 am - 8:30 am

Opening Remarks, Important Announcements & Chair’s Welcome Address

8:30 am - 9:05 am KEYNOTE

Marketing’s New Mandate: Growth, Trust & Transformation

Erica Thein

Vice President, Marketing

Target

Session Details

Align marketing initiatives directly with revenue and growth objectives and redefining marketing’s role as a central driver of business growth and revenue
Building and maintaining trust through authentic, customer-centric engagement
Leverage data to measure impact across the customer lifecycle
Optimize investment mix to maximize pipeline and conversion efficiency
Demonstrate marketing’s contribution to sales, retention, and market share
Leading digital transformation and aligning marketing with enterprise strategy
Balancing brand purpose, performance, and innovation in a rapidly changing market

9:10 am - 9:45 am Case Studies

Stream One - Strategic Marketing

From Cost Center to Growth Engine: Redefining the Modern CMO

Juliet Randall

Chief Marketing Officer, Americas

SAP

Session Details

Explore how the CMO role is expanding beyond brand and storytelling to own revenue and profit growth
Learn how leading marketing chiefs are operating as strategic innovators and growth architects
Understand what full-funnel authority looks like—and how to align brand, demand, and customer experience under one vision
Hear how CMOs are driving business transformation through data, creativity, and commercial accountability

Stream Two - Brand Communications

From Noise to Signal: How to Build Data-Driven Communications in a Global Organization

Elise Masella

Vice President, Communications

PepsiCo

Session Details

How to identify the few metrics that actually matter in global communications—and eliminate reporting that doesn’t drive action.
What a workable global measurement framework looks like: what should be standardized, what should stay local, and how to make it usable across market
How leaders can use data to set priorities and allocate resources, rather than relying on instinct, volume, or the loudest voice in the room
The operating changes required to make data stick, including team structure, workflows, and governance that enable faster, more confident decision-making

Stream Three - Social Media

The Power of Organic: Building Brand, Trust, and Connection at Scale

Katie Riley

AVP Social Media

AT&T

Session Details

Why organic social is a long-term brand and trust engine—not just a distribution channel
How authentic, human content drives engagement in a crowded, paid-heavy landscape
The role of organic social in shaping culture, community, and customer experience
How to measure the real business impact of organic beyond likes and impressions

9:50 am - 10:25 am Workshops

Stream One - Strategic Marketing

Data-Driven Decisions: Unlocking Marketing Analytics for Growth

Session Details

Explore how leading CMOs use advanced analytics to guide strategy and investment decisions
Learn techniques for measuring marketing impact beyond traditional metrics
Understand how to integrate disparate data sources for a unified view of the customer journey
Examine case studies where analytics directly drove revenue and brand performance

Stream Two - Brand Communications

Brand Intelligence in Action: Using Insights to Drive Strategy and Growth

Executive to be Announced

Emplifi

Session Details

This hands-on session shows marketing leaders how to transform social and customer intelligence into actionable insights that shape brand strategy, messaging, and customer experience. Participants will explore frameworks for integrating real-time data across functions to strengthen brand impact and drive measurable business outcomes.

Learn how to turn audience conversations and feedback into strategic brand decisions.
Explore ways to align insights from social, customer, and market data with marketing, product, and communications strategies.
Gain practical approaches to building dashboards, alerts, and workflows that inform brand decisions in real time.
Understand how to measure brand impact through business outcomes like engagement, perception, and conversion—not just vanity metrics

Stream Three - Social Media

From Chaos to Clarity: Scaling Marketing Operations in Complex Organizations

George Huff

CEO

Opal

Session Details

Learn how global marketing teams use centralized planning and visibility to operate at scale—without losing speed or creativity
Explore frameworks for aligning brand, campaign, and content strategies across regions and business units
Discover how operational excellence drives brand consistency, faster go-to-market timelines, and measurable ROI
Hear best practices for integrating tools, teams, and timelines into one connected marketing ecosystem

10:30 am - 12:10 pm Pre-Arranged One-To-One Meetings

These mutually agreed-upon conversations are arranged and facilitated by Executive Platforms staff to ensure attendees have valuable discussions about their top-of-mind questions, challenges, and opportunities.

10:30 am – 10:50 am: Meeting Slot 1/Networking
10:55 am – 10:15 am: Meeting Slot 2/Networking
10:20 am – 11:40 am: Meeting Slot 3/Networking
11:45 am – 12:05 am: Meeting Slot 4/Networking

12:15 pm - 12:50 pm Case Studies

Stream One - Strategic Marketing

Marketing Strategy in Motion: leading Through Market Volatility

Session Details

Explore frameworks for adapting marketing strategy in fluctuating economic and competitive conditions
Learn how top CMOs balance short-term ROI with long-term brand health during uncertainty
Discuss scenario planning and agile decision-making to respond to market shifts

Stream Two - Brand Communications

Customer-Centric Differentiation: Building Brands That Truly Resonate

Eve Laurier

Marketing & Public Affairs Vice President, Communications

Bombardier

Session Details

Learn how leading brands differentiate in crowded markets by delivering experiences aligned with customer values
Explore ways to leverage data and insights to understand evolving customer needs and expectations
Discover strategies for building authentic, trustworthy brands that foster loyalty and advocacy
Examine real-world examples of communications and brand initiatives that drive meaningful engagement and long-term impact

Stream Three - Social Media

Daily Intel That Drives Action: From Listening to Decision-Making

Session Details

Replace vanity dashboards with a cross-functional intelligence product that informs PR, Security, GR, and Product decisions
Design tiered alerting systems (volume, severity, exec mentions, threat language) with clear routing rules
Create a modular daily brief that leaders can scan in minutes, defining contributor roles and distribution norms
Implement triage and decision SLAs to move issues from detection to action within hours, tracking impact via real downstream changes, not vanity metrics

12:50 pm - 1:50 pm THEMED LUNCH DISCUSSIONS

Explore this year’s themed lunch discussions led by industry leaders, where executives engage in focused conversations over a meal, discussing topics they’re passionate about alongside their peers.

Data Driven Creativity: How AI is Changing Content Strategy

Account Based Marketing: Aligning Sales and Marketing for Impact

Redefining Customer Experience in the Age of Personalization

Harnessing Influencer and Partner Ecosystems in B2B Marketing

Modern Bran Building in an Era of Fragmented Attention

Measuring What Matters: Building a Data Framework for Impact

1:55 pm - 2:30 pm Case Studies

Stream One - Strategic Marketing

Omnichannel Growth: From Guest-First Marketing to Real Business Impact

Session Details

Discover how to build a guest-centric marketing strategy that connects digital, in-store, and media channels into one seamless experience
Learn how to leverage performance marketing and data-driven insights to shift campaign-thinking to growth-thinking
Understand how to scale marketing operations across a large brand, aligning team, media, product and guest experience for maximum impact
Explore ways to measure and prove marketing’s contribution to business results – not just impressions or clicks

Stream Two - Brand Communications

Purpose in Action: How Strategic Partnerships Advance Brand, Business & Impact

Lauren Wagner Boyman

Chief Marketing Officer, KPMG Americas

KPMG

Session Details

How KPMG’s purpose comes to life through long-term partnerships—including the LPGA and the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit—demonstrating authentic commitment to equity and leadership
Highlight sponsorships as strategic growth levers, integrated across brand, content, client engagement, and talent initiatives—not just logo placements
Illustrate the business and brand impact of purpose-driven partnerships, from trust-building and visibility to measurable engagement and reputation gains
Share a practical framework for evaluating, activating, and measuring sponsorships to ensure they deliver both meaningful societal value and marketing ROI

Stream Three - Social Media

Social as the Engine: Diriving growth with Generative Optimization

Session Details

Explore how social data fuels AI-driven generative content and campaign strategies
Learn to leverage social insights to optimize messaging, targeting, and creative performance
Understand the feedback loop between audience engagement and AI-generated outputs
See real-world examples of brands using social-driven generative strategies to scale impact

2:35 pm - 3:10 pm Workshops

Stream One - Strategic Marketing

How Marketing Leaders Build Scalable Systems That Actually Work

Executive to be Announced

Airtable

Session Details

How top marketing teams replace fragmented tools and ad-hoc processes with a single, flexible system that scales as the business grows
Turning marketing strategy into execution by connecting priorities, campaigns, and day-to-day work in one shared operating system
Eliminating bottlenecks across planning, approvals, and reporting to move faster without adding headcount or burnout
Gaining real-time visibility into what’s happening, what’s working, and where teams need support—without micromanaging

Stream Two - Brand Communications

Building a Brand That Speaks with Clarity and Credibility

Session Details

Define & Align: Understand how a clearly articulated brand purpose underpins every message and interaction
Consistency Across Touchpoints: Learn frameworks for ensuring your brand speaks with one coherent voice, both internally and externally
Credibility in Action: Explore how design, storytelling, and behavior reinforce trust in your brand
Practical Tools: Walk away with frameworks and exercises for auditing and improving your brand communications immediately

Stream Three - Social Media

Social Intelligence for Smarter Strategy

Session Details

Learn how to turn social listening into actionable insights that guide marketing and business strategy
Understand how to connect social data to audience segmentation, product feedback, and competitive intelligence
Explore dashboards and workflows that help executives make faster, data-driven decisions
Measure the business impact of social insights across brand health, customer experience, and revenue outcomes

3:15 pm - 4:25 pm Pre-Arranged One-To-One Meetings

3:10 pm – 3:30 pm: Meeting Slot 5/Networking
3:35 pm – 3:50 pm: Meeting Slot 6/Networking
3:55 pm – 4:15 pm: Meeting Slot 7/Networking

4:30 pm - 5:05 pm PANEL

Team Capability & Culture Panel – Building a High Performing, Creative and Data-Driven Marketing Organization that Can Execute and Innovate

Ashlee Davidson

Vice President, Corporate Communications & Branding

Lockheed Martin Corp.

Mandy Dhaliwal

Chief Marketing Officer

Nutanix

Session Details

Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning
Empower teams with the tools, data, and autonomy to make agile, informed decisions
Attract and retain top marketing talent through clear growth paths and recognition
Encourage innovation by balancing creative freedom with performance discipline
Evolving the marketing organization from channels to capabilities and everything in between – restructuring teams, reskilling talent, and leading through change

5:05 pm - 5:10 pm

Chair’s Closing Remarks

5:10 pm

Networking Drinks

6:00 pm

Executive dinner

(By Invite Only)

September 30th

8:15 am

registration & breakfast

8:45 am - 8:55 am

Chair’s Opening Remarks

8:55 am - 9:30 am KEYNOTE

Human + Machine: Harnessing AI to Amplify Marketing Creativity

Session Details

Explore how top brands are combining human intuition with AI-driven insights to create smarter campaigns
Learn practical strategies for integrating AI tools without sacrificing creativity or brand authenticity
Understand the ethical and operational considerations of AI in marketing decision-making
Discover real-world examples of AI optimizing targeting, personalization, and ROI while empowering human marketers

9:35 am - 10:10 am Case Studies

Stream One - Strategic Marketing

Measuring Impact: Beyond Traditional KPIs

Onney Crawley

Chief Marketing Officer

Goodwill Industries International

Session Details

Linking marketing to both business results (retail revenue, donations, digital engagement) and mission outcomes (people served, job placements)
Build a data-driven marketing engine that uses customer, donor, and participant insights to guide decisions across campaigns, channels, and community programs
Leverage digital metrics and community feedback loops to understand real audience needs and continuously improve outreach and engagement
Create an integrated impact dashboard that communicates value to leadership, stakeholders, and funders—making marketing an essential driver of both revenue and social progress

Stream Two - Brand Communications

Brand Leadership: Bridging Marketing, Communication and Culture

Alicia Parker

Chief Marketing Officer

Tishman Speyer

Session Details

How to build a compelling brand that goes beyond — focusing on community, innovation, and human connection
The role of marketing in shaping how people think about buildings, neighborhoods, and spaces — not just as assets, but as living ecosystems
Positioning real estate developments (like Rockefeller Center, life-science campuses, mixed-use environments) as part of a broader narrative of optimism and human potential

Stream Three - Social Media

Stop the Scroll: Building Creative Systems That Consistently Capture Attention

Session Details

Develop repeatable creative frameworks that boost hook rates and saves—without relying on trends or luck
Use proven hook archetypes and motion principles that work across platforms and formats
Establish fast test-and-learn cycles with brand-safe guardrails and minimal approval bottlenecks
Build a “repeatable surprise” library of copy cues and visual patterns your teams can actually reuse
Apply post-campaign insights to refine content and scale what works—while knowing when not to replicate

10:15 am - 11:10 am Pre-Arranged One-To-One Meetings

10:30 am – 10:50 am: Meeting Slot 8/Networking
10:55 am – 11:15 am: Meeting Slot 9/Networking

11:15 am - 11:50 am Workshops

Stream One - Strategic Marketing

Resilient Growth: Driving Marketing Performance in Uncertain Times

Session Details

Understand how to prioritize investments when markets are unpredictable
Explore innovative approaches to demand generation, customer retention, and brand loyalty
Learn how cross-functional alignment between marketing, sales, and finance strengthens resilience
Engage in peer discussions on best practices for sustaining growth under pressure

Stream Two - Brand Communications

Brand Measurement and Communications Effectiveness

Session Details

Explore the data behind what drives credibility and how consumers perceive authentic brand communication
Learn which signals — from message recall to sentiment — truly indicate communication effectiveness
See how leading brands use measurement to refine tone, messaging, and storytelling for impact
Understand how clear, credible brand communication translates into stronger loyalty and business performance

Stream Three - Social Media

Community Insights, Reframed: From Time Sink to Strategic ROI

Session Details

Transform online communities into a durable engine for discovery, insights, and conversion—without creating a customer-care burden
Decide when to “listen only” versus actively engage (Q&As, official channels) with clear moderation guidelines and risk indicators
Connect community signals to SEO, PR, and research to inform content strategy and messaging
Implement lightweight approvals, tagging, and reporting processes that move quickly while staying compliant
Measure value through credibility metrics: search visibility lift, non-follower reach, conversion influence, and issue resolution impact

11:55 am - 12:35 pm PANEL

Community > Campaign: Rethinking Brand Building in the Social Era

Session Details

Social is no longer just a channel—it’s the connective tissue that links marketing, communications, and customer experience
Learn how community-building creates lasting brand impact by turning audience conversations into meaningful business value
Discover how to use social as an always-on intelligence engine that informs strategy across teams and functions
Explore why social should shape every aspect of marketing—not just the content you post

12:35 pm - 12:45 pm