Luke Smith is the co-founder and Global CEO of Croud, a leading independent digital agency he founded in 2011. Under Luke's leadership, Croud has become a full-service global business, delivering innovative marketing solutions to top brands like Amazon Prime Video, Nespresso, and Ford.

Luke has grown the Croud team to over 600 employees across offices in the UK, US, and MENA, with a global network of on-demand digital experts known as "Croudies" providing coverage in 118 markets and 86 languages. Through strategic acquisitions like Born Social and Vert Digital, Luke has further expanded Croud's capabilities.

Beyond impressive growth and award-winning client work, Luke is passionate about fostering a positive work environment, as demonstrated by Croud's inclusion in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list for two years running.

Outside of leading Croud's global business, Luke enjoys spending time with his family, taking on various sporting pursuits, collecting wine and supporting the below average Championship club Preston North End.

Ryan Stern is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Collectively and Alexa Tonner is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Collectively, a global leader in creator marketing that transforms brands into social-first enterprises, part of the Brandtech Group.

Collectively quickly rose to prominence as a strategy-led data-backed creator marketing partner to some of the world’s leading brands including Unilever, Dove, TRESemmé, Intuit QuickBooks, Salesforce, Meta, Converse, Delta, and many more. Collectively was the first creator marketing company recognized by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list and has earned Cannes Lions, Effie, Webby, Glossy, Shorty, and OMMA awards for its programs.

In 2025, Ryan was named an Advertising Week Future is Female nominee and Collectively was named to Adweek’s Fastest Growing Agencies and Top 10 women-led agencies.

In 2026, Alexa was named an ADWEEK Architects of Culture Honoree and Collectively was named one of ADWEEK’s Fastest Growing Agencies and Top 10 women-led agencies.

Michael Wasserman is the CEO and co-founder of Tiltify, the leading fundraising platform that empowers digital communities and charities to raise funds through innovative interactive technology. With a passion for leveraging technology to drive social impact, Michael has played a pivotal role in transforming how nonprofits engage with their communities and harness the power of online fundraising.

Under his leadership, Tiltify has forged partnerships with numerous organizations and content creators, fostering a vibrant ecosystem dedicated to charitable giving. Michael's entrepreneurial spirit, combined with his extensive background in digital marketing and fundraising, positions him as a visionary at the intersection of technology and philanthropy.

One of the biggest (of many!) frustrations with dating apps today is something most people know well: you match with someone who has a great profile, the texting is solid, and then you meet in person and realize there’s simply no chemistry. That exact disconnect inspired Brittnee Barnes, founder and CEO + Co-Founder of Vybes, to build the platform.

Vybes is designed to help users understand that chemistry before committing to a first date through a feature called the Vybe Check, a quick in-app face-to-face call that lets people experience someone’s real voice, energy, and personality before meeting offline.

The platform also takes a more curated approach to dating. Vybes is application-based, verifies users through IDs and social accounts, and offers exclusive in-person events so members can connect beyond the screen.

The company also launched Vybes Villa, a creator-led reality dating series that blends dating culture with unscripted storytelling. The first season, which launched earlier this year generated hundreds of thousands of views per episode, driving 50,000+ new applications to be submitted, 47% of new users are completing a Vybe Check within their first week on the app, and 2,000 users have already applied for Season 2.

David Born is the Founder and CEO of Born Licensing, Born to License, and Learn to License, an integrated licensing ecosystem that redefines how brands understand, access, and unlock the value of entertainment intellectual property (IP). An industry innovator with nearly two decades of experience across both brand and agency sides, David specializes in making licensing strategic, viable, and scalable, helping brands to use IP as a meaningful business growth driver across marketing and commerce.

Founded more than 10 years ago, Born Licensing is the go-to agency for creative and advertising partners seeking to license iconic characters and entertainment IP for campaigns. Building on that foundation, David launched Born to License in 2024, an end-to-end licensing management company that acts as a strategic partner for manufacturers and businesses, alongside Learn to License, a comprehensive education platform.

Throughout his career, David has collaborated with top global brands including Uber, Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Paramount, Hasbro, Mattel, and Samsung among many others, as well as emerging direct-to-consumer brands like Hippo Blue, Plum Deluxe Tea, Steven Singer Jewelers, Elihome, WOLFpak, and Keepsake Cards, converting them into beloved brands by consumers and licensors alike.

David regularly shares expert insights on news, trends and opportunities through his Born to License podcast and content channels, and mentorship work. He serves as a Licensing Mentor for Daily Mentor (founded by Shark Tank Australia’s Davie Fogarty) and has been recognized as an industry leader by License Global as a Top 40 Under 40, featured in Licensing.biz’s Power 50 list, and as one of Brands Untapped’s Top 100.

Jay Williams is the Founder and Big Bird of Free Bird Southern Spring Water, a bold new beverage brand that’s putting real water back in the hands of real people. Free Bird is sourced from the Blue Ridge Mountains and is designed to celebrate the best of America. No buzzwords. No gimmicks. Just damn good water, made for those who work hard and live harder.

Williams launched Free Bird after stepping away from a 25 year career in real estate, where he developed more than a billion dollars’ worth of multi-family and student housing development projects. Trading boardrooms for beverage production and development deals for distribution agreements, he built Free Bird from the ground up with zero industry connections—relying on hustle, curiosity, and a deep respect for his customers.

Today, Free Bird is rolling out across America, gaining a loyal following of everyday Americans who see themselves in the brand’s unapologetically authentic identity. For Williams, it’s more than a business—it’s a salute to the backbone of America and proof that the best ideas often come when you’re willing to start over.

Farra Kober is the VP of StoryWorks Americas, BBC Studios’ brand content studio and internal creative agency. An Emmy-award-winning content executive and brand marketer, Farra is passionate about creative storytelling with purpose. As a creative leader, she guides teams in driving growth, customer engagement, and sales through multi-platform content born of strategic insights and data.

Prior to joining the BBC, Farra held leadership positions at WeWork as Sr. Director of Global Content Marketing, at theSkimm as VP of Content Studios—leading their extension into branded content, podcasting, and web editorial—and at NBCUniversal. As Director of Digital for MSNBC, managing creative and operations of MSNBC.com, Farra led the company to its best-year-ever in digital video viewership and launched its first-ever podcasting arm, including Chris Hayes’ award-winning program, ‘Why Is This Happening?’

In her role as Chief Impact Officer, Sona Khosla is at the helm of Benevity Impact Labs, an incubator and social innovation lab. Sona and her team bring cutting-edge data, research and insights to help organizations and individuals maximize their impact and inclusion efforts, and authentically live their purpose.

As the host of the Speaking of Purpose by Benevity podcast, Sona is also a frequent guest on shows and in the media because of her expertise and sharp insight on purpose-driven business and corporate social impact.