The effects of the global pandemic extend far beyond health concerns. With the rise of digitization and millions of people working remotely, even as organizations look toward some form of a workplace return, the attack surfaces for cyber criminals has never been higher. It’s incumbent upon the most forward-looking technology leaders – from the public and private sectors – to adopt robust and transformative approaches to stay ahead of these ever-rising threats.
Featuring conversations with top security experts, CNBC Evolve: Innovations in Cybersecurity will dissect efforts to protect our nation’s cyber infrastructure and identify threats, with actionable advice on ways the government and private enterprise can work together to anticipate threats before they happen.
HOW TO WATCH: Visit cnbc.com/evolve for relevant coverage and to view the livestream
A technology, cybersecurity executive, inventor, Elena has built her career in protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure from cyber attacks and building innovative technology and digital solutions. She currently serves as Chief Trust Officer at SAP. Her team spans four continents enabling the trustful secure digital transformation of clients across global lines of business and cloud products. Before this position she was Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice-President and Technology Executive in the global security organization at Bank of America. Previously, Elena served as Chief Information Officer in the Global Security Division at Barclays Bank in New York and London. Her focus was on delivering the highest degree of privacy and security to protect customers and employees globally. She was an affiliate fellow at Harvard Law School. Elena was named among the Top 100 CIOs; Leading CIOs - Who Happen to be Female by CIO Magazine, CIO of the Year finalist and 2019 Business Role Model of the Year by Women in IT Awards, Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women - International. Her published work appeared in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, featured in the Wall Street Journal, the White House cybersecurity report, The New York Times, and multiple industry media. She has invented patent-pending technologies in cybersecurity, privacy, and secure financial technologies (with 30+ pending patents being one of the top inventors at BofA). Elena is a Board member of the non-profit Refugees International and Patron of Carnegie Hall in New York.
In this role, Suresh is responsible for our end-to-end new product development and introduction processes, including efforts to develop new, breakthrough technologies and software for the Industrial Internet of Things. Suresh oversees Engineering, Research and Development functions as well as Honeywell Technology Solutions. He also serves as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Honeywell's Safety and Productivity Solutions (SPS) business group.
Suresh joined Honeywell in 1995 as a software engineer and systems analyst for Aerospace and then held a series of engineering and IT leadership positions. His previous roles included CTO for our former Automation and Control Solutions business group and President of Honeywell Technology Solutions where he was responsible for more than 50 percent of Honeywell's global technology design centers across India, China and the Czech Republic.
A graduate in computer science engineering from Bharathidasan University (India), Suresh has completed his post-graduation work in general management from the Indian Institute of Management in Kozhikode.
John Demers became Assistant Attorney General for National Security on February 22, 2018. In that capacity, he leads the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat national security related cyber-crime, terrorism and espionage, to enforce export control and sanctions laws, to use the authorities of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and to conduct national security review of foreign investments. In November 2018, John was selected to lead the Attorney General’s China Initiative, put in place to counter the Peoples Republic of China’s persistent and aggressive economic espionage, trade secret theft, hacking and other related crimes.
Prior to rejoining the Department, John was Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at The Boeing Company, where he held several senior positions including in Boeing Defense, Space, and Security and as lead lawyer and head of international government affairs for Boeing International.
From 2006 to 2009, John served on the first leadership team of the National Security Division, first as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General and then as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Law & Policy. In addition, he has served in the Office of Legal Counsel and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. From 2010 to 2017, he taught national security law as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. John worked in private practice in Boston and clerked for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He graduated from Harvard Law School and the College of the Holy Cross.
Michael J. Orlando is a Senior Executive Service leader with more than 25 years of law enforcement, Intelligence Community, and military experience, including counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations. Mr. Orlando joined the National Counterintelligence and Security Center in November, 2020, serving in the position of Deputy Director.
Mr. Orlando recently served as a Deputy Assistant Director in the Counterterrorism Division in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In that capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the business administration and operational support for the division, which included technology development, human resource matters, financial management, and private-sector partner engagements. Mr. Orlando also served as the acting head of the Counterterrorism Division and successfully managed several interagency crisis incident responses, including the attack at Pensacola Naval Air Station; Manda Airstrip, Kenya; as well as the domestic terrorism attacks in Jersey City, NJ, and Monsey, NY.
Mr. Orlando entered on duty as an FBI Special Agent in 2003 and was assigned to the Pittsburgh Division where he investigated counterintelligence matters. In his follow-on field assignment to the Washington Field Office, he worked on high priority counterintelligence special projects with multiple deployments to the People's Republic of China. In 2009, Mr. Orlando was the program manager assigned to a FBI task force where he coordinated counterintelligence operations in the Western Pacific and East Asia and led an interagency and foreign partner effort to disrupt foreign influence in the region.
In 2011, Mr. Orlando returned to the field and was assigned to the Honolulu Field Office where he oversaw the successful espionage investigation and conviction of a DoD contractor for passing national defense secrets to China. In 2013, Michael served as the principal deputy for the East Asia Section in the Counterintelligence Division, and in 2017 he served as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office, Counterintelligence Division, where he oversaw the successful disruption of Russian clandestine foreign agent Maria Butina. In 2018, he helped create the Counterterrorism Division’s Iran Threat Task Force, now the Iran Mission Center, as its first Acting Section Chief.
Mr. Orlando has received the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Counterintelligence Investigation and has been awarded three Director of National Intelligence Awards for Counterintelligence Operations.
A native of New York, Mr. Orlando received his bachelor's degree in Economics and Management from the State University of New York, College at Cortland. In 2017, Michael attended Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and earned a master’s in leadership. Prior to working for the FBI, he was an officer in the U.S. Army and was employed by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Eamon Javers is CNBC’s Senior Washington Correspondent, focusing on the role of money and influence in Washington, D.C. He also reports on the U.S. Department of Justice and its Antitrust division’s expected battle with Big Tech. Javers joined CNBC in June 2010 as a Washington reporter based at the bureau in the nation’s capital and appears on the network’s Business Day programming.
Previously, Javers was a White House reporter for Politico, where he covered the intersection of Wall Street and Washington. He conducted investigations of the administration’s financial bailouts and economic stimulus efforts, broke news about the presidency of Barack Obama and authored trend stories on Washington.
Prior to joining Politico, Javers was a Washington correspondent for BusinessWeek magazine writing extensively about Washington lobbying, including the Jack Abramoff scandal and unearthed previously unknown incidents of corporate espionage. He also was an on-air correspondent for CNBC, where he covered the intersection of business and politics. Javers’ articles have appeared in Fortune, Money, Congressional Quarterly and Slate.com. He began his career at The Hill, a weekly newspaper (and website) covering Congress.
Javers is author of the book “Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy: The Secret World of Corporate Espionage,” which revealed a never-before-reported CIA policy allowing active-duty officers to moonlight in the private sector.
He has appeared as an analyst on each of the major broadcast networks, all of the major cable television news networks, the BBC and National Public Radio.
In 2014, Javers was named a finalist in the Gerald Loeb Awards explanatory category for his coverage of how market-moving financial data is released. In 2006, Javers received an Award of Distinction in investigative journalism from the Medill School of Journalism. He graduated from Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y.
Follow Eamon Javers on Twitter @EamonJavers.
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Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. We combine unmatched experience and specialized capabilities across more than 40 industries — powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. With 513,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture brings continuous innovation to help clients improve their performance and create lasting value across their enterprises. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
Chip Bergh is the president & chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.). He is also on the company’s board of directors.
Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. The company designs and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi's®, Dockers®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™ and Denizen® brands. Our products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites and a global footprint of approximately 3,000 retail stores and shop-in-shops.
Prior to joining Levi Strauss & Co. in September 2011, Chip had a 28-year career at Procter & Gamble (P&G). Chip “grew up” in brand management and served in a number of leadership positions with increasing levels of complexity and scope. His last assignment before joining LS&Co. was group president for global male grooming. He was the first P&G employee assigned to the Gillette business following P&G’s $57 billion acquisition of Gillette in 2005. He led the integration and then ran the Gillette Blades & Razors business along with all of P&G’s male grooming brands (Gillette, Old Spice and The Art of Shaving). Prior to that, Chip led all of P&G’s business in India, Southeast Asia and Australasia.
Chip has led many iconic brands during his career including the creation and launch of Swiffer (P&G’s most successful new brand in the last three decades), the turnaround and growth of Old Spice, in addition to Gillette, Folgers coffee and Jif Peanut Butter. He has lived and worked in the United States, Asia and Europe and has run large global businesses and brands.
In July 2017, Chip was named non-executive chairman of the board of HP Inc. (HPQ), the market-leading printing and personal systems company. He has served as lead independent director of the HP board since March 2017 and as a board member since the company’s separation in 2015. Chip has also previously served on the board of directors for VF Corporation and the Economic Development Board of Singapore.
In April 2019, Chip was named one of the World’s Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine, coming in at No. 16, and has been widely recognized for his position on values-driven leadership.
Mark Thompson became president and chief executive officer of The New York Times Company on November 12, 2012. He is responsible for leading the company’s strategy, operations and business units.
Mr. Thompson has been instrumental in accelerating the pace of The Times’s digital transformation. Under his leadership, The Times became the first news organization in the world to pass the one million digital-only subscription mark. The company has also introduced a new era of international growth, launched an industry-leading branded content studio and invested in virtual reality, producing some of the most celebrated work in this emerging medium.
Before joining the Times Company, Mr. Thompson served as director-general of the BBC from 2004, where he reshaped the organization to meet the challenge of the digital age, ensuring that it remained a leading innovator with the launch of services such as the BBC iPlayer. He also oversaw a transformation of the BBC itself, driving productivity and efficiency through the introduction of new technologies and bold organizational redesign.
Mr. Thompson joined the BBC in 1979 as a production trainee. He helped launch “Watchdog” and “Breakfast Time,” was an output editor on “Newsnight,” and was appointed editor of the “Nine O’Clock News” in 1988 and of “Panorama” in 1990. He became controller (programming and scheduling chief) for the TV network BBC2 and director of television for the BBC before leaving the BBC in 2002 to become C.E.O. of Channel 4 Television Corporation in the United Kingdom.
In the autumn of 2012, he was a visiting professor of Rhetoric and the art of public persuasion at the University of Oxford. His book “Enough Said: What’s Gone Wrong with the Language of Politics?,” which is based on the lectures he gave at Oxford, was published in the U.K. and U.S. in September 2016.
Mark Thompson was educated at Stonyhurst College and Merton College, Oxford.
Micky Onvural is the CEO of Bonobos, the men’s e-commerce brand known for pioneering the
digitally-native vertical brand movement by offering exceptional-fitting menswear and a
personalized approach to service. As CEO, Onvural is responsible for evolving, innovating and
driving growth in all facets of the business from customers experience, to omni-channel
strategy, to product expansion and more.
Prior to her role as CEO, Onvural serves as the Co-President of Bonobos, where she was
responsible for evolving and innovating on the end-to-end customer experience including e-
Commerce, Guideshops, Ninjas (Customer Service), Marketing and Creative. Before her time
as Co-President, she held the title of Chief Marketing Officer at Bonobos, responsible for
relaunching the brand, internally championing Walmart’s acquisition of the company, and driving
business results across owned, earned and paid media channels. Before Bonobos, she served
at the Vice President of Consumer Marketing at Trulia, establishing it as a household name.
Before Trulia, she held marketing leadership roles at companies including L’Oreal, Kellogg’s,
TokBox and eBay.
Onvural graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge in the UK.
She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three children.
Oscar Munoz is chief executive officer of United Airlines. He brings to this position deep and broad experience in both the transportation industry and large consumer brands.
Previously, Oscar served as president and chief operating officer of CSX Corporation, a premier freight transportation company. He also served as a director at CSX. During his tenure, CSX transformed itself into an industry leader in customer focus, reliability and financial performance. CSX was named one of Institutional Investor’s Most Honored Companies for a decade of excellent financial performance, including increasing its operating income by nearly 600%.
Additionally, Oscar served in various financial and strategic capacities at some of the world’s most recognized consumer brands, including AT&T, Coca-Cola Enterprises, and PepsiCo. Before joining CSX, Oscar held the position of chief financial officer and vice president of consumer services at AT&T Corporation. Prior to joining AT&T, he served as senior vice president of finance and administration for U.S. West, regional vice president of finance and administration for Coca-Cola Enterprises and held various financial positions at PepsiCo.
Oscar has served on the board of directors of United since 2010 and served on the board of directors of Continental Airlines, Inc. from 2004 to 2010. He is active in several industry coalitions and philanthropic and educational organizations including the University of North Florida’s Board of Trustees and the PAFA advisory board of Vanderbilt University.
Oscar graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in business administration, and he received an MBA from Pepperdine University. He has been named one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics” by Hispanic Business magazine. He is married and has four children.
As the President and Chief Operating Officer of Ticketmaster, North America, a Division of Live Nation Entertainment, Amy Howe is helping to modernize Ticketmaster’s technology and evolve the business model to compete effectively in the rapidly changing live event landscape.
Amy joined Live Nation in 2014 after 14 years with McKinsey & Company. While at McKinsey, Amy served Fortune 500 clients across the media & entertainment, retail, and consumer packaged goods sectors. Howe graduated with a MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BS from Cornell University.
Doug McMillon is president and chief executive officer of Walmart Inc.
As CEO, Doug leads a strong management team that is working to deliver Walmart’s purpose of saving people money and helping them live a better life. Under his leadership, Walmart is bringing together its stores, digital commerce capabilities and supply chain in new ways to make every day easier for customers. Each week, over 275 million customers and members visit our more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites and apps.
From February 2009 to February 2014, Doug served as president and CEO of Walmart International, a fast-growing segment of Walmart’s overall operations, with over 6,100 stores and more than 700,000 associates in 26 countries outside the United States at that time. From 2005 to 2009, he served as president and CEO of Sam’s Club, an operating segment of Walmart, with sales of more than $46 billion annually during his tenure.
Doug is a longtime champion of Walmart’s customers, its associates and the company’s culture. In 1984, he started out as an hourly summer associate in a Walmart distribution center. In 1990, while pursuing his master’s degree in business administration, he rejoined the company as an assistant manager in a Tulsa, Okla., Walmart store before moving to merchandising. He went on to serve in successful senior leadership roles in all of Walmart’s business segments. He remains a merchant at heart and understands where customers around the world are heading next.
Doug has served on the board of directors for Walmart since 2013 and currently is the chair of the Executive committee. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of the Consumer Goods Forum, the U.S.-China Business Council and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. He also serves on the executive committee of the Business Roundtable and the advisory board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing, China.
Originally from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Doug graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor of science in business administration. He earned his MBA in finance from the University of Tulsa.
Brian Niccol was appointed to our Board effective March 5, 2018, at the same time he became our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Niccol previously served from January 1, 2015 as Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Brands, Inc. He joined Taco Bell in 2011 as Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer and served as President from 2013 to 2014. Prior to his service at Taco Bell, from 2005 to 2011 he served in various executive positions at Pizza Hut, another division of Yum! Brands, including General Manager and Chief Marketing Officer. Before joining Yum! Brands, Mr. Niccol spent 10 years at Procter & Gamble Co., serving in various brand management positions. Mr. Niccol holds an undergraduate degree from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He serves as a director of Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Jill Layfield is the co-founder and CEO of Tamara Mellon. In 2016, Jill joined former Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon to create and launch the first-ever digitally led, direct-to-consumer luxury footwear brand. Headquartered in LA, with 62 employees and $87M in venture capital funding, the brand is redefining what it means to be a luxury brand. Jill was previously president and CEO of Backcountry.com, where she grew the company from $30M to $500M in revenue and successfully sold the business to TSG Consumer Partners for $350M. Prior to Backcountry, Jill held marketing positions at several Silicon Valley companies including Shutterfly and Cisco Systems. She currently sits on the board of LivePerson (LPSN).
Eric likes to make things. Really nice things. Like soap that smells like unicorns, delicious gummy vitamins, and bandages so pretty you look forward to needing one (well, sort of).
He started out squeaky clean when he and his high school buddy Adam launched every designer’s dream soap, method, back in 2001. Together they built it into a global industry leader for both design and sustainability.
Because the guy never sleeps, Eric quickly shed his clean rep and shifted from soap maker to pill pusher when he launched OLLY in 2015. A disruptive line of gummies & proteins that shook up the vitamin aisle with smart design and downright deliciousness. As they grow he’s pivoting roles once again to “Mr. Worldwide” to help OLLY take over the globe. OK, Europe and Asia to be exact, but can he still have the cool title?
Fun fact: he once won Connect Four in three moves. And because three is the magic number, this serial entrepreneur is at it again. He recently Co-Founded Welly, maker of the finest fabric bandages and ointments, in the cutest stackable tins you’ve ever seen. Really. And if that’s not enough, despite his less than average build (he said it!), this adrenaline junkie is an avid kite-surfer, snow skier, sailor and Dad to three lively kiddos.
Eric has been named an eco-leader by Vanity Fair, an eco-revolutionary by Time Magazine, PETA's Person of the Year, a recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award, and was named to Fortune’s 40 under 40. Sadly, he is now over 40. But who’s counting? Well, Eric actually–to 1 billion, twice (don’t ask).
Bobby Kotick is Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. Over the course of a quarter century under his leadership, Activision Blizzard has grown to become the world’s most successful standalone interactive entertainment company. Activision Blizzard reaches hundreds of millions of users across almost every country, making it the largest game network in the world. The company’s talented teams have created some of the most beloved and iconic entertainment franchises, including Call of Duty, Candy Crush and World of Warcraft. Activision Blizzard is a member of the S&P 500 and is one of Fortune’s "100 Best Companies to Work For."
Bobby also serves on the boards of The Coca-Cola Company, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Center for Early Education and Harvard Westlake School. He is the founder and co-chairman of the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit that helps veterans find high-quality careers and raises awareness of the value veterans bring to the workplace.
A few years ago, Susan Tynan framed four National Parks posters. When they rang up at $1600, she funneled her sticker shock into a revolutionary idea. She felt sure that if someone made high-quality custom framing easy and affordable, people would frame a lot more—and they have. Since 2014, Tynan has grown Framebridge from the ground up. After four years of record growth, the company opened their first retail location in March 2019.
Prior to Framebridge, Tynan held product and business development roles at several consumer technology startups including LivingSocial, Taxi Magic, and Revolution Health. She began her career at Accenture and served as a management advisor on technology and customer service for the Obama White House. Tynan is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard Business School.
Tim Armstrong is the Founder and CEO of the dtx company, where he is focused on building the infrastructure for the direct-brand economy through experiences, platforms, and investments. Current dtx investments include Dirty Lemon, Argent, Olive & June, Niche, Margaux, and ThirdLove.
Armstrong founded a Boston newspaper after graduating from Connecticut College. In 1995, he moved to Seattle to join Paul Allen’s first internet company, Starwave, which was acquired by Disney. Armstrong moved to New York with Disney and worked at ABC/ESPN Internet Ventures. After Disney, he joined Florida Governor Rick Scott’s health-focused cable and internet company, America’s Health Network, which was later sold to News Corp. Armstrong then went on to be a founding team member of Snowball, which went on to IPO on the Nasdaq. Armstrong left Snowball in 2000 to join Google as its first New York employee; he left Google after almost a decade serving as President of the Americas and as a member of Google’s global executive team.
He joined AOL as Chairman and CEO to spin the company out of Time Warner and launch AOL as a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. After turning AOL around and outperforming the S&P 500 during his tenure as CEO, he sold the company to Verizon Communications. Armstrong joined Verizon as CEO of its digital media division, Oath, and served as a member of its executive team.
Armstrong serves on the boards of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ), Tech:NYC as co-founder, Greenwich Academy for Girls as Chairman, Connecticut College Athletic Club as co-founder, Waterside School and US Olympic & Paralympic Foundation as trustee. He also serves as a loving husband and dad, as well as lacrosse and basketball coach. Armstrong is an avid New England sports fan and Massachusetts native. He is part Camel (Connecticut College graduate) and part Spartan (Lawrence Academy graduate).
Ritch Allison assumed the post of chief executive officer in July 2018. Prior to that, Allison had served as president of Domino’s International since 2014, overseeing more than 9,200 Domino’s stores and all franchise relationships outside the U.S. Since joining Domino’s in March 2011 as executive vice president of International, the division has grown by more than 4,800 stores and has now achieved 24 consecutive years of quarterly same-stores sales growth. The international division accounts for more than one-half of the company’s global retail sales – more than $6.3 billion in fiscal 2017.
Hubert Joly is executive chairman of Best Buy Co. Inc., the leading provider of consumer technology products and services, with approximately 125,000 employees in North America and approximately $40 billion in annual revenue. Previously, Mr. Joly was Chairman (2015-2019) and Chief Executive Officer (2012-2019).
Mr. Joly joined Best Buy in 2012 and led Best Buy through its successful customer-focused Renew Blue transformation, which delivered improved customer satisfaction, market share gains, revenue growth and improved margins, and reduced costs by $1.5 billion to fund necessary investments. Up until June 2019, he led the Company’s Best Buy 2020 growth strategy, focused on enriching people's lives through technology. During both phases, Mr. Joly pursued a purposeful leadership approach, focused on positively impacting all stakeholders. The company’s renewed success with customers has been fueled by the enhanced engagement and proficiency of its employees, investments in their compensation and benefits and a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. In addition, corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts have been embedded in all aspects of the company’s operations, notably resulting in a reduced carbon footprint.
Prior to joining Best Buy, Mr. Joly served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Carlson, Inc., a worldwide hospitality and travel company, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a business travel management company. Mr. Joly currently sits on the executive committees for the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Minnesota Business Partnership.
Jim joined RXBAR in 2016 as Director of Finance and the first hire in the finance function. Jim spent the next year partnering with RXBAR co-founder Jared Smith in building out the finance organization and processes to support the rapid growth of the company. Jim was promoted to VP of Finance and eventually CFO in 2017. In this role, Jim oversaw all aspects of Finance, Accounting, Legal, and People & Organization.
Named President of Insurgent Brands in October of 2018, Jim now leads the day-to-day operations of Insurgents Brands, including the RX portfolio of brands and newly launched TIG Snacks products. Responsible for overseeing sales, marketing, finance and operations, Jim drives business performance as well as culture at the company.
Prior to RXBAR, Jim spent 4 years at PepsiCo in Chicago. Jim joined the innovation finance team supporting the Tropicana business in 2012 and moved into various finance positions for the Global Nutrition Group, focusing on new market entry, product launches and global strategic planning mainly for the Quaker business.
Jim received his bachelor’s degree from Miami University in 2007 and his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2012.
Kevin Demoff is in his 11th year as Chief Operating Officer with the Rams. In this capacity, Demoff serves as the team’s top front office executive and liaison to owner and chairman, Stan Kroenke, on all organizational matters.
After serving on the working group that helped Kroenke return the Rams – Los Angeles’ original professional sports team – home to L.A., Demoff is now playing a significant role in delivering on Kroenke’s vision to design and construct the 298-acre sports and entertainment district in Inglewood that will serve as the future home of the Rams. The campus will include a 70,240 seat stadium, performance venue, retail district and office complex and is currently the largest entitled real-estate project in Southern California.
Since the Rams returned home to Los Angeles in 2016 – the team’s 50th season in Los Angeles after calling the region home from 1946-1994 – the Rams are committed to being a key contributor to the betterment of the Los Angeles community.
Immediately on the heels of the National Football League’s historic return to Los Angeles, Demoff and the Rams helped lead a regional effort to bring the Super Bowl to the new L.A. Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park. In addition to being the most-watched sporting event in the world, Super Bowl LVI, which will be played in 2022, will attract tens of thousands of people to the Los Angeles region and generate hundreds of millions of dollars for local hotels, restaurants, shops and other businesses. Super Bowl LVI is projected to be Los Angeles’ largest tourism event since the 1984 Olympics.
The Hollywood Park development is expected to generate hundreds of millions in new annual economic activity across the region. There are up to 3,000 construction workers on-site daily, with Inglewood residents given priority placement, and more than 10 million worker hours have been completed to-date since construction began. Once completed and fully operating, the stadium and retail components are expected to generate thousands of additional jobs with long-term regional benefits.
In order to further create job opportunities for members of the local community, a 15 percent Inglewood resident apprenticeship goal for construction has been established to help workers develop professional and trade skills. As of June 2019, more than 1,200 craft positions have been filled locally, over 80 Minority and Disadvantaged Businesses had received more than $555 million in construction contracts and local area residents have received more than $58 million in wages.
Demoff and the Rams have also joined forces with the LA24 Olympic Bid Committee, chaired by Casey Wasserman, to help deliver the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Los Angeles. In addition, L.A. Stadium and Entertainment District will host the College Football Playoff final in 2023.
Since joining the Rams in 2009, Demoff has been responsible for re-organizing the club’s business efforts with a focus on delivering a better overall experience for Rams’ fans and increasing the club’s presence in the community. As part of his vision, Demoff spearheaded the organization’s efforts to become one of the strongest philanthropic partners in professional sports. That focus has led the team to receive numerous awards for their charitable efforts as they continue to become part of the fabric of the greater Los Angeles region.
In the wake of unimaginable tragedy that struck the Southern California region in 2018, the Rams hosted the Kansas City Chiefs at the LA Memorial Coliseum on November 19 for a game that currently stands as the highest scoring Monday Night Football game ever and will be remembered for bringing LA Together. After a mass shooting and wildfires affected and displaced thousands of residents in the Southern California region, the Los Angeles Rams stood in solidarity with Angelenos to honor and pay tribute to affected individuals, their families and first responders who worked tirelessly to keep the region safe. Under Demoff’s leadership, the Rams wrapped their arms around the community in a number of ways including giving away thousands of game tickets to those affected by the tragedies and honoring victims and the community through in-game elements including the National Anthem, coin toss and torch lighting. The Rams partnered with CBS 2 and United Way of Greater Los Angeles on a telethon that raised more than $2.1 million benefiting the relief efforts, and in addition more than $250,000 was raised for a variety of charities supporting the relief efforts through in-game 50/50 raffles, jersey auctions, player ticket donations tied to the game.
Reinforcing the Rams’ commitment to the Los Angeles community, Demoff serves on the boards of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission and Los Angeles Sports Council. Since June of 2017, Demoff has served as the chair of United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ annual campaign which helps United Way transform lives and communities by creating pathways out of poverty for the most vulnerable residents through education, housing and financial stability. In May 2019, the Rams teamed up with United Way of Greater Los Angeles for the 12th Annual HomeWalk, a 5K family run/walk to raise public awareness and funds to end homelessness. Through this partnership, the two organizations worked collaboratively to create an unforgettable experience for runners, walkers, fans and fundraisers of all ages. This year, Rams players Aaron Donald, Andrew Whitworth, Johnny Hekker, Tyler Higbee and the entire rookie class joined Coach McVay, Demoff and approximately10,000 community members to end homelessness. The event raised more than $1.1 million for housing solutions.
Demoff is also part of the American Cancer Society’s CEOs Against Cancer, which is a partnership of the world’s leading CEOs and the American Cancer Society dedicated to eliminating unnecessary deaths and suffering from cancer.
One of the hallmarks of the Rams’ community outreach efforts is the team’s Staff Day of Service program. Introduced by Demoff in 2009, each month the team’s front office staff takes time out of the office to volunteer with local non-profits. Since the project’s inception, the Rams’ staff has provided more than 15,000 hours of community service. Since returning home to Los Angeles, the Rams have provided more than 5,500 hours of community service and impacted more than 35 non-profits and over 55 schools through this program alone.
The cornerstone volunteer effort of the Staff Day of Service program is the team’s annual community improvement project that includes staff, players and cheerleaders uniting to assist a local non-profit, school or community in need. Over the past 3 years, the Rams funded and built new playgrounds for Woodworth Elementary School in Inglewood (2016), Figueroa Street Elementary in Watts (2017), Twentieth Street elementary school in Downtown LA (2018) and most recently at Belvedere Elementary School in East LA (2019).
Demoff was recognized by the Sports Business Journal as one of its “Forty under 40” class members of 2016 and in 2010 he was named one of the “NFL’s 10 Future Power Brokers” by Sports Illustrated.
Prior to joining the Rams, Demoff spent the previous four seasons (2005-08) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he served as a consultant before being named Senior Assistant in 2006. In this capacity, Demoff assisted General Manager Bruce Allen in contract negotiations, salary cap management, strategic planning and both college and pro scouting. During his tenure with the Buccaneers, the team captured NFC South titles in 2005 and 2007 while posting a winning record in three of his four seasons.
From 2001-04, Demoff served as Director of Football Operations for the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League. Demoff helped direct the team to its first-ever playoff berth and in his final three seasons with the club, the Avengers posted a record of 28-18, third-best in the Arena Football League, qualifying for the playoffs in each of those seasons.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Calif., Demoff received a bachelors’ degree in history from Dartmouth College in 1999 and a Masters in Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in 2006.
Kevin and Jennifer have two children – a daughter, Claire and a son, Owen.
Jeni Britton Bauer is an American ice cream maker and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement, she introduced a modern, ingredient-driven style of ice cream making that has been widely emulated across the world but never duplicated. Jeni opened her first ice cream shop, Scream, in 1996, then founded Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002. Her first cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, won a coveted James Beard Award in 2012 and became the de facto bible for anybody making their own ice cream or thinking about opening a new-style ice cream shop. Her second cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts (2014), took ice cream to the next level with an array of incredible plated, layered, and piled-high ice cream-centric desserts. Today, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is a Certified B Corporation with more than 50 scoop shops, an online shop at jenis.com, and distribution in top grocery stores across the country. As Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Jeni remains the beating heart of the company and is in charge of all creative output—from the ice cream itself to the supporting details that enhance the experience of eating it. Jeni is a 2017 Henry Crown Fellow and has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the most creative people in business today.
Deanna M. Mulligan is Board Chair of Guardian Life Insurance, and former Chief Executive Officer.
She was a Principal at McKinsey & Company and has held senior positions at AXA Financial, New York Life Insurance Company, and ChannelPoint. Active across the industry and in the community, Ms. Mulligan is a Board member of The Vanguard Group, the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), the Partnership for New York City, the Economic Club of New York, the Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), and the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT. Ms. Mulligan was appointed to, and served on, the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans from 2014 to 2015, was Chair of the Board of the ACLI from 2015 to 2016. She is currently a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council, and served as a Director on the Board of Arch Capital.
Fortune named her one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” and Crain’s New York Business recognized her as one of “The 50 Most Powerful Women in New York,” five times each. Ms. Mulligan graduated from the University of Nebraska with High Distinction and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg TV and Yahoo! Finance, and has participated in Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, Forbes Women's Summit, the Peterson Fiscal Summit, the ACCT Leadership Congress, and CECP's CEO Investor Forum 8.0, among other speaking opportunities.
Lee has more than 25 years of experience working with both entrepreneurial private companies and large, multinational public companies.
As Americas EY Private Leader, Lee works with teams across the EY Americas Area — North, Central and South America and Israel — to support high-growth entrepreneurs and middle-market companies. These teams serve family enterprises, Venture Capital (VC) - and Private Equity (PE) - backed companies, privately held businesses, and pre-IPO and public companies.
Lee previously served as EY US Central Region Growth Markets Leader and Entrepreneur Of The Year® Midwest Program Director, Ernst & Young LLP. He’s spent time Ernst & Young LLP in London as the coordinating partner for a Fortune 500 technology company and served as the COO of the EY Assurance services in the UK and Ireland.
An active member in Chicago’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, Lee sits on several boards and committees including the Big Shoulders Fund; 1871, Chicago’s center for technology and entrepreneurship; and the Economic Club of Chicago.
Lee holds a BS in Accounting from California State University, Hayward.
Eran Zinman is the co-founder and CTO of monday.com, a leading Work OS. He has been developing and coding since the age of nine. Before co-founding monday.com, he was part of the leadership team at Conduit Mobile (now Como) where he managed R&D operations. Eran obtained a Bachelor of Science focused in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Tel Aviv University.
George Chamoun became CEO of ACV Auctions on September 16, 2016. As an early angel investor in ACV, George was drawn by the company’s long term potential. George brings a successful track record of accomplishment as an entrepreneur and senior executive. He co-founded Synacor (Nasdaq: SYNC) right out of college in 1998, and spent the next two decades building it into a trusted technology and revenue partner for some of the largest video and communication providers in the world. George was President of Sales and Marketing, growing the business for many years which enabled the company to go public in 2012.
George has been recognized for his accomplishments;
In 2009 when Multichannel News named him one of the publication's "40-under-40" most influential innovators in the industry
In 1999 recipient of the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in NY
George has a passion for Entrepreneurship and serves as Chairman of Launch NY, a non-for-profit organization supporting the startup ecosystem for Upstate New York. George is a proud husband and father of two great kids.
