A catalyst in changing the role of marketing science in consumer product companies, he has been recognized for his forward thinking on the function of marketing in the retail environment. And twice was awarded the prestigious PepsiCo Chairman’s Award, which honors and rewards individuals who have distinguished themselves as truly extraordinary and who serve as an inspiration to others.

Bart Flaherty is CEO of GroupM Business Sciences. He leads the strategic hubs of the GroupM family of companies. This responsibility encompasses the consulting business across Mindshare, MediaCom. Maxus, MediaEdge and includes Ohal, the oldest ROI consultancy in the world. GroupM, owned by WPP, is the worlds largest media agency, buying more than $70 billion in media on behalf of clients. Nearly one in three advertisements seen by consumers around the globe is placed by GroupM. Since joining GroupM two years ago, he has helped clients drive measurable increases in revenue, sales and profitability worth over $300 million dollars through sophisticated marketing accountability analysis resulting in the implementation of intelligent sales and marketing strategy.

Flaherty has a proven track record in helping business partners and clients understand how best to deploy their marketing, media and retail trade budgets to optimize sales and profit. He has also been successful in helping them structure their organizations for maximum effect on customers and consumers. He has long been a pioneer in the evolution of marketing science, championing a focus on actions that drive long term measurable ROI. But more importantly, his leadership and communication skills have helped organizations implement the required change to win in their respective markets.

His team is working to develop strategies to better invest over seven billion in marketing and communications spending on behalf of their clients in industries ranging from consumer packaged goods to quick serve restaurants to consumer electronics companies.

Prior to joining GroupM, Flaherty spent 10 years at PepsiCo, before joining PepsiCo, Flaherty worked on marketing and franchise strategy for Cadbury and at Kraft Foods where he was exposed him to the consumer retail marketing and merchandising business while working on some of the world’s most recognized food and beverage brands.

Jerry O’Brien is the director for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Retailing Excellence. The Center for Retailing Excellence was established to develop a new, strategic direction. This vision recognizes the interdependence of our students, our faculty, and our partners in the industry. As one of the top research institutions in the world and one of the top public universities in the nation, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is uniquely situated to address and solve this problem

Mike Spindler started Panther Mountain Companies which specializes in advising the Fast Moving Consumer Goods Industry and service companies which support this industry, on building winning products/services, strategies, companies and people.

Spindler, a seasoned executive in the CPG, Online, Retail and Information businesses, works with companies, to design, develop and execute actionable strategies for new or revitalized businesses and products. He brings a well-honed ability to ferret out salient data and emerging market dynamics, as well as, a keen perception of internal organizational and cultural barriers to progress.

The founder has experience in established companies, turn-around, startups, buyouts and rapid growth companies. Expertise includes general management, marketing, sales management, business development, research, product development, operations and finance within companies such as: AC Nielsen, MyWebGrocer, Gladson, and efficient market services, inc. He worked with blue chip companies such as Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Safeway, Kraft, Wakefern, Pepsi, CVS and emerging companies such as DemandTec, Tradavo, Impulse Marketing, Store Eyes, Ferveo Technologies and others.

“I have a passion for working on technical, process or organizational solutions to the problems that have longed plagued the CPG marketing and distribution businesses. Panther Mountain is my vehicle for doing the types of things I have worked on with colleagues and clients for many years, but on a more formal basis. In addition it gives me the flexibility to work on some new ideas that have had to take back seat while I dealt with businesses I have founded or acquired in the last 7 years.”

Mike is an accomplished author, speaker and contributor to industry issues such as Out-of-Stocks and Their Solution, The Hierarchy of Merchandising, Merchandising ntributor to Operations Efficiency, Data Cleansing for GDSN and New Product Speed to Market.

Spindler will engage key partners or other Panther Mountain principals to help with information, data, technology, design and account structure.

In September of 2008 Panther Mountain Companies launched ShelfSnap with some partners from Mike’s past at Nielsen and ems.

Hass Hassan is a natural foods industry pioneer and entrepreneur. Mr. Hassan is a Managing Director of Greenmont I and serves on its Investment Committee.

He represents Greenmont I on the Board of EcoTimber and was previously on the Board of IZZE Beverage Company prior to its sale to PepsiCo. Mr. Hassan is also an independent Board member for Whole Foods Markets, Nude Skincare, OrganicToGo and Pangea Organics.

He was the co-founder, President and CEO of Alfalfa’s Markets, President of Wild Oats Marketplace, and, subsequently, the founder and Executive Chairman of Fresh & Wild, the U.K.’s leading retailer of organic foods, which sold to Whole Foods Markets. His experience in the natural products industry encompasses both the U.S. and European markets.

During his career, Mr. Hassan has received numerous awards and industry recognition, including the Natural Foods Industry Pioneer, Chain Store Retail Executive of the Year, Boulder Entrepreneur of the Year and Ernst & Young’s National Entrepreneur of the Year awards. He was educated at Kings College in London and attended the Ealing School of Art where he studied photography.

Michael Rice is cofounder of the Sterling Rice Group. Michael’s career began at J. Walter Thompson (JWT) in Chicago. There he managed advertising for Quatker Oats, Kraft, SC Johnson, and Gerber, and helped create the JWT New Product Task Force He left JWT to join Rick Sterling at Celestial Seasonings as director of new products.

At Celestial Seasonings, Michael helped develop and launch a number of new tea products, as well as Celestial Seasonings’ first initiatives outside of herbal teas.

Michael has a talent for integrating creativity and strategy, giving him both vision and a hard-nosed sense of operating reality instrumental to our clients’ success and Sterling Rice Group’s growth.

Kamibayash is currently President of Vintage Organics. A 30-year industry veteran, Dale possesses extensive experience in the retailing, purchasing, sales, and marketing of organic foods. Early in his career, he managed neighborhood grocery stores, and then went on to own and operate a popular community market. As the horizon in organic retailing expanded and numerous opportunities for advancement presented themselves, Dale joined the executive team at Alfalfa’s Markets and held the positions of Purchasing Director, Store Supervisor, and Private Label Brands Manager. In 1997 as the Purchasing Director of Wild Oats Markets, he implemented a successful propriety label program and consequently was honored with the prestigious “Edison Award.” In addition to his legendary tour in the retail sector, Dale was a management team member at Small Planet Foods, General Mills, and Rapunzel Organics.

Dr. Kenneth C. Herbst is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Herbst has a Masters and Ph.D. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, he earned a B.A. from Wake Forest University where he played basketball on back-to-back ACC Championship teams in 1995 and 1996.

Dr. Herbst examines the effects of branding and trust on purchase and the extent to which cognitions and emotions affect consumers in their purchase decisions. He also explores the ways in which retailers can merchandise items so that they are more likely to be seen and purchased.

Dr. Herbst has written numerous articles in the fields of consumer psychology, marketing, decision making, and advertising, and he has taught extensively in these areas. He has published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Advertising Research, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Political Marketing, Journal of Promotion Management, Journal of Marketing Management, Personality and Individual Differences, British Food Journal, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, Innovative Marketing, Revue Internationale De Psychologie Sociale, and Health Psychology. He also writes a monthly merchandising column in The Gourmet Retailer based on his supermarket shopper traffic research.

In addition, Dr. Herbst recently has been interviewed about his food research and industry expertise by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and Advertising Age. Dr. Herbst has consulting experience with Ocean Spray, H. P. Hood, Inc. Dairy Company, the United States Mushroom Council, Performance Food Group, the Quality Bakers of America, and four supermarket corporations (Farm Fresh, Food Lion, Publix, and Hy-Vee).

David Butler
As a highly regarded Performance Coach, David Butler combines his initial career as a professional actor and stage director with his extensive experience in personal and corporate transformation initiatives. In Organization Development/Management Consulting, he has established himself as an authority in leadership development, executive coaching, teaming and communication skills. His extensive client list includes many Fortune 100 companies.

David’s experience spans major industries such as health care, corporate aviation, manufacturing, telecommunications, insurance and power utilities. He has managed career development centers and created customized performance management programs for such clients as IBM, Pennsylvania Power & Light, United Technologies, SNET and Mobil Oil. His expertise in Individual Assessment, 360 feedback and competency based performance systems has resulted in successful and positive culture change projects in both domestic and international settings.

Mr. Butler frequently appears as a guest speaker on subjects related to motivation, personal development, leadership, and corporate transformation, most notably at the Edison Electric Institute conference, the NBAA Aviation Directors’ Roundtable, the NBAA Flight Attendant’s Conference and the United Technologies EH&S Global Conference.

As Executive Director of WorkLife, LLC, David has established a solid reputation for creative insight in Performance Consulting and Executive Coaching, helping many business professionals around the world refocus and renew themselves during these times of massive organizational change.

Laura Butler
Laura Butler is a personal performance and life fulfillment specialist with experience in health care, educational enrichment, customer service and individual coaching. Her multifaceted assignments have included curriculum change and educational reform, and the management of a residency training program at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center. Early in her consulting career, as the principal of HLH Associates, Laura provided a full spectrum of medical office management services.

As Director of Program Development for Worklife Performance Consulting, Laura has designed, delivered and enhanced a number of personal development and performance enhancing seminars. Her extensive experience in the growing field of emotional intelligence has earned her a reputation for insight, creativity and inspiration.

Her many clients have included individuals in career transition and life change, as well as schools and community organizations in the midst of growth and reform.

Laura has received several professional certifications in coaching and cutting edge assessment methodologies. She is a member of the International Coach Federation, is a certified consultant in the use of the Birkman Method, is in the certification process with The Coaches Training Institute and has had her work published in an award-winning early childhood curriculum.

Laura is dedicated to empowerment using an “inside out” approach.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” helps individuals and companies identify better prospects, close more sales, and profitably build more long-term customer relationships.”

For nearly 30 years, Mark Hunter has been in sales, the first 20 years working for three Fortune 100 companies and the last 10 years as a sales consultant who speaks and works with leading global companies. His experience working for three Fortune 100 companies included managing sales territories worth more than $200 million in annual sales. Other roles included directing more than 200 sales people and $700 million in annual sales. It’s Mark’s experience in key sales positions in top corporations that gives him the confidence to deal with CEOs and other senior-level people in today’s corporate environment.

Few people have the breadth of sales experience that Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter” has experienced. His years of experience in senior-level positions and his years as a sales consultant has allowed him to experience every type of sales call imaginable across industries too numerous to mention.

The experience Mark has had combined with his communication skills and keen sense of sales makes him a highly sought after sales speaker and sales consultant for corporations and associations. Since creating the brand, “The Sales Hunter” in 1998, Mark Hunter has had the privilege to speak to and work with thousands of sales people and business leaders. His passion for sales combined with his engaging communication style makes him a favorite of numerous companies and associations.
It’s this drive to help others succeed that makes him well-known for his engaging sales motivation speeches that not only educate the audience but leave them empowered to win.

You can find him quoted on a regular basis in leading publications and magazines due to his knowledge of sales and business. What separates Mark from others is his ability to serve, he states frequently: “Sales is leadership, and leadership is sales.” It’s this approach to business that makes Mark Hunter known as The Sales Hunter.

Christine Clifford Beckwith, CSP is CEO and President of Christine Clifford Enterprises. Christine’s vast corporate experience taught her how to market and sell products, services and herself. Now, she shares that message with others.

Christine Clifford Beckwith has definitely cracked “the glass ceiling”. At the age of 40, she was Senior Executive Vice President for SPAR Marketing Services, an international merchandising and information services firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As the top salesperson in the billion dollar service industry for over eight years, Christine was responsible for accounts with Kmart, Toys ‘R’ Us, Walmart, AT&T, Mattel Toys, and Revlon, among others. Taking her company from a million dollar per year loss to over $54 million in sales, Christine signed the largest contract in the history of her industry with Procter & Gamble, doubling the size of her company overnight.

Best Selling Author
Diagnosed with breast cancer in December of ‘94, Christine went on to write five award-winning books of her story in Not Now…I’m Having a No Hair Day; Our Family Has Cancer, Too! (written especially for children); Inspiring Breakthrough Secrets to Live Your Dreams; Cancer Has Its Privileges: Stories of Hope & Laughter and Your Guardian Angel’s Gift.

Christine’s newest book, written with her husband Harry Beckwith, You, Inc. The Art of Selling Yourself (Warner Books, March, 2007) has already been named a “Notable Book of 2007″ by the American Booksellers Association.

Gifted, World-Class Speaker
Christine has over 2,000 media appearances including Better Homes & Gardens, MORE, American Health, Golf Digest, as well as the Singapore Women’s Weekly and the Hindu in India. Named a “Hero Award” Finalist by Coping, Christine has appeared on CNN Live as “one of the world’s leading authorities on the use of therapeutic humor.”

Christine is a CSP member of the National Speakers Association, Minnesota Speakers Association, the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, the National Association of Breast Cancer Organizations and is listed in International Who’s Who of Professionals, the International Who’s Who of Entrepreneurs, and International Who’s Who of Authors and Writers. She is also listed in “Contemporary Authors” and “2,000 Notable American Women.”

In 2002, Christine was awarded her CSP (CERTIFIED SPEAKING PROFESSIONAL) designation from the National Speakers Association Annual Convention in Orlando, FL.