Bob Houk has worked in trade promotion marketing since 1971, being involved in hundreds of programs. He has seen co-op, MDF, rebates, and other trade support programs from every perspective - he has managed programs for manufacturers, filed claims and taken deductions as a retailer, sold media using trade funds, worked as an ad agency account exec running a manufacturer-driven trade program, and he has been in the middle, working with both retailers and manufacturers on distributor-based pass-through programs. There is no significant category of product or service, nor any channel of distribution, in which he has not handled trade promotion programs.

The diversity of his experience has given him unique insights into the goals and problems of all the participants in trade programs, and into the strategy and tactics driving trade promotion, which he has incorporated into numerous articles, presentations, and seminars on the subject. He has published three books, including Trade Promotion Marketing, released last year by the Association of National Advertisers.

Susan Haupt is responsible for TPMA operations, membership development, and client services. Prior to joining TPMA, Susan held various positions with leading textile and apparel firms in both IT and Sales Management. Susan holds a BA and an MBA from Farleigh Dickinson University.

Sheri Kurdakul is Sales Manager of Alliances, Advertising, and Exhibitors. In this role, Sheri has responsibility for development of the service provider partnerships for the organizations, which reside at the nexus of retail, manufacturing, and related services worldwide. Sheri, with over fifteen years of experience, was previously Sales Manager, Project Manager, and Specialty Media Manager for Hannover Fairs, which managed the largest technology event in the world, with 7,000 exhibitors and sponsors. In addition, she has agency and print media management experience.

As Founder and Chairman of VCF, Kim leads member and sponsor acquisition and program content and direction. Previously, Kim served as President of The New York Credit and Financial Management Association from 1993-2003, the oldest commercial credit association in the United States and an affiliate of the National Association of Credit Management. Kim has served on the Strategic Planning Committee of the National Association of Credit Management. He holds a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York in Political Science.

Bob Baker is the Director of Trade Promotions Management at the Dial Corporation, a Henkel company. Bob is currently leading a multi-year TPM Revitalization project focused on developing processes and systems to support Dial's North American businesses. He is also working with the Henkel on a global TPM platform to support the organization's European cosmetics and detergents business units. Bob has 16 years of experience in the CPG industry focused primarily on Sales, Business Development, Category Management, and training/change management. Prior to joining Dial in 2005, Bob was the Regional Sales Director in Washington D.C. for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.

Chris Boever is Vice President of Sales at ConAgra Foods. His prior experience includes serving as Vice President of Category Sales for Hormel Foods Corporation; Regional Director of Western Chains, San Francisco; Team Leader at Albertsons and Safeway; and various positions within the Grocery Products Division.

He holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, WI and has attended Executive Management Programs at USC, Stanford and University of Minnesota. Chris has served as a member of the Catalina Trade Promotion Advisory Board, CMS Trade Promotion Advisory Board and Member TPM - CPG group.

Harris Fogel is President of O4 Corporation's America's organization. Harris has been helping Consumer Products companies improve their sales effectiveness through enabling technologies for over 20 years. Prior to joining O4, he was a founding member of CAS Americas where he worked closely with companies such as Kraft, Campbell Soup, Johnson & Johnson and Del Monte Foods helping them implement systems to manage their Sales Execution Processes including Trade Promotion, Funds Management and Retail/In-Store Execution. Prior to CAS, he held a variety of sales management and consulting positions at Procter and Gamble, Accenture and Sales Technologies (a Dun and Bradstreet Company). He has been a key account manager, sales technology manager, has overseen the implementation of large-scale CRM/Sales Automation projects, and has lead sales organizations focused on the CPG market. Harris earned a BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia. He also serves as the Chairman of the Grocery Manufacturers of America's Associate Member Council.

Serving the Consumer Products industry for over 25 years, Michael is responsible for evaluating and developing new solutions for the manufacturer and retail communities. Michael has held various positions in Marketing, Sales Force Automation, Category Management, Trade Promotion Management and Customer Relationship Management, with industry-leading companies including SAS, CAS, Revlon, Unilever, IRI, and Kraft.

Recognized as a subject matter expert, and often cited in industry publications, Michael also sits on the Grocery Manufacturer Association's Associate Member Council and on the Editorial Advisory Board of Consumer Goods Technology.

Armen is charged with positioning DemandTec as the leading provider of trade effectiveness solutions for consumer products manufacturers. In this role, he oversees market definition, solution strategy, and sales force enablement for DemandTec's on-demand software and analytical services used by many of the world's leading CPG manufacturers.

Having held brand and trade marketing roles at ConAgra Foods, Avery Dennison, and Gateway, Armen brings more than 10 years of CPG and technology marketing experience to DemandTec. Prior to joining DemandTec, he led marketing for SoftCoin, where he successfully positioned the company as the premier vendor of interactive promotion solutions for the CPG industry. Armen holds a BS in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.

Chris Wiesen is a Consumer Products Industry Principal for SAP. Chris has over 25 years of diversified business and technical experience in the areas of Trade Marketing, Brand Marketing, Sales Management, Finance, Solution Engineering and Consulting.

Chris has extensive Trade Promotion Management experience managing very large trade promotion budgets for two progressive food companies. He has led two award winning TPM software implementations including one that went live less than 90 days. Chris is also a former Senior Brand Manager responsible for national and regional consumer food brands. In addition to his business background, Chris has technical experience as a consultant and solution engineer for contract management, trade promotion management, deduction management and related areas. Chris holds BS degrees in both Finance and Management from Ball Sate University.