RICK ALBERT

inspired… is the word heard most often when describing rick's approach to strategic thinking. rick a serial entrepreneur, has started and sold a number of well-respected and profitable media companies; balet & albert advertising an award winning $50million agency, swoop a brand consultancy that worked directly with a range of top tier c-suite executives providing them detailed strategic plans for corporate growth, crosswalk an online consumer behavioral tracking platform and currently crosswalk ventures a hybrid of all prior ventures blending the strongest and most successful aspects of each into his new brand laboratory.  by challenging conventional wisdom and applying his process for uncovering a brands true value Rick has had the privilege to work with some of today's toughest, smartest, and most influential marketers... nike, calvin klein, e&j gallo wines, victoria’s secret, tommy hilfiger, pvh, bmw, bank of america, kind snack and indy car racing are but a few that have benefited from rick’s wisdom.       

ANDREW WAHL

building. branding. innovating.  by tapping into the culture andrew uncovers a brand’s truth.  using proprietary insight and branding methodologies to break new ground, get to root of the issue and deliver solutions that deliver real value is the way andrew rolls. leading never following is what drives him.  it is also what gives his thinking that competitive edge.  andrew has a unique knack for cutting through the clutter and supplying simple focused answers.  he makes things happen and he makes them meaningful.  he was an owner and brand developer for fiji water, creating one of the world’s most important and successful beverages. he has also been a principal/partner of one of the world’s largest shopper marketing agencies where he delivered leading edge strategic thinking and creative execution to everyone from sony play-station, titleist golf, calvin klein, adidas, wal-mart, proctor & gamble and moet hennessey.

 PAUL RAFFIN

Builder. Transformative and Bold.  These are the three words that one constantly hears when speaking about Paul’s approach to business. He has an unapparelled track record as a successful builder of brands driving success for all those companies that he’s helmed with bold strategic and transformational thinking.  Paul is a leader that inspires those around him to elevate their performance and bring their best to work each and every day.

Paul is internationally known C-Suite executive, with experience managing businesses across a wide spectrum of the Apparel and Retail Industries. He has held and improved the bottom line as CEO and President for The Frye Company, Li & Fung, Frette, Express, J.Crew, Gant, and John Varvatos. Given his approach to transformative thinking Paul has also been sought out to sit on the Board of directors for, dELiA*s, Rosie Pope, and The Bombay Company.

Paul has invaluable experience in developing brands that resonate with consumers. He has led $1Billion+ revenue businesses as well as high profile entrepreneurial ventures. Throughout his career, Paul has displayed a knack for producing impressive financial results. An avid student of the industry, he is passionate about the art and science of “pattern recognition” and enjoys discovering innovative solutions aimed at enhancing customer engagement.

TOM FLORIO

tom florio is a media executive with track record of elevating brands to record levels of profitability. he is an expert in producing content that drives commerce while improving the value proposition of the global enterprise. with over 30 years of running media companies mr. florio was responsible for vogue, teen vogue, bon appetit, and condé nast traveler. mr. florio joined vogue in february 2002, where he increased the magazine’s market share, developed multi-media initiatives in digital, TV and film, created the in-house ad agency, vogue studio, and became the world’s leading fashion brand, he was also the publisher of gq, president of the new yorker, publisher of conde nast traveler, ceo of advanstar fashion group and most recently the principal/owner  of entech media group and paper media, an entertainment content & technology ecosystem

 STEVE SHIFFMAN

a seasoned executive with over three decades of retail and consumer products experience, steve is currently an industry advisor within retail and consumer products, a senior external advisor to bain & company and co founder of B2S2 partners, a boutique advisory firm.

prior to this he served as chief executive officer of calvin klein from 2014 to 2019. In this role, he was responsible for the strategy, product development, marketing and commercial operations for all CALVIN KLEIN product lines across the world. prior to this role, steve served as the president & chief commercial officer for calvin klein, Inc., where he oversaw the global commercial operations of the business, which included having direct oversight of the north america retail and ecommerce businesses, asia pacific and latin american operations, global licensing and the creative services department.

prior to that position, steve was president and chief operating officer of calvin klein retail, where he was responsible for all aspects of retail apparel and the accessories business, including design, sourcing, merchandising, planning, distribution, and visual marketing.

 DAVID WISH

david is an accomplished digital executive with extensive agency and client experience building digital strategies, leading high-performing teams and executing initiatives across numerous channels and platforms. he has held senior leadership positions at kind, calvin klein, david yurman and rue gilt groupe. he was also client partner and retail practice founder for razorfish and digitas, global digital agencies. his role included serving brands such as ralph lauren, j.crew, tory burch, victoria’s secret, pepsico and staples. david is a highly collaborative leader partnering across organizations and functions including technology, creative, marketing, merchandising, sales, operations, finance and legal. he has  have extensive experience in eCommerce; digital marketing; mobile; social media; search engine marketing; seo; email marketing; crm; analytics; omnichannel strategy and implementation; global digital strategy and market expansion; data-driven insights; partnerships; project management; site/app design and user experience; personalization.

 ANTHONY TRAMA

anthony is a world class creative director having built end to end campaigns for brands such as nike underwear, izod, van heusen, tough built and reebok. anthony is not a one-dimensional creative director but a multi-faceted strategic thinker and executor who invents, reimagines, and orchestrates brand marketing campaigns that generate profitable revenue growth and improve consumer awareness & engagement across multiple channels. anthony is unique in that he thinks like a business owner, leveraging financial fluency to optimize investment dollars and achieve significant roi. he brings with him extensive experience in wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channels, in men’s and women’s sportswear, men’s furnishings, intimates and underwear, activewear, and swimwear categories.