Thank you to everyone for attending this year’s Symposium!
We had a phenomenal day filled with Keynote and TED Talk-style presentations, panel discussions, and Q&A with high-level executives and CEOs that are leaders in their industry. Topics covered include marketing to women, marketing entrepreneurship, digital transformation in marketing, marketing recruiting, and scaling qualitative marketing research.
Missed Symposium? Read below to learn about our 2022 Featured Speakers.
Meet Our Speakers
BRIDGET BRENNAN
Author, Consultant, & CEO of Female Factor
Bridget Brennan is the world’s leading authority on women consumers. She is the founder and CEO of Female Factor, the Chicago-based, strategic advisory firm, and author of two best-selling books. Her first book, Why She Buys, was called “essential reading” by The Wall Street Journal. Her latest book, Winning Her Business, was nominated for Porchlight Business Book of the Year. Bridget’s mission is to bring women’s voices and perspectives to the companies that serve them. She writes about marketing to women for Forbes.com and was named a “Woman to Watch in Retail Disruption.” She has spent her career breaking barriers and helping brands grow by better serving women as customers, clients and decision makers.
NIHAL ADVANI
Founder & CEO of QualSights
Nihal Advani is the Founder and CEO of QualSights, an insights technology platform that helps companies generate deeper and more authentic insights from consumers anywhere in the world in a remarkably fast and cost-effective manner. Nihal spent his teenage years as an internationally ranked tennis player but decided to pursue his passion for technology instead and began his career working for tech giants like Google and Microsoft. He combined his entrepreneurial spirit and interest in seeing and understanding the world by launching QualSights.
Nihal is now a trusted thought leader within the consumer insights community, working alongside leading Fortune 500 companies who utilize his award-winning insights platform to drive their business forward.
RajNATION
FOUNDER, STARTUP HYPEMAN
Known as the Heavyweight Champion of Story, Rajiv 'RajNATION' Nathan is Founder & Chief Pitch Artist of Startup Hypeman, helping startups NOT suck at telling their story so they stand out to their audience, stand apart from competitors, and breakthrough in their category. He was named an "Agent of Change" by Huffington Post, has given a TED Talk, and been featured in Inc, Forbes, and more. He's also a hip hop artist, yoga instructor, and professional MMA ring announcer.
Talk to him about Hamilton, WWE, or Seinfeld and you'll have a friend for life.
JAY PATEL
FOUNDER, MOTI CAFE & MASALA PIZZA COMPANY
Jay graduated from DePaul University with a double major in Finance and Information Systems in 2016. He began his career in restaurant tech and was on the team that launched the first Mcdonald's self ordering kiosks. After working at the corporate level for McDonald’s and having experience opening an Auntie Anne’s franchise location, Jay Patel decided to take his knowledge and experience to the next level. In May 2019, he opened Moti Cafe; a modern Indian kitchen providing Chicago with great-tasting Indian-American style food. Due to its uniqueness, Moti Cafe became one of the best Indian restaurants in the city in under one year.
In March 2020, when restaurants were struggling, Jay noticed that pizza sales were off the charts and decided to experiment with Indian Pizza. Less than a year later, Masala Pizza Company opened its first location.
EVELIA TORRES
OWNER & FOUNDER, DE MI TIERRA NATURAL BATH AND BODY
Evelia is the owner and founder of De Mi Tierra Natural Bath and Body, a 100% natural body and skincare line that pays tribute to traditional Mexican skincare rituals using botanical ingredients from Latin America. Evelia was raised in Chicago by Mexican immigrant parents and founded De Mi Tierra to honor them and her story. Influenced by her Mexican culture and upbringing, she is taking skincare back to basics, just like her abuelita, using only natural earth-made ingredients influenced by Latin America.
Evelia spent most of her early career working in marketing and product development for CPG companies, specifically in skin and haircare. After working in the industry for over 10 years, Evelia realized that there was a need for truly natural, safe, and organic skincare. Working in the beauty industry opened her eyes to the unregulated manufacturing practices used in the U.S. and she is on a mission to deliver natural and effective skincare to one of the largest consumers of beauty products…Latina women.
Evelia graduated from DePaul University in 2007 with a degree in Marketing. She currently resides in Chicago with her husband and 3 daughters.
ANTHONY TAMRAS
co-founder, deoblock
Anthony is the co-founder of DeoBlock, a reusable athletic bag deodorizer that can be customized with any logo. DeoBlock is replenished every 30 days with their recyclable refill pods which contain a plant-based gel infused with premium essential oil scents. Anthony graduated from DePaul University in 2020.
MELISSA RAZO
research director, reach3 insights
Melissa specializes in the tech space as a Research Director at Reach3 Insights, a consultancy set out to transform the insights industry through the power of mobile messaging-based conversational insights.
After getting her start at a boutique firm researching kids and millennial moms, she moved to a global company to work on brand equity research for one of the largest health insurers in the US. From there, she found her place at one of the founding companies of community-based research, working across various CPG accounts.
With Melissa yearning for fresh and new thinking in the research space, her path led her to tech research at Reach3, where doing things the way they’ve always been done is never good enough. She’s been soaking up as much knowledge as she can in the tech insights space, from iterative research on Visual Search & Augmented Reality to long-term strategy on Digital Transformation in the telecommunications industry.
Melissa graduated from DePaul University in 2014 with a Marketing degree as part of the Integrated Marketing Education Program. She planted roots in Chicago with her husband (fellow DePaul alum).
KASHIF ZAMAN
FOUNDER & CEO, UPTOK INC.
Kashif has happily lived outside his own comfort zone for far too long to know any other way of living. He is addicted to the thrill of venturing into the unknown. This drive has helped him build multiple digital businesses over the last 20+ years. Kashif proudly served as the Chief Vision Officer at a Chicago-based agency for more than a decade. He led many movements of digital transformation for some of the most iconic global brands. Today, Kashif is the founder of Uptok. — A live commerce startup on a mission to re-humanize shopping.
Kashif defines himself by his WHY:
To shape a future that is intrinsically fulfilling for the people involved: team members, customers, and stakeholders — in that order.
SEAN MACONACHY
growth director, clique studios
Sean is the Growth Director at Clique Studios, a Creative Digital Transformation Agency, where he helps organizations build their digital futures in a way that makes a real impact. Sean completed his MBA from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in 2014.
LYNN HAZAN
PRESIDENT, LYNN HAZAN & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Lynn Hazan has worked as an executive recruiter for 37 years, specializing in communications, marketing and consulting searches for clients in the U.S., with a special emphasis on the Chicago area and Midwest. Her clients are Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial companies, PR and advertising agencies, trade associations and not for profits. Clients represent companies across a plethora of industries. Lynn’s philosophy as a recruiter represents what she calls relationship marketing, maintaining long-term relationships with both clients and candidates to ensure successful placements.
Lynn was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business- Marketing Advisory Council in June 2018. She served as Past-President for DePaul University’s Marketing Advisory Council and is currently on its executive board.
A professional storyteller, Lynn is also a published writer. She has performed throughout the U.S. and internationally. A native of Montreal, Lynn graduated with a B.A. from McGill University, and an M.A. from Brandeis University.
MARTIN MCGOVERN
FOUNDER, CAREER THERAPY
Martin McGovern is a Career Coach, DePaul Alumnus, former Fortune 500 Marketer, and the founder of Career Therapy. He helps professionals navigate the emotional and promotional sides of the job search so they can change careers with confidence. He also hosts the Career Therapy Podcast and works with EdTech companies around the country to improve their student outcomes. Learn more about Martin and his coaching work at www.careertherapy.com
MARYANN GIBNEY
senior recruiter, linkedin
MaryAnn Gibney is a Talent Advisor and Senior Recruiter at LinkedIn. As a former university career counselor and educator, she enjoys empowering candidates and hiring partners with tools to navigate the interview process. MaryAnn is passionate about education and mentoring as platforms to empower ALL individuals toward their dream careers, and is grateful to work for a company who does just that!
Textbook ENFP. Gallup Strengths- Positivity, Communication, Maximizer, Individualization, Woo. Life Goal: Give a TED talk.
MICHELLE CARL RIZAL
OWNER of CAREER HEADSPACE, LLC
Michelle Carl Rizal is a Career Coach and owner of Career Headspace, LLC. She has been building the mental muscles to make career moves during uncertainty, overwhelm, and unpredictability for 20+ years.
Michelle has lived in three metropolitan cities on two continents. She currently resides in the greater Chicago area with her husband and energetic ten-year-old twins (and a third golden retriever).
ANNA GONG
PRODUCT OWNER, DIGITAL at Discover
SYMPOSIUM EMCEE
Anna Gong is a passionate digital marketer with experience in marketing strategy, planning, MarTech technology, with a focus on digital consumer behavior. She grew her professional career working with such brands as Cartier, Neiman Marcus, Steinway & Sons, and Bosch. Anna pivoted to the financial industry where she is leading product domain strategy and operation while collaborating with business partners domestically and globally. Prior to Discover, Anna supported various digital needs supporting multiple brands under the Bosch umbrella, focusing D2C eCommerce operations for North American regions at Bosch.
Anna is a proud former president of the Kellstadt Marketing Group.
ZAFAR IQBAL, Ph.D.
panel moderator & KMG faculty advisor
Dr. Zafar Iqbal is Associate Professor of Marketing at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business. Currently, he is the Director of the IME Honors Undergraduate Marketing Program and the Director of the MS in Marketing Analysis program at DePaul University. Additionally, he is the Associate Director for India Initiatives at DePaul University and is responsible for developing and executing the university’s India strategy. Zafar earned a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.S. in Industrial Relations from Iowa State University, and a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pune, India. He teaches courses and conducts research in new product development, strategic business models, marketing and business strategy, marketing career development, and advanced consumer insights. He leads study-abroad programs to India, Japan, and New Zealand and enjoys pretending that he can keep up with his students on hill treks in each of these countries. He is passionate about his role as a career mentor and loves helping talented marketers find their career paths.
JIM MOUREY, Ph.D.
panel moderator & ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MARKETING
Named one of Poets and Quants “Best Business Professors Under 40” in 2018, Dr. Jim Mourey is a marketing professor, author, consultant, and public speaker. His research explores consumers’ relationships with their products, product design/aesthetics, and how/when consumer choices are influenced by subtle, nonconscious stimuli. His work has been published in leading academic journals and popular media outlets (The Today Show, the Chicago Tribune, LA Times, and more), and has served as a reviewer/editorial board member for many academic journals.
Jim teaches courses on Consumer Behavior, Luxury Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communication, Branding, and Experiential Marketing. Jim teaches undergraduate, MBA, and DBA students, and has been fortunate to receive several teaching awards for his unique style. Jim has also served as a visiting professor for several years in France, and he consults and speaks across the US on subjects of marketing and management.