Joint Advertising Financial Management/Agency Relations Committee Meeting

I. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS (11:00 – 11:10a.m. ET)

II. MEMBER ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: PREPARING FOR 2025 (11:10 – 11:45a.m. ET)
Whether you’re a member of the Advertising Financial Management Committee, the Agency Relations Committee, or both, an underlying imperative of both groups is the need to bring greater value to your organization in the coming year by fostering strong client-agency partnerships. Use this opportunity to raise your most pressing questions as you begin to form plans for 2025 and beyond. Our moderators, chairs of both committees, will lead us in a discussion about the challenges procurement and agency management leaders must look to address in the near future. 

Moderators:
Kerry Kielb, Director, Vendor and Agency Management – AT&T and Agency Relations Committee Co-Chair
Vikki Rohrer, Global Agency Operations and Strategy Manager, GAMT– Ford Motor Company and Advertising Financial Management Committee Co-Chair
Sherry Ulsh, Director, Indirect Procurement – The Hershey Company and Advertising Financial Management Committee Co-Chair
Kwan Yim, Director, Global Agency Management – Citi and Agency Relations Committee Co-Chair

III. MCDONALD’S: MAKING THE SWITCH FROM DIRECT TO INDIRECT (11:45a.m. – 12:20p.m. ET)
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That was Nicoletta Stefou’s experience at McDonald’s as she transitioned from direct to indirect sourcing. While there are noticeable differences between both practices, there are similarities between the two that makes the switch less daunting than many may believe. For those who recently moved to the indirect side of the supply chain, Nicoletta is here to offer best practices for starting your indirect sourcing chapter on a high note. 

Speakers:
Nicoletta Stefou, Director, Global Strategic Sourcing Services, Marketing – McDonald’s

IV. BREAK (12:20 – 12:25p.m. ET)

V. HOW AI WILL FOREVER CHANGE AGENCY COMPENSATION MODELS (12:25 – 1:00p.m. ET)
Now that AI is here, and here to stay, what impact will it have on agency compensation? From Aaron Kwitten’s perspective, CEO of the Comms Tech Unit at Stagwell Marketing Cloud, agencies will be able to make the switch to value-based billing, which, as opposed to time-based billing, can give clients more confidence that they’re receiving quality work in a timely manner without overpaying. Aaron is here to honestly address the changes to come in agency fees. For those procurement and agency management leaders who are beginning to see AI in agency scopes without a clear understanding of how it affects compensation, this session is for you.

Speaker:
Aaron Kwittken, CEO, Comms Tech Unit – Stagwell Marketing Cloud