More content tracks will be released shortly, including the Power Breakfasts, Lunch & Learns, and the Sponsor Solutions Showcase.
Sunday, April 12th
Take advantage of our exclusive room rates and book your stay for any night between Friday, April 10th and Thursday, April 16th. To maximize your experience and ensure you don’t miss anything Monday when the conference kicks off, all attendees should plan to arrive no later than Sunday, April 12th, and check out Thursday, April 16th.
All sponsors and exhibitors are encouraged to arrive Saturday, April 11th, so they can pick up their exhibitor badges early and begin unpacking and assembling their booths Sunday.
All attendees should plan to arrive on Sunday, April 12th so they can stop by and pick up their conference pass at the Forum 2026 Registration Desk on Sunday or first thing Monday morning. Pick up your badge early, before lines get long!
Monday, April 13th
All sponsors and exhibitors are encouraged to arrive Saturday, April 11th, so begin unpacking and assembling their booths. All exhibit booths must be completely set-up no later than 4:00pm on Monday, April 13th.
All attendees should plan to arrive on Sunday, April 12th so they can stop by and pick up their conference pass at the Forum 2026 Registration Desk on Sunday or first thing Monday morning.
Interactive, in-depth, half-day masterclasses exclusive to banks and credit unions only.
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Next-Level Generative AI Applications in Banking
Speaker: Ben Udell, SVP/Product Marketing & Innovation at Marquis
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
Whether you’re a novice or seasoned expert, this workshop will show you how financial execs across the industry are turning generative AI into a massive competitive advantage. From senior leaders to frontline teams, this session brings everyone to the table in an immersive, interactive, hands-on learning environment.
Dive into practical real-world examples — from customer communications and marketing campaigns, to process automation, training, and much more — as you uncover ways to use AI for critical tasks that will help you become a better communicator, collaborator, and leader.
Don’t miss this workshop; the instructor knows what he’s talking about. Led by the former SVP/Digital Innovation & AI at Lake Ridge Bank for over 13 years, Ben Udell’s sessions have been our highest rated since he first took the stage.
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16 Brain Science Hacks to Overcome Costly Marketing Mistakes
Speaker: Nancy Harhut, Chief Creative Officer at HBT Marketing
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
Banking executives believe rational, data-driven decisions drive their marketing strategy. But in reality, unseen biases, myths, and blind spots derail their campaigns.
This workshop will show you how to overcome these costly mistakes by revealing the science behind the decision-defaults that guide consumer behavior — what they are, why they work, and how to exploit them — with numerous examples from a variety of verticals.
Through hands-on interactive exercises, you’ll learn 16 proven tactics you can apply immediately — from small copy tweaks to full-blown campaign strategies — that will increase engagement and outperform your competition.
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The CMO Playbook
Speaker: Eric Fulwiler, CEO/Co-Founder at Rival
Location: Juniper 4View Session Description
In today’s disruptive environment, the role of CMOs in banking is changing fast. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what the world’s most respected marketing leaders are seeing, thinking, and doing to prepare for the future.
In this workshop, we’ll unpack the major trends, key challenges, and critical opportunities reshaping the future of financial marketing — and what they mean for your strategic plan.
Based on insights gathered from banking’s marketing leaders, this workshop brings to life the real-world strategies and emerging best practices top-performers are using to fuel growth and build their brands.
Enjoy a hearty buffet lunch as the banking industry’s most experienced solutions providers share the latest trends and insights in these educational sessions. These sessions are open to bank and credit union attendees only on a first-come basis.
The lineup of Lunch & Learns for Monday will be announced soon!
Interactive, in-depth, half-day masterclasses exclusive to banks and credit unions only.
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Strategic Planning for Banking Execs: Steering Growth Through Disruptive Uncertainty
Speaker: Dr. Sean Payant, President at Haberfeld
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
In today’s chaotic rapidly evolving financial ecosystem — marked by economic uncertainty, digital disruption, regulatory shifts, interest rate pressure, and rising customer expectations — strategic planning isn’t the annual exercise it once was. Now it is an essential, existential function.
Specifically engineered for CEOs and C-level executives, this focused workshop is designed to help you set the right strategic direction, allocate resources, and drive transformational change at your organization.
Through a blend of executive insights, real-world banking case studies, and interactive discussions, senior leadership teams will explore how to develop a strategic planning process that is both agile and execution-focused. The session will explore how to align strategic initiatives with organizational objectives, respond to market changes, and foster long-term value creation.
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The Strategic AI Toolkit: What Everyone in Financial Marketing Needs Now
Speaker: Wil Reynolds, CEO/Founder at Seer Interactive
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
Last year’s marketing playbook doesn’t work anymore. People are asking ChatGPT about mortgage rates, and Google’s AI Overviews answer credit card questions without sending traffic to your site. Competitors are using AI tools to outmaneuver you, and more tools explode onto the market daily. So what happens if your web traffic suddenly goes to zero? It could happen… tomorrow.
This workshop cuts through the AI hype to focus on four critical areas every financial marketer needs to master right now. We’ll share the playbook, the tools we’ve tested, tools we’ve built, and other innovative concepts that have had real impact in bank marketing — what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s to come.
You’ll leave with specific action items, recommendations, and frameworks you can implement immediately, including real-life workflows and team processes proven in regulated industries.
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The Strategic AI Toolkit: What Everyone in Financial Marketing Needs Now
Speaker: Alisa Scharf, VP of AI at Seer Interactive
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
Last year’s marketing playbook doesn’t work anymore. People are asking ChatGPT about mortgage rates, and Google’s AI Overviews answer credit card questions without sending traffic to your site. Competitors are using AI tools to outmaneuver you, and more tools explode onto the market daily. So what happens if your web traffic suddenly goes to zero? It could happen… tomorrow.
This workshop cuts through the AI hype to focus on four critical areas every financial marketer needs to master right now. We’ll share the playbook, the tools we’ve tested, tools we’ve built, and other innovative concepts that have had real impact in bank marketing — what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s to come.
You’ll leave with specific action items, recommendations, and frameworks you can implement immediately, including real-life workflows and team processes proven in regulated industries.
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Gen Z & The Future of Finance
Speaker: Juliet D’Ambrosio, CXO at Adrenaline
Location: Juniper 4View Session Description
By 2030, Gen Z will comprise 74% of the global workforce, and engaging these consumers is a tricky balancing act between high-tech and high-touch.
This highly interactive workshop will show you how to deliver the personalized and seamless banking experiences Gen Z demands, while also meeting these digital natives where they are.
Packed with best practices for branding, marketing, and retail design, you’ll gain actionable strategies to break through, connect, and build loyalty with this influential demographic (and beyond).
Back by popular demand! Join two of banking’s most respected and influential thought leaders, Jim Marous and Ron Shevlin, for a lightning-round keynote packed with raw, uncensored insight. Expect candid truths and sharp takes on the critical issues and controversial topics you and your board are wrestling with right now.
Enjoy hot hors d’oeuvres and a hosted open bar as you network with over 2,500 of your peers in the Forum 2026 Marketplace Exhibit Hall.
Enjoy VIP treatment with these special functions including penthouse parties, dinners at the Aria Resort’s finest restaurants, activities like Topgolf, SkyFall Lounge and more!
Tuesday, April 14th
Need help? Have questions. Stop by the Forum 2026 Help Desk, which will remain open throughout the day until 7:00 pm.
Enjoy a hearty breakfast and pick up complimentary Starbucks espresso beverages. Full breakfast menu includes hot dishes with eggs and bacon, fruits, cereals, and fresh juices. Vegetarian and gluten free options available.
Start your morning off with a hearty buffet breakfast as the banking industry’s most experienced solution providers share the latest trends and insights in these educational sessions. These sessions are open to bank and credit union attendees only on a first-come basis. The lineup of Power Breakfasts for Tuesday will be announced soon!
World-renowned entrepreneur and best-selling author Will Guidara transformed Eleven Madison Park into the #1 restaurant in the world by turning service into something far more powerful — hospitality that creates wonder. In this heartfelt, inspiring keynote, he reveals how Unreasonable Hospitality — fueled by generosity and intentionality — can reshape culture, ignite teams, and create unforgettable experiences.
Learn innovative strategies, advanced techniques, and best practices from the brightest minds in banking in these actionable how-to sessions.
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CMO Masterminds: The Challenger Marketing Mindset
Speaker: Jill Castilla, Chairman, President & CEO (and former CMO) at Citizens Bank of Edmond
Location: IronwoodView Session Description
Jill Castilla is one of only a handful of CMOs ever to be elevated to CEO in the banking world. Her career trajectory from a unique lens on what it takes for marketing leaders to drive transformational business outcomes, and her perspective bridges the strategic thinking of the C-suite with the practical realities CMOs face every day.
Drawing on her experience launching ROGER, the fastest-growing digital military bank in the country, she’ll discuss the hardcore realities of what it takes to shift from traditional bank marketing to become more like a disruptive challenger bank — from talent constraints and skills gaps, to creative challenges and limited resources. The session will explore how banks of any size can adopt a challenger mindset without sacrificing trust or stability.
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Growing Business Banking Relationships & Revenues: Lessons from the Frontlines
Speaker: Manny Tocco, COO/Head of Business Banking Strategy at Citizens Bank
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
Business owners wrestle with financial pressures every day — from cash flow constraints to capital needs. The last thing they need is another business banker paying lip service to their challenges while pushing more loans on them. They want a true financial partner who understands their pain points, anticipates their needs, and helps them grow — not just a better rate or product pitch.
In this session, a 30-year business banking veteran reveals how institutions that act as true growth partners — not just lenders — earn loyalty, wallet share, and lasting revenue streams. You’ll learn how to expand business relationships and create long-term value by aligning your institution’s strategy with what clients actually need — not what the institution wants to sell.
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How Financial Institutions Drive Deposits & Loans Through AI-Powered Affiliate Marketing
Moderator: Nicky Senyard, CEO at Fintel Connect
Panelists:
– Marc Butterfield, SVP/Market Expansion at FNBO
– John Hanley, CMO at Peak Bank
– Vito Zerilli, VP/Program Managment at Axos Bank
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
Consumers don’t visit bank websites to shop for loans and checking accounts anymore. They start with third-party sites like NerdWallet, Bankrate, and DepositAccounts.com that rank, review, and compare financial products — platforms now serving as the content backbone for AI-powered recommendations.
In this session, you’ll hear how banks and credit unions are leveraging these platforms to drive scalable, profitable growth across deposits, cards, and lending. You’ll see how affiliate content increasingly feeds discovery through AI tools — and what financial marketers must do now to make sure they show up, get cited, and get chosen.
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Growth Strategies Lab: Advanced Data Analysis to Drive Growth and Marketing ROI
Speaker: Sean Sanchez, SVP/Head of Client Services at FirstBank
Location: Juniper 4View Session Description
Hear how FirstBank uses advanced data analysis — including national benchmarks built from thousands of peer data sets — to uncover capacity and propensity factors they can’t see with internal data alone.
Explore how these insights reveal quantifiable growth gaps, and guide personalized marketing strategies with optimally priced offers at the household, customer, product, and wallet-share level.
You’ll see how this approach produces measurable marketing ROI, supported by creative campaign examples with real results, including balances generated and performance against benchmark norms.
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Seizing the $21 Trillion Wealth Opportunity in Banking
Speaker: Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President and Chief Strategy Officer at SLD
Location: Primrose 1View Session Description
The most significant wealth transfer in history is underway right now, with younger generations set to inherit $21 trillion from Baby Boomers — a massive demographic shift that’s fundamentally reshaping how people choose and interact with financial institutions.
This session reveals how forward-thinking banks and credit unions are redesigning customer journeys and modernizing their value propositions to capture a disproportional share of this once-in-a-generation growth opportunity. You’ll learn how to align leadership, culture, and innovation around the realities of this historic transition, and reframe your brand to resonate with today’s younger, purpose-driven consumers without alienating legacy customers.
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The Science of Branding: Tapping the Hidden Forces Behind Consumer Decisions
Speaker: Josh Streufert, Chief Creative Officer/Creative Director & Principal at Strum
Location: Primrose 4View Session Description
What makes some financial brands so much more effective than others? It’s not about rates, fees, and product features. It comes down to how the brain is wired to process, sort, and filter what matters — emotionally, not logically. In a world with endless options and shrinking attention spans, understanding the science of choice is a strategic advantage that marketers of all levels must master.
In this creative learning session, we’ll break down the science behind creativity and persuasion — and how top brands use powerful emotional levers to shape behavior, influence decisions, and earn trust. You’ll learn a framework with simple techniques for making your branding and marketing initiatives more effective, more fun, and more rewarding.
Learn innovative strategies, advanced techniques, and best practices from the brightest minds in banking in these actionable how-to sessions.
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CMO Masterminds: Disruptive Differentiation
Speaker: Melissa Stevens, Chief Marketing Officer at Fifth Third
Location: IronwoodView Session Description
Melissa Stevens leads marketing and brand strategy with an emphasis on data-driven decisioning, digital-first experiences, and how financial institutions must embrace “disruptive differentiation” to successfully compete in a crowded, low-engagement category. Her marketing leadership and impact have been recognized multiple times by American Banker.
Melissa will share how she elevates marketing’s influence beyond awareness campaigns to shape business operations and growth decisions at the executive level and across the C-suite. The conversation will explore why emotional insight drives better results than rational messaging in financial services, and how to balance AI-driven personalization with authentic human connection in a category built on trust and navigating deeply personal financial moments.
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Internal Branding to Accelerate Growth: Aligning People, Purpose & Performance
Speaker: Kerry-Ann Stimpson, Chief Marketing Officer at JMMB Group
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
Marketing isn’t just about advertising and customer-facing communications. The most successful financial brands are built from the inside out — where every employee understands, believes, and delivers on the brand promise. Yet many institutions still treat internal marketing as an afterthought (if they think of it at all).
This session reframes internal marketing as a critical leadership discipline that drives performance, alignment, and growth. Drawing on real-world experience, this session shows how marketing leaders can embed brand purpose into their institution’s culture, connect internal behaviors to external outcomes, and transform staff engagement into measurable business results.
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AI and the New Rules of Search: Content Strategies to Maximize Brand Visibility
Speaker: Wil Reynolds, Founder & CEO at Seer Interactive
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
AI has changed the rules of online search forever. In this new era of algorithmic disruption where machine learning models dictate brand visibility — not search engine page ranks — financial institutions that cling to the old SEO playbook are doomed.
This session reveals what it takes to win in the AI-powered search ecosystem. You’ll learn how to evolve from chasing rankings to building real authority, why you need to optimize for trust and credibility instead of keywords, and how to future-proof your institution’s digital presence in a world where AI is now the gatekeeper to customer attention.
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Growth Strategies Lab: Accelerating New Market Growth Using a Hyper-Local Strategy and Human-Centered Activation
Speaker: Jake Engle, AVP/Brand Communications & Strategy at Financial Center
Location: Juniper 4View Session Description
When Financial Center entered a fast-growing, affluent market, they ditched the old playbook most institutions rely on. This case study explores how innovative, on-the-ground activations — from sidewalk outreach and pop-up events to hand-delivered gift boxes — created immediate visibility and drove traffic that converted to new relationships.
Learn how sustained human effort with boots on the ground outperforms paid promotional strategies, and how to generate stronger deposit momentum than traditional launch tactics using a focused suite of high-impact introductory offers.
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Five Generations, One Brand: How to Stay Relevant Across a Century of Change
Speaker: Daniel Darst, Deputy CMO at Flagstar Bank
Location: Primrose 1View Session Description
Banking providers face an unprecedented challenge: engaging five living generations — from Boomers to Generation Alpha — each with its own values, preferences, and expectations. How do you speak with equal credibility to an 80-year-old retiree and a 20-year-old digital native without sounding irrelevant to one or inauthentic to the other?
This session reveals how enduring financial brands develop strategic plans and marketing messages that stretch one singular brand across radically different audiences. Drawing on real-world case studies, you’ll see how to align your brand with generational attitudes and life-stage needs as expectations and technologies evolve.
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From Oncology to Opportunity: Lessons in Humanizing the Banking Experience
Speaker: EJ Kritz, Chief Experience Officer at DBSI
Location: Primrose 4View Session Description
What does cancer have to do with banking? On the surface, not much. But when EJ Kritz was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2019, his journey to recovery became a masterclass in service and personalization. He found himself inside a system that often knew what he needed before he did — addressing his uncertainty about the future, fears of making the wrong choice, and the overwhelming need for someone to make it all feel a little more manageable. All familiar parallels with financial services.
This profoundly personal yet surprisingly relevant session is about the universal human needs that emerge in moments of vulnerability — and how those same needs show up in financial services every single day. You’ll see how empathy can be operationalized, how anticipating needs builds trust, and how financial institutions can design experiences that comfort, guide, and empower people when- and where they need it most.
Enjoy a hearty meal with a hot lunch, dessert and refreshments — not your typical skimpy, cheap conference fare. Vegetarian and gluten free options available. You’ll have an hour and a half to power up with an espresso as you walk the Marketplace Exhibit Hall and engage with 150+ solutions providers.
Enjoy a hearty buffet lunch as the banking industry’s most experienced solutions providers share the latest trends and insights in these educational sessions. These sessions are open to bank and credit union attendees only on a first-come basis.
The lineup of Lunch & Learns for Tuesday will be announced soon!
Learn innovative strategies, advanced techniques, and best practices from the brightest minds in banking in these actionable how-to sessions.
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CMO Masterminds: Modernizing the Marketing Engine
Speaker: Mike Daum, Chief Marketing Officer at Golden 1 Credit Union
Location: IronwoodView Session Description
Mike Daum brings nearly three decades of experience leading marketing and brand strategy to one of the nation’s largest credit unions competing in one of the most demanding banking markets in the world. His background includes senior marketing roles leading integrated go-to-market growth strategy and brand campaigns at some of the most admired brands in financial services including USAA Bank and KeyBank.
Mike will unpack how Golden 1 is modernizing its marketing engine, evolving into a full-funnel, always-on organization built around personalization, AI, data, and trigger-based activation. He’ll also address change management at scale — from building CMO/CFO partnerships to right-sizing agency and martech partners — and explain why balancing innovation with discipline, and getting the basics right, still matters more than chasing the latest tool.
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From Hype to ROI: AI, Blockchain & The Next Era of Banking Innovation
Speaker: Michael Toner, Innovation Advisor at Profor
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
The convergence of AI and blockchain is redefining what innovation means in financial services. While many institutions chase trends and buzzwords, a few are quietly turning these technologies into tangible business value — building trust, reducing friction, and creating more intelligent customer experiences.
This session cuts through the hype to focus on the strategies and real-world applications that matter most. You’ll see how AI and blockchain are reshaping consumer engagement, operational efficiency, and risk management — and what it takes for financial institutions to separate practical innovation from passing fads.
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Banking on Autopilot: How Smart Apps Get Out of the Way with AI & Automation
Speaker: Dave DeFazio, Chief Strategy Officer at StrategyCorps
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
Banks spent the last decade stacking more features into digital channels. More buttons. More options. The problem? Customers don’t want “more banking” — they want less.
This practical session examines how leading institutions and consumer fintech apps are reshaping the next chapter in digital banking through automation, embedded guidance, and invisible design.
You’ll see how some of the most radical changes in financial services are happening quietly inside the apps people use every day. Savings happen automatically. Timely advice appears without appointments. Payments and transfers occur before customers even realize there was a problem.
Loaded with examples, you’ll see how leading financial institutions are removing friction with live demonstrations from Chase, BofA, Capital One, Apple Wallet, Wealthfront, Credit Karma, Rocket Money, Acorns, Cash App, and SoFi.
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Growth Strategies Lab: Fueling Merger Momentum With an Enterprise Data Foundation
Speaker: Troy Carmichael, SVP/Enterprise Data Management at Renasant Bank
Location: Juniper 4View Session Description
Renasant Bank’s M&A growth strategy is built on years of investment in an enterprise-wide data framework. This case study based on a recent acquisition will show you how they minimize customer disruption and accelerate new revenue opportunities with accurate data that’s consolidated and connected across business lines.
You’ll learn how to build a data integration strategy that sustains momentum through acquisitions, and how to analyze post-merger growth opportunities. You’ll see how to support a smooth rollout that keeps leadership teams focused on culture, customer retention, and post-merger growth, along with common integration pitfalls to avoid.
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Economic Outlook for 2026 & Beyond: Trends Impacting Strategic Leadership and Risk Management
Speaker: Dr. Lindsey Piegza, Chief Economist and Managing Director at Stifel Nicolaus & Co.
Location: Primrose 1View Session Description
Economic uncertainty. Interest rate volatility. Persistent inflation. Neurotic regulators. These are among the top concerns affecting strategic plans in the banking industry — all with massive implications on margins that are already razor thin. With consumer confidence wavering, the path forward remains anything but clear. For banks and credit unions, every strategic decision — from deposit pricing to loan growth — now hinges on anticipating what’s around the corner.
In this fast-paced economic outlook, you’ll get the data, insights, and foresight needed to plan confidently for the next 12–24 months. This session decodes the latest economic indicators, explain how they translate into opportunities and risks for financial institutions, and reveal what every banking leader should be watching to stay ahead of shifting market forces.
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Next-Gen Onboarding to Maximize Cross-Selling, Retention and ROI
Speaker: Ben Udell, SVP/Product Marketing and Innovation at Marquis
Location: Primrose 4View Session Description
Every financial institution has an onboarding program, but few are truly optimized for today’s digital-first consumers. Even the smallest gaps in the first 90 days can quietly erode loyalty, engagement, and long-term profitability.
This session will show you what next-generation onboarding looks like. You’ll see how leading financial institutions are integrating behavioral data and marketing automation to personalize the new accountholder experience, accelerate cross-selling opportunities, and turn new relationships into lasting, profitable growth.
Learn innovative strategies, advanced techniques, and best practices from the brightest minds in banking in these actionable how-to sessions.
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CMO Masterminds: Refreshing Legacy Brands
Speaker: Devin Teles-Cygnar, EVP/Chief Marketing & Communication Officer at Northwest Bank
Location: IronwoodView Session Description
Devin Teles-Cygnar’s senior leadership roles at PNC, Fifth Third, and Fidelity National have shaped his approach to modernizing legacy brands through periods of significant transformation. He’s built a reputation for navigating the tension between innovation and institutional stability while maintaining disciplined focus on measurable growth.
Devin will outline how Northwest Bank is refreshing a 130-year-old regional brand without alienating its core customers. He’ll share lessons on expanding into new markets, balancing performance marketing with long-term brand investment, and influencing change inside complex, regulated organizations. Attendees will gain insight into aligning brand, CX, and growth to make marketing a true strategic lever.
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How Innovative Marketers Build Continuous Growth Engines With Smarter Optimization
Moderator: Don Sklenka, SVP/AI Optimization Strategy at Claritas LLC
Panelists:
– Jonathan Hanson, SVP/Marketing at Vystar
– Mary Gustafson, VP of Product Marketing at Vystar
– Harrison Aquino, VP/Marketing at Suncoast Credit Union
– Katherine Eddleman, SVP/Manager of Paid Media at Regions Bank
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
Modern marketing isn’t about more campaigns — it’s about continuous optimization. Institutions that connect data, creative, and media into one learning system are pulling ahead fast.
In this panel discussion, top financial marketers reveal how they are modernizing their marketing stack without overcomplicating it. These innovative trailblazers will prove you don’t need a dedicated data science team to build an automated engine that evolves in real time. You’ll see how leading banks and credit unions are aligning strategy with technology to make smarter, faster decisions, as they transform their audience segmentation models, automate and personalize creative, and optimize media budgets.
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Internal Governance Frameworks for Secure, Responsible AI in Financial Services
Moderator: Jeff Whiteside, Senior Director of Security & Risk Governance at Chime
Panelists:
– Yan Zhang, Senior Audit Manager at CapitalOne
– Ajish Abraham, VP of Infrastructure & Security at iBusiness Funding
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
AI is reshaping every facet of banking — from risk assessment to fraud prevention. But its real test isn’t technical. It’s ethical. Financial institutions now face a defining moment: how to balance innovation with accountability, and how to maintain public trust when algorithms make more decisions than people do.
This session explores how financial institutions can establish a foundation of trust in an AI-driven environment. You’ll see how forward-thinking organizations are reengineering governance frameworks, rethinking compliance, and reorienting culture around responsibility — not just speed — to stay credible, compliant, and competitive.
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Growth Strategies Lab: Fixing AI Search Blind Spots Across Your Digital Presence
Speaker: Kevin Farley, VP/Experience & Engagement at United Heritage Credit Union
Location: Juniper 4View Session Description
See how generative AI engines interpret a financial institution’s website today — what they surface, what they misread, and what they ignore altogether. This session includes a live demonstration that evaluates a site the same way AI search tools do, revealing visibility gaps across core products and showing where focus will have the greatest impact.
Learn how to prioritize fixes that improve AI-driven discoverability without heavy IT lift, quantify potential impact, and build a clear action plan. Attendees leave with a practical method to assess their own digital presence and take immediate steps to strengthen how AI engines represent their institution.
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Beyond TikTok & Viral Influencers: Financial Education in the Age of Misinformation
Speaker: Kelly Ball, CEO/Pathfinders and Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Notre Dame at Pathfinders
Location: Primrose 1View Session Description
When younger consumers have financial questions, they aren’t looking to financial institutions for answers. They’re turning to sites like TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit first — social platforms flooding the internet with financial advice that’s often more entertaining than accurate.
This session challenges leaders to redefine what “financial education” means in a world dominated by viral social media content. You’ll see how to transform financial education into a strategic moat — not the perfunctory public service most bankers ignore. You’ll learn how to build credibility, trust, and confidence as you create learning experiences that engage today’s digital consumers. Because if you don’t own the narrative, someone else will — and they’ll own your customers too.
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Lowering Cost of Acquisition with Hyperlocal Marketing at Scale
Speaker: Sharon Cook, VP/Marketing Strategy at Vericast
Location: Primrose 4View Session Description
Most financial institutions waste 30–50% of their media budgets talking to the wrong people in the wrong places. Why? Because their targeting is too broad, their creative is too generic, and their teams are stretched too thin.
This unfiltered session will show you how top-performing banks and credit unions are using hyperlocal growth strategies to outmaneuver the megabanks. You’ll see how they are finding untapped pockets of demand and dramatically improving targeting efficiency to lower acquisition costs with neighborhood-level insights, dynamic creative generation, and AI-powered optimization. Hear real client stories as they reveal what works, what flopped, and why local relevance is now the single biggest multiplier of marketing ROI.
Like TEDx for financial institutions, this unique series of short, high-level talks focuses on helping you prepare for the future. Every year The Financial Brand Forum features former TEDx speakers from notable companies like Apple, Disney, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Southwest Airlines, PepsiCo, Pixar, Nintendo, and many others.
Entertain or Die
Mike Cessario, Founder & CEO of Liquid Death
Hear how savvy marketers in commoditized categories — like water and banking — create passionate brand advocates by cutting through the clutter in a world where attention is the ultimate currency.
Gutsy Leadership
Vernice ‘FlyGirl’ Armour, 1st US Black Female Combat Pilot
In the heat of battle, great leaders take charge and never look back. Learn how to inspire your team in moments of uncertainty and take bold action when the pressure is on — one of the most dynamic speakers you’ll ever see on stage!
Enjoy hot hors d’oeuvres and a hosted open bar as you network with over 2,500 of your peers in the Forum 2026 Marketplace Exhibit Hall.
Enjoy VIP treatment with these special functions including penthouse parties, dinners at the Aria Resort’s finest restaurants, activities like Topgolf, SkyFall Lounge and more!
Wednesday, April 15th
Need help? Have questions. Stop by the Forum 2026 Help Desk, which will remain open throughout the day until 7:00 pm.
Enjoy a hearty breakfast and pick up complimentary Starbucks espresso beverages. Full breakfast menu includes hot dishes with eggs and bacon, fruits, cereals, and fresh juices. Vegetarian and gluten free options available.
Start your morning off with a hearty buffet breakfast as the banking industry’s most experienced solution providers share the latest trends and insights in these educational sessions. These sessions are open to bank and credit union attendees only on a first-come basis. The lineup of Power Breakfasts for Wednesday will be announced soon!
Former FBI lead hostage negotiator and best-selling author Chris Voss spent decades negotiating with terrorists and criminals worldwide. In this riveting keynote, he reveals the powerful techniques behind “tactical empathy” — showing banking leaders how to defuse conflict, influence outcomes, and achieve breakthroughs when the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Learn innovative strategies, advanced techniques, and best practices from the brightest minds in banking in these actionable how-to sessions.
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Communicating Through Chaos: Maximizing Retention in Core Tech Transitions
Speaker: Tricia Hrotko, SVP Strategic Managed Services at Digital Onboarding
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
Within the next few years, most financial institutions will face a huge tech headache. Whether upgrading a legacy core, deploying a new digital platform, or untangling post-merger systems — it’s an operational nightmare. But many leadership teams underestimate the complexity and importance of communications in these moments. The reputational risk is enormous, and the margin for error razor thin. Get it wrong and irate customers will defect.
This session will arm you with a disciplined framework to transform these chaotic and disruptive transitions into genuine relationship-building opportunities. Learn how to craft the ideal communications strategy and effectively prevent post-conversion attrition when your institution changes the critical systems customers depend on most.
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Winning the Deposit Arms Race: Beating Digital Rivals with Predictive Intelligence
Speaker: Derek Elmerick, VP/Managing Director at Deluxe
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
The battle for deposits is brutal. Rate-sensitive customers are shopping relentlessly, while digital challengers make switching easier than ever. But the winners won’t be those who pay the most — they’ll be the institutions that spot at-risk balances early, protect high-value relationships, and turn retention opportunities into lasting loyalty and growth.
This session shows how to win deposits without losing the rate game. You’ll learn how a data-driven deposit strategy — built on predictive analytics, timed interventions, and loyalty-focused design — balances short-term liquidity needs with long-term profitability while reducing margin leakage and outmaneuvering digital competitors.
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Growth Strategies Lab: From AI Pilots to Scale: What’s Working, What’s Not, and Real Use Cases in Banking
Moderator: Eric Cook, CEO & Chief Digital Strategist at WSI
Panelists:
– John Kaprelian, SVP/Retail Innovation and Strategy at Forward Bank
– Cayla Keyes, VP/Retail Sales Manager at INB
– John Kowel, SVP/Managing Principal & Chief Technology Officer at Peapack Private Bank & Trust
Location: Juniper 4View Session Description
Hear candid perspectives from banking leaders at different stages of AI adoption — from early experimentation to more advanced operational use. Panelists walk through what they tried, where they struggled, and which internal shifts actually moved their organizations forward.
The session explores how teams balance innovation with risk, train employees for new ways of working, and recognize early signs of success beyond traditional KPIs. Attendees can ask questions, compare challenges, and pressure-test ideas while learning how thoughtful AI experimentation is already improving efficiency, decision-making, and customer experience.
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The Longevity Economy: Future-Proofing Growth in an Aging Nation
Speaker: Joe Sullivan, CEO at Market Insights
Location: Primrose 1View Session Description
The banking industry faces a demographic crisis. By 2034, adults over 65 will outnumber children for the first time in history — a demographic inversion that is completely redefining how Americans spend, borrow, and save. To capitalize on this unprecedented growth opportunity, financial institutions must throw out the old playbook written for younger markets that no longer exist.
This session reveals how the longevity economy is reshaping financial behavior — from the psychology of aging customers to the economics of intergenerational wealth transfer. You’ll learn how to reposition your institution for relevance and profitability, and reimagine how your brand, products, and workforce must adapt before demographic shifts accelerate further.
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Brand Evolution Playbook: Renewed Relevance Through Modernized Banking Brands
Moderator: Sarah Icely Hill, SVP/Growth at Brand Active
Panelists:
– Joli Murtha, Head of Brand at Truist
– Anthony Bonamassa, Director/Global Brand Management & Activation at Citi
– Chad Langford, Director of Marketing at First Interstate Bank
Location: Primrose 4View Session Description
Many financial institutions wrestle with outdated brands that just don’t work anymore. Some do nothing and slowly lose relevance, while others overcorrect with sweeping changes that confuse customers and drain budgets. Most organizations land somewhere in the middle — ready to modernize, but careful not to dilute the equity they’ve spent decades building. The smart play is often a disciplined brand evolution — one that balances purposeful change with practical decision-making, ensuring you evolve where it matters most without overspending.
In this session, you’ll see how leading banking providers sharpened their relevance, protected their heritage, and managed budgets strategically. You’ll leave with a decision framework that cuts through internal debates, so you can align your leadership team around the costs, timing, and impact of brand refresh initiatives.
Learn innovative strategies, advanced techniques, and best practices from the brightest minds in banking in these actionable how-to sessions.
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The Payment Revolution: How Next-Gen Consumers Are Rewriting the Rules
Speaker: Sean Gelles, Senior Director of Payments Intelligence at JD Power
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
There is a seismic shift accelerating in the payments space, and most banking providers are struggling to keep pace. Traditional models built around cards and checking accounts are irrelevant to Gen Z and younger Millennials. Digital wallets, embedded finance, and instant payments are the new frontlines in the battle for customer relationships.
This session unpacks what younger consumers now expect from payment providers, and how they are fundamentally reshaping the economics of banking. Drawing on deep research and behavioral trends, you’ll walk away with a strategic roadmap for modernizing payments, and how you need to position your institution to stay ahead of this massive generational pivot.
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From Probability to Certainty: Predictive vs. Deterministic AI Modeling for Financial Services
Speaker: Ryan Caldwell, Co-Founder and CEO at MX
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
AI platforms have a major architectural limitation that can get you into real trouble. By design, they use predictive models programmed to estimate answers. Their output may sound authoritative and concrete, but it’s often guesswork and approximations. This can be a huge problem for bankers working in a tightly-regulated industry where precision and consistency are mandatory.
In this session, you’ll learn how to get definitive, verifiable answers from AI platforms by engineering deterministic models that defuse their default probabilistic behavior. Join a panel of AI innovators for a grounded conversation focused on practical applications and real-world examples showing you where AI has been most effective. You’ll see how to build AI-enabled experiences with a strategic roadmap that ensures precision and prioritizes regulatory compliance.
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Redesigning Branch Environments for Digital Consumers: Lessons from Around the World
Speaker: Danielle Calcara, SVP/Marketing at Newground
Location: Primrose 1View Session Description
In this session, you’ll take a tour of global retail environments that are setting the new standard. Grab a front row seat as you explore inspiring design concepts from leading financial institutions and world-class retailers. You’ll see what actually works — from experiential design and retail technologies, to immersive brand storytelling — and why yesterday’s models are broken.
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The Differentiation Dividend: How Strategic Naming Drives Growth
Speaker: Gina Bleedorn, CEO/President at Adrenaline
Location: Primrose 4View Session Description
In banking, it’s nearly impossible to stand out with brand names like Community, First, or National. These generic, me-too monikers are a silent tax on growth — confusing consumers and constraining acquisition as marketing budgets are drained. And in an industry dominated by consolidation and expansion, countless financial institutions will be legally forced to change names.
This fast-paced session reveals how leading financial institutions create differentiation, accelerate growth, and quantify enterprise value by investing in strong, strategic brand names. Learn how to evaluate whether your institution’s name still works — and what you need to do when it doesn’t.
Enjoy a hearty meal with a hot lunch, dessert and refreshments — not your typical skimpy, cheap conference fare. Vegetarian and gluten free options available. You’ll have an hour and a half to power up with an espresso as you walk the Marketplace Exhibit Hall and engage with 150+ solutions providers.
Enjoy a hearty buffet lunch as the banking industry’s most experienced solutions providers share the latest trends and insights in these educational sessions. These sessions are open to bank and credit union attendees only on a first-come basis. The lineup of Lunch & Learns for Wednesday will be announced soon!
Learn innovative strategies, advanced techniques, and best practices from the brightest minds in banking in these actionable how-to sessions.
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Modernizing Compliance & Product Marketing to Compete with Agile Digital Disruptors
Moderator: Mujesira Dudic, Director of Digital Transformation/Financial Services at Capgemini
Panelists:
– Hayat Yahia, Principal/Product Management at Naehas
– Mark Spotanski, Vice President, Partnership Operations at FNBO
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
Neobanks, embedded finance platforms, and digital-currency networks roll out new offers and products in weeks — not years. Banks can’t keep up. Why? Outdated compliance frameworks, disconnected systems, and manual workflows that bring product marketing to a standstill.
This session aligns compliance, marketing, and technology around a new approach to creating offers and approving disclosures. You’ll see how to make these processes faster without sacrificing the control regulators expect, so you don’t lose deposits, payments, and loyalty to challengers with more agile systems.
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Personalization at Scale: AI-Powered Growth Strategies for Community Institutions
Speaker: Lincoln Parks, Lincoln James Inc. at Co-Founder
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
Community banks and credit unions can’t outspend megabanks — but they can outsmart them. In the AI era, it’s all about data maturity. Institutions that engineer the right data foundations to deliver personalized experiences at scale will grow faster and more efficiently than their larger rivals.
This session shows how marketing teams of any size can turn AI from a buzzword into a true growth multiplier — without blowing up the budget. You’ll walk away with a clear blueprint for scaling personalization across all channels and touchpoints to anticipate customer needs and strengthen relationships using your existing data.
Learn innovative strategies, advanced techniques, and best practices from the brightest minds in banking in these actionable how-to sessions.
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How Smarter Digital Experiences Turn Phishing Risk into Brand Trust
Speaker: Yaamini Barathi Mohan, award-winning cybersecurity professional
Location: Juniper 1View Session Description
Modern phishing attacks are now indistinguishable from your legitimate communications. Consumers can’t tell the difference, and when they’re fooled, they don’t blame criminals — they blame you. Every successful attack undermines your brand. People see you as less safe, less trustworthy.
This session reframes phishing as both a brand and growth problem — not just an IT challenge or security issue. You’ll see how attackers weaponize familiar UX patterns, bypass standard controls, and exploit organizational silos. More importantly, you’ll learn how to defend the customer journey without throttling conversions or adding points of friction that kill CX.
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Winning Consumer Confidence & Trust in the Age of AI
Speaker: Corey Wrinn, Managing Director at Rivel Banking Research
Location: Juniper 2 & 3View Session Description
A friendly banker in your local branch used to be the face of financial advice. Now AI, automation, and algorithms determine how financial institutions earn — and lose — consumer confidence. The pressure to make technology feel reliable, transparent, and human has never been higher.
This session reveals what people really think about AI and how it is quietly eroding trust in financial services. You’ll see what banking leaders must change immediately in their digital, data, and AI strategies to rebuild confidence before customers defect.
Like TEDx for financial institutions, this unique series of short, high-level talks focuses on helping you prepare for the future. Every year The Financial Brand Forum features former TEDx speakers from notable companies like Apple, Disney, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Southwest Airlines, PepsiCo, Pixar, Nintendo, and many others.
Limitless Creativity with AI
Taryn Southern, AI Expert & Futurist
This AI trailblazer and award-winning digital storyteller will show you what happens when machines become your creative partners. You’ll see how to rethink innovation as you explore how human+AI collaboration is unlocking entirely new possibilities at the intersection of creativity and technology.
The Power of Impossible
Kyle Scheele, Innovation Expert & Champion of Crazy Ideas
With 3+ million TikTok followers, this master of radical creativity will challenge you to think bigger and bolder. You’ll learn how to be more creative and turn your organization into an innovation engine by turning audacious ideas into irresistible viral campaigns.
Enjoy VIP treatment with these special functions including penthouse parties, dinners at the Aria Resort’s finest restaurants, activities like Topgolf, SkyFall Lounge and more!