Home Agenda Speakers Sessions Sponsors Registration Location Lodging How to Exhibit Exhibitor Info Kit About Us Contact Us Platinum Gold Silver Associatio Associatio Neil Bathon President Financial Research Corporation Neil Bathon founded FRC in 1987 in order to enhance the decision making of investment managers by improving their competitive intelligence, product and sales trend analysis, and overall marketplace awareness. Now in its 20th year, FRC has grown into one of the premier research and consulting firms serving the financial services industry. FRC's focus on the marketing and distribution of investment products has enabled the firm to grow to serve more than 200 clients a year. These clients represent over 95 percent of the assets under management in packaged investment products. Mr. Bathon oversees the activities of a Boston-based staff of 25 professionals who support a broad array of clients, including traditional Mutual Fund Groups, Banks, Insurance Companies, Brokerage Firms, Accounting Firms, Law Firms, and Institutional Money Managers. Under his guidance, FRC has developed new research services and analytical methods while expanding beyond mutual funds to cover ETF's, VAs, SMAs, Retirement, Hedge Funds, and 529 Plans. Eric Brickman Vice President, Strategic Initiatives The Newport Group Eric Brickman is Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, for The Newport Group, where he is responsible for strategic planning in the areas of organizational development, client service strategy, online solutions, process management, business integration, partnerships, outsourcing, and strategic alliances. Prior to joining Newport in 2002, Mr. Brickman held senior management and executive level positions at Prudential Financial. Most recently, he served as vice president of eBusiness strategy and product management for Prudential Financial's U.S. Consumer Group, where he launched the firm's online product and service strategy. Prior to this, Mr. Brickman was the director of eBusiness and product strategy for Prudential Financial’s Institutional and Employee Benefits Group where he managed the firm’s online employee benefits product strategy. He served in various strategic planning capacities working across the many product lines and business groups to integrate product and servicing capabilities, create operational efficiencies, and deliver a more robust and consistent client experience. Mr. Brickman earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance from Muhlenberg College and a master’s degree in business administration and international management from Seton Hall University. He has successfully completed international marketing and entrepreneur programs at the prestigious Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. K.C. Brown SVP, Research and Advisory Services Group Delahaye K.C. Brown is Senior Vice President at Delahaye. K.C. oversees the firm’s Research and Advisory Services Group based in Norwalk, CT. K.C. previously worked in quantitative and qualitative research for government and public relations agencies and, since joining Delahaye in 1998, has developed and managed a wide range of communications research programs. K.C. has led many of Delahaye’s technology innovations, including computerized content analysis, and pioneered cutting-edge research with the Delahaye Index, a quarterly ranking of the reputations of the top 100 U.S.-based companies. K.C. holds a B.A. from Brigham Young University where he majored in Public Relations and a Masters degree in Communications Research from the University of North Carolina. He has an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Warren Cormier President Boston Research Group Warren Cormier is founder and President of Boston Research Group. He has more than twenty years of quantitative and qualitative experience in financial services research for investment companies (both retail and institutional clients), banks, and insurance companies. His work has included projects on strategic marketing issues, market segmentation, product development, customer satisfaction, distribution issues, competitive assessments, and marketing communications. He has expertise in the design and analysis of market research studies and in providing marketing consulting to clients. He has served as Director of Research for both Shawmut Corporation and Bank of Boston and was a partner at Temple, Barker & Sloane. Mr. Cormier is also recognized as a market research leader in the Defined Contribution industry. His work has benefitted plan providers, intermediaries, plan administrators, and plan participants. He is also the creator of the DCP 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 plan sponsor satisfaction and market dynamics study which has become the standard for service quality measurement in the 401(k) arena. Beth Cullinan Executive Producer, Director of Web Technologies Standard & Poor's Financial Communications Beth is the Executive Producer/Developer of Web Products at Standard & Poor’s Financial Communications. She directs a team in the design and development of all client web sites and new web products. The development team has over 10 years experience in building web products in various languages, designs, and architectures. Web products include eNewsletter programs, financial libraries, and interactive tools to provide marketing and educational programs for financial organizations such as American Express, Bank of America, and TD Waterhouse. Beth served as the Director of Web Development and the Director of Quality Assurance at Tradeout, Inc. before joining S&P, and was also a Principal Consultant at Andersen Consulting. Relevant projects include managing a conversion to a large-scale multi-tiered architecture, implementation of a corporate-wide Point of Sales system, and managing six e-commerce websites. Beth holds a BA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is pursuing her MBA at Boston College. Jamie De Peau SVP - Marketing Communications TIAA CREF Jamie DePeau is Senior Vice President of Marketing at TIAA-CREF, where she is responsible for all marketing-related activities of this Fortune 100 company and leading provider of retirement savings and financial services in the academic, research, medical, and cultural fields. She currently leads a staff of more than 160 marketing professionals. Ms DePeau joined TIAA-CREF in 2003 after four years as Vice President of Corporate Communications at Medco Health Solutions, a former subsidiary of Merck and Company, where she was also responsible for all of marketing. Previously, she held senior positions in corporate, policy, and technology communications for MCI from 1997 to 1999 and, before that, for NYNEX Corporation, where during she served in a variety of corporate communication and marketing roles of increasing responsibility—overseeing everything from trade shows to advertising to media relations. Prior to NYNEX, Ms DePeau spent five years at Barrister Information Systems Corporation in various marketing capacities. She began her career with Krehbiel Associates in 1981 in public relations. During her tenure at Medco, Ms. DePeau created a mentoring program that was later rolled out to key functions throughout the company. She has also served as a mentor through “Women Unlimited.” In 2003, Ms. DePeau received the YWCA Twin award, designed to recognize outstanding women leaders. Ms. DePeau earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Canisius College, Buffalo, New York, and completed the Harvard Executive Business Program. Evelyn Ehrlich, PHD President EC Communications Evelyn Ehrlich is President of EC Communications. She has been a specialist in financial marketing strategy and communications since 1982, for such clients as AXA Advisors, JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Neuberger Berman, and New York Life Investment Management. EC Communications offers marketing planning, and support in all media, including advertising, public relations, direct mail, interactive media, sales training, and loyalty marketing. Dr. Ehrlich has a BA from Barnard College, an MS from Columbia University, and PhD from New York University. She has taught at Baruch College and the University of Vermont and currently teaches Financial Services Marketing at New York University. In the past year, Dr. Ehrlich has been a speaker at the Financial Services Marketing Conference, and events sponsored by Americas Community Bankers, the Trust Advisors Forum, Sourcemedia Online and the Financial Planners Association. She is co-editor of The Practical Handbook Series for Community Bankers. She is co-author of The Financial Services Marketing Handbook (http://www.fsmhandbook.com). Mike Ellison Executive VP Corporate Insight, Inc. Mike Ellison is Executive Vice President of Corporate Insight, Inc., which specializes in market research and competitive analysis for the financial services industry. The firm was founded in the early '90s to address the competitive research needs of marketing executives in the financial services space, developing the first Broker Monitor Report in 1995. In 1996, when financial services firms began to adopt and leverage the Internet as a sales and service channel, Mike joined Corporate Insight to launch e-Monitor, which focuses on the brokerage industry's use of the Internet as a primary communications vehicle to interact with their clients. Following the success of e-Monitor, the firm began covering the mutual fund, banking, and card industries and is now the recognized leader in competitive research for the financial services industry. Prior to joining Corporate Insight, Mike was an associate at CommScan (now Dealogic), which provides investment banks, asset managers and corporations with in-depth transaction information and analysis on the equity and fixed income capital markets, credit markets and the mergers and acquisitions market. Before CommScan, Mike was a performance measurement analyst at Effron Enterprises, which provides portfolio accounting services to pension funds and the brokerage industry. Mike holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing and Finance from Syracuse University. Wes Ervin VP, Insight Forums and Events Art Plus Technology Wes Ervin is Vice President, Product and Event Development, at Art Plus Technology (APT) and manages the firm’s Boca Raton office. Wes also serves as Program Director for Insight Forums and is responsible for organizing the Financial Communications Forum and the Healthcare Communications Forum. Wes has more than 20 years experience in creating innovative customer communications, including account statements, bills, sales presentations, and marketing literature. Prior to joining APT in 2004, Wes was Media and Public Relations Officer for DST Output, the customer communications division of DST Systems. Earlier he had founded his own agency, Information Design Associates, which he sold after ten successful years of growth. He began his business career on Wall Street, working for Goldman Sachs and CS First Boston. Wes has a BA, MA, and PhD from the University of Chicago and was Assistant Professor at New York University’s graduate business school from 1985 to 1990. He is a Member of the Board for the International Institute for Information Design in Vienna, Austria. He also is a member of the Board of Governors of the Communications Research Institute. He writes on topics related to customer communications for publications such as The Information Design Journal and The Journal of Financial Advertising and Marketing. Greg Flynn Vice President, Product Management Brainshark Alexander Gavis Vice President & Associate General Counsel Fidelity Investments Alexander C. Gavis joined the Corporate Legal Department of Fidelity Investments in Boston in 1997. He is currently Vice President and Associate General Counsel and is responsible for legal services for Fidelity’s retail brokerage business, including all brokerage products and services and online trading. Mr. Gavis is the chief legal counsel for Fidelity’s e-business initiatives and, since 1999, chair of the firm’s eBusiness Practice Group. He also oversees legal services to Fidelity’s capital markets trading desks, which involve retail and institutional trading operations. Prior to joining Fidelity, Mr. Gavis served as Assistant Counsel at the Investment Company Institute and as Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, both in Washington, DC. He also served as a judicial law clerk for The Honorable William T. Allen, Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery for the State of Delaware. He has worked in investment banking in New York at Salomon Brothers Inc., handling mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Gavis received his JD, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and his BA with High Honors from Swarthmore College. In 2000 he was appointed to and served as a member of the Federal Trade Commission Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security. Mr. Gavis is a member of the NASD’s e-Brokerage Committee and the Securities Industry Association’s Investment Companies Committee and Online Brokerage Committee. He is an adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School and has written a number of articles on securities law and e-commerce topics. Shari Gershenfeld SVP - Product Development Fidelity Personal Investments Shari Gershenfeld is Senior Vice President for Fidelity Investments, the nation’s largest mutual fund company and a leading provider of financial services. For the past several years, Ms. Gershenfeld has developed and managed products and services to meet the unique needs of those approaching and in retirement. Most recently, she led the team that launched Fidelity’s breakthrough Income Management Account, designed to manage retirees’ spending and asset withdrawal levels and track to an income plan. She currently manages Fidelity’s retail statements, both online and paper, and its online bill payment system. Ms. Gershenfeld joined Fidelity in July 1990 as a market research manager. Before joining Fidelity, Ms. Gershenfeld was a senior associate with Cambridge Systematics, Inc., in Cambridge, Massachusetts specializing in advanced modeling techniques for market research and a consultant with Data Resources, Inc., a McGraw Hill Company, in New York. Ms. Gershenfeld received a BA in English from State University of New York at Binghamton, and an M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie-Mellon University. Elizabeth Gooding Chairman, Advisory Council and CEO Art Plus Technology Elizabeth Gooding founded Art Plus Technology and has established the firm as a premier provider of communication strategy, design, and development services. Her experience includes information and process design, RFP development, and technology and outsourcing evaluations. Elizabeth was the editor of e.bill magazine until 2002 and has written for a wide variety of industry publications on process design, cross-channel branding, electronic presentment, content management, and technology convergence. Elizabeth has helped CIGNA, Fidelity, and T. Rowe Price, among others, to streamline their business process, improve customer retention, and maximize new opportunities through document design, print, and Internet technology. She is a member of the AIIM Conference Planning Committee and the chair of the Financial Communications Forum Advisory Council. She was honored in 2002 by OutputLinks as a Woman of Distinction in the Output Management Industry. Mike Hoffmann Director, Strategic Accounts Rapid Solutions Group Michael Hoffman is Director of Strategic Accounts with Rapid Solutions Group, a leader in outsourced marketing communication solutions, specializing in the financial services industry. With more than 20 years in sales and marketing, and the last six focused on financial communications, he knows what it takes to help financial firms enhance communications in order to improve investor understanding. With a BS in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University, Michael's combination of hard technical training and real-world experience gives him a unique perspective on how to leverage technology in the area of financial communications. Steve Hubbard Chief Operating Officer, CSG Wachovia Securities Steve Hubbard is the Director of Client Reporting for Wachovia Securities. In this role, he has responsibility for the strategic direction of all client reporting platforms, including client statements, confirms, tax reporting and managed and retail performance reports. In addition, he is responsible for the operations and technology support of the firms separate account platform. Having developed significant expertise in the field of brokerage managed account conversions, his efforts are now being directed at several projects to consolidate and streamline client reporting. Steve has been with Wachovia Securities since 1996, both in Information Systems and on the business side, and he has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry as a whole. Steve has an undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and an MBA in finance from Virginia Commonwealth University. Geoff Kenyon Partner Goodwin Procter Geoff Kenyon is a partner in Goodwin Procter’s Business Law Department. He focuses his practice on the investment management industry. Working with major investment managers and other financial institutions, and with institutional investors and independent mutual fund directors, he has gained extensive experience with all sectors of the U.S. domestic market, including SEC-registered open- and closed-end funds and nonregistered hedge funds and private equity funds. Mr. Kenyon joined Goodwin Procter in 1984 following his graduation from law school. Mr. Kenyon’s practice has a significant international component. He has worked with funds organized in a variety of offshore domiciles and has significant experience with funds offered to the European, Asian and Latin American markets. Mr. Kenyon also advises numerous non-U.S. investment managers with respect to their U.S. activities. He was the author of two no-action letters, Goodwin, Procter & Hoar (March 1, 1997) and Goodwin, Procter & Hoar II (October 5, 1998) through which the Securities and Exchange Commission provided comprehensive guidance for the sponsors of non-U.S. funds seeking to offer shares in the United States. Mr. Kenyon is a member of the International Bar Association and the American Law Institute. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Geoff is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and the author of articles on issues affecting the global mutual funds industry. He earned his BA at Northwestern University and his JD from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Elizabeth Krentzman General Counsel Investment Company Institute Elizabeth Krentzman is the General Counsel of the Investment Company Institute, the national association of the US investment company industry. As General Counsel, Elizabeth is responsible for legal and regulatory initiatives affecting the Institute’s member firms, which represent over 85 million individual shareholders and manage approximately $7.4 trillion in investor assets. Prior to joining the Institute, Elizabeth was a Partner and the National Director of Deloitte & Touche’s Regulatory Consulting Practice for the Asset Management Industry. Elizabeth’s practice at Deloitte specialized in helping investment companies and investment advisers develop regulatory compliance programs, benchmark their operations to best industry practices, and respond to litigation. Between 1991 and 1997, Elizabeth served in the SEC’s Division of Investment Management where she was responsible for rules involving investment company reporting and disclosure obligations and investment adviser regulation. While at the SEC, Elizabeth headed the Commission’s initiatives to improve mutual fund disclosure and helped develop the investment company legislation that was adopted as part of the National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996. Elizabeth also developed a number of SEC rules affecting asset management firms and assisted in completing the Division of Investment Management’s 1992 report, Protecting Investors: A Half Century of Investment Company Regulation. Prior to joining the SEC, Elizabeth was associated with the law firm of Ropes & Gray where she handled regulatory and compliance matters for investment companies, their advisers, and directors. Elizabeth is a member of the District of Colombia, Florida Bar and American Bar Associations and is a former chair of the District of Colombia Bar Investment Management Subcommittee. Elizabeth serves on the editorial board of The Investment Lawyer and speaks at numerous conferences in the United States and around the world. She received her BA and JD degrees from the University of Florida and served on the University of Florida Law Review. John Kutch Managing Director - Operational Putnam Investments Mr. Kutch is a Managing Director and Head of Operational Services at Putnam Investments. He is responsible for a professional services organization comprised of 12 practices. This organization provides many services across the firm and consists of Organizational Consulting and Analysis, Training, Quality, Call Center Operations, Resource Planning, Software Assurance, Reporting, ECommerce, Intranet Communications, Client Communications, Image and Research. Mr. Kutch joined Putnam in 1997 as a Client Service Executive. Since then he has held several leadership roles in Operations, including management of many client service groups and Strategic Initiatives, including Putnam’s ECommerce strategy and implementation, the AdvisorCentral business launch and the Outsourcing of Putnam's distribution center. Prior to joining Putnam John worked for IBM as Marketing Director and Product Manager, Manufacturing Industry Sector, and before that as Advisory Marketing Representative and Staff Engineer, Facilities Planning. He holds a BS degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Gerri Leder Managing Director, Marketing Legg Mason Investment Counsel Gerri Leder has been head of marketing since joining Legg Mason in 2005. Prior to joining Legg Mason Investment Counsel, Gerri ran an industry consulting firm, LederMark Communications, which advised financial services companies on marketing initiatives. Her column on practice-building for financial advisors appears monthly in On Wall Street. Gerri has spent almost 20 years in the securities industry. As a marketing executive and principal in the Private Client Division of Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown, she managed a cross-selling unit that drew executives from the firm’s emerging growth client companies to the Private Client Group. Previously, she had founded Legg Mason’s marketing department. As vice president and marketing director, she introduced new investment products including proprietary mutual funds and separate account management; led advertising and media campaigns and launches; and oversaw the company's public relations campaigns. Gerri earned an MBA from Loyola College and a BA in Journalism from the University of Richmond. She completed the Securities Industry Institute at the Wharton School, holds Series 7 and 63 securities licenses, is a frequent conference speaker, and has taught college courses in Marketing and Leadership. She currently serves as chair of the Richmond Council at the University of Richmond after serving as chairman of its Board of Sponsors and as a member of the Washington Initiative. She is a member of Women in Housing and Finance in Washington, and the Financial Women’s Association (FWA) in New York. James D. Lenskold President The Lenskold Group Jim Lenskold is President of Lenskold Group and author of Marketing ROI: The Path to Campaign, Customer and Corporate Profitability, named one of the top 5 marketing books of 2004 by the American Marketing Association Foundation. Jim has published articles and presented at major marketing conferences on the topics of marketing ROI, customer profitability, marketing strategies, and business growth strategies. He was also a member of the Advisory Board for the award-winning CMO magazine. Jim’s career began at AT&T where he helped evolve the telecommunications leader from a monopoly to a well-respected competitive marketer in the mid-1980s through early 1990s. He helped form the customer acquisition and customer retention organizations and managed a $20 million marketing budget for retention strategy and customer loyalty marketing. Founded in 1997, the Lenskold Group provides consulting services to deliver a comprehensive approach to marketing ROI management, marketing measurement and analytics, and profitability planning tools. The Lenskold Group serves Fortune 1000 and emerging companies in the US, Canada, and UK. Jim also successfully launched and grew a technology firm before starting the Lenskold Group. Jim earned his MBA from Rutgers University Graduate School of Management. He can be reached at jlenskold@lenskold.com. Jim Lewis CEO Relationship Marketing Jim is Founder and CEO of Relationship Marketing, headquartered in Des Moines. Jim leads the efforts to create an innovative work culture and constantly challenges the company to find unique and fresh ways to better serve the marketing needs of innovative companies including CitiGroup, Novartis, AOL/Time Warner, AT&T Yellow Pages, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. and Abbott Laboratories. Before starting Relationship Marketing, Jim brought database marketing to new levels for telecommunications industry leaders, IBM, HBO and several major universities. He also worked at The Integer Group and Young and Rubicam. Jim has twice been recognized by Ernst and Young as a regional Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. He also has served as President of the Iowa Marketing Association. Jim earned his B.B.A. from the University of Iowa. Rich O'Brien Project Manager John Hancock Financial Services Rich O'Brien is a Project Manager at John Hancock Financial Services with over fourteen years experience in the financial services industry, primarily focusing on customer communication management. He joined Manulife in 2004 during the John Hancock merger, where he was responsible for integrating two distinct corporate approaches to the various client communications. This involved the migration of the systems, process, and design for client statements, contracts, direct mail, and marketing kits, among other things. Prior to joining John Hancock, he was Vice President of Marketing Services at Scudder Investments, overseeing multiple external suppliers for the print and delivery of marketing and regulatory correspondence. Over the years he has had the opportunity to lead extensive RFP projects consolidating vendors, searching for new suppliers, as well as leaving existing suppliers. Using innovative methodologies such as Just in Time II, he has uncovered inefficiencies and eliminated unnecessary expense in outsourcing relationships. Before Scudder Investments, Rich held a variety of positions at Fidelity, most recently focusing on print, mail, and fulfillment partnering with their internal print facility in Kentucky. Jason Shulman EVP, Sales and Business Development Poindexter Systems Jason Shulman is Executive Vice President, Sales and Business Development, for Poindexter Systems, a marketing technology firm which helps marketers improve the profitability of their online marketing investments through real-time optimization technology. Jason is responsible for driving revenue and managing Poindexter’s sales and business development operations. He has over 15 years of experience in helping both ad agencies and high technology companies grow and prosper. After obtaining a BA from Middlebury College, Mr. Shulman has held senior executive positions with technology firms including Vice President of Business Development for AudioBase, Vice President of Sales, Breece Hill Technologies, and Executive Vice President of Business Development for Freestyle Interactive. Prior to joining Poindexter Systems, Mr. Shulman was Executive Vice President of Carat Fusion, one of the world's largest interactive agencies. Paula Tkac Financial Economist and Associate Policy Adviser Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Paula Tkac is Financial Economist and Associate Policy Adviser in the Research Department at The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Dr. Tkac concentrates her research on portfolio management, mutual fund flows, and stock-market trading volume. Before joining the bank, Dr. Tkac was an assistant professor in the Department of Finance and Business Economics at the University of Notre Dame from 1993 to 2000. Before joining the faculty at Notre Dame, she was a lecturer in the Finance and Economics Departments at the University of Chicago. Dr. Tkac is a member of the American Economic Association, the American Finance Association, and the Western Finance Association. She has published works in the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis and Managerial and Decision Economics and has presented papers and served as a discussant at a number of professional conferences. Dr. Tkac earned her bachelor’s degree (with honors), master’s degree, and doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago. Andrea Trachtenberg CEO Ivory River Marketing Andrea Trachtenberg is CEO of the IvoryRiver Group Ltd.. She is recognized in the industry as a trail-blazing leader in financial services, high net worth, and luxury marketing. Most recently, Andrea was the Global Head of Marketing for Lehman Brothers Investment Management Division. Prior to Lehman, she was the head of Marketing for Neuberger Berman. During her tenure there Andrea was responsible for the marketing and branding of wealth management, mutual funds, managed accounts, private, institutional and alternative asset management. A 25 year industry veteran, Andrea is highly respected throughout the industry for her expertise in Planning and Development, Branding, Strategy, Communications, E-Business, Advertising and Public Relations. Andrea also spent 10 years at Merrill Lynch where she held a variety of executive marketing positions in both the Retail, Mid-Market, and Capital Market sectors of their business. Andrea received her BS degree in Management Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton and her MBA in Marketing. Andrea is also a frequent speaker on wealth management, relationship marketing, branding, high net worth marketing and has published many articles on these subjects. She was also nominated for high net worth marketing leader of the year. She may be reached at andrea@ivoryriver.com Robert Traeger VP Pershing Bob has lived, breathed, and dreamt about nothing but statements for 18 years. Somehow he still managed to get married and become the proud father of four daughters ages 5, 7, 11, and 13. Neither the wedding nor the first three births took place within a week of a statement production cycle. As an IT professional, Bob was involved in three statement redesign projects, Thomson McKinnon in 1986, Shearson Lehman Hutton in 1988, and Pershing in 1993. At Pershing, Bob was one of the people responsible for evaluating and recommending their first statement-formatting tool in 1991, and he managed the statement process until 1996. In 1998 Bob left Pershing so that his fourth daughter could be born over a statement weekend. He returned in July 1999 to take over the statement process from the business side, and immediately became responsible for ANOTHER redesign effort. Mark Weiner President Delahaye Mark Weiner is the president of Delahaye, the world’s largest and most widely respected provider of public relations research and consulting, and a division of Bacon’s Information/Observer AG. After founding Medialink Public Relations Research in 1994, which then became Delahaye Medialink in 1999 after the acquisition of The Delahaye Group, the firm has evolved over the years and is now comprised of 100 researchers and analysts in four locations around the globe. Delahaye measures organizational reputation as well as providing a complete range of marketing, communication and PR activities in 40 countries. Weiner is a regular contributor to IABC’s Communications World, PRSA’s Tactics, PR Week, and Ragan’s Intelligence Report. He sits on the editorial advisory boards of The Strategist, PR News, and Ragan Communications. He is a frequent speaker on the topics of communication, public relations, corporate reputation, and integrated marketing communications at international, national, and local conferences such as those sponsored by the IABC, PRSA, The Conference Board, and InfoCom, and at universities such as Columbia and USC’s Annenberg School for Communication. Weiner is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and is active in the Institute for Public Relations. In addition, he is the founder and past president of the Pubic Relations Service Council and a former board member of the Publicity Club of New York. He is the author of Unleashing the Power of PR: A Contrarian's Guide to Marketing and Communication, to be published in Spring 2006 by Jossey Bass. Greg Wilkins Director, Financial and Healthcare Sales Brainshark, Inc. Greg Wilkins is a Director of Financial and Healthcare Sales with Brainshark. He has been selling software solutions into Financial Accounts for 15 years. Brainshark’s technology helps financial services companies communicate more effectively with their Brokers, Investors and Plan Sponsors using on-demand, voice enriched presentations and Email campaigns. Greg has worked with over 25 leading financial and healthcare institutions as they look to enhance communications through their distribution channels to drive stronger relationships and greater business results. Jim Wironen VP - Financial Products and Services AARP Financial Jim is Vice President of Financial Products and Services for AARP Financial, where he is responsible for marketing, sales, product, and program management for this new subsidiary of AARP. Wironen has built a distinguished record in the mutual fund and retirement services industry, serving in executive capacities for leading financial service providers. His expertise encompasses business development, marketing, distribution, and product management. Prior to joining AARP Financial, Jim held senior management positions at New River, Inc. and Morningstar, where he established the company’s Institutional Services Division and played a key role in launching the award-winning ClearFuture™ product line, recognized by Sales and Marketing Management magazine as the most successful product launch in 2000. Prior to joining Morningstar, Jim served as President of Linksource Financial Services and Senior Vice President of Benefit Services at New York Life. Earlier in his career Wironen was Vice President and Managing Director for State Street Global Advisors, where he developed the institutional mutual fund and mid-market 401(k) business. In the early 1990s Wironen served in highly visible roles at Fidelity Investments, contributing to the establishment of four operating divisions. He also played a key role in the creation of FITSCO, which marked the beginning of Fidelity’s entry into the 403b retirement business. Jim received a BA in Politics from St. Anselm College, and earned his MBA, with a concentration in Marketing, from Western New England College. He has also completed studies at the University of London and the London School of Economics. Dona Wong Director, e-Business Solutions John Hancock Donna Wong is Director, e-Business Solutions, at John Hancock Life Insurance Company. Donna has over twelve years experience in the financial services industry with knowledge of the US and Canadian pension markets. She joined Manulife Financial in 1995 and has worked in a variety of marketing positions in product management, inforce marketing, customer technology and currently, as the Director of e-Business Solutions in the Sales & Distribution area for U.S. Group Pensions. Donna is responsible for the promotion and use of web sites by Third Party Administrators and Brokers. Prior to joining Manulife Financial, she was a Marketing Manager in a trust company where her responsibilities included the marketing of mortgages, savings accounts, mutual funds and retirement products. Bill Wreaks President & CEO The Wreaks Media Corporation Bill Wreaks is President & CEO of The Wreaks Media Corporation, a publishing and consulting company with specific focus in financial and business advertising. In 2004 the company launched a professional quarterly, The Journal of Financial Advertising & Marketing along with a companion website, financialadvertising.com. WMC also publishes mediaPOV (www.mediapov.com), an online strategy-centric magazine for the media industry. The Wreaks Media Corporation maintains offices in New York City and a support office in London. Mr. Wreaks has also served as President of The Financial Communications Society, a non-profit, 225-member organization, founded in 1967, which has become a global hub for financial marketing and communications professionals. In 1994 the FCS established The FCS Portfolio Awards to recognize creative excellence in financial advertising. The FCS Portfolio Awards brings together financial advertising’s leading creative minds and over 550 financial advertising professionals. Wreaks co-chaired the event in 2000 and, as president, delivered his State-of-the-Industry address in 2005. Madeleine Yates Director - Total Merrill Marketing Merrill Lynch Madeleine Yates is Director, Total Merrill Marketing. In her role, she works across Private Client to ensure alignment with Total Merrill for major client communications such as monthly statements and financial reporting, correspondence, owner’s manual and cross sell offers. She recently co-led a team to develop and implement a new “Relationship Statement” in 2005 that has been ranked #1 in client preference and #2 overall by DALBAR, an independent third party research firm. Through her career at Merrill Lynch, Madeleine has worked within several of the firm’s business groups and driven many strategic initiatives. Prior to her current role, she was Director of Six Sigma for Marketing, and before that she managed Business Planning for Marketing, Market Research, the New Product Review Committee and Strategic Planning. She was instrumental in helping Merrill Lynch’s Credit Corporation win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1997 and U.S. Private Client win the NJ Quality Achievement Award in 1995. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 1991, Madeleine was employed in the Solar Energy industry as a Product Reliability expert. Madeleine has an MBA from St. John University and a B.S. from Thomas Edison State College. She is a Six Sigma Black Belt, a Certified Quality Engineer and is Series 7 registered. Mike Zargaj Senior Editor Standard & Poor's Financial Communications Mike Zargaj is a senior editor at Standard & Poor’s Financial Communications and specializes in high-net-worth, advisor, insurance and bank communications. Mr. Zargaj has developed successful marketing communications solutions for firms such as American Express, Fidelity, MetLife, Prudential, John Hancock, Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. He has also created marketing and educational programs for financial professional organizations, such as the Financial Planning Association, the Society of Financial Service Professionals, the Million Dollar Round Table and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. Prior to joining Standard & Poor’s, Mr. Zargaj was managing editor at a financial publishing company specializing in broker-personalized and institutional marketing communications. He has also worked in marketing and analytical capacities for a financial consulting firm focused on the wealth management and retirement planning needs of business owners, executives and affluent families. Mr. Zargaj has authored several white papers on communications trends within the financial services industry and has been a freelance writer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts. Copyright@InsightForums The conference sessions, abstracts and presentations at the The Financial Communications Forum are copyrights of Insight Forums and the speakers. Privacy Statement