LEAD SPONSOR
MARCH 21st, 2025 | Toronto, ON
Insights, Ideas and Predictions from Leaders at:

 

 

 

…and others…

Attend and Discover Insights on the Future of Loyalty & Rewards Programs, Perks and Points Campaigns, Customer Experience Offers and all aspects of customer retention and engagement. Hear more about…these and more…

Loyalty 3.0: The transformation of loyalty programs through marketing innovation and technology.

The Evolution of Loyalty Programs: The shift from transactional rewards to emotionally connected experiences.

Next Generation Loyalty Programs: The future of customer strategy and retention in the age of AI and hyper-personalization. A roster of speakers from major loyalty and rewards programs, cash-back rewards, perks and other customer-incentive programs will be announced shortly.

TIP: These concepts and program applications also include insights which help identify, acquire, retain and grow donor bases for all forms of nonprofits, charities and community foundations.

Breakfast & Session Sponsor

SPEAKERS
> Stephen Shaw, Chief Strategy Officer, Kenna
> Jan Kestle, President, Environics Analytics
> Shawn Stewart, President, Air Miles.
> Uwe Stueckmann, Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Innovation
Parkland (Journie Rewards).
> Rachel MacAdam, VP Marketing, SkipTheDishes, Skip+.
> Steve Allmen, EVP, Strategy and Partnerships, CAA National (Canadian Automobile Association).
> Matthew Seagrim, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, Meridian.
> Richard Schenker, Founder & Chief Customer Engagement Officer, Loyal Strategy Consulting.
> Joanna Walker, Co-Founder & CEO, Loyalty & Co.
> Lia Grimberg, Principal and Consultant of Radicle Loyalty.
> Emma Warrillow is SVP, Marketing Science, at Track.
> Hans Laroche, Founder and Partner at R3 Marketing
and Senior Consultant Relationship Marketing & Loyalty at Adviso.
> Tanbir Grover, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, PetValu. (TBC)

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DM Magazine Presents a One-Day, Senior Executive Forum
(Also Special Rates for Dual, Group Registrations)

An All-Keynote Senior Executive summit, located in the heart of Toronto’s corporate headquarter district, each individual speaker will addresses all delegates in a top-level format that ensures all attendees get the most impactful insights. Other speakers will also participate in panel discussions which provide deep-dives on data-driven  loyalty, rewards, points, retail marketing,  and ecommerce, including (but not limited to) strategy, platforms, analytics, forecasting, scenario planning, mobile solutions, predictions, digital transformation and AI-powered solutions.

Leaders in all aspects of data-driven loyalty and rewards will examine the workings of today’s consumer engagement and reveal the near-future in the ever-expanding, analytics-powered C-Suite. The universal torrent of data available today has become the foundational tool of informed decision making for marketers in all sectors, but none more than loyalty programs and rewards platforms. Data and the evaluation of data connects across department and functions. Each Keynote presentation and panel discussion will explore and reveal real-world, actionable paths to enable all aspects of the transformative power of million-member loyalty brands and consumer rewards.

 CONFERENCE TIMETABLE & AGENDA

7:45 am | Registration, Breakfast, Networking
8:30 am | Welcoming Remarks, Morning Keynote by Jan Kestle, President, Environics Analytics
9:30 am to 12:30 pm | Super Session Keynotes | Panel Discussions
12:35 pm | Luncheon, Networking | Fireside Chat, Shawn Stewart, President, Air Miles
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm| Super Session Keynotes | Panel Discussions
5:00 pm to 5:30 pm |  Wrap Up | Networking

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Keynoter & Host

Stephen Shaw, Chief Strategy Officer, Kenna. One of Canada’s most respected and sought out speakers on loyalty and customer engagement, Shaw guides clients on the adoption of customer experience management as a core discipline and serves as an advocate of marketing transformation. Recognized in Canada as an authority on relationship and database marketing, his expertise spans from information technology and customer analytics to customer management strategy. Shaw also has a much-listened to podcast (CustomerFirstThinking) and writes regularly for DM Magazine. He has interviewed the most impactful and influential executives across the spectrum of data-driven marketing.

SESSION: WHAT DOES TRUE LOYALTY EVEN MEAN? And how do you measure it?
Few customers today would describe themselves as truly loyal to the brands they buy. Yet for mature brands 85 percent of their revenue will come from their most loyal customers. Just how loyal are those customers? How many of them are susceptible to switching, just waiting for a better deal to come along? How many of them would miss the brand if it disappeared from their lives? How many are simply buying out of habit? Or passiveness? Or convenience? Most brands have customers that span the loyalty spectrum – they just don’t know what that distribution curve looks like. And the Net Promoter Score only reveals who is most likely to recommend the brand – not how emotionally committed they are. To understand which customers are truly loyal, marketers need an integrated measurement equation which brings together the key metrics that matter. This session explores in depth how marketers can create a measurement system that will reveal which customers are truly loyal.

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SPEAKER: Shawn Stewart, President, Air Miles. Shawn has been an industry leader in loyalty, customer experience, and digital transformation throughout his career and brings this rich expertise to his role as President, AIR MILES, where he will spearhead the strategic direction of Canada’s most recognized loyalty program with a specific view into driving meaningful engagement for consumers and partners alike. Prior to joining AIR MILES, he was Senior Vice President, Customer at Canadian Tire, where he led the team responsible for enterprise loyalty, digital marketing, customer analytics and personalization, including the team that built and grew the Triangle Rewards loyalty program. He also worked at McKinsey & Company and Accenture, where he developed customer acquisition and retention strategies, data-driven applications, and customer experience programs to accelerate business growth for clients. From 2010 to 2013, Shawn was a member of the AIR MILES leadership team, where his role was accountable for data and analytics for partners. Shawn has a passion for building new capabilities and transforming organizations and brands. He has a deep understanding of partner needs, collector behaviours, and business development opportunities.

SESSION: A Fireside Chat. Shawn sits down for an in-depth chat with MC/Host Steve Shaw on the future of Air Miles, the potential for loyalty programs in Canada, the power of customer insights and so much more. Don’t miss it. An hour of the best insights from an sector leader with a history of success.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Jan Kestle, President, Environics Analytics. Jan Kestle has been a leader in the marketing information industry for more than five decades. An expert in using statistics and mathematics to help solve business challenges, she directed the initiatives that introduced the main segmentation system used in Canada Environics Analytics (EA’s) PRIZM® system, EA’s powerful ENVISION business intelligence platform, and has fully professionalized the melding of many different data sources and types into insightful statistics, including more recently, a variety of big data sources such as mobilytics and website usage (MobileScapes and ClickScapes). Over the years, she’s helped hundreds of customers—in industries ranging from finance and retail to the not-for-profit sector—turn data and analytics into insight, strategy and engagement. Before founding EA in 2003, Jan was president of Compusearch and spent 19 years at the Ontario Statistical Centre. Active in the marketing community, Jan was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Marketing Association and the GIS Leadership Award from BeSpatial Ontario. Jan is a member of the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council and is the Dean’s Advisory Council Emeritus for the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, and on the advisory boards of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, and the Morrissette School of Entrepreneurship at the University of Western Ontario.

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SPEAKER: Uwe Stueckmann, Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Innovation, Parkland (Journie Rewards). Stueckmann was appointed Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Innovation in July 2023. In this role, he is responsible for Parkland’s customer value proposition and competitive positioning across all International Business Units, including brand strategy, product management, analytics, digital, and media planning and leading one of Canada’s fastest growing loyalty programs, Journie Rewards. Stueckmann brings extensive brand, marketing, loyalty, and digital experience from some of Canada’s largest retailers including Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart. He joins Parkland from Loblaws where he spent 13 years in roles of increasing seniority including Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer, and Senior Vice President Marketing and Customer Relationship Management. While with Loblaws, he delivered some of the industries most recognized and successful customer programs. Stueckmann is a past board member of the Canadian Marketing Association, Ad Standards Council and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto.

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SPEAKER: Rachel MacAdam, VP Marketing, SkipTheDishes, Skip+. Rachel MacAdam joined the SkipTheDishes team as Vice President of Marketing. Rachel came to Skip with over 25 years of international loyalty, retail, banking, travel and eCommerce experience, most recently as the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Rewards and Customer Care with the Air Miles Rewards Program. In her role, she leads the marketing organization for Canada and is a key part of the global leadership team for Just Eat Takeaway. Her focus is to help champion the customer experience across the organization to drive acquisition and engagement through a relevant and compelling brand story, personalized digital experiences, and enhancing the value proposition through brand offers, partnerships and sponsorships.

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SPEAKER: Steven Allmen, EVP, Strategy and Partnerships, CAA National (Canadian Automobile Association). Responsible for strategy and partnerships for the CAA National office with a focus on the CAA partners in loyalty and travel, CAA Rewards and other membership benefits. The team I lead supports CAA clubs from coast to coast with a goal to drive member and program value leveraging great marketing, data and program integration. Accountable to the CAA CEOs, the CAA National board and numerous CAA task forces across loyalty, membership, marketing, travel and automotive services.

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SPEAKER: Matthew Seagrim, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, Meridian. As the Chief Digital & Marketing Officer (CDMO) at Meridian, Matthew Seagrim leads marketing, IT, data and analytics, product development, digital platforms, and cybersecurity. He is driving development and execution of strategic initiatives to transform the business and achieve its purpose. 

Before joining Meridian, Matthew spent seven years leading Scene+, where he revitalized the company by reshaping its brand and value proposition, forged new strategic partnerships, and developed digital-first technology and infrastructure. His career comprises progressive leadership roles in Financial Services, Marketing, and Loyalty sectors, including eight years at AIMIA, where he held executive positions driving strategy, product development, and innovation across Canada, Mexico, and Southeast Asia.

SESSION: Matthew will participate in a very in-depth, enlightening and candid panel discussion along with his peers on topics which shine new lights on the transformation of customer loyalty.

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SPEAKER: Richard Schenker, Loyal Strategy Consulting. Founder & Chief Customer Engagement Officer. Richard Schenker is a leading expert in the discipline of customer engagement. For three decades, he has been a strategic advisor to over 50 iconic brands across many key business sectors.

Richard has designed, renovated, and managed world class loyalty programs, partnerships and customer experience solutions in the following sectors: grocery, pharmacy, athletic apparel, specialty retail, departments stores, fuel & convenience, quick service restaurants, financial services, automotive, travel & hospitality, food & beverage, and technology & entertainment. His experience and know-how is unparalleled in the industry and spans across proprietary, coalition, and partner loyalty programs.

Prior to founding Loyal Strategy Consulting, Richard spent the first half of his career on the client side with Hudson’s Bay Company and Shoppers Drug Mart in high profile loyalty leadership roles. He was the chief architect of the iconic Optimum Program. During the next portion of his career, Richard held several senior loyalty leadership roles with LoyaltyOne, (owner and operator of the Air Miles Reward Program) and Bond Brand Loyalty. Richard is a renowned customer engagement author and contributor to many leading publications, podcasts and interviews.

SESSION: LOYALTY TO THE DISCOUNT OR LOYALTY TO THE BRAND? It’s time for more “Emotional Loyalty”. In this presentation Schenker explores the systemic overreliance by brands to build loyalty by discounting, which ultimately does not engender loyalty to the brand proper. Brands need to get off this loyalty discount drug and begin to build loyalty attributes, features and mechanics that are less reliant on discounting and more heavily skewed to fostering authentic emotional loyalty and love for their brands.

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SPEAKER:  Joanna Walker, Co-Founder & CEO, Loyalty & Co. Advocate. Entrepreneur. Determined. Kind. Joanna is a visionary individual known for her strategic mindset, leadership capabilities, and ability to inspire innovation across various facets of marketing, loyalty program design, and gift card frameworks. With a rich background from renowned loyalty and retail brands like LoyaltyOne, Hudson’s Bay Company, and Bond Brand Loyalty, she places a strong emphasis on understanding her client’s needs while pushing boundaries to create lasting impact. Her proficiency lies in strategy development, crafting, implementing, and launching effective customer engagement programs and building internal consensus to invest in the process and the business infrastructure that sets up the organization for long-term success. Clients can rely on her unwavering commitment to their best interests, ensuring they feel well-supported throughout their journey. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Joanna is a passionate advocate for women in business and takes an active role in coaching and facilitating business strategy planning sessions to help push boundaries and drive success. With her guidance, many individuals find the encouragement and resources they need to flourish in their ventures.

SESSION: Customer Centricity: It’s Always Personal: Customer centricity isn’t just a strategy, it’s a mindset, a culture, and a way of doing business that prioritizes people over processes. Customer Centricity: It’s Always Personal challenges the outdated “it’s just business” mentality that so often erodes trust and loyalty. In this talk, we’ll explore what it truly means to embed customer focus into the very DNA of your organization. From the role of leadership in setting the tone to empowering every employee to embody your company’s values, we’ll uncover the building blocks of a culture that fosters real relationships.

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SPEAKER: Lia Grimberg, Principal and Consultant of Radicle Loyalty. Lia specializes in helping companies enhance the relevance of their marketing communications and design effective loyalty programs to boost ROI by up to 200 percent. With over 20 years of experience working with leading loyalty programs in Canada—including Hudson’s Bay Rewards, PC Optimum, AIR MILES, and American Express’s Membership Rewards—Lia offers expertise in loyalty strategy design, lifecycle communication, CRM, and personalized one-to-one communications. She provides mid-sized companies with tools such as free personalization assessments, training, and custom communication programs. Known for her relentless drive and deep industry knowledge, Lia is dedicated to challenging the status quo and helping businesses grow. Her clients praise her for her creativity, strategic insights, and ability to uncover new opportunities in the loyalty space.

SESSION: Why Loyalty Programs Need AI to Thrive. Join this illuminating 60-minute session to discover how artificial intelligence is becoming essential for modern loyalty programs to thrive. The presenter will explore: • The core building blocks of successful loyalty programs. With examples from established programs like Starbucks and American Express, learn what makes top-tier loyalty initiatives stand out. • An examination of five key trends reshaping loyalty programs, including hyper-personalization, emotional loyalty, and sustainable rewards. Through case studies from innovative brands like REI and Adidas, see how these trends are driving program evolution and member satisfaction. • A practical exploration of AI’s transformative role in loyalty programs, including personalization strategies, predictive analytics, and automated engagement. The presenter will showcase real-world applications from companies like McDonald’s and Amazon, demonstrating how AI turns traditional loyalty programs into sophisticated engagement platforms that deliver value for both businesses and customers. The session will conclude with interactive Q&A, ensuring attendees leave with actionable insights for their own loyalty initiatives.

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SPEAKER: Emma Warrillow is SVP, Marketing Science, at Track. She is an Analytics leader, Chartered Marketer and Data Storyteller. Emma focuses on making data make sense. She is a business consultant who specialize in bringing clarity to marketing analytics and data. By bridging the gap between marketing and analytics -and technology – she provides pragmatic solutions to move projects forward. Emma brings over 25 years experience in the database marketing and marketing analytics arena – across a variety of industries (banking, insurance, telco, technology, business services etc.) She is a recognized expert in her field; a sought-after speaker; frequent contributor to industry publications; co-chair of the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) Council on Customer Insights and her analytics specialties include data-driven strategy, customer-centric marketing, analytic CRM, segmentation, predictive modeling, training, mentoring, brainstorming, business requirements.

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SPEAKER: Hans Laroche, Founder and Partner at R3 Marketing and Senior Consultant Relationship Marketing & Loyalty at Adviso. With an impressive track record of over 35 years in relationship marketing and loyalty, Hans has contributed to the relationship strategies of numerous companies, including Air Miles, Cirque du Soleil, Nespresso, Desjardins, McKesson Canada, The Royal Canadian Mint, Metro, Jean Coutu pharmacy, etc. Hans has been a university lecturer for more than 28 years, where he teaches relationship marketing and loyalty at the master degree of the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Université de Sherbrooke. Before starting R3 Marketing in 2005, a leading loyalty consulting firm in Canada, Hans held the position of Vice-President and General Manager at Carlson Marketing Group in Montreal, and has managed, developed and optimized over 50 loyalty programs. For the last 7 years R3 Marketing has been publishing The LoyalT Study, the most complete study of retail loyalty program trends and performance in Canada. Hans holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Marketing from the Université de Sherbrooke.

Speaker: Tanbir Grover, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, PetValu. Tanbir Grover is the Chief Marketing and Digital Officer of the Company, having responsibility of the Company’s omni-channel marketing, e-commerce and marketing analytics, including the Company’s loyalty program. Prior to joining Pet Valu, Grover served as Vice President, Digital at the Co-operators Group Limited from January 2020 to November 2020. Prior to that, he held a number of different roles at Lowe’s Canada from 2011 to 2020 where he most recently served as Vice President of e-commerce and Omnichannel. Grover also held senior digital and marketing positions at the Hudson’s Bay Company and Sears Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University and a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Not for Profit Directors Education Program at the Institute of Corporate Directors at the University of Toronto.

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The OBA Conference Centre at 20 Toronto Street (King & Yonge) is a strategically-located event space that offers one of the most immersive and technologically advanced facilities. DM magazine and our other publications have staged senior-level events at the OBA for many years and always receive warm praise for the choice of venue. There are discounts for group or team registration. 

Registration Fees
Single Delegate: $595.00
Dual Delegates: $995.00 (Rate is for two delegates from the same organization.)
Group Delegate Rate: $1295.00 (Rate for 3 individual delegates from the same organization).
Each additional delegate up to 5 is $200 pp
More than 5 delegates? Email Steve Lloyd steve@dmn.ca for rate options.

*NOTE: All rates are plus GST/HST (You May Register Now and Pay by C/C and receive a receipt and confirmation (click on image) | or Register and Request Invoicing and we will send confirmation your registration request is received along with an invoice, and you may then send payment by C/C, EFT or Interac to confirm. 

OR REGISTER AND REQUEST INVOICING HERE

Find out more or if you have other questions… Let me know and I’ll get back to you quickly. Steve Lloyd, Publisher & Editor in Chief,  DM Magazine and Total Finance Magazine. steve@dmn.ca

P: 905-201-6600 | C: 416-919-7076