Brandon Cooke – Global CMO, mcgarrybowen
Brandon Cooke, Global CMO at mcgarrybowen, brings an ambidextrous background in creativity and advertising, with roles spanning new business, account management, and creative. In this role, has helped grow relationships with many of the world’s Fortune 500 marketers. Under his watch, mcgarrybowen has been recognized as the fastest growing global agency in the business, bringing in new accounts like United Airlines, Procter & Gamble’s Aussie, Staples, Pizza Hut and Maserati. He has been honored as an Advertising Age “40 Under 40” in 2014. Brandon is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Gayle Fuguitt – CEO & President, The ARF
Gayle Fuguitt became the first woman to lead The ARF when she became CEO and president in April 2013. She spent 32 years at General Mills, where she was lauded for bringing the voice of the consumer to the decision table. She has served on the board and executive committee of The ARF from 2005 to 2012. She earned her B.A. in economics and a B.S. in industrial relations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.B.A. with a concentration in marketing research from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. A passionate supporter of non-profits, she remains a trustee at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Gayle was inducted into the Market Research Council, Inc. (MRC)’s Hall of Fame in 2014.
Charles Kennedy – Chief Research Innovation and Strategy Officer, The ARF
Charles Kennedy is currently the Chief Research Innovation and Strategy Officer at The ARF. Prior to this, he was EVP, Research and Insights at NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Kennedy led all research activity for the portfolio of channels, comprising USA, Syfy, E! Entertainment, Bravo, Oxygen, Chiller, Cloo, Sprout and Esquire Network. Before joining NBCUniversal, Kennedy was SVP, Research, for the ABC Television Network. His responsibilities included ratings analysis and forecasts, brand and program primary research, and support for sales, marketing, syndication and affiliate strategies.
Pat LaPointe – EVP, Resonate
Pat LaPointe, EVP, Resonate has over 20 years of focused experience in measuring the impact of marketing investments on bottom-line results. Previously in his role of head of Client Solutions at MarketShare, he directed the implementation of advanced analytics programs for over 50 leading brand companies across 12 industry sectors. Pat has authored many articles on marketing measurement that have appeared in major marketing industry publications including Journal of Advertising Research, Marketing Magazine, Admap, and The Advertiser. He is also the author of a pioneering book on marketing metrics and measurement entitled Marketing by the Dashboard Light. Pat has an M.B.A. from Stern School at NYU, and a B.Comm from McGill University in Montreal.
Joan Lewis – Global Consumer & Market Knowledge Officer, Procter & Gamble
Joan Lewis is the global consumer and market knowledge officer at Procter & Gamble (P&G), responsible for overseeing about 1,100 global professionals in more than 50 countries. She joined P&G in 1987 and since then has touched virtually every area of the business. Joan was recognized by Advertising Age as one of the “Top 25 Women to Watch” in 2010, and is also on the The ARF’s board of directors. She is a graduate of Miami University in Ohio.
Scott McDonald, Ph.D.
Scott McDonald was most recently SVP for Research & Insights at Condé Nast. In this capacity, he oversaw consumer, development, advertising and strategic research for all of the Condé Nast properties. Prior to joining Condé Nast, Scott worked in various research positions at Time Inc. and Time Warner Inc., covering print media, television and digital media. Scott has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The ARF, and he presently is the Chairman of the Print & Digital Research Forum (formerly known as the Worldwide Readership Research Symposium). Scott has been a recipient of the National Science Foundation Fellowship and of the Charles Abrams Fellowship of Harvard and MIT. He holds an A.B. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University.
David Poltrack – Chief Research Officer, CBS Corporation/President, CBS VISION
David Poltrack is Chief Research Officer of CBS Corporation and President of CBS VISION. He designed and oversees CBS Television City at the MGM GRAND in Las Vegas. David is currently chair of the board for the Advertising Research Foundation. He is an adjunct professor at the NYU Stern School of Business and the Steinhardt School of Education. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A., magna cum laude, history), and NYU (M.B.A., marketing).
Kate Sirkin – EVP, Research, Starcom MediaVest Group
Kate Sirkin is EVP of Research at Starcom MediaVest Group, where she oversees a massive worldwide budget and manages emerging media trends, data, and support for SMG clients, initiates proprietary studies, and acts as the company’s voice on critical media issues. She is a founding member of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board, an ARF board member, part of the executive board of CIMM, and on the Print and Digital Research Forum program committee.
Brad Smallwood – Head of Insights and Measurements, Facebook, Inc.
Brad Smallwood is head of measurements and insights at Facebook, Inc. Prior to this, Brad was the general manager of Yahoo’s multi-billion dollar display advertising marketplace. With companies like Namezero, AllAdvantage, and Revcube, he developed a series of state-of-the-art ad targeting and ad serving techniques. Prior to his transition to online, Brad was one of the early innovators in the pricing space, developing and running the pricing and revenue management systems for a variety of industries including airlines, hotels, and shipping.
Stan Sthanunathan – Senior Vice President, CMI, Unilever
Stan Sthanunathan is currently SVP of CMI at Unilever based in London. Prior to joining Unilever, he was VP of Marketing Strategy & Insights for The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta heading up the function on a global basis. Prior to this role, Stan was head of Knowledge & Insights for the Asia Group of Coca-Cola based in Hong Kong. His research career started in 1985 with Pathfinders: India with whom he was associated for almost seven years. Upon leaving, he was General Manager of the agency. Stan earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Bombay University and followed this with his M.B.A. from India Institute of Management in Bangalore, India.
Radha Subramanyam – EVP, Sales and Marketing Research, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment
Radha is currently EVP at Clear Channel Media and Entertainment where she reports to the CEO and heads up Market Research and Analytics across various forms of Media. Radha has previously served in senior executive roles at Yahoo! and MTV Networks. She was also one of the founding leaders of a new Analytics and Consulting practice at Nielsen. Radha began her media career at NBC Universal and prior to that served on the Graduate faculty of NYU. Subramanyam holds a PhD in Radio, Television and Film from Northwestern University.
George Terhanian – Chief Research and Analytics Officer, The NDP Group
George Terhanian is currently the Chief Research and Analytics Officer at The NPD Group. Prior to joining NPD, George was Chief Strategy & Products Officer and President, North America at Toluna, a leading panel management company. Before that he spent nearly 14 years at Harris Interactive in leadership positions including President, Global Solutions; President, Global Internet Research; and President, Harris Interactive Europe. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of both the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) and the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO). George holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in Education from Harvard, and is the author of numerous, published research articles. He earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Haverford College.
