BRIAN A. RICE

Senior Vice President,
Chief Design and Brand Experience Officer

  • Brian Rice joined 3M as Senior Vice President, Chief Brand and Design Officer in October of 2020. As the global leader for the 3M Design, corporate brand, and partnerships functions, Brian oversees 3M’s endeavors to leverage company purpose, brand positioning, design, and formerly corporate partnerships to connect with customers, consumers, and stakeholders to continually deliver on the company’s legacy of 3M Science. Applied to Life™. 

    Bringing more than 25 years of experience, Brian has bridged the power of design thinking fused with business strategy for some of the world’s most valuable, trusted, and iconic brands and companies, including Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Georgia-Pacific. Throughout his career, Brian has led brand positioning, purpose development, brand design, packaging development, product design and innovation, advertising, digital content, and creative communications to drive business growth.

    Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design and Management from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida, where he currently serves as a board member for the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC) and is the recipient of the 2022 SJGC Distinguished Alumni Award. He is active in the design, fine arts, and civic community, where he has served as a Board Member of AIGA Atlanta and Board of Directors for the Museum of Design Atlanta. Currently, he serves as a member of the 100 Black Men of North Metro Atlanta, Inc., Vice-President and Board Member of the Diversity in Design Collaborative and serves as a Board Trustee of The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Additionally, Brian enjoys mentoring youth and emerging creatives interested in design, advertising, and creative careers.

    Brian resides in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lives alongside his wife, Tevi, and their two college-aged children, Brandon and Kylie.

DAVID BUTLER

Co-founder at SoWhat
Former VP, Global Design & Innovation

  • David's superpower is in helping companies use design to strategically drive growth. 

    David leads strategy at SoWhat (so-what.io), a brand design agency he co-founded in 2022. SoWhat helps early-stage startups like Early Majority, and established global brands like Duracell and The United Way create iconic brand identity systems. 

    In 2017, David joined Kids2 as Chief Growth Officer, responsible for strategy, product design, and brand marketing. He led the transformation of Baby Einstein from a product brand to a global media brand and year-over-year double digit revenue growth. 

    In 2004, David joined Coca-Cola as the company's first VP of Global Design. He was part of a turnaround team that helped double the value of the company in less than a decade. Through his leadership, Coca-Cola won the Cannes Film Festival's first Grand Prix of Design, reinvented it's global Fountain Business through Coca-Cola Freestyle and saved over $100M annually through a Canva-like app called Design Machine. He also led the Company's first venture fund generating a portfolio of startups around the world including 3 unicorns.  

    Prior to Coke, David led brand strategy for Publicis Sapient helping some of the world’s most valuable brands become digital including UPS, IBM, Bank of America, Delta and Gucci. He began his career as a graphic designer specializing in large-scale branding systems including 3 Olympic Games.  

    Originally from a small beach-town in Florida, David has traveled across 6 continents and over 50 countries. He has been recognized by Fast Company as a Master of Design, one of America's 50 most influential designers and included in Fortune’s Executive Dream Team. David co-authored, Design to Grow: How Coca-Cola Learned to Combine Scale and Agility now translated in 25 languages. Daniel Pink called it a “master class in problem solving,” and Tim Brown said it caused him to "rethink IDEO."

JENNIFER MERCHANT

Brand & Design Executive
Former Vice President of Design P&G

  • As a Design and Brand Building Senior Executive, Jen has an outstanding record of brand development and business-building results from upstream innovation through commercial execution, providing design leadership and business strategy integration for more than 20 years.

     

    Most recently, Jen held the role of Vice President of Design for Global Fabric Care at Procter and Gamble, leading a team of multi-disciplinary designers across some of the most iconic brands in consumer goods. Jen built a thriving design organization and established in-house creative teams across the globe. Jen has always put her people first. As a partner to business leadership, she focused on evolving capabilities that could further transform the way P&G leveraged design.

     

    Jen’s 20 years of experience at P&G have included design development, brand building, and strategic leadership on a multitude of billion-dollar household brands and businesses including Pringles, Folgers, Vicks, Metamucil, Align, Prilosec, Pepto Bismol, Downy, Tide, Gain, Ariel, Lenor, Unstopables, Bounce and Dreft. Much of Jen’s iconic branding remains on shelf even today as examples of asset consistency and brand equity sustaining results over time.

     

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    Expertise and skills: brand strategy |design and business integration | leading agency creative teams | leading internal design studios | brand equity and architecture | lean innovation | visual identity and packaging | design sprints | consumer insights and understanding |behavioral and cognitive science | organizational leadership | remote management | digital content creation

     

     

TYSONN BETTS

Former Design VP, P&G and Co Founder @ Huenited

  • Right Brain to the Business |Former P&G Design VP | Founder | Connector | ADWEEK Brandstar| Keynote Speaker | Board Director | Third-Way Thinker | Strategy and Innovation Advisor

     

     

    Tysonn is a father, founder, advisor, strategist, creative problem solver and third way maker.

     

    With his unique ability to find and make uncommon connections- Tysonn brings an endless energy and passion to leverage creative acumen in solving business problems.  Through seamless integration; this right brain to the business works to develop superior equities and engaging brand experiences to unlock emotional resonance, growing brands and their bottom lines!

     

    Born a creative, trained a designer, and developed to become a business leader, Tysonn Graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, AL, completed his BFA in Visual communication at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD and earned his MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

     

    A 28-year veteran of Procter & Gamble, Tysonn left P&G in 2024 as Design Vice President, after having led end to end Design teams in Oral Care, Health Care, Fabric Care, Home Care, Baby Care, Pet Care, P&G Corporate Brand, P&G Ventures, and Family Care (paper). Tysonn has broad design experience- leading teams or rolling up his sleeves to stand up new brand like Swiffer, and Zevo, or managing and growing the iconic equities of Tide, Pampers, Crest, and Charmin.

    Tysonn has delivered unique and immersive experiences for P&G's Family Home at the London and Sochi Olympic Games, been responsible for applying right brain thinking to architectural & office solutions, as well as organizational strategy and functional integration.

     

    In 2024, Tysonn launched ministry of DESIGN to consult and apply his discontinuous thinking to help solve complex brand and business problems in and for Design leaders, brands, startups, agencies and established organizations; making and growing believers of design!

     

    A Southern boy at heart, Tysonn rises from and frequently returns to the red dirt of Monroeville, AL, appreciates a wandering road through the bourbon trails of Kentucky, spending the day laughing and busting clays with his wife, or giving his kids a hard time- as any multifarious father should!

RAPHA ABREU

Vice President of Global Design

  • Rapha Abreu is a visionary design leader with over two decades of experience revolutionizing global brands. Currently serving as the Vice President of Global Design at The Coca-Cola Company, Rapha oversees the design expressions for some of the world's most iconic billion-dollar brands, including Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid, Powerade, and Smartwater. He became the first Latino to hold this prestigious position, exemplifying his ability to break barriers while driving innovative design strategies.

     

    At Coca-Cola, Rapha leads a comprehensive global design strategy, focusing on brand identity, visual language, product design, interactive design, motion identity, and retail design. He is celebrated for his ability to blend creativity with strategic vision, flawless aesthetics with breakthrough functionality, creating distinctive and cohesive brand experiences that resonate worldwide. His leadership has also been instrumental in integrating sustainability into design processes, emphasizing the use of improved materials and technologies.

     

    Before his current role, Rapha was the Vice President and Global Head of Design at Restaurant Brands International, where he spearheaded the widely celebrated rebranding of Burger King, as well as transformative design projects for Popeyes and Tim Hortons. His visionary work at RBI set new benchmarks in the quick-service restaurant industry, particularly with innovative retail concepts like the flagship Popeyes store in Shanghai and touchless design standards for Burger King.

     

    Rapha's work has garnered multiple prestigious awards, including multiple Gold Cannes Lions, D&AD Wood and Graphite Pencils, and Dieline Awards. His Burger King rebrand alone earned him over 50 accolades such as Fast Company’s Rebrand of the Year and Gold awards from the Art Directors Club.

     

    In addition to his professional achievements, Rapha has served as a jury president for The One Show and Brazil Design Awards, and a judge for prominent awards like D&AD, Effie, Dieline and El Dorado. His thought leadership extends to conference presentations at renowned events such as D&AD Festival, How Design Live, and Adobe Max. His expertise has also been featured in numerous publications, including Fast Company, Creative Review, and Forbes.

     

JENNA BANKS

Keynote Speaker, Best-Selling Author, The Jenna Banks Show

  • Jenna Banks is a public speaker, moderator, facilitator, host of The Jenna Banks Show, best-selling author and a repeat entrepreneur. Her thought leadership has been featured in a wide variety of media outlets that include: Forbes, ABC, NBC and Authority Magazine.

    Jenna’s book titled “I Love Me More: How To Find Happiness and Success Through Self-Love” was released March 8, 2022 on International Women’s Day, quickly becoming an Amazon best-seller. Her inaugural book won top honors in the Women's Health category at the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards.

    Her inspirational talks have been brought to events and stages that include: cyber security, C-suite executives, women’s leadership, software development, payments, and the fintech industry.

    Earlier in her career, she worked in Sales & Business Development Director roles, working closely with brands that included: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Hasbro, Mattel, and Lego.

    In 2012 she founded Brand Spirit, a marketing products company, which she sold shortly before the onset of the global pandemic.

    Since then she's been focused on inspiring and empowering others through her writing, speaking, facilitating & moderating live events and her show. Most recently, she's also founded SwagLove, a socially conscious company that produces custom branded gifts & giveaways.

    Sign up for Jenna's free self-love tips, tools and reminders at ilovemenotes.com

    Check out Jenna's book "I Love Me More" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Me-More-Happiness-Self-Love/dp/1956072004

JARED RICHARDSON

Design-led Business Leader
Former SVP, Global Head of Design

  • Jared is an uncommon business leader, standing at the intersection of design, brand, strategy and innovation – with deep experience inside and outside complex organizations.

    He is the former SVP, Global Head of Design for Colgate-Palmolive. He was responsible for driving the cultural transformation towards a design-integrated organization. He led the Global Design team responsible for the Packaging Design, the physical and digital product Design and Design Operations of the Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Health and Pet Nutrition brands.

    He has worked on everything from hamburgers and hotdogs for Shake Shack to better-for-the-planet packaging and future delivery systems for Coca-Cola. He has led inter-disciplinary teams for clients that include both early-stage owners and Fortune 100 companies.

    Before joining Colgate-Palmolive Jared co-founded The Velo Group where, as Chief Creative Officer, he managed and grew the business while leading the creative expression and brand experience of each project. Prior to this he was Partner and Executive Creative Director at Fahrenheit 212. Jared has taught Strategy & Innovation at the School of Visual Arts' IxD (Interaction Experience Design) Master in Fine Arts program.

KARA BUCKLER

Senior Director, Creative + Design

  • Kara Buckler is the Senior Director of Creative & Design at the J.M. Smucker Co., a Fortune 500 Consumer Packaged Goods Company with a portfolio of leading brands across Coffee, Pet Food, Sweet Baked Snacks and Spreads. During her tenure at Smucker, Kara has strengthened the organization’s creative capabilities, culture and talent through the creation of the Company’s first in-house agency and the building of a multidisciplinary Design function.  Kara has a passion for amplifying the power of Design in business and uses this as a guiding principle in her role on the Company’s Leadership Team and on a number of boards in the Northeast Ohio region.

GREGG HEARD

VP, Design

  • Gregg Heard is an executive design leader with a proven track record of driving design and creativity at scale. He is an award-winning designer with 30+ years of experience in a wide range of design disciplines and is known for leading multidisciplinary teams to create transformational design programs and brand experiences for some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated brands, including AT&T, 3M, Logitech, Sony, IBM, Burger King, Caterpillar, Philips, and UPS.

    In his current role, Gregg serves as VP, Global Design at Restaurant Brands International. In this role he is responsible for building the Design function to design the brand experience for Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons and Firehouse Subs in all international markets.

    Before joining RBI, he served as Design Officer at 3M and Vice President of Global Brand Design at AT&T. During his tenure at AT&T, he set the strategic direction for the AT&T brand experience, transforming it from a transient system into an iconic and enduring program. Prior to AT&T, he served as Senior Creative Director for Philips Design in the Netherlands and Director of User Experience for Sapient in their Atlanta, London, and San Francisco offices.

    Numerous design publications and organizations have recognized Gregg’s work, including the International Forum on Design, Communications Arts, Graphis, Graphic Design USA, and the Smithsonian’s National Design Museum. Gregg is a frequently sought-after speaker and judges at international design conferences and design competitions.

    Throughout his career he’s found purpose in mentoring talent, helping them to clarify and elevate their ideas. He believes that building their confidence allows them to make the most of their talent and reach their highest potential in their careers. 

     

ROGER ROHATGI

Chief AI Officer, Chai
Former Chief Design Officer, BP

  • Former Chief Design Officer, BP

    Roger Rohatgi leads digital design and change at bp, a global team of innovative thinkers, user experience (UX) professionals and creatives focused on supercharging human experience design (HXD) and enabling change. Human-centered design is the North Star he followed to create and deliver the first bp design discipline and system. This includes driving design best practice and digital circularity across the company, as well as introducing an award-winning ‘sustainable design’ methodology and an inclusive design mindset.

    Prior to bp, Roger spent 25+ years with creative, transformative teams, spearheading digital
    innovation and delivering captivating customer and user experiences with agencies, media outlets, and top brands such as Verizon, Twitter, Hyundai, Vine, Motorola Solutions and major TV networks such as CBS, NBC Universal, MTV, FOX, CNBC Arabia, ZEE TV and more. His TV, film and commercial work has been featured on the likes of MTV, ESPN, Nickelodeon, NBC, and ABC, and he has won awards both as a film producer and in design, including the Oracle CX Innovation Award for inclusive UX. Some of his work has also been seen in Fast Co., Wired, USA Today, LA Times, Hollywood Reporter, Advertising Age and Forbes.com.

    Roger sees the strategic role of HXD in the changes needed to achieve a brighter, more equitable and more sustainable future. He gets super energized by designing better, more human experiences with digital and the sustainable impact we can have for people and planet through design.

CHUCK JONES

Chief Design and Ux Officer

  • Chuck Jones is a C-level design executive with a strong global leadership background in diverse product development, advanced R&D and leading business P&L. His strengths include significant global market perspective for multiple industries in complex growth initiatives spanning North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Chuck was named GE Healthcare’s first Chief Design Officer in June of 2023 and is responsible for the design and user experience of all GE Healthcare’s physical and digital products. An internationally recognized design leader, Jones effectively manages multi-disciplinary creative and product development organizations on a global scale. He has a high value personal business network from Wall Street to global design and technology leaders to cutting edge corporate CEO's

    Chuck has demonstrated design leadership experience across global businesses in staff and line roles at companies such as Herman Miller, Xerox, Whirlpool, Newell Brands and Intuitive Surgical. At Intuitive, Chuck was hired to lead design, brand, clinical development engineering and user research capabilities and spearhead the development of a ten-year product roadmap throughout all Intuitive products and services to drive top line revenue.

    Chuck is one of the first design leaders to serve on multiple corporate boards. He serves on the Board of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he chairs the Nominations and Governance Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee. Chuck also serves on the Board of Directors at Lane Automotive focusing on growth, innovation and corporate transformation. He is a Board Advisor for Ronovo Surgical.

    Chuck is a recipient of the White House Smithsonian National Design Award, which is given to those who have demonstrated impact and leadership in the areas of design, positive change on society and innovation. He was also named a Fellow by the Industrial Designer’s Society of America, its highest distinction, has been recognized a Master of Design by Fast Company Magazine and was elected to the Academy of Fellows of the World Technology Network. Chuck has been granted 43 patents to date and has won in excess of 1000 international product design awards. These include a Red Dot 'Best of the Best' for the Da Vinci SP surgical robot and the Ion Endoluminal System in 2019. His design work has been the subject of exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, The Louvre and the Triennale Milano.

    Chuck is a graduate of Purdue University degrees in Industrial Design and Human Factors Engineering with a specialization in cognition, perception and human science.  Charles also completed a Xerox Executive Management program at Cornell University. He was named Alumni of the Year by Purdue University in 2008, the first graduate from the school of design to be so honored.

MICHELLE STUHL

President & CEO

  • Michelle is President and CEO of Michelle Stuhl & Company, a global retained Executive Search firm committed to helping leaders build and grow their companies. The company is a strategic and research-driven practice with deep expertise in Creative/Design, Innovation, Digital, Marketing and Merchandising across all sectors. 

    The company has significant international experience, including placements of C-Level and Senior Executives in leadership roles in the U.K., Europe, Asia, and South America. Notable clients include Nike, PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, Johnson & Johnson, Philips, MillerKnoll, Virgin, LVMH, Estée Lauder Companies, e.l.f. cosmetics, The Obama Foundation, The MoMA, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Michelle champions diversity and inclusion, and for more than 20 years over 60% of placements have been filled with diverse candidates. 

    Michelle has established herself as a thought leader in the field, writing a notable article for Forbes Magazine examining the rising role of the Chief Design Officer, and is a frequent guest lecturer at prestigious universities across America, including the ArtCenter College of Design. In addition, Michelle has participated in and moderated panels at DMI (Design Management Institute) Symposiums. 

    She has served on the Advisory Board for the Arizona State University Master of Science in Innovation & Venture Development program, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, the Arizona State University Museum of Art, and the Mesa Museum of Contemporary Art.  

    Michelle has an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and is a dedicated Fine Artist in her spare time. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the U.S. and internationally including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The DeYoung Museum, The Louvre, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and more. She maintains studios in New York and Arizona. 

    To learn more about our services, please visit https://michellestuhl.com/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-stuhl-3347b34/

MAURO PORCINI

SVP & Chief Design Officer

  • Mauro Porcini is PepsiCo's first ever Chief Design Officer. He joined the food & beverage corporation in 2012 and in said role he is infusing design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture and is leading a new approach to innovation by design that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands, which include Pepsi, Lay’s, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Sodastream, Quaker, 7Up, Doritos, Lifewtr, Bubly, Aquafina, Cheetos, Mirinda, amongst many others. His focus extends from physical to virtual expressions of the brands, including product, packaging, experience, events, fashion and art collaborations, retail activation, architecture, and digital media. 

    He leads a team of 400+ people, based in the company’s 17 design centers around the world. Since its inception in 2012, PepsiCo’s Design has been recognized with more than 2,200 design and innovation awards from several institutions around the world. Fortune included PepsiCo in their 2018 “Driven by Design” list, one of only two organizations in the Food and Beverage Industry. 

    In the fall of 2022, Mauro published the book The Human Side of Innovation. The Power of People in Love with People (Berrett-Koehler), which focuses on innovation, design and leadership. The book was named a Gold Winner of the Better Future – New York Design Award the month of its publication. In the spring of 2021, he published the book L'Età dell'Eccellenza - Come Innovazione e Creatività Possono Costruire un Mondo Migliore (Il Saggiatore). It is now in its fifth reprint. 

    In 2023 he published with his PepsiCo’s design team the book Good Design is for Everyone (Rizzoli). 

    Prior to joining PepsiCo, Mauro served as the first ever Chief Design Officer at 3M, where his mission was to build and nurture a design sensitive culture in a technology driven global corporation. His teams, based in the U.S., Italy, China and Japan, won many of the world’s most prestigious design and innovation awards. 

    Mauro began his professional career at Philips Design and then created his own design firm, Wisemad Srl, in Italy with the celebrated entertainment producer and music star Claudio Cecchetto. His work on wearable technologies has been showcased at the Louvre in Paris as well as the Seoul Art Center. 

    Over the years he has been on the board of directors for several organizations. Currently, he is the President of the Politecnico of Milan Foundation in the United States (Fellows of Politecnico), sits on the board of directors of the Design Management Institute, and on the advisory council of other design, art, innovation and business institutions. 

    Mauro is the host of the podcast “In your shoes - with Mauro Porcini” on Apple podcast, Spotify and YouTube, where he interviews inspiring personalities from the creative community worldwide. And for several seasons he’s been a presenter and judge on the TV show New York by Design and America by Design, airing on CBS and Amazon Prime Video. 

    Mauro is a fashion lover, but not a fashion addict – regardless of his collection of more than 350 pairs of shoes. He lives between New York City and the Hamptons with his wife Carlotta, with their daughter Beatrice, and with their three Pomeranians, Leone, Bella and Lupo. 

    Awards and Recognitions 

    One of Mauro’s proudest honors, bestowed upon him by the President of the Italian Republic, is the title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia, an order of knighthood for “extraordinary merits in the preservation and promotion of national prestige abroad, promoting friendly relations and co-operation with other countries and ties with Italy.” 

    In the past several years Mauro has then been recognized with a variety of other honors and awards for his achievements in the fields of design and innovation. 

    Most recently, in the summer of 2024, he was inducted in the “Albo d’Onore dell’Ordine degli Architetti” in the city of Varese, Italy. 

    In 2023 he was included in the list of the “100 most inspiring people of 2023” by OOOM magazine, together with a series of incredibly diverse leaders and renowned change makers, from a variety of different fields - from president Joe Biden to the Dalai Lama, from Oprah Winfrey to Greta Thunberg, from president Volodymyr Zelenskyj to Pope Francis, from Richard Branson to David Attenborough, and many others. 

    In the same year, he was the recipient of the ItalPress award and the Business Care International award, in New York City. In 2022 Mauro was a Laureate of the American Prize for Design by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, a recognition that honors a specific design practitioner with the highest public accolade for producing design that promotes design excellence, innovation, and lasting design. In 2021 he was named one of “2020’s Top 25 Most Influential Innovators” by InnoLead (Boston). In 2020 the Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia) named him “Innovator of the Year.” In 2019 he received the Pentawards “Visionary Award” in London. In 2018 he was honored in New York City with the DrivenXDesign “Chairman’s Better Future Award,” given to those individuals that have led Expeditions to a Better Future, working over the last decade to make a difference in the world. In 2016, the Italy America Chamber of Commerce awarded him with the “Business and Culture Award,” a recognition given every year to one Italian that has performed in an extraordinary way in the United States in the fields of business and culture. That same year he received the “US Design Brand Leader Award.” In 2015, the newspaper Il Giornale named him “One of the 10 Italians that will change the world” while GQ Italy listed him as one of the “30 Best Dressed Men of 2015.” In 2014, Mauro was included in Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business 1000,” an influential, diverse group of modern Renaissance men and women across the economy and around the globe. He was also recognized with the “PrimiDieci Under 40,” an award that celebrates the extraordinary professional and personal success of the ten most distinguished Italians in the U.S. every year. Since 2013 Mauro has been part of the “Italian Talents in a Foreign Country” community of the Aspen Italia Institute chaired by prof. Giulio Tremonti. In 2012 Fortune Magazine listed him in the “40 under 40” ranking – its list of “the business’s hottest rising stars” – the only designer included, Ad Age named him in the “Creativity 50” – its list of the “world’s most influential creative personalities” and the PoliMi association of the University Politecnico of Milan recognized him with the Alumni Polimi Awards 2012 for the “great merit of contributing to enrich the Italian culture in the world.” In 2011, Fast Company recognized him as one of the “50 Most Influential Designers in America” and “Master of Design” while the World HR Forum in Mumbai presented him with its “Award for Leadership and Innovation.” The Wall Street Journal’s CFO Journal in 2011 called him “the man putting 3M on the design map,” and under his design leadership, 3M made Fast Company’s list of 30 companies that “get” design. 

    Mauro’s work has been featured in several books on design and innovation in multiple regions of the world. Amongst others: 

    “Creative Confidence” (by Tom Kelley and David Kelley), 

    “Harvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads – On Design Thinking” (HBR), 

    “Harvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads – The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from HBR – 2017” (HBR), 

    Jugaad Innovation (by Simon Ahuja, Navi Radjou, Jaydeep Prabhu), 

    “Il Minimo Sostenibile” (by Gino Finizio) 

    “Vincere con le idee” (by Enzo Baglieri, Gabriella Lojacono). 

    In his professional career Mauro has been granted 47 patents on his name. 


    ITALIANO 

    MAURO PORCINI 

    Mauro Porcini entra in PepsiCo nel 2012 come primo Chief Design Officer nella storia della multinazionale americana. In questa posizione la missione di Mauro è quella di infondere nuova cultura progettuale all’interno dell’azienda a livello globale, disegnando le strategie di innovazione e design delle piattaforme di prodotto attuali e future e del vasto portfolio di brand della corporation, che include tra gli altri Pepsi, Lay’s, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Sodastream, Quaker, 7Up, Doritos, Lifewtr, Bubly, Aquafina, Cheetos, Mirinda. La sua responsabilità si estende a tutta le espressioni fisiche e virtuali dei brand, includendo prodotto, packaging, pubblicità, eventi, collaborazioni nel mondo della moda e dell’arte, attivazione nel retail, architettura e digital. 

    L’organizzazione creata da Mauro conta più di 400 creativi, basati nei 17 design center locati in ogni regione del mondo. Nel corso degli anni è stata premiata con più di 2.200 premi e riconoscimenti dal mondo del design e dell’innovazione, record assoluto nell’industria di riferimento. Nel 2018 PepsiCo è stata riconosciuta da Fortune nella lista delle 30 aziende Driven by Design. 

    Nella primavera del 2021 Mauro ha pubblicato il suo primo libro, in italiano: “L'Età dell'Eccellenza - Come Innovazione e Creatività Possono Costruire un Mondo Migliore”, edito da Il Saggiatore – ora alla sua quinta ristampa. Nell’autunno del 2022 ha pubblicato il suo primo libro in inglese, “The Human Side of Innovation. The Power of People in Love with People” (Berrett-Koehler), sui temi di innovazione, design e leadership. Nello stesso mese della sua pubblicazione, il libro ha ricevuto l’oro nella competizione Better Future – New York Design award. Nel 2023 ha pubblicato con il suo team in PepsiCo il libro “Good Design is for Everyone” (Rizzoli). 

    Prima di entrare in PepsiCo Mauro copriva la carica di Chief Design Officer nella multinazionale 3M, in Minnesota, in una posizione creata ad hoc per lui, dove la sua missione era quella di costruire e facilitare una cultura d’innovazione design driven in un’azienda storicamente fondata sulla pura innovazione tecnologica. 

    I suoi team, basati negli Stati Uniti, in Cina, in Giappone e in Italia, hanno vinto la maggior parte dei più prestigiosi premi di innovazione e design. 

    Mauro ha iniziato la sua carriera professionale in Philips Design ed ha poi creato la propria agenzia creativa, Wisemad SrL, con il noto produttore musicale Claudio Cecchetto. Il suo lavoro nell’ambito delle Wearable Technologies è stato oggetto di mostre al Louvre di Parigi e al Seoul Art Center. 

    Nell’arco degli anni ha fatto parte dei board of directors di svariate associazioni. Al momento è Presidente della Fondazione Americana del Politecnico di Milano (Fellows of Politecnico), siede nel board of directors del Design Management Institute, e in vari altri advisory council di istituzioni di design, arte, innovazione e business. 

    Dalla fine del 2019, Mauro conduce il proprio podcast “In your shoes - with Mauro Porcini” su Apple podcast, Spotify e YouTube, dove intervista personalità della comunità creativa internazionale. 

    Per anni è stato nel cast dei presentatori e giudici dei programmi televisivi “New York by Design” e “America by Design”, in onda su CBS e Amazon Prime Video. 

    Mauro è un amante della moda e ha una collezione di più di 350 paia di scarpe. Vive e risiede tra New York City e gli Hamptons, con la moglie Carlotta, con la loro figlia Beatrice e con i loro tre pomeranian, Leone, Bella e Lupo. 

    Premi e riconoscimenti 

    Una delle onorificenze più care a Mauro, conferitagli dal Presidente della Repubblica Italiana, è il titolo di Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia, un ordine cavalleresco per "meriti straordinari nella conservazione e promozione del prestigio nazionale all'estero, promuovendo relazioni amichevoli e cooperazione con altri paesi e legami con l'Italia". 

    Nell’arco degli anni Mauro è stato riconosciuto con numerosi altri premi e onorificenze nell’ambito del design e dell’innovazione. 

    Nell’estate del 2024 è entrato nell’ Albo d’Onore dell’Ordine degli Architetti della città di Varese. 

    Nel 2023 è stato inserito nella lista delle “100 persone più ispiranti del 2023” dalla rivista OOOM, insieme a una serie incredibile di noti leader e innovatori, in una varietà di campi diversi - dal presidente Joe Biden al Dalai Lama, da Oprah Winfrey a Greta Thunberg, dal presidente Volodymyr Zelenskyj al Papa Francesco, da Richard Branson a David Attenborough, and tanti altri. 

    Nello stesso anno, Mauro ha ricevuto l’ItalPress Award e il Business Care International Award, in New York City. 

    Nel 2022 è stato insignito dell'American Prize for Design dal Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design e dall'European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, un riconoscimento che onora uno specifico professionista del design con uno dei più alti riconoscimenti pubblici che promuove l'eccellenza del design e dell'innovazione. 

    Nel 2021 la piattaforma Innovation Leader di Boston lo ha riconosciuto nella sua lista dei “Top 25 Most Influential Innovators of 2020”. 

    Nel 2020 la Thomas Jefferson University di Philadelphia lo ha nominato “Innovatore dell’anno”. 

    Nello 2019 ha ricevuto il “Visionary Award” da Pentawards a Londra. 

    Nel 2018 ha ricevuto a New York City il DrivenXDesign “Chairman’s Better Future Award”, concesso a individui che “hanno incessantemente lavorato nell’ultimo decennio per creare un impatto e fare la differenza nel mondo”. 

    Nel 2016 la Camera di Commercio Italia America gli ha riconosciuto il “Business and Culture Award”, un premio che va ogni anno a un italiano che si sia distinto in modo straordinario in America a livello culturale e professionale e nello stesso anno ha ricevuto il “U.S. Design Brand Leader Award”. 

    Nel 2015 Il Giornale lo ha nominato come “Uno dei 10 Italiani che cambieranno il mondo” mentre GQ Italia lo ha inserito nella lista dei “30 uomini più eleganti del 2015”. Nel 2014 Fast Company lo ha incluso nella lista dei suoi “Most Creative People in Business 1000”, un gruppo diversificato di influenti personalità trasversali ad ogni categoria di business e provenienti da ogni parte del mondo ed è stato premiato con il “PrimiDieci – Under 40” award, un riconoscimento che celebra “gli straordinari successi professionali e personali di dieci Italiani in America ogni anno”. 

    Dal 2013 fa parte della comunità “Talenti italiani all’estero” dell’Aspen Institute Italia presieduto dal prof. Giulio Tremonti. 

    Nel 2012 Fortune Magazine lo ha riconosciuto tra i “40 under 40” - la classifica delle “business’s hottest rising stars” – unico designer nella lista, mentre la rivista Ad Age lo annoverato nella sua “Creativity 50” - la lista delle “personalità creative più influenti al mondo” – e il PoliMi del Politecnico di Milano lo ha premiato con l'Alumni Polimi Awards 2012 (area Creativity) per il “grande merito di contribuire ad arricchire l'italianità nel mondo”. 

    Nel 2011 Fast Company lo ha riconosciuto come uno dei “50 più influenti designers in America” e “Design Master” dell’anno mentre l’HR World Business Forum in Mumbai lo ha premiato con l’“Award for Leadership and Innovation”. 

    Il CFO Journal del Wall Street Journal nel 2011 lo ha nominato “l’uomo che ha piazzato 3M nella mappa del design mondiale” e sotto la sua leadership 3M è stata annoverata da Fast Company come una delle 30 aziende americane che “capisce il design”. 

    Il lavoro di Mauro è stato oggetto di multipli libri e articoli sul design e l’innovazione pubblicati in svariati paesi nel mondo. Tra gli altri 

    “Creative Confidence” (Tom Kelley and David Kelley), 

    “Harvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads – On Design Thinking” (HBR), 

    “Harvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads – The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from HBR – 2017” (HBR), 

    from Jugaad Innovation (Simon Ahuja, Navi Radjou, Jaydeep Prabhu), 

    “Il Minimo Sostenibile” (Gino Finizio), 

    “Vincere con le idee” (Enzo Baglieri, Gabriella Lojacono). 

    Nell’arco di questi anni Mauro ha accumulato 47 brevetti a suo nome. 

KATHY BAKER

Director Global Design Packaging and Visual Identity

JENNIFER KOLSTAD

Global Design & Brand Director

  • Jennifer Kolstad is the Global Design and Brand Director at Ford Motor Company, the first design leader to establish a vision for brand experience and environmental design. Since joining Ford in 2019 she has created a global design strategy unifying a portfolio exceeding 200 million SF and a  global retail network of 10,000+ dealers.    

    Introducing the legacy brand to neuroaesthetics and research-led design, Jenniferhas constructed an award-winning internal design team and agency roster, while collaborating with external luminaries, product design, UX, technology, marketing, and global brand.  In 30 years of practice, Jennifer has challenged systems and methods within the design industry. She has effectively integrated adjacent core competencies, expanding the value of design, proving impact and across project categories.  She is the recipient of the 2023 ASID Luminary of Distinction award honouring the advancement of the design industry through innovative contributions and is the 2023 recipient of the “Beyond Automotive Design” Award for Car Design News. 

    Jennifer is a Doctoral Candidate at the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape at the University of Calgary (’26) researching the intersection of business and design. She achieved a Master of Architecture degree from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and was a recipient of the SOM Graduate Fellowship. She has undergraduate degrees in Interior Design, Art and Art History. Prior to Ford she designed at SOM, Gensler, HKS, and ALDAR in the United Arab Emirates.

    Jennifer is an invited NASA Luminary teaching her “Brain to Building Framework” as a design tool for off-planet habitation.  She has appeared on PBS Newshour, NBC News, Fortune’s 2022 Brainstorm, and Microsoft Envision speaking on advancements in design and on brand experience. She has presented at the Johns Hopkins University and Medical School Intentional Spaces Summit, The 2023 United Nations General Assembly Brain Capital Alliance, the ANFA/Salk Institute Annual Conference, IDEC’s Annual Conference, BIFMA, Reuters, and The Design Museum Everywhere Innovation Summit.  Jennifer has been a keynote, lecturer, and juror at the Darden School of Business, Utah State University, UT Austin, University of Michigan, and National ASID Conferences.

    Elected Chair of the American Society of Interior Designers (2020), she served on the National Board from 2015-2021.

LELAND
MASCHMEYER

CEO Collins & ex-Chief Brand Officer Chobani

  • Leland is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of COLLINS, the transformation consultancy honored as “Firm of the Year” in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 by Ad Age and in 2022 by D&AD. Between 2016 and 2021, Leland stepped away from his day-to-day duties at COLLINS to lead Chobani, then a regional American yogurt manufacturer, as its first Chief Creative Officer and, eventually, Chief Brand Officer. In those five years, he was part of a small executive team that 10x’d the company’s valuation, transforming the single-product yogurt maker into an international iconoclast brand. In that period, he built Ad-Age’s “2018 In-House Agency of the Year” and won top honors from major global award shows such as D&AD, Cannes, The One Show, among others. During his five years of leadership, Chobani topped Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in the World” list five times – an honor not achieved by the manufacturer before or after his tenure. 

    Leland is also the co-founder of Sway, a clean materials company that has created an entirely new category of biopolymer resin: a thermoplastic seaweed resin that replace flexible petroleum plastics at scale using existing plastic manufacturing infrastructure. It is a USDA Certified 100% Biobased, home-compostable and microplastic-free material who feedstock is a regenerative ocean crop that replenishes ecosystems and supports coastal communities. In 2023, TOM FORD awarded Sway its “Plastic Innovation Accelerator” as the world’s most viable, marine-safe alternative to traditional thin-film plastic.  

    Between COLLINS, Chobani, Sway and other endeavors, Leland has built organizations honored as the most innovative in the world: “Company of the Year” finalist (Fast Co), “30 Most Important Design Companies” (Fast Co), “Most Innovative Company in the World” (Fast Co) x5, “50 Best Places for Innovators” (Fast Co), “Agency Inventing the Future of Brand Building” (Forbes), “Brand that Matters” (Fortune), “Brands Changing the World” (Forbes). 

    He has earned recognition from the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, from IBM as “Design Thinking Leader,” from Ad Age as a “Young Influencer” and from the Association Of National Advertisers as a “Master of Marketing.”

SPENCER BUCK

Founder & Chief Creative Officer

  • To create unforgettable work, you need creative leadership driven by insight, underpinned by exceptional ideas, and delivered with exacting craft. Described as a creative catalyst and visionary (and obsessively detail-oriented), Spencer advocates working collaboratively, respectfully, and openly to resolve significant brand challenges. As a result, his no-ego approach, strategic mind, and creative counsel are sought after by global brands. Among his 200+ tally of awards for creativity are four Grand Prix: DBA Design Effectiveness Grand Prix, New York Festivals Grand Prix, LIA Grand Prix, Drum Design Grand Prix – and several highly coveted D&AD pencils.

ALEXA CURTIS

Head of Experience Design, Digital Channels

  • Alexa Curtis is the head of Experience Design for Verizon's Digital Channels. In this role, Alexa leads a global Experience Design team responsible for ~45M customer interactions per month. She understands the complexities of design at scale for a business that moves at warp speed. She's driven to transform business through design to improve the experiences of people; customers, employees, teams, and society at large.

    Alexa joined Verizon in 2018 with the mission of helping Verizon transform from a "Marketing Superpower" into an "Experience Powerhouse." In her role, she has been a vocal leader in transforming the way teams work and partner, bringing playbooks for multi-disciplinary collaboration to life, and helping to redefine how large, matrixed organizations design, build, and maintain digitally-powered products and platforms. She deeply believes that good design is good business, and this idea is applicable everywhere—from the design of services and products, to the design of internal communications, processes and teams.

    Prior to joining Verizon, Alexa was a Managing Director at Moment; a NYC-based design firm specialized in digital product design and strategy. While at Moment, she guided many Fortune 100 clients (ESPN, Disney, Amex, TD Ameritrade, PwC, Pfizer, EY, Morgan Stanley, and more) as they explored and embraced scalable B2C, B2B, and B2B2C strategies for digital transformation and mobility during the revolutionary decade from the launch of the first iPhone to the emergence of wearables and VR/AR. Prior to Moment, Alexa worked with Steelcase on their (at the time) emerging learning environments business and contributed to MacArthur Foundation research to activate libraries as engaging "third places" for kids to learn and explore. 

    Alexa has a Masters of Design with a focus in Product Strategy & User-Centered Design Research from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Institute of Design and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from Arizona State University. She is currently serving on Dean's Board for University of Minnesota's School of Design and volunteers with mouse.org to inspire the next generation of makers.

DEBORAH
DAWTON

Chief Executive

  • As Chief Executive of the Design Business Association, Deborah works with the industry to champion the tangible and measurable impact of design and its capability for change in business and government, nationally and internationally.

    Her passion for design as a strategic tool that boardrooms must recognise, and her experience of the UK’s diverse and competitive design sector enable her to lead the DBA as it works tirelessly to build universal confidence in design investment and support the design industry to deliver on this promise.

KEN MUSGRAVE

Head, Digital Product and Experience Design

  • Ken Musgrave is a design leader with accomplishments across diverse industries and seeks to be at the intersection of business and design. He has found the most success through the integration of digital, physical, and service design domains.

    Recently, Ken was tasked with building and leading Ford’s Global Human-Centered Design capability, positioning the company for a smart, connected, autonomous, and service-driven future. Previously, as Vice President of Experience Design at HP, he rebuilt the company’s Global Experience Design capability and reimagined its entire digital and physical portfolio. Prior to HP, he established and led the Global Experience Design competency at Dell Technologies.

    Ken began his career in healthcare technology, where he developed a deep understanding of how human-centered design and immersive user research can drive meaningful outcomes. Currently, he is collaborating with Whirlpool Corporation’s senior design leader on key strategic initiatives.

    He holds an MBA from the University of Utah, an MS in Design from Georgia Tech, and a BS in Industrial Design from Auburn University.

BOB JENNINGS

Chief Executive Officer

  • Bob Jennings is a passionate leader at the forefront of supporting designers, dedicated to disrupting traditional approaches to mockups, prototypes, and sales samples. Previously leading the CPG business at Numerator, he helped leading brands leverage data to shape stronger consumer connections. As owner of 3D Color, Bob applies that same transformative mindset to revolutionize how brands visualize and refine their designs before they hit the market. 3D Color helps you shape a lasting first impression at internal reviews, consumer tests, retail sell-ins, and with color accurate heroes.

KAYO ROEHM

Senior Director, Global Design

  • Named after her Japanese grandmother, Kayo translates to Anything is Possible. She is a half-glass full optimist grounded in her daily mantra: Lead with Love. 
    As a global design leader, Kayo is passionate about people – the foundation of all teams, brands, businesses, and communities. Since 2005, she has steadily grown into roles of increasing responsibilities and creative influence, from coordinating packaging design to brand design leadership, to a creative people leader at 3M. Kayo pinches herself daily and embraces the privilege she has to lead the 3M Consumer Business Group’s in-house multi-disciplinary design team, driving elevated consumer experiences across their iconic global brands and portfolios, which includes Post-it®, Scotch®, Scotch-Brite®, Filtrete ™, Command™.  Leveraging the power of strategic dot connecting, collaborative creativity, and relationship building, she is also actively involved in leading/participating in key corporate initiatives to accelerate growth through the lenses of sustainability, women’s leadership, and culture.   

KRIS MALKOSKI

CEO, Learning and Development & Commercial Head EMEA & Asia

  • Kris Malkoski has been an international business leader for more than 20 years as CEO, COO, President, and VP/GM in public and private branded CPG and Hardlines companies.   She is seen as a strategic change leader and has successfully grown, transformed or integrated brands and companies to drive meaningful revenue and profits.

    Currently, Kris is CEO, Learning and Development & Commercial Head, EMEA & Asia at Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL), managing global iconic brands including Graco, Sharpie, Papermate, Expo. Nuk and Elmer’s Glue, as well as overseeing Newell’s go-to-market actions in EMEA and Asia.  She has driven consistent revenue and operating income growth at Newell and is leading the global transformation of the company including improved operational efficiencies, global brand growth, increased top to top customer partnerships, higher impact innovations and supply chain consolidations.  As a member of the Newell Executive Team, Kris oversees 17,000 employees and $4.4 billion in revenues.

    Ms. Malkoski has a track record of consistently delivering profitable brand revenue growth.  She served as CEO, Americas for Arc International, a privately held company, leading the foodservice, retail and B2B segments and implementing a significant continuous improvement supply chain initiative resulting in two-fold profit increase in two years.  Previously she was President and COO for World Kitchen, a PE owned company (Oak Tree/W Partners) transforming global revenue and profit from a seven-year decline to five years of significant growth, resulting in the sale of the company to PE backed Cornell Capital.  She began her career at Procter & Gamble.  Kris’s expertise is in profitably growing brands through organic NPD launches, expansion into new adjacencies, and creating new to the world technologies via deep understanding and identification of unmet consumer needs.  She has also executed significant supply chain transformations (e.g., automation, continuous improvement, SKU reduction) focused on driving gross margin and productivity.  Finally, Kris is known for creating highly engaging social relationships and brand communities (e.g., Newell Creative Kitchen, Craftsman Experience) to drive rich consumer relationships; leading omni and online thought leadership and brand growth with retail partners; and delivering ESG strategies for her business.

    Kris previously served on the boards of Aaron’s, Fluidmaster, Trustmark Mutual Insurance Company, and Banfi Vineyards.  Kris has also participated on not-for-profit boards, serving as President for the Hinsdale Center for the Arts and University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and as a board member for the Cincinnati Ballet (marketing committee chair), University of Nebraska Foundation and CARE Women’s Advisory Committee.

    Kris graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Nebraska.  Kris received Six Sigma certification from Villanova.  She has been recognized by Office Products International, the University of Nebraska, and Women in Food Service Forum for her leadership.  She enjoys walking outdoors, reading, writing, and cooking.  Kris is married and has three children.

MARK WILSON

Global Design Editor

  • Mark Wilson is the Global Design Editor at Fast Company, who covers the entirety of design’s impact on culture and business.

    An authority in product design, UX, AI, experience design, retail, food, and branding, he has reported landmark features on companies ranging from Nike to Google to MSCHF to Canva to Samsung to Snap to IDEO to Target, while profiling design luminaries including Tyler the Creator, Jony Ive, and Salehe Bembury. He’s tracked the innovation of performance sneakers and the relevance of streetwear in high fashion with equal fervor to the evolution of Apple and the rise of generative AI. He has flown a jetpack and once designed a menu item for Taco Bell.

    Mark has been writing and producing video projects for nearly two decades. After graduating from the University of Iowa, he helped define the era of modern writing at Gawker Media properties including Gizmodo and Kotaku, while contributing to National Geographic, GQ, Esquire, and others. He’s published in Marvel By Design, which traced the rise and impact of comics on culture. He also once launched his own startup, Philanthroper, which raised $1 donations for new nonprofits each day. 

    He holds a degree in English and Cinema Production from the University of Iowa, where he completed his undergraduate thesis with the Writer’s Workshop

JONATHAN KIRK

Founder

  • Jonathan Kirk is the founder of Up to the Light and advises a significant proportion of the UK’s top 100 agencies across a wide range of issues concerned with business growth and improvement. As the author of the influential ‘What Clients Think’ report, he is a widely acknowledged authority on the client/agency relationship. Now in its 11th year, the report has become the definitive annual snapshot of the client/agency relationship. This year’s report is based on 680 client interviews conducted on behalf of creative agencies.

     

    His 30-year career has included senior positions as a Director of agencies within both the WPP and Havas networks. Before founding Up to the Light, he was a Director of Fitch, the global branding group (now Landor). He is a regular trade press contributor and conference speaker, delivering speeches, workshops and seminars for organisations including the Design Business Association, British Institute of Interior Design, Agency Hackers, the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI), Design Skillnet (Ireland) and HURA (The Croatian Association of Communications Agencies). He is a founder member of the DBA’s Experts Register.

     

    As well as advising agencies, Up to the Light is also a brand consultancy that provides brand positioning and strategy for clients. So many consultants become theorists and teachers, slightly removed from reality, but Jonathan is continually involved at the sharp end presenting, pitching and delivering high profile strategic work for brands. This is of huge benefit to his clients.

MELISSA DALRYMPLE

Partner

  • Melissa Dalrymple is a Partner at McKinsey & Company and leads their global Innovation and Design practice. Her client work focuses on consumer-facing industries, including travel and hospitality, CPG, and emerging technologies. By combining design thinking methods business strategy, and technology advances, her teams design and deliver the kinds of compelling new businesses that have the power to reshape categories and disrupt industries.

    Melissa’s research efforts focus on the Business Value of Design and the evolving role of design leadership. Her work has had broad coverage in the media, including Fast Company, Forbes, The Financial Times, and McKinsey Quarterly, and is frequently credited with helping elevate the role of user-centered thinking within large organizations, especially those seeking to redefine their purpose to meet shifts in consumer behavior.

    Prior to McKinsey, Melissa spent nearly two decades in the design and innovation industry at firms including IDEO and Doblin. She has also consulted to multiple early-stage startups on their products and funding models in both Europe and the US.

    She has been a lecturer on the business value of design at multiple at MBA programs, including Ross, LSE, and HBS. Melissa is a graduate of Yale University, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard Business School. She lives in Chicago with one husband, three kids, and two dogs.