Chaired by head judge, Ty Heath, our judging panel comprises respected industry experts who bring a wealth of C-Suite and thought leadership experience to create a fair and transparent evaluation process.
Oobah Butler is a lot of things. A #1 fake restauranteur. Paris Fashion Week’s top fake designer. The host of MTV’s Catfish UK. A bestselling LA Times author. Oobah’s brain works… differently. Despite having no formal qualifications, he’s made a name for himself over the past years by achieving against all odds with little in his pockets and a comical, outside-of-the-box way of thinking.
For example, after discovering that the world’s biggest travel website, TripAdvisor, wasn’t completely legitimate, he spent six months transforming his garden shed into the platform’s #1 restaurant. The heist dominated the world news and attracted over 100 million views upon releasing a documentary about it.
But that’s not all of it.
When struggling Zambian denim designer Georgio Peviani entered his life, Oobah adopted a persona that made waves at Paris Fashion Week – with a pair of £20 jeans.
More recently, Oobah has been working with his ‘app’, which enables people to order lookalikes of themselves to do something either they don’t want to do or wish they could do a better job of. Thousands have contacted him for his help, most interestingly documented in his November 2020 VICE film, Sending A Lookalike to My High School Reunion. The viral film is both heartwarming and hilarious, resulting in Oobah being hailed by the AV Club as “probably the best prankster working in the world today.”
In March 2021, it was announced that Oobah would be co-hosting the first UK version of the hit American show, Catfish, alongside Julie Adenuga on MTV worldwide. The series trended in both the UK and US, featured on Gogglebox multiple times and made international news headlines. It has just finished its third season with Butler joined by Nella Rose for series 2 and 3.
Most recently, at the end of 2023, Butler’s groundbreaking TV documentary, “The Great Amazon Heist”, captivated audiences worldwide and broke news as a series of viral stunts about the corporate monolith. This film was hailed in a 5-star review by The Daily Telegraph as an “ingenious exposé” and a sign that Butler has matured without losing what has made his career so explosive to date.
Lucas Rivers is the Global Director of Thought Leadership at the Project Management Institute (PMI), where he leads a department spanning research and insights, content strategy, strategic partnerships, and academic research programs. His team produces original research, frameworks, and tools that help organizations and professionals navigate the forces reshaping the way we work — from AI and automation to evolving models of complexity and strategy execution.
Previously, he was Vice President of Sustainability Thought Leadership at Morgan Stanley, where he published insights for investors and corporations on a range of environmental and social issues, from biodiversity loss to affordable housing. He has also held roles at Citigroup, worked as a strategy consultant for large corporate foundations, and began his career in the nonprofit space supporting young social entrepreneurs across 80 countries. He holds an MPA from Columbia University, a BA in Political Science and Chinese from Union College, and was a 2015-2016 Fulbright Scholar in Vietnam. Outside of work, Lucasis a member of New York City’s LGBTQ+ symphony, an avid writer, and an amateur potter.
Brenna Sniderman leads Deloitte’s Center for Integrated Research, where she heads a global team investigating the most critical cross-sector shifts transforming organizations—from digital disruption and workforce transformation to mobility and advanced technologies.
Her research explores the intersection of digital and physical innovation, with a particular focus on Industry 4.0 and how advanced, connected, and autonomous technologies are redefining operations, supply networks, and organizational strategy. Brenna helps senior leaders understand and anticipate how technological change impacts how businesses think, operate, and compete.
With a background in both qualitative and quantitative research, Brenna has shaped strategic narratives for global audiences, delivering insights that help organizations not just keep up—but lead—in times of change. She is a sought-after speaker, writer, and thought leader, passionate about uncovering the next big idea that will shape how we live, work, and build the future.
Francis is the Global Managing Director of Accenture Research. Accenture Research identifies and anticipates game-changing business, market, and technology trends through provocative thought leadership. Their 300 researchers based in 20 countries partner with world-class organizations and Academia to discover innovative solutions for their clients.
Francis’ current role also includes the management of special projects for Accenture Global Leadership such as the preparation of G20/B20 Summits.
Francis has 25 years of experience in Strategic Research and Consulting. Prior to joining Accenture, he worked in a Research Consulting boutique in Paris.
Lucia is the Global Editorial Director and Deputy Publisher of McKinsey global publishing, a team of more than 100 editors, visual storytellers, multimedia producers, and audience development experts spanning locations worldwide. She attended Columbia University and after a brief post-collegiate in her native Massachusetts returned to pursue a master’s in cinema studies from New York University. For nearly the last two decades at McKinsey, Lucia has led the full complement of the firm’s research-driven publishing including McKinsey’s multi-award-winning response to the COVID-19 pandemic thousands of articles, interviews, videos, interactives, and data visualizations that have attracted millions of readers. Lucia also co-hosts the firm’s flagship audio franchise the McKinsey Podcast and launched and co-moderates its largest public-facing webinar series, McKinsey Live.
Tom is an editorial director at PwC and editor of strategy+business. Previously, Tom spent a total of two decades at McKinsey & Company, including serving as deputy editor-in-chief of McKinsey Quarterly. Between Tom’s two stints at McKinsey, he helped start a content development function at Heidrick & Struggles, an executive recruiting firm. Tom’s writing and editing portfolio spans diverse sectors, functions, geographies, and content formats. In his work, Tom has a deep respect for storytelling, data, and design—rooted in his background in fiction writing and data visualization.
As the Founder and Head of KPMG’s Advisory Insights program, Jeff leads the production of high-quality thought leadership, research and market insights that help drive demand in what is the growth engine for the firm. With over 15 years of experience in strategy and business consulting, he runs a dynamic team of 75+ members dedicated to developing enterprise-wide go-to-market campaigns aligned to firm strategy, client needs and KPMG’s core capabilities.
Jeff has played a central role in driving KPMG’s perspective related to our firm’s key themes and hot topic GTM response teams.
Cindy has been the IBM Institute for Business Values’ top marketing officer for nearly three years, overseeing editorial, design, and user engagement. Prior to that, she had seven years as Chief Marketing & Brand Officer for the Project Management Institute, a global association that built a profession. While there, she developed a thought leadership competency for the organization, founded a strategy coalition, and was a frequent author and speaker. Earlier in her career, she worked as a marketing and communications executive in healthcare, food manufacturing, medical devices, and philanthropy.
President and CEO Lisa Higgins has led many departments and strategic initiatives in her 30-year career with APQC. Beyond ensuring the operations and financial success of the organization, Lisa is the chief caretaker and champion for APQC’s philosophy, values, and culture. She safeguards and embodies the Grayson GuaranteeSM so that the members APQC serves and the employees who join know of, live with, and carry on the legacy of APQC’s storied founder Jack Grayson.
Prior to being elevated to CEO in 2018 (the third CEO in APQC’s 40 year history), she was named as President in 2012, COO in 2000, and a member of APQC’s executive team since 1995. She joined the organization in 1993.
Lisa headed APQC’s Benchmarking Services and Custom Solutions Group, which used APQC methodologies to provide support and apply proven practices to solve clients’ business problems. She oversaw the delivery of more than 500 benchmarking and best-practice research studies for clients throughout the world.
Lisa led APQC’s work in the formation of the Open Standards Benchmarking CollaborativeSM (currently Open Standards Benchmarking), which established an open universal standard for processes—APQC’s Process Classification Framework (PCF)®—and performance metrics used to evaluate and understand those processes. With more than 9,000 participants, APQC’s Open Standards Benchmarking database is the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of performance analytics, benchmarks, and best practices.
Lisa’s primary focus throughout her career at APQC has been to assist organizations in building capabilities to support their objectives, including the integration of benchmarking and other continuous improvement tools. She has led numerous benchmarking and best-practice research projects in the area of shared services. She has also worked extensively with clients seeking to implement or improve existing shared service business structures and operating models.
Lisa has advised on the alignment of organizational objectives using measurement and process improvement strategies throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. She has authored several APQC publications and articles including APQC’s By the Numbers series that includes topics such as accounting, finance, human resources, logistics, and procurement. She has also contributed to APQC’s Passport series that includes information on benchmarking, leadership, corporate training, and knowledge management.
Lisa is proud to have been a board member of the Epilepsy Foundation of Southeast Texas since 2004 and board president for two consecutive terms 2009–2010. In addition she serves on the foundation’s national strategic planning committee.
Yogesh is an established business professional with an extensive background in consulting, market research, data analytics, and business leadership. Throughout his career, he has leveraged his skillset in advanced research methodologies and project management to provide business professionals with trend-setting insights.
As a CEO, Yogesh has helped iResearch grow into a marketing-first agency helping Fortune 500 brands to build digital-trust with their modern consumer through thought leadership. He provides guidance & strategic direction to all cross-functional teams at iResearch Services and is keenly involved in developing new initiatives that help in improving customer experience. He is committed to creating a sustainable future for iResearch by staying on cutting-edge of emerging tech.
He initiated Giving for Good Foundation, a charity supporting disadvantaged children for education & sports, and having a sustainable environmental mission. He actively steers several campaigns through this award-winning social venture which has underpinned & enriched lives of more than 10,000 children since 2019.
Yogesh is an active investor, a tech optimist, mentor to young entrepreneurs and a future enthusiast – always looking for more comfortable, better and more efficient ways to solve problems. He holds an MBA, and also undergone leadership training at London Business school and actively shares his insights on Forbes, Linkedin and Medium. Before working with iResearch, Yogesh worked in senior leadership roles into sales and marketing with technology firms and banks.
Brittany is an accomplished editorial leader with two decades of experience crafting compelling stories across diverse formats, from investigative journalism to memoir to thought leadership. With a reporter’s instinct honed at Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism, she takes joy in blending data-driven journalism tactics into the marketing function. She also holds an MA in Writing & Publishing from DePaul University, where she studied the intricacies of syntax, grammar, and nonfiction writing.
Brittany’s expertise lies at the intersection of coaching executives on effective communication, managing client-facing writers and editors, and cultivating a start-up culture with incredibly high retention. As an editor, she has deep expertise in developing reports, articles, and other forms of thought leadership for executives across industries, from financial services to energy to technology.
Prior to joining iResearch, Brittany built and managed the editorial team at US-based Leff Communications. She also held roles in marketing and administration. She is currently working toward an executive MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (graduating June 2025). She’s the proud mom of a rambunctious daughter and two cats.
Jennifer Jones is an executive leader with more than 27 years of experience driving large-scale transformation for Fortune 500 organizations across more than 17 industries. She currently leads global go-to-market strategy for a $550M+ brand, focused on building sustained customer preference and clear market differentiation.
Her experience spans brand, user, employee and customer experience, alongside service design, workplace automation, and AI. Across each of these areas, she has led complex, cross-functional programs that align business strategy with execution at scale.
Jennifer’s approach is grounded in a clear principle: transformation only works when it works for people. Her work consistently centers on improving user experience, enabling employees, and strengthening how organizations engage their customers.
Over the course of her career, she has delivered a series of firsts. From launching new beverage brands and developing early mobile applications, to rethinking intranet service delivery and leading global social campaigns for milestone brand moments, her work has helped organizations set new benchmarks for how they connect with their audiences and operate internally.
Ashley Faus is a marketing leader known for bringing clarity and connection to increasingly complex marketing environments. Her career spans product marketing, content, and demand generation, where she has built a reputation for aligning teams, ideas, and execution around what matters most: the audience.
Her approach is grounded in a simple but often overlooked principle that has shaped her career from the outset, that marketing is ultimately about people. This perspective underpins her work helping organizations bridge gaps between specialist teams and create more cohesive, effective go-to-market strategies.
Ashley is the author of Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI, where she outlines practical frameworks for building more meaningful engagement in a rapidly evolving landscape. She also shares her expertise as a conference speaker and educator, including teaching with Stanford Continuing Studies.
Alongside her work with global teams, Ashley is a strong advocate for developing the next generation of marketers, regularly sharing leadership insights and career guidance to ensure the discipline continues to evolve without losing sight of the human experience behind every decision.
Ava Sirrah translates tech for the C-suite. At Google, she leads CMO thought leadership for the Frontier CMO program, reaching 130k+ leaders via LinkedIn newsletter and millions via the podcast. She holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, focusing on the evolution of advertising in news publishing and digital platforms. She enjoys blending academic rigor with tech-sector action in her work. Ava is also a professor at NYU Stern and is currently teaching the Strategic Communication MBA course.
Ty Heath leads global thought leadership go-to-market at LinkedIn, where she translates strategy and research into clear points of view that shape market perception and influence decision-making at scale.
Her work sits at the intersection of marketing science, systems thinking, and leadership. She partners with academics and industry experts to identify what drives growth and turns those insights into narratives leaders can recognize, trust, and apply.
Over the course of her career at Google, IBM, and Nestlé, as well as through her own consultancy, Heath has focused on closing the gap between insight and action. Her work helps organizations turn complex research and strategy into clear, practical guidance for leaders navigating fast-changing markets.
Heath regularly speaks and writes about brand building as a growth lever, perception and decision-making in markets, and how leaders can create clarity and agency within complex systems. She has shared her insights on stages including INBOUND, Adobe Summit, Adweek, and the Festival of Marketing, and has served as a juror for leading industry awards, including the Creative B2B Lions at Cannes.
Jeff Kavanaugh is a business researcher, advisor, and thought leadership leader with a career spanning consulting, investment, and industry. He leads the Infosys Knowledge Institute, where he oversees global research and develops cross-industry thought leadership focused on business transformation, technology, and strategy.
Alongside his research leadership, Jeff has served as a consulting managing partner, advising both leading enterprises and early-stage firms on how to strengthen competitiveness and drive growth, particularly across manufacturing and high-tech sectors. He is also an active investor and advisor in early-stage ventures across technology, energy, and life sciences.
His work is grounded in a set of core themes that shape both his research and practical impact. In sustainability, he has developed a pragmatic approach to tackling complex energy transition challenges, outlined in his book Practical Sustainability. In business transformation, his work on operating models for the digital age is captured in The Live Enterprise. He has also made a significant contribution to workforce development, helping scale professional capability through large programs and his book Consulting Essentials.
Beyond his corporate and research work, Jeff brings a distinctive perspective shaped by hands-on experience. He is a fifth-generation farmer and co-founder of a farm-to-glass distillery, combining local sourcing with sustainable production. This blend of analytical rigor and real-world application underpins his broader perspective that insight is not only analytical, but human.
Jim Gardner is Executive Director of WSJ Intelligence, the in-house research consultancy for The Wall Street Journal | Barron’s Group. He oversees all research initiatives globally for commercial partnerships and has been with the organization since 2005.
Jim’s topics of expertise include Digital Strategy, B2B Strategy, Financial Research, Technology Research, Consumer Research, Primary Research, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Advertising Research, Competitive Intelligence, Media Research, Syndicated Research.
Katy is an accomplished brand manager and marketing director, with a proven track record of driving growth and innovation. Prior to joining Solomon Partners, she held senior leadership positions at JPMorgan Chase since 2010, most recently serving as a Managing Director in J.P. Morgan’s Commercial & Investment Bank. In that role, she led global and regional marketing strategies and programs and oversaw branding efforts to promote the investment banking franchise among corporate clients and key partners.
Katy previously served as Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase, leading the Global Employer Brand organization, where she developed and executed global marketing strategies and optimized operations. Her experience spans branding, design, market research, channel strategies, integrated campaigns, and data and analytics.
Jessica Voelker is Director of Marketing Communications, AI Business Solutions at Microsoft and Editor-in-Chief of WorkLab, where she leads conversations around the future of work, AI, and business transformation. With a career spanning editorial, brand storytelling, and executive communications, she specializes in translating complex ideas into compelling narratives that resonate with global audiences and senior decision-makers.
Beginning her career researching and developing documentaries at National Geographic, Jessica has built and scaled content platforms, shaped influential brand voices, and led cross-functional creative teams focused on innovation and impact. Her work today explores how AI is reshaping the modern workplace and how organizations can adopt emerging technologies in ways that are responsible, practical, and empowering for people.
Emily Foley is a strategic marketing and communications leader operating at the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, finance, and customer experience. In her current role at Palo Alto Networks, she leads Global GTM Strategic Communications within the Office of the President, shaping narratives that drive growth, elevate brand positioning, and deliver measurable business impact.
Previously, Emily held senior leadership roles at Cisco, including leading global marketing and communications for Cisco Capital and overseeing corporate marketing, public relations, and brand. A former agency founder, she is known for reinvigorating brands and positioning marketing as a strategic growth driver. Her work has earned multiple industry awards, and she holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Mississippi.
Ross Gagnon is Vice President of Research at Forbes, where he leads research-driven initiatives that support thought leadership, content strategy, events, and marketing programs for global brands and executive audiences. With more than 15 years of experience across market research, consulting, analytics, and project management, Ross has built deep expertise in both B2B and B2C markets.
Specializing in thought leadership, consumer insights, competitive analysis, and analytics, Ross helps organizations turn complex data into meaningful narratives that inform strategy and drive engagement. His work focuses on delivering research and insight programs that connect brands with senior decision-makers through credible, data-backed storytelling.
Lynn Teo is a Fortune 100 Chief Marketing Officer and growth strategist with 28+ years of experience building iconic brands, scaling revenue engines, and leading digital transformation across some of the world’s most complex organizations. Known for her integrative, data-led approach to marketing, Lynn bridges brand strategy, business operations, and commercial performance — turning marketing functions into measurable growth drivers.
Lynn’s expertise spans the full marketing funnel — from user experience, product strategy, brand positioning, creative strategy to demand generation, performance marketing, MarTech, and marketing operations. She has built and led high-performing marketing organizations across B2C, B2B, and B2B2C environments in financial services, health, technology, media, retail, and professional services.
Lynn graduated with an M.A. from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. (with honors) from the National University of Singapore. She has lived and worked internationally (US, Asia/ANZ, and Europe). Her passions are travel, hiking in the National Parks in America, and music
As Chief Marketing Officer at CrowdStrike, Jennifer Johnson (JJ) leads the company’s global marketing strategy and execution. With deep expertise in cybersecurity, JJ has a distinguished 20+ year career in enterprise software marketing.
Before joining CrowdStrike, JJ served as CMO at Illumio, Tenable (Nasdaq: TENB), Amplitude (Nasdaq: AMPL), Tanium, and Coverity (now Synopsys). She successfully led Tenable and Amplitude through public offerings and was a member of Illumio’s Board of Directors. Her strategic vision has consistently helped companies define and dominate market categories.
Outside her CMO roles, JJ was a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, advising enterprise portfolio companies on go-to-market strategies. She also currently serves on the Board of Directors at Immersive Labs.
JJ is renowned for her bold storytelling and ability to introduce innovative go-to-market approaches, hone strategic positioning, and disrupt existing markets.
Carlos Arcila is the Associate Director of Corporate Communications for Verizon, where he leads strategic narratives and media relations for AI, Customer Experience (CX), and Cybersecurity. In this role, he focuses on elevating Verizon Business’ industry leadership in the AI space by shaping compelling stories and securing impactful earned media coverage for its innovative Products and Services.
