The Marketing Track at the UWEBC Annual Conference explores how organizations are building stronger brands, connecting with customers, and driving growth in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Sessions in this track highlight the strategies, technologies, and data-driven insights that are reshaping modern marketing. From customer insights and brand strategy to digital engagement, analytics, and emerging tools, speakers share practical perspectives on how marketing leaders are navigating change and delivering measurable impact. Attendees will hear real-world examples from practitioners who are experimenting, adapting, and redefining what effective marketing looks like today.
Track Speakers
Pricing with Intelligence: Turning Market Signals into Better Decisions
Sri Kantamneni, Executive Vice President, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Schreiber Foods
Pricing with Intelligence: Turning Market Signals into Better Decisions
Sri Kantamneni, Executive Vice President, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Schreiber Foods
Pricing is one of the most powerful, and most challenging, levers available to an organization. Yet in an increasingly volatile marketplace, successful pricing depends on far more than cost, competition, or historical performance. It requires organizations to recognize changing market conditions, interpret meaningful signals, and respond with confidence.
In this session, Sri Kantamneni shares how Schreiber Foods is strengthening its commercial intelligence by connecting market signals, operational insights, and business decisions into a more responsive way of working. Drawing on the experience of competing in the highly competitive private label marketplace, Sri will explore how organizations can move beyond looking at yesterday’s results to making more informed decisions about tomorrow’s opportunities.
Attendees will learn how leading organizations identify the information that truly matters, overcome organizational barriers that slow decision-making, and create stronger alignment between market realities and commercial strategy. While pricing serves as the lens for this discussion, the principles extend across marketing, operations, finance, and executive leadership, demonstrating how better intelligence leads to better business decisions.
Whether you’re responsible for pricing, product management, marketing strategy, or business performance, you’ll leave with practical ideas for building the organizational capabilities needed to respond more effectively to changing markets and create sustainable competitive advantage.
Key Takeaways:
Understand how market signals can strengthen pricing and broader commercial decision-making.
Learn why historical reporting alone is no longer sufficient in rapidly changing markets.
Explore how leading organizations connect market intelligence with operational and commercial decisions.
Identify organizational barriers that prevent timely, informed decision-making.
Discover practical approaches for building commercial intelligence that supports long-term growth and competitive advantage.
Sri Kantamneni
Executive Vice President, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Schreiber Foods
SriRaj Kantamneni joined Schreiber in 2022 as Executive Vice president, Chief Information & Digital
Officer. In this role, Sri leads Schreiber’s information technology, cyber security as well as the corporate venturing organizations and is responsible for shaping its digital strategy and innovation. Sri earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois, and an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University.
Sri brings more than 20 years of leadership in data, and digital technologies. His breadth of experience spans finance, supply chain, sourcing, logistics and transportation; as well as production and manufacturing. He most recently served as Managing Director of Digital Insights at Cargill, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sri has held various global leadership roles at Cargill spanning large technology transformation initiatives, establishing shared service centers and deploying SAP and other ERP programs. He’s led acquisition integrations and stood up new businesses focused on strategic solutions and services. Sri has held leadership roles in the Americas, Europe and Asia, but, has recently relocated to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Schreiber Foods is headquartered.
The New Promotional Mix: Balancing Competing Expectations
Kikora Mason, Communications Leader and Cultural Strategist
The New Promotional Mix: Balancing Competing Expectations
Kikora Mason, Communications Leader and Cultural Strategist
Marketing has never been more complex. Today’s organizations communicate in an environment where customers are only one of many audiences paying attention. Employees, investors, regulators, community leaders, advocacy groups, and the public all influence how brands are perceived—and their expectations don’t always align.
In this thought-provoking session, Kikora N. Mason explores how organizations can navigate competing priorities while remaining authentic to their mission and values. Drawing on her experience leading communications and community engagement initiatives for large, highly visible organizations, she will share practical insights into building trust across diverse audiences, responding thoughtfully to complex issues, and making strategic communication decisions when there is no single “right” answer.
Rather than treating promotion as a one-way marketing function, attendees will explore how modern organizations can build credibility through transparency, consistency, and intentional engagement. Kikora will introduce her CLEAR framework — Context, Listeners, Expectations, Alignment, and Response — a practical model for evaluating competing interests, establishing communication principles before difficult moments arise, and adapting messaging without compromising organizational integrity.
Whether your role involves marketing, communications, customer experience, or organizational leadership, you’ll leave with practical approaches for navigating today’s increasingly interconnected communications landscape while strengthening trust in your brand.
Key Takeaways:
Understand how today’s promotional landscape extends far beyond traditional customer communications.
Learn practical approaches for balancing the needs and expectations of customers, employees, investors, regulators, and the communities your organization serves.
Explore communication strategies that strengthen trust during moments of competing priorities and heightened public attention.
Apply the CLEAR framework — Context, Listeners, Expectations, Alignment, Response — to make consistent, values-based communication decisions.
Build greater organizational confidence in navigating complex relationships while protecting long-term brand credibility.
Kikora Mason
Communications Leader and Cultural Strategist
Kikora N. Mason is a cultural strategist and digital communications leader with 13+ years of experience at the intersection of social media, brand strategy and community building. She has experience leading crisis and reputational communications, cultural partnership strategy and community engagement at scale for one of the world’s largest financial institutions.
She has served as Vice President of Community at JPMorganChase, and as Deputy Director of Digital Strategy for Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, navigating crisis communications and shaping the digital voice of a sitting mayor during one of Chicago’s most consequential periods: COVID-19. Featured in the Chicago Tribune for her POV on cultural fluency in digital communications, she is an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago, a board member of the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness and a proud Florida A&M University alumna.
The Growth Imperative: Reinventing Brands for New Generations
Allison Murn, Brand Growth Consultant, Illuminiting; Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota
The Growth Imperative: Reinventing Brands for New Generations
Allison Murn, Brand Growth Consultant, Illuminiting; Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota
A strong brand is built over years, even decades, but maintaining its relevance requires continual evolution. As customer expectations shift and organizations navigate the growing influence of employees, communities, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders, legacy brands must find new ways to communicate their value without losing sight of what made them successful in the first place.
In this engaging session, Allison Murn explores how established organizations can evolve their core value proposition to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. Through practical examples and proven strategies, she will demonstrate how leading brands balance heritage with innovation, strengthen trust across diverse customer groups, and adapt their messaging while preserving the authenticity that customers have come to expect.
More than a marketing challenge, brand evolution requires thoughtful alignment between organizational purpose, customer experience, product value, and strategic priorities. Attendees will learn how successful organizations identify changing expectations, evaluate where their brand needs to evolve, and communicate that evolution in ways that deepen trust rather than dilute identity.
Whether your organization has been around for ten years or one hundred, you’ll leave with practical ideas for honoring your brand’s legacy while positioning it for continued relevance, growth, and impact.
Key Takeaways:
Understand the forces reshaping expectations and what they mean for established brands.
Learn how to evolve your brand’s value proposition without losing the trust and recognition you’ve earned.
Explore practical strategies for aligning purpose, customer experience, and brand positioning.
Identify opportunities to modernize messaging while preserving authenticity and organizational identity.
Build a roadmap for keeping your brand relevant to customers, employees, partners, investors, and other key groups for years to come.
Allison Murn
Brand Growth Consultant, Illuminiting; Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota
Allison Murn is a marketing strategist, educator, and brand growth expert with deep experience helping established brands evolve for new generations of consumers. She teaches Marketing at the Carlson School of Management, where she combines real-world industry expertise with academic insight to develop the next generation of marketers and business leaders.
Allison is also the Founder and Chief Luminary of Illuminiting, a brand growth consultancy focused on helping organizations uncover new paths to growth and innovation. Across her career, she has worked in industries ranging from beauty and food & beverage to consumer products and industrial manufacturing, building a reputation for creative problem-solving, strategic vision, and leadership in rapidly changing environments.
From Brand to Destination: When Place Becomes a Marketing Strategy
Michael Belot, SVP Business Operations & Chief Real Estate Development Officer, Milwaukee Bucks
From Brand to Destination: When Place Becomes a Marketing Strategy
Michael Belot, SVP Business Operations & Chief Real Estate Development Officer, Milwaukee Bucks
Where customers encounter a brand can be just as important as what the brand offers or how it is promoted. As physical and digital experiences increasingly overlap, organizations have an opportunity to think beyond traditional channels and create places that bring together customers, communities, partners, and experiences in ways that strengthen the brand itself.
Four years ago, the Milwaukee Bucks joined the UWEBC Annual Conference to share how thoughtful planning, customer focus, and investment in the brand positioned the organization to capitalize when championship success arrived. That story included the vision for Fiserv Forum and Deer District as a place where people could live, work, play, and connect, extending the Bucks experience well beyond the basketball court.
In this next chapter, Michael Belot, SVP Business Operations & Chief Real Estate Development Officer for the Milwaukee Bucks, will explore how Fiserv Forum and Deer District have continued to evolve from an arena into a destination that brings together sports, entertainment, hospitality, community, partnerships, and development. Michael will share how the Bucks create reasons for people to engage beyond game day and how intentional development of the surrounding environment can expand the reach and relevance of a brand.
Attendees will gain a new perspective on the role physical spaces can play in creating customer experiences, aggregating audiences, and building a sense of connection and belonging. While the Bucks and Deer District provide a highly visible example, the principles extend to organizations considering how stores, offices, showrooms, events, communities, partnerships, and other points of interaction can become more meaningful parts of the customer experience.
Whether you’re responsible for brand strategy, customer experience, channel strategy, partnerships, or growth, you’ll leave with ideas for thinking more intentionally about where customers encounter your brand, and how those places can create value beyond the transaction.
Key Takeaways:
Explore how physical spaces can evolve from points of transaction into destinations that strengthen brand relationships.
Learn how organizations can create reasons for customers and communities to engage beyond the core product or service.
Understand how bringing together experiences, partners, and audiences can expand the value and relevance of a place.
Consider how physical environments can complement other channels as part of a connected customer experience.
Identify opportunities to make where customers encounter your brand a more intentional part of your marketing strategy.
Michael Belot
SVP Business Operations & Chief Real Estate Development Officer, Milwaukee Bucks
Michael Belot is Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Chief Real Estate Development Officer for the Milwaukee Bucks, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience across professional sports, hospitality, entertainment, real estate, and destination development. He leads the organization’s strategic real estate and business growth initiatives, including the continued evolution of Deer District, the 30-acre mixed-use sports and entertainment district surrounding Fiserv Forum, overseeing its real estate strategy, commercial development, programming, activation, and long-term vision.
Before joining the Bucks, Michael spent more than five years with Kohler Co., where he led a portfolio that included luxury lodging and spas, real estate and commercial development, retail, food and beverage, golf, marketing, and business development. Earlier, he spent nearly 12 years with the PGA of America, including serving as Director of the award-winning 2012 Ryder Cup and Championship Director for the 2006 and 2009 PGA Championships. He also served as Vice Chairman of the 2015 PGA Championship and the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.
Steering Committee
Andrew DeLaO
Position title: Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, U.S. & Canada GE HealthCare
Karen Formico
Position title: Vice President of Marketing Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.
Position title: Practice Director in Residence – Marketing
Jason Voiovich is a seasoned marketing executive, innovation historian, bestselling author, and fractional Chief Marketing Officer with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations drive growth through strategic marketing and innovation. Over his career, Jason has led and supported the launch of hundreds of new products across industries—including medical devices, virtual healthcare, consumer goods, and emerging technologies—bringing a deep understanding of how brands connect with customers and create value.
Known for blending strategic rigor with creativity and curiosity, Jason’s perspective is shaped by an early upbringing in a family of artists and entrepreneurs. He holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota and completed executive studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Jason is also the author of Marketer in Chief: How Each President Sold the American Idea, which examines U.S. presidential history through the lens of marketing, storytelling, and brand leadership.
As a Practice Director in Residence, Jason helps UWEBC bring real-world perspective to our programming. If you’d like to connect with him or suggest topics for future events, contact UWEBC Customer Experience & Marketing Practice Director Matthew Cone to coordinate the conversation.
Pricing with Intelligence: Turning Market Signals into Better Decisions
The New Promotional Mix: Balancing Competing Expectations
The Growth Imperative: Reinventing Brands for New Generations
From Brand to Destination: When Place Becomes a Marketing Strategy
