BrightFORWARD

An Executive Conference

Once a year, BrightTower convenes a curated, invitation-only community of founders, CEOs, strategic investors, and private equity partners for an afternoon of authentic relationship building and knowledge exchange. The conference program includes content-rich keynote presentations and candid panel discussions focused on what's shaping – and disrupting – the marketing, software, tech-enabled services, and information markets. Conversations will continue over cocktails at one of New York City's exclusive private dining clubs with panoramic views of Central Park.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2026

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Conference: 1:00-5:00PM ET
Cocktails: 5:00-7:00PM ET

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Savoy Club + Coco’s at Colette
(GM Building- 767 Fifth Avenue, New York City)

Agenda

1:00-1:30pm

Registration

1:30-1:40pm

Welcome Remarks

1:40-2:00pm

Visionary Keynote: PSP Partners

  • Amir Akhavan, Managing Director, BrightTower (Moderator)
  • Greg Dolan, Co-Founder & CEO, Keen Decision Systems
  • Rick Erwin, CEO, Adstra
  • Andy Frawley, CEO, Data Axle
  • Scott Howe, CEO, LiveRamp

2:00-2:30pm

Panel: Geopolitics & Strategic Communications: The New Advisory Frontier

  • Juan Mejia, Managing Director, BrightTower (Moderator)
  • Maria Givens, VP, Head of Media & Digital Platforms, Bayer Inc.
  • Travis Johnson, Global CEO, PODEAN
  • Daniel Knijnik, Co-Founder & CEO, Quartile
  • Connor McGogney, Chief Strategy Officer, Criteo
  • Matt Stone, Managing Director, PSG Equity

2:30-3:00pm

Panel: Signal in the Noise: Making Sense of Today's Digital Media Landscape

  • Joe De Sena, Founder & CEO, Spartan

3:00-3:20pm

Break

3:20-3:50pm

Keynote: Dow Jones

  • Ndidi Oteh, CEO, Accenture Song

3:50-4:20pm

Panel: Defending the Moat: Data, Durability & Deals in a Machine-Native World

  • Frank Cordek, Managing Director, BrightTower (Moderator)
  • Alex Collmer, Founder & CEO, VidMob
  • George Huff, Co-Founder & CEO, Opal
  • Michelle Noon, Founder & Managing Partner, Clearhaven Partners
  • James Slezak, Co-Founder & CEO, Swayable

4:20-4:50pm

Panel: The Agentic Repricing: Who Captures Value When AI Runs Commerce

  • Sam Barthelme, Managing Director, BrightTower (Moderator)
  • Aaron Kissel, CEO, Assemble
  • Kim Kopetz, President & CEO, The Opus Group
  • Jared Pollacco, CEO, Impact XM
  • Yancy Weinrich, President North America, CloserStill Media

4:50-5:00pm

Closing Remarks

5:00-7:00pm

Cocktail Reception at Coco's

Thank You to Our Sponsors