Deirdre Bigley
Vice President, Worldwide Advertising & Interactive
International Business Machines

Deirdre Bigley has been in the marketing industry for the past 20 years. She spent 10 years in Agencies in New York, Dallas, and Boston. In 1994, when IBM consolidated their advertising into a single agency, Deirdre joined Ogilvy & Mather.

In 1996, Deirdre left the agency life and joined her client at IBM and began a four-year tenure in Strategic Brand Advertising managing print and television. The highlight of her time at Corporate Headquarters was the launch of the “e-business” campaign. Released in 37 countries, “e-business” garnered over 50 national and international awards for advertising effectiveness and creativity.

In 2000, Deirdre was promoted to Director of Integrated Marketing Communications and began a new career in the Sales and Distribution Group in IBM Americas. In this role, she had direct linkage to the sales organization and was responsible for managing the sales pipeline and campaign metrics for over one billion dollars in lead revenue.

In 2003, Deirdre was promoted to Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications for IBM Global Services, IBM’s largest business unit. Deirdre also managed the integrated marketing communications for the newly formed Business Consulting Services group, the acquisition of Price Waterhouse Coopers Consulting, and the branding of a new services organization that is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of IBM’s business strategy.

In 2004, Deirdre was named Vice President of Worldwide Advertising and Interactive for the IBM Corporation. In this role, she oversees all television, print and interactive advertising for the company worldwide. Additionally, she oversees all IBM content on ibm.com. Deirdre also manages the Ogilvy & Mather relationship and the negotiation of the agency fee and the worldwide scope of work.

Deirdre is on the Executive Board of the Ad Council, a member of Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) and manages the Montclair Connection and Montclair Strikers, her son and daughter’s soccer teams.

John P. Giere
Chief Marketing Officer
Alcatel-Lucent

John Giere is Chief Marketing Officer of Alcatel-Lucent. 

Prior to his current position John Giere was Chief Marketing Officer at Lucent Technologies. Before joining Lucent in December 2003, he spent seven years at LM Ericsson leading a number of strategic marketing, branding and business development initiatives globally and for North America. 

Prior to joining Ericsson, John Giere held several positions in public relations and government affairs.

John Giere currently serves on the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Executive Board and is a member of the U.S. State Department Committee on International Communications and Information Policy.

John Giere has earned a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Maryland.

David Gitow
Chief Marketing Officer
Barnes & Noble, Inc.

For the past 5 years David has been overseeing all marketing endeavors for the nation’s largest bookseller (700 superstores, barnes&noble.com) as well as the company’s loyalty membership program and gift card business. Prior to joining the company, David worked as the Chief Marketing Officer at ENews.com Magazine, a retailer magazine on the internet. Earlier, David spent 13 years at Time Inc., where his major responsibilities included Founder and President of Time Inc. Home Entertainment, which developed new products/business for Time Magazine, and Consumer Marketing Director for Time Magazine. David’s formal education includes the J.L. Kellogg School of Business, Vassar College and the DMEF Collegiate Institute.

Russ Klein
President, Global Marketing, Strategy and Innovation
Burger King Corporation

Russ Klein is President, Global marketing, Strategy and Innovation, Burger King Corporation. In this capacity, he oversees consumer insight and strategic branding; pricing and performance analysis; product research and development; field marketing; and all advertising, promotion, merchandising and media responsibilities. Russ is a member of the Executive Leadership Team and reports to the Chief Executive Officer. Klein is also a director on the board of RSI, Burger King Corporation's multi-billion dollar supply chain organization dedicated to the BURGER KING® system.

Mr. Klein has led marketing and advertising teams for such brands as Gatorade®, McDonald's®, Maytag®, Wilson Sporting Goods®, Keebler® Cookies, Kimberly-Clark®, Mead Johnson Medical Nutritionals® and United Airlines®. Prior to joining Burger King Corporation, Klein served as chief marketing officer of 7-Eleven, Inc., where he was responsible for marketing across 5,800 stores in North America. Mr. Klein was also senior vice president and executive marketing officer for Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up Companies, Inc. His advertising agency experience includes stints as executive vice president and managing director of Foote Cone & Belding Advertising, Inc, and senior account management posts at Leo Burnett U.S.A.

Mr. Klein is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program and was granted a Distinctive Alumni Award from The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business.

Allen Olivo
Vice President, Global Brand Marketing
Yahoo, Inc.

Allen has been the Vice President, Global Brand Marketing for Yahoo!, since January, 2006, overseeing all advertising and brand marketing worldwide.

Prior to that, Allen served as the Vice President, Marketing for the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com, directing the overall marketing for the newspaper and on-line properties.

In 2001, Allen rejoined Apple to serve as the Senior Director, Retail Marketing and was responsible for the retail marketing strategy and programs to launch and grow market share through the Apple Stores.

Allen joined Robertson Stephens in 2000, the leading technology investment bank, as Chief Marketing Officer and oversaw all worldwide marketing functions.

In 1999 Allen was recruited by Amazon.com as Vice President, Corporate Marketing, to help establish the company as one of the world’s premier consumer and Internet brands.

Beginning in 1994, Allen served at Apple Computer as Senior Director, Marketing Communications and was responsible for Apple’s worldwide advertising, public relations, website, online communications, packaging, collateral and direct marketing. As one of the architects (with overall ownership) of the Think Different campaign, he directed the integration of this branding into all communications worldwide.  Allen led the global launch of the highly acclaimed iMac launch campaign and directed integrated campaigns for all Apple products worldwide.

Prior to joining Apple, Allen was the Executive Director of Marketing Communications for Pacific Telesis and Pacific Bell.  Allen directed Pacific Bell Marketing Communications during the period of AT&T divestiture and helped to establish Pacific Bell as one of the strongest of the Baby Bells.

Arun Sinha
Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President
Pitney Bowes Inc.

Arun Sinha is the Chief Marketing Officer of Pitney Bowes Inc. Arun is also the President of Services & Solutions for Pitney Bowes Management Services. As Chief Marketing Officer, Arun is responsible for integrated marketing communications, brand management, public/media relations, web strategy and development, and marketing research worldwide. He is charged with driving the company’s mission to ensure that its customers, employees and shareholders know Pitney Bowes as one company with one brand and strategy. In his role as President of Services & Solutions for the Pitney Bowes Management Services worldwide, Arun is responsible for the development of a growth strategy as well as strategic marketing, product, services and solutions development, and vertical market development.

Arun has an extensive background in brand management and marketing of consumer and high technology products. He successfully launched 16 new brands at companies such as Philip Morris, Colgate Palmolive and Ford Motor Company. He also has a strong background in business development and e-commerce in both corporate and start-up environments, and has a successful track record of developing and running profitable businesses.

He joined Pitney Bowes from Agorux Inc., a business-to-business supply chain management software solutions company, where he was founder and CEO. Prior to Agorux, Arun worked for 10 years at Philip Morris USA in key marketing, business development and brand management positions. As Director of Business Development, he oversaw the development of all non-conventional new products. In the brand management area, he held a variety of senior marketing positions and successfully grew brand equity through innovative strategies. As Category Director, he grew the brand equity of some of the company’s most profitable brands, such as Parliament, Benson & Hedges and Merit. He also launched and developed the Basic cigarette brand into the fastest growing brand in the past 30 years. Before joining Philip Morris, Arun was at advertising agency Young & Rubicam as senior account executive for clients such as Colgate Palmolive, Lipton, Good Year, Lincoln-Mercury and Ford Motor Company. His accomplishments there include the revitalization of Colgate oral care brands, and the successful launch of the Mercury Sable. Arun began his career as a journalist and helped launch a major newspaper, The Telegraph, in India.

His achievements have been well recognized in the business community. In 2003, B2B Magazine named him a "Top Marketer of the Year". He has been on the cover of various magazines for his contribution to marketing. Early this year, he received Business Week "Excellence in Corporate Advertising" award. Arun serves on the Board of Directors for the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). He also is a member of the Pitney Bowes Chairman’s Council. Arun holds a Masters degree in Advertising/Marketing from Michigan State University, a Masters degree in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communications in New Delhi, India, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, University of Calcutta, India. He resides in Stamford, Connecticut with his wife and two children.

Pitney Bowes provides innovative mailing and document technologies, one-to-one marketing expertise and efficiency management services. Pitney Bowes products include a wide range of accounting and addressing systems, mailing systems, meters, scales, sorters, inserters, integrated Web technologies, and productivity software. They provide specific solutions for document management, order fulfilment, equipment management, outsourcing, improved mail security and more. They also offer a wide range of financial, outsourcing and professional services. With their technologies and services, Pitney Bowes customers streamline communication processes, strengthen their customer relationships, minimize waste in customer communications and uncover real business opportunities.

Jenifer Zeigler
Senior Vice President, Global Brand Management
Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts

Jenifer Zeigler is senior vice president, global brand management, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. The InterContinental brand is part of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom (LON: IHG; NYSE: IHG [ADRs]), the world’s most global hotel company and the largest by number of rooms.

Based at the company’s global headquarters in London, Zeigler is responsible for the development of brand strategy and marketing for the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand, including the brand’s worldwide advertising and promotion activities. 

Zeigler joined IHG in 2000, and led the Holiday Inn Express brand in North America, where she was responsible for brand marketing and business strategies for 1,350 hotels. Under her leadership, the brand achieved record growth in occupancy and revenue during the 2003 and 2004 fiscal years; won four coveted Effie awards for the Stay Smart® brand advertising campaign; and drove highly profitable brand innovation through the launch of the Express Start® Breakfast Bar and the Simply Smart® Shower package.

Featured in Brandweek magazine as one of their “Top 10 Marketers of the Next Generation,” Zeigler’s career has been focused principally on consumer brand management and strategic marketing. Before joining IHG, Zeigler was most recently director of marketing for The Coca-Cola Company’s USA Fountain division, where she was responsible for brand and portfolio strategy development as well as new product development. In this role, she developed and led the Coca-Cola Classic marketing efforts. Zeigler also served as associate director of global strategic marketing for The Coca-Cola Company where she was responsible for strategic marketing leadership and financial responsibility for the company’s regional soft drink and water brands worldwide. Zeigler also spent several years with Procter & Gamble, where she held profit and loss responsibilty for three of the company’s leading dishwashing liquid brands, with combined net sales of $285MM.

Ms. Zeigler earned a Bachelor of Science degree in English and Communications at the University of Miami, Florida.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 3,500 hotels and over 537,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel IndigoTM, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards, with over 26 million members worldwide. In addition to this, InterContinental Hotels Group has a 47.5% interest in Britvic, one of the two leading manufacturers of soft drinks, by value and volume, in Great Britain.

InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ichotelsgroup.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com.