The Speakers
Learn more about our industry-leading speakers at TRANSFORM 26.
Jim Beavers
Chart-Topping Songwriter with 9 #1 Hits
Texas native Jim Beavers has had a long and varied Nashville career, from executive at Capital Records to touring musician with Lee Ann Womack. As a songwriter, he has co-written nine #1 hits by artists such as Chris Stapleton ("Parachute"), Luke Bryan ("Drink a Beer"), Dierks Bentley ("Sideways," "5-1-5-0," "Am I the Only One"), Toby Keith ("Red Solo Cup"), Josh Turner (“Why Don’t We Just Dance”) and Gary Allan (“Watching Airplanes”). His compositions have received multiple CMA, ACM, BMI and NSAI nominations and awards.
Gabriel Cohen
CMO | Monigle
Gabriel Cohen is a strategic brand marketing leader and business builder with more than a decade of experience driving growth, transformation, and organizational change. As Chief Marketing Officer at Monigle, he brings a rare blend of analytical rigor and creative thinking to helping organizations build brands that create measurable business value.
With global leadership experience across the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Brazil, Gabriel has led complex marketing initiatives in diverse markets and cultural contexts. He is known for launching new practice areas, building high-impact growth programs, and applying innovative marketing analytics to solve complex business challenges. Gabriel’s work sits at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and data—making him a trusted advisor to leaders navigating brand evolution in an increasingly dynamic landscape.
Majja Dennis
Global Consultant | Verity Relationship Intelligence
Majja Dennis is a Global Consultant at Verity Relationship Intelligence. We believe Agency/Client relationships are an underutilized lever of business growth and work directly with Agencies to understand and evolve those relationships in real time. Our work stretches over 20 years, more than 100 countries and every Agency sector.
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Majja came to VerityRI after spending 25 years herself in Agencies gathering experience in Account Management and Brand Planning and then serving as Managing Director, Head of Talent & Operations, and Chief Client Officer at various shops. She is deeply versed in, and passionate about, the power of human relationship to drive business success.
Rand Fishkin
Marketing Entrepreneur and co-founder of Moz and SparkToro
Rand Fishkin is cofounder and CEO of SparkToro, makers of fine audience research software, pun-filled Google Alerts alternative Alertmouse, and indie game developer Snackbar Studio.
He’s dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through his writing, videos, speaking and his book, Lost and Founder. When Rand’s not working, he’s usually traveling with or cooking a fancy meal for the love of his life, bestselling author Geraldine DeRuiter.
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Rand was previously the cofounder of Moz, and Inbound.org, and a co-author on The Art of SEO. He’s keynoted 200+ events around the world on marketing, technology, and startup topics.
Rebeca Hwang
AI Visionary, Investor + Stanford Researcher
Rebeca is a venture capital investor who has collected experiences as innovator and inventor, founder and entrepreneur, social entrepreneur, educator and ecosystem builder.
Most recently, Rebeca co-founded Kalei Ventures, which invests in early stage technology startups from Latin America. Prior to Kalei, Rebeca was co-founded and Managing Director at Rivet Ventures, which focuses in companies targeting women-led markets where female usage, decision-making, and purchasing are crucial to company growth. Rebeca is also co-founder of the San Francisco-born startup YouNoodle, which helps companies and governments engage with communities of entrepreneurs for open innovation and co-creation of products and services. She is also a researcher and faculty member at Stanford University on Technology Entrepreneurship, Human Creativity and Sustainability, and Artificial Intelligence.
Rebeca is proud to be a member of the Global Board of Directors for the Global Entrepreneurship Network and ImagineH2O.org.
Matt Moog
Founder & CEO, Career Bird
Matt Moog
Founder & CEO, Careerbird.ai
Matt Moog is the Founder & CEO of Career Bird, an AI-native talent development platform that helps HR leaders develop skills-based job architectures to inform skill proficiency surveys, personalized learning plans, and career pathing.
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Generational, technological, and regulatory changes are making it critical for organizations of all sizes to act more intentionally to understand what roles their business need to thrive, what skills employees need to deliver results, and have learning plans that support growth and career progression.
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Matt has built four companies. His love for continuous learning, business model innovation, software craftsmanship, design, and building high-performing cultures has kept him curious and hungry after three decades of entrepreneurship.
Greg Taylor Blair
Client Development Director | billups
Greg Taylor is the Client Development Director at billups and a seasoned marketing and advertising executive with experience spanning Chattanooga to Madison Avenue. He has led business development, media planning, and campaign execution for numerous Fortune 500 brands, including State Farm, AT&T, Amazon, and Diageo.
Since joining billups in 2012, he has contributed to the company’s rapid growth into the largest independent managed services agency in the U.S. Previously, at WPP’s Kinetic, he launched the multicultural division and later served as Managing Director of the Atlanta office, overseeing major clients such as Regions Bank, Taco Bell, Ford, and the U.S. Marine Corps.
Bonin Bough
Marketing Guru, Investor & Author
Bonin Bough is one of the foremost-awarded marketing executives in his field, the host of The Cleveland Hustles, and the author of Txt Me (646) 759-1837. Throughout his illustrious career as one of the youngest C-suite executives in a Fortune 50 company, Bonin has spearheaded some of the industry’s largest global marketing campaigns across digital, mobile, television, print, and experiential, including the premier of the first ever 3D printed food product, the customizable, real-time 3D printed Oreo at SXSW.
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As the Chief Media & eCommerce Officer at Mondelēz International (formerly Kraft Foods), he created some of the first marketing programs across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Paramount Films, ABC, NBC, Fox, to name a few, and took precedence in fostering partnerships with startups including Instagram, Foursquare, and Buzzfeed. Prior to Mondelēz International, Bonin led digital marketing globally for PepsiCo, Weber Shandwick and Ruder Finn Interactive.
Krista Dalton
CMO | Tecovas
Krista Dalton is a marketing and growth leader with 15+ years of experience driving brand strategy, innovation, and profitable expansion at companies including Target and Overstock.com. As Chief Marketing Officer of Tecovas, she leads brand and digital transformation for one of the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer retail brands, focusing on scaling the business while enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency.
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With a background spanning merchandising, customer experience, and partner management, Krista has led large global teams and owned full P&L responsibility, consistently delivering measurable impact across the consumer journey. Known for combining data, technology, and creative leadership, she specializes in building high-performing organizations and guiding brands through transformation to achieve sustainable growth.
Renaye Edwards
Global COO + MD Europe | Ammunition
Renaye Edwards is Ammunition’s Global Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, Europe, leading the agency’s London office and European expansion. A marketing strategist, ABM specialist, and growth-focused commercial leader, she brings more than 20 years of B2B marketing experience across in-house, agency, and entrepreneurial roles. In 2013, she co-founded Radish Agency to bring clarity, creativity, and commercial focus back to B2B, and scaled it into one of the UK’s most respected B2B agencies, recognized for award-winning work and measurable impact. At Ammunition, Renaye is responsible for launching and scaling the agency’s European operation, building high-performing teams and systems, strengthening the brand’s regional footprint, and accelerating new business. She leads growth and transformation, aligning strategy, creative, media, and technology to deliver standout work and measurable impact for ambitious brands.
Jeremy Heilpern
Founder + CEO | Ammunition
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Jeremy Heilpern is the Founder and CEO of Ammunition, one of the nation’s fastest-growing independent agencies, built to unify strategy, creative, media, and technology into a single system that drives measurable growth. Since founding the firm in 2017, he has led the development of a next-generation model that blends creativity, data, and technology to help brands navigate complexity and perform across industries including financial services, automotive, and home and building materials.
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Under his leadership, Ammunition has been recognized by Adweek, Inc. 5000, the Financial Times, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle for its rapid growth and innovative approach. In 2025, Jeremy launched Ammunition Ventures, an investment arm focused on building the next generation of marketing and communications firms, while expanding the agency’s global presence with operations in London.
Mike McGee
Sales/Marketing Consultant | Workamajig
I’m a seasoned business consultant and CPA with 40+ years of experience helping organizations align financial management with growth strategy. My career has spanned accounting, finance, and sales leadership—working with agencies and businesses to optimize operations, improve profitability, and drive measurable results.
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As Principal of MHM Enterprises LLC, I partner with advertising and marketing agencies to streamline financial operations, implement KPI-driven reporting, and strengthen management processes. Previously, I spent over two decades with Advantage Software Company (now Simpli.fi), leading consulting and sales across North America and generating more than $10M in financial management software solutions.
Earlier in my career, I served as CFO and Controller for multi-million-dollar organizations, overseeing complex accounting operations and leading teams of 80+. These experiences gave me a unique perspective at the intersection of finance, strategy, and operational efficiency.
Lori Murphree
Founder & Managing Partner, Evalla Advisors
Lori Murphree brings more than 20 years of experience across investment banking, private equity, and strategic finance, including more than 15 years focused on mergers and acquisitions in the marketing sector. She began her investment banking career at Silicon Valley Bank (Palo Alto and London), then moved to Grant Thornton, UK, and Results International (later acquired by Canaccord). In 2010, Lori returned to the U.S., where she worked with a boutique investment bank, continuing her focus on marketing services. In 2021, she founded Evalla Advisors.
Evalla Advisors specializes in marketing services, technology services/digital transformation, and martech. The team has collectively advised on more than 100 transactions, including domestic and international deals representing both buyers and sellers across mergers and acquisitions, management buyouts, leveraged buyouts, private capital raises, and debt financings. Representative transactions include Barkley/OKRP, Levelwing/Mindgruve, MSQ/Big Spaceship, Red Tettemer, O’Connell & Partners/ModOp, TheoremOne/S4 Capital, and Quiverr/Advantage. The firm maintains deep relationships with private equity investors in the marketing ecosystem as well as strategic buyers ranging from holding companies—IT consultancies to PE-backed independent firms.
Lori holds an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BA in Business from California State University, Chico. She also holds Series 24, 79, and 63 licenses with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Jan Urbanec
Creative Director | Proboston
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Jan Urbanec is an experienced Art Director and Creative Director with a strong background in motion design and animation. He has worked on projects for global brands including Red Bull, Deutsche Telekom, Visa, Pilsner Urquell, Škoda, Assa Abloy, and Varta. H
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e currently serves as Creative Director at Proboston Creative, part of Adastra, a global data and AI consultancy firm backed by The Carlyle Group. Jan is an award-winning AI creative, having won second place in Deutsche Telekom’s 2025 competition for the best AI-powered commercial.
Matt Weiss
Former Global President, Huge | Founder, SoulPurpose Advisory
Matt Weiss is the founder of SoulPurposeAdvisory, a partnership-oriented growth consultancy that helps ambitious CEOs and founders sell their expertise to the right clients at the highest margin.
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He believes that in today’s crowded marketplace, a well-articulated claim of expertise and a pro-level business development plan are essential for success. Without them, businesses risk competing broadly against dozens—if not hundreds—of rivals, diluting their value and weakening their edge. Those that understand this truth not only thrive but also win more consistently and achieve their growth goals with efficiency and joy.
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With more than three decades of experience as a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Chief Growth Officer (CGO), Global President, and Managing Director at some of the most successful agencies in the business, he knows what it takes to build a sustainable growth engine.