The AMA Executive Marketer Summit
A curated gathering for senior marketing executives.
Bring your hardest problems to a room built for honesty. No vendors, no pitches. This peer-led, invite-only event brings together a vetted circle of CMOs, EVPs, SVPs, and VPs to explore emerging trends, pressure-test ideas, and work through the same disruptions you are, together. You'll leave with actionable strategies and the relationships needed to drive innovation, growth, and lasting impact within your organization.
May 3-4, 2027 • Chicago, IL
WHY ATTEND
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Designed and led by people who do the job
The program is shaped and moderated by working senior marketing executives, not outside facilitators guessing at your problems.
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Confidential by design
No press, no sales pitches. What gets said in the room stays candid because everyone in it has agreed to the same rules.
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Real peer conversations
Attendance is limited by leadership level and experience, so you can exchange ideas and challenge assumptions with peers navigating the same opportunities and obstacles.
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Built for application
Through interactive labs and cohort breakouts, you'll connect more deeply with fellow leaders and translate insights into meaningful, actionable change.
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A network, not a nametag
You leave with relationships you'll actually call on, not a stack of business cards.
"The AMA Executive Marketer Summit sparked a ton of ideas on how to capitalize on the disruptions of the day as a marketing leader. The sessions focused on different angles, with great speakers. Highly motivating and informative."
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Holding the title of CMO, CEO, VP or higher
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Not occupying a role that involves active selling to fellow marketers
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Leading an organization with 250+ employees
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Working at an organization with an annual revenue exceeding $10 million
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Managing a team of at least 10 full-time employees (this may vary by company size)
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Reporting within two levels of the CEO
The 2027 invite request form will be live soon. Check back here to submit your request once applications open.
BENNIE F. JOHNSON
CEO
AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION
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Bennie F. Johnson
Bennie F. Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Marketing Association. AMA is the largest community-based marketing association in the world, trusted by marketing and sales professionals to help them discover industry trends. AMA’s community of local chapters spans more than 70 cities and 320 college campuses throughout North America. AMA is home to award-winning content, PCM® professional certification, five premiere academic journals, and industry-leading live and virtual training events.
He most recently served as the Executive Director of AIGA, the largest professional association for design. AIGA grows the power of design as a professional craft, strategic advantage, business driver and catalyst for positive impact. While at AIGA, Bennie hosted the acclaimed Design Adjacent podcast and the design leadership fireside chat series from 2020 to 2022.
Currently, he serves on the Board of Overseers for Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, and is a former Board Chair of the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum. Bennie is also a special advisor to the People’s Graphic Design Archive. He was recently named to the Board of the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC.
Bennie thrives on the connections between marketing, technology, education and innovation. With experience in strategic and consumer marketing, brand management and innovation management, he is drawn to opportunities that allow him to lead and create new modes for business engagement. He has broad experience growing brands, businesses and organizations with a special focus on venture launch and brand relaunch business environments.
Bennie graduated from Yale University with a B.A. and from Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies with a M.S., Strategic Communications.
DR. MARCUS COLLINS
AUTHOR OF FOR THE CULTURE, PROFESSOR AT ROSS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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Dr. Marcus Collins
Dr. Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator. He is the former chief strategy officer at Wieden+Kennedy, New York, a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and the author of the best-selling book, For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want To Be. Marcus is an inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement and a recipient of the Thinkers50 Radar Distinguished Achievement Award for the idea most likely to shape the future of business management. His strategies and creative contributions have led to the launch and success of Google’s “Real Tone” technology, the “Made In America” music festival, and the Brooklyn Nets, among others. Before his advertising tenure, Marcus worked on iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple and ran digital strategy for Beyoncé. He writes a column for Forbes CMO Network and contributes to business scholarship.
JOHN KENNEDY
MANAGING PARTNER
THE SORIUM GROUP
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John Kennedy
John is the Managing Partner of The Sorium Group, a boutique strategic marketing consultancy that partners with companies on the frontier of their industries. John is active in the early-stage venture community where he participates as an advisor/consultant, fractional CMO and investor.
Prior to going out on his own, John had an almost three-decade marketing career in b2b technology, culminating as a senior marketing and communications leader at several Fortune 100 brands. Notable leadership positions included: founding CMO of Conduent (formerly Xerox Services); CMO of Xerox; and a range of senior positions at IBM, including CMO of Global Business Services (now IBM Consulting), VP of Corporate Marketing and CMO of two geography units: Americas and Asia-Pacific.
John began his marketing career at Procter &Gamble in Brand Management working on both market leading brands like Downy Fabric Softener and classics like Spic n’ Span Floor Cleaner.
John received his MBA from Harvard University. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to sitting on the AMA Board, John sits on several private company boards in the b2b technology and software sectors.
LAURIE LAM
CHIEF BRAND OFFICER
e.l.f. BEAUTY
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Laurie Lam
Laurie Lam is the Chief Brand Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, a multi-brand global portfolio which includes namesake brand e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN, Naturium, Well People and Keys Soulcare. She is responsible for strengthening e.l.f.’s branding and setting its strategy for growth across all categories, as well as championing their mission to make the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip, face and skin concern.
With nearly 20 years of experience building global brands, she’s an accomplished business leader and dynamic marketer in the beauty industry. Prior to joining e.l.f. Beauty, Laurie was at L’Oréal USA where she has held several leadership positions within the group’s Professional Products Division and Consumer Products Division in the US, France and Asia-Pacific. Her experience spans across Marketing, E-commerce & Digital, Acquisitions & Business Development and Innovation.
ALEX MORRISON
FOUNDER & CEO
MAGNETIC
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Alex Morrison
Alex Morrison is the Founder & CEO of Magnetic (themagnetic.com) and Founding Partner & CEO of Visionairies (thevisionairies.com), operating at the intersection of creativity, media, and technology.
He brings over two decades of experience across brand positioning, go-to-market strategy, product marketing, digital and social strategy, and creator-led growth, partnering with global brands and high-growth startups alike to drive business outcomes, shape narratives, and build momentum in increasingly fragmented media environments.
Prior to founding Magnetic, Alex served as Chief Marketing Officer of Pearpop, a leading creator economy platform, where he helped shape its market position during a period of rapid growth. He also served as President of Grey Group, overseeing the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver offices, and as Global Managing Director of R/GA’s Content Studio, where he launched the agency’s first creator marketing practice.
Throughout his career, Alex has partnered with top global brands and innovative startups alike to drive growth, craft compelling narratives, elevate market leadership, and push the boundaries of creativity. He is also an avid musician, husband, and proud #girldad, x2.
LAURA NEWMAN
VP, BRAND MARKETING
WK KELLOGG CO.
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Laura Newman
Laura is a highly strategic and creative marketer with a passion for curiosity, human truth and cultural sharpness that drives commercial success. With over 20 years of experience at Kellogg’s, across geographies and various product categories, Laura now oversees the marketing strategies for WK Kellogg’s most iconic cereal brands. Laura’s love for storytelling extends to her personal life. A fan of musical theatre, she has even dabbled in amateur dramatics in a previous chapter of her life. This creative flair continues to influence her professional journey, where she consistently seeks innovative ways to engage with brand fans.
GOD-IS RIVERA
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
BURRELL COMMUNICATIONS
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God-is Rivera
God-is Rivera is a widely acknowledged trailblazer in her field. Prior to joining BCG Worldwide she is best known as a marketing executive with the global tech platform X, formerly known as Twitter, where she created a ground-breaking new role and award-winning work as a marketing executive; and prior to that created innovative audience strategy methods for global ad agency VML. She has also served executive marketing and strategy roles at Disney and Essence Ventures and won over 15 industry awards including the AAF Hall of Achievement, and Fortune’s 40 Under 40.
SHELLEY WILLINGHAM
CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER
THE CENTER FOR ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, A WORKPLACE OPTIONS COMPANY
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Shelley Willingham
Shelley Willingham stands out as a seasoned entrepreneur, founder, and accomplished C-suite executive renowned for her multifaceted business expertise and often likened to a “Swiss Army knife” in the business world. With substantial experience across start-ups and large-scale, enterprise corporations, she’s forged an impressive track record of driving revenue growth, devising innovative business strategies, and fostering inclusive marketing practices and corporate cultures.
In her role, she leads the client acquisition strategy and execution while supporting each business unit's development. She focuses on enhancing customer value, building competitive differentiation, and driving revenue and profit growth.
Shelley speaks at various business events and leadership conferences, coaches and consults aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners, and is a frequent on-air contributor to CNBC.
A Look Back at The 2026 Summit
FORESIGHT OF THE DISRUPTIONS AHEAD
- Identify the early insights, weak signals, and data trends that marketers must track to stay ahead of emerging disruptions
- Examine how macro forces—AI evolution, data privacy shifts, societal change, and sustainability mandates—will reshape marketing ecosystems
- Equip your teams and organizations with adaptive networks, scenario planning tools, and decision frameworks that enable agility, resilience, and ethical foresight
- Learn from cross-industry case studies where organizations successfully pivoted before disruption struck
IDENTIFYING BOLD OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE
- Dissect internal and external drivers of risk, including competitive dynamics, innovation demands, brand purpose, and organizational change
- Explore the psychology and structure of bold decision-making: how to turn uncertainty into innovation and setbacks into learning
- Unpack real-world examples of marketing disruptors that sparked growth, and the cultural conditions that enabled it
- Understand what blocks courageous action inside organizations and build playbooks for overcoming inertia
- Examine how to build risk-tolerant cultures and gain executive or board-level sponsorship for bold moves
STRATEGIES FOR INFLUENCING CHANGE AND DISRUPTION AS A MARKETING LEADER
- Strengthen your influence and credibility as a marketing leader navigating transformation
- Apply scenario planning, risk assessment, and communication strategies to drive alignment across finance, tech, and operations
- Build narratives that connect marketing’s strategic value to enterprise risk, revenue, and brand resilience
- Learn to “market internally” with the same precision used externally—using storytelling, data visualization, and financial fluency to lead with authority
- Gain tools for managing transformation fatigue and galvanizing teams through uncertainty
"Loved seeing marketers from all kinds of industries come together. It was so refreshing to realize we're all tackling the same challenges, just in different settings. And that moment when everyone admitted they're still figuring out this whole AI thing? Priceless! Made me feel way less alone in my marketing struggles. Definitely worth every minute spent there, and I've already got some new connections who get exactly what I'm dealing with day-to-day."
Technology & AI
Harness AI as a growth engine while navigating broader technology disruption. Make smarter investments in martech and AI, strengthen data governance, and embed AI ethics into decision-making.
Market Disruption
Explore the forces driving market disruption beyond technology, including AI’s influence on evolving roles, hybrid collaboration models, and new ways of working.
Marketing Talent
Overcome the shifting talent landscape by recruiting, upskilling, and retaining top performers while factoring in the social, cultural, and geopolitical factors.
Influence
Galvanize your organization. Build alignment across the C-suite, show the value of marketing initiatives and master executive skills to lead with impact.
Day 1 - Thursday, May 7, 2026
A day focused on foresight, disruption readiness, and understanding the forces reshaping marketing, organizations, and audiences.
8:00 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Welcome & Why We Are Here
- Bennie F. Johnson (CEO, American Marketing Association)
- Event MC: God-is Rivera (Chief Strategy Officer, Burrell Communications)
9:15 a.m. Seeing Around Corners: What Every Leader Wants and Needs to Know
The biggest question leaders have in today’s turbulent world is simple: What’s around the corner for my business, my organization and for society? Ray Day (Vice Chair at Stagwell, Executive Chair at Allison Worldwide, 2025 Chair of PRSA) will examine compelling data about the state of the consumer and the world today – and then delve into what it takes to move from reactive marketing and communications to true predictive strategy and execution through a digital-first, data-led and future-focused mindset.
10:00 a.m. Cohort Discussion
Break into small groups to discuss the key ideas from the previous session, debate their implications, and explore how they affect your organization’s disruption readiness. This session is designed to deepen connections and accelerate application.
10:20 a.m. Break
10:35 a.m. The Discipline of Innovation — Leading Marketing Through Tech and AI Disruption
Technology, AI and beyond, is evolving faster than most marketing organizations can adapt. The challenge isn’t spotting the next big thing—it’s deciding what deserves your focus. In this conversation among marketing, experience, and growth executives, panelists will explore how they’re building disciplined decision frameworks that balance innovation with risk, ensuring every investment in martech and AI drives real business value—including how brands show up, are represented, and are discovered across AI-powered search, advertising, and recommendation environments.
They’ll share how data governance and ethical standards are evolving as core components of brand trust and visibility, and what it takes to lead teams that can flex and respond as both technology and customer discovery continue to shift.
Panelists:
- Nicole Alexander (Professor, Columbia University)
- David Edelman (Executive Advisor, Author, Professor)
- Sophie Ho (Former Head of Brand, Anthropic)
- Debbie Wogan (Global Head of Partnerships, Brandlight)
- Moderator: Nadya Kohl (Chief Commercial Officer, Skilly)
11:30 a.m. Cohort Discussion
Break into small groups to discuss the key ideas from the previous session, debate their implications, and explore how they affect your organization’s disruption readiness. This session is designed to deepen connections and accelerate application.
12:00 p.m. Lunch & Networking
1:15 p.m. From Signals to Strategy — How Leaders Are Responding to Market Disruption
Disruption today is not only technological. It is cultural, social, and deeply human. Shifting values, evolving fan communities, polarized landscapes, and the growing influence of creators and independent voices are reshaping how brands earn relevance and trust. Audiences no longer experience brands through campaigns alone, but through ecosystems of content, commentary, and community. In this environment, leaders must interpret cultural signals in real time while staying grounded in enduring purpose.
In this conversation, panelists will explore how organizations translate macro forces into strategic action. From strengthening brand trust amid uncertainty to redefining category leadership and balancing performance with long-term equity, this session examines what it takes to lead brands in an era of decentralized influence and continuous change.
Panelists:
- Lola Bakare (Author, Responsible Marketing; CMO Advisor & Strategist, be/co)
- Gabrielle Dow (VP of Marketing & Fan Engagement, Green Bay Packers)
- Javier Farfan (Global Brand & Consumer Marketing Consultant, National Football League)
- Matt Klein (Cultural Researcher & Founder, Zine)
- Moderator: Alex Morrison (Founder & CEO, Magnetic)
2:15 p.m. Interactive Forecasting Lab: Building a Non-Obvious Mindset
This lab equips leaders with a repeatable method for foresight. Led by Rohit Bhargava (Non-Obvious Company), it introduces the Non-Obvious Thinking framework, focusing not on predicting the future but on identifying meaningful signals, challenging conventional thinking, and translating early insights into action. The session emphasizes practical behaviors leaders can embed into daily work to strengthen foresight, strategy, and decision-making.
3:15 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. The Human Side of Disruption — Redefining Marketing Talent for the Future
As marketing transforms, so do the people behind it. While AI and emerging technologies promise efficiency and scale, leaders are grappling with the human realities of change: fear, fatigue, uncertainty, and shifting expectations inside their teams. In this conversation, CMOs and senior marketing leaders will explore how these dynamics shape innovation, performance, and the ability to adapt in real time.
The discussion will highlight how strong culture enables faster experimentation, healthier teams, and more responsible growth, positioning talent and leadership as essential infrastructure in an era of constant disruption.
Panelists:
- Sabrina Caluori (CMO, Chief)
- Tusar Barik (SVP of Marketing, New York Times Advertising)
- Radhika Duggal (CMO, Major League Soccer)
- Laura Newman (VP Brand Marketing, WK Kellogg Co)
- Moderator: Laurie Lam (Chief Brand Officer, e.l.f. Beauty)
4:20 p.m. Cohort Discussion
Break into small groups to discuss the key ideas from the previous session, debate their implications, and explore how they affect your organization’s disruption readiness. This session is designed to deepen connections and accelerate application.
5:00 p.m. Break Before Tonight’s Networking Event
Take some time to refresh and recharge before the evening's festivities.
6:30 p.m. Dinner & Experience
Deepen cohort relationships, enable informal networking, and integrate learning through social connections.
Day 2 - Friday, May 8, 2026
A day focused on internal leadership, cross-functional alignment, and communicating with authority in moments of complexity.
8:00 a.m. Breakfast & Networking
8:45 a.m. Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. From the Culture: Unlocking the Organization's Potential by Optimizing its Internal Culture
Dr. Marcus Collins (Author of For the Culture, Professor at Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan) will explore the inner workings of organizational culture, the x-factor that enables companies to thrive, teams to win, and brands to succeed. If culture eats strategy for breakfast, then this is the most important conversation in business that you aren’t having.
10:00 a.m. The Power to Influence — Leading Change Across the C-Suite
In times of disruption, marketing leaders can’t simply adapt—they must galvanize. This conversation explores how marketing earns its voice at the center of enterprise transformation. Panelists will share how they build alignment across the C-suite, translate marketing impact into business language, and use influence—not authority—to move organizations forward.
Drawing from real-world experience and change-management frameworks, they’ll unpack how internal influence is cultivated: through credibility, storytelling, and the ability to connect brand strategy to financial, operational, and cultural outcomes.
Panelists:
- George Felix (EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Brinker International)
- Amy Summy (Chief Marketing Officer, Labcorp)
- Maria Bartolome Winans (Chief Marketing Officer, Kyndryl)
- Moderator: John Kennedy (Managing Partner, The Sorium Group)
10:50 a.m. Cohort Discussion
Break into small groups to discuss the key ideas from the previous session, debate their implications, and explore how they affect your organization’s disruption readiness. This session is designed to deepen connections and accelerate application.
11:05 a.m. Break
11:15 a.m. The Power Gap: Why Marketing Leaders with the Best Ideas Still Lose — and How to Change the Structural Game
CMO tenure is the shortest in the C-suite. Not because marketing leaders lack capability, but because many enterprises are structurally designed to undervalue the strategic authority marketing needs to lead boldly. Better presentations do not fix that. Neither do stronger business cases.
Led by Shelley Willingham (Chief Growth Officer, The Center for Organizational Effectiveness, a Workplace Options Company), this interactive lab goes deeper into the organizational power architecture that determines whether marketing operates as a growth strategist or is managed as a service function. Designed as a strategic repositioning lab, this experience is for executives who are done playing defense and ready to strengthen their influence at the level where enterprise decisions are truly made.
12:15 p.m. Closing Remarks
- Bennie F. Johnson (CEO, American Marketing Association)
- Event MC: God-is Rivera (Chief Strategy Officer, Burrell Communications)
12:30 p.m. Lunch & Networking
NON-SOLICITATION POLICY
While we recognize the potential for business collaborations within our network, it is paramount that the Executive Marketer Summit remains a confidential and trusted environment for all participants.
We enforce a stringent non-solicitation policy, prohibiting any form of proactive sales or marketing efforts, as well as solicitation of goods or services intended to generate future business among Executive Marketer Summit attendees. This includes overt, indirect, and implied solicitations, unless expressly invited to do so. Spamming, such as posting repetitive or multiple variations of content, is strictly prohibited.
SECURE YOUR PLACE AMONG
MARKETING'S ESTEEMED LEADERS
With limited seats available, we invite CMOs, VPs, SVPs, and EVPs to request an invitation to attend this exclusive gathering of industry leaders dedicated to the vanguard of marketing excellence.
HOW ARE INVITE REQUESTS REVIEWED, AND WHAT IS THE EXPECTED RESPONSE TIME?
The AMA Business Team carefully evaluates invite requests based on the outlined criteria for acceptance.
After your request is assessed, you will receive an email outlining the next steps or providing the reasons for rejection.
If accepted, you will be provided a payment link.
Please note that your spot is not confirmed until payment is received. Given the limited availability, we recommend completing payment promptly.
WHY ARE EXECUTIVE MARKETERS IN ROLES THAT ACTIVELY SELL TO FELLOW MARKERS INELIGIBLE TO ATTEND?
To preserve the purpose and integrity of the event, we prohibit solicitation activities. This policy ensures that attendees can engage in meaningful discussions and establish authentic connections with their peers in a trusted environment.
WHAT ARE THE EVENT POLICIES?
By attending an AMA event, you acknowledge and agree to adhere to the established policies.
HOW DO I REQUEST ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS?
The AMA is committed to providing equal access to our meetings for all attendees. If you are an attendee with a disability and require program accommodations, please contact the AMA Support Center at (800) AMA-1150. A member of our staff will ensure that appropriate access arrangements are made. If you have specific disability-related needs for your hotel sleeping room, please be sure to communicate those directly to the hotel when you make your reservation. In an effort to provide the highest quality of service to all attendees, we require that details of all access requests be communicated to our office at least 14 days in advance of the beginning of the meeting.