Title & Gold sponsors




Speakers

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.
In 2008, Anu's career started with delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.
Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event - PPC Live and the host of weekly podcast PPCChat Roundup
Recognise her? Well that's because she has spoken on several stages including, but not exclusive to - SMX (US), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna).

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Kerri Amodio is a Director of Demand Generation at Refine Labs, managing a team of talented digital marketers. She became well-versed in executing advanced digital advertising strategies across search, social and display while working in-house for several B2B tech companies. Kerri has been on the agency side for six years, aligning marketing strategy to the modern buyer's media habits. She has a keen eye for landing page optimization, a passion for data visualization and analytics, and a knack for uncovering new avenues of growth for clients.

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Dawn Anderson is the founder of international SEO consultancy and digital marketing agency, Bertey Ltd. Dawn is also a lecturer on digital marketing strategy, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and marketing analytics at Manchester Metropolitan University. Dawn lectures digital marketing strategy students and International Fashion Promotion students at the undergraduate level. She also supervises postgraduate students undertaking dissertations for their Master of Science (MSc) in Digital Marketing Strategy at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Dawn is also an international conference speaker (UK, US, AUS, IT, FR, ES), covering advanced technical SEO and digital marketing topics. Dawn speaks at some of the leading global search marketing conferences, including Pubcon (Las Vegas and Florida), SASCON, Brighton SEO, SMX (London (UK) and San Jose (US), MozCon (US) and State of Search (US). She has been in SEO for 13+ years and works with leading brands providing digital marketing and SEO strategy across many sectors.
Dawn has worked with brands from niches which include FMCG, financial services, sports betting, e-commerce, lead generation, travel, lead generation and membership subscription websites, home insurance, fashion, home and garden retailers, furniture retailers, luxury drinks, hotels, automotive, consumer insights, and more. She is also a Northern Digital, UK, EU, MENA and US Search Awards Judge as well as a UK Content Marketing Awards Judge and UK Biddable Media Judge. Dawn is qualified to Masters Level in digital marketing strategy with both a Pg Dip DigM (Post Graduate Diploma) (IDM) and a Master of Science (MSc) in (Digital Marketing Strategy).
Dawn is a Fellow of The Institute of Digital Marketing (FIDM) and a Member of The British Computing Society (MBCS). She also contributes to leading search marketing industry publications such as Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, The SEMPost, State of Digital, and Smart Insights. In addition to providing ongoing SEO consultancy and support for well-known brands, enterprise and startups, Dawn also undertakes advanced forensic technical SEO audits, leaving no stone unturned. She has researched and presented at many conferences on advanced technical SEO topics and digital marketing strategy. Dawn also contributes regularly with webinars on search marketing.

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Menachem Ani is the founder of JXT Group, a US-based agency specializing in multi-channel online advertising. A digital and search marketing veteran, he brings to the table more than 20 years of experience creating high-impact growth strategies for eCommerce and service-based businesses.
His track record of delivering consistently above-average results stems from his forward-thinking mentality. A pro-automation paid media specialist, Menachem adapts the fundamentals of marketing to ever-evolving ad platforms. Today, he is one of the leading authorities on modern Google Ads tactics and campaigns, including Performance Max, Demand Gen and offline conversion tracking.
Outside of running his agency, Menachem is also a highly regarded author and speaker. He has shared insights on paid media and growing a digital agency at SMX, BrightonSEO, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, Foxwell Founders, and several other publications.

SMX 2024 Speaker:

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Jason Barnard is an entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker and CEO of Kalicube, a groundbreaking digital marketing agency based in France. Jason specialises in Online Brand Management and his superhero skill is his ability to influence and reshape Google's focus on an individual or a company. This isn't just optimization; it's a strategic manipulation of digital perceptions. He's been working on Google since the year it was incorporated, and he has been successfully manipulating Google from day one. Literally. How many people do you personally know who can say that! Google has said that they "... don't know anyone externally who has as much insight into how [Knowledge Panels] work."

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Amanda is a data-driven Performance Marketer with experience managing and growing agency teams and scaling DTC Brands. At Zenni, she leads the Search, Shopping & Video teams focused on direct response initiatives as well Marketing's cross-functional leader for collaboration with Data, Finance and Creative teams. Over the last year, her team won AdExchanger's best-in-house media operation for PPC, the US Search Awards best-in-house team and was a finalist for the Global Search Awards best-in-house team.

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Dale Bertrand has been an SEO specialist to Fortune 500 companies and venture-backed startups around the world for two decades. His clients include global brands such as Citizen Watch, Nestle, Raymond Weil and Bulova. He applies his graduate school work in artificial intelligence to search engine marketing. He has trained marketing professionals from TripAdvisor, Microsoft, HubSpot, Digitas and Proctor & Gamble. Dale has BS and MS degrees in Computer Engineering from Brown University.

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Jessica is not your typical SEO consultant— she redefines operational systems that make your SEO succeed. Even the best in-house teams end up in reactive mode, constantly fixing avoidable issues. That’s where Jessica Bowman comes in.
Her mission is clear: Make SEO an integrated part of everyday business operations with dozens to hundreds of people acting on SEO, so that your team spends less time fixing mistakes and more time driving new, incremental growth. The result? SEO strategies that are executed accurately and swiftly, positioning your company as the SEO pacesetter.
Jessica offers a new SEO perspective: Uncovers and optimizes the operational side of SEO. For senior SEO managers, she brings a tailored, process-driven approach not to reinvent their wheel but to make it spin more effectively across departments by streamlining workflows, boosting efficiency, and getting rid of the constant SEO fires.
In short, Jessica helps companies stop reacting to SEO fires by building a cross-functional, sustainable SEO machine that scales and spans across the organization. Through services like SEO Operations Audits, tailored cross-department training, and embedding SEO accountability into team processes, your teams will get the structure they need to do their 20% that makes 80% of the impact.
Jessica makes SEO everyone’s job—not just the SEO team’s. And, they do it proactively.
If you’re ready to elevate your SEO operations, minimize the risks that drag down results, and maximize your ROI from SEO efforts, let’s talk.

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Ryan Brock is a brilliant storyteller who founded and ran the DemandJump-acquired content agency, Metonymy Media. With 12 years' experience driving measurable content outcomes for businesses in every industry, Ryan is a seasoned SEO expert. Now, as Chief Solution Officer at DemandJump, Ryan works with companies worldwide to remove the guesswork from SEO and drive industry-leading organic traffic results through Pillar-Based Marketing methodologies. Ryan is the co-author of Pillar-Based Marketing: A Data-Driven Methodology for SEO and Content That Actually Works.

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Keegan is the co-founder and CEO of ATRA, known as one of the top paid media agencies in the world. In addition, Keegan is a Visiting Professor of Audience Analytics at Arizona State University where he has laid the foundation on GA4, Looker Studio, search marketing, and digital campaign analysis. Over the last 10 years Keegan has led teams in paid media, conversion rate optimization, and digital project managment while working with some of the biggest healthcare, private universities, and law firms in the country.
Keegan's background in MIS allows for a technical, yet creative approach to driving results for clients. His expertise falls within paid media attribution and analytics to help organizations connect the dots on their marketing efforts to report and optimize their ROI. When he's not working with clients or training his team, Keegan is a host of Paying For Attention, a marketing podcast dedicated to paid media.

SMX 2024 Speaker:

Claire Carlile is a 'Local Search Expert' for BrightLocal, and an independent digital marketing consultant based in Wales in the UK.
Claire has been working in digital marketing for over 20 years, primarily in the SEO and local SEO space. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Chartered Marketer, has an MSC in marketing, and brings both academic and practitioner level marketing know-how to digital projects.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Bruce Clay is founder and president of Bruce Clay, Inc., a global digital marketing company recognized as a worldwide leader in search marketing. Bruce began conducting SEO training in 1999, and since then more than 5,000 individuals have attended BCI’s courses internationally. Bruce wrote the first program for web page analysis, and today BCI’s proprietary SEOToolSet™ is in its sixth generation. Before founding BCI, Bruce had a long career as a technical executive with leading Silicon Valley firms. Bruce holds a BS in math and computer science and received his MBA from Pepperdine University. Bruce has authored many books, including “Search Engine Optimization All-in-One for Dummies” for Wiley. He has spoken at hundreds of marketing industry events, including Search Marketing Expo (SMX), Search Engine Strategies, WebmasterWorld, Affiliate Summit, Ungagged, PubCon and ad:Tech, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, PC Week, Wired Magazine and many other publications.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Anna Crowe is the Director of SEO & Performance Marketing at Alludo, where she runs a portfolio of 50+ websites worldwide, generating over +$500 million in revenue. Anna also moonlights as an SEO Consultant for global brands like Marriott, Hilton, Brother, Bloomin Brands, and many more. Anna has built brands from scratch to sell for over $1 billion, rebounded from manual actions, and scaled websites from 100,000 monthly visitors to over a million. With over 15 years of experience in SaaS and e-commerce, Anna has been named one of the top 20 SEO professionals to follow and earned a nomination for Conductor's Women in Search award. She can be found mic-dropping at SMX Next conferences.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Andrea Cruz is a Senior Director, Client Partner at Tinuiti.
In the past, she led and executed demand generation programs for clients. Andrea has been responsible for driving and implementing SEM, Social Media, ABM, and content syndication campaigns on platforms including Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more.
Beyond paid search and social platforms, Andrea is proficient in Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, various CRMs and has previous experience in operations and B2B purchasing.
Originally from Venezuela, Andrea holds a Masters in International Business from Hult International Business School and is fluent in Spanish, English and French.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Emina is the Head of Digital Marketing at Vixen Digital, a Brighton UK-based digital marketing agency. She has over 10 years of experience in SEO and digital marketing. In her career, Emina has led in-house and agency teams, leveraging her full-stack skillset to develop sustainable marketing strategies. She is innately too curious to specialise and is a firm believer in the value of this approach. She's dug into everything from technical to creative and has always been data-realistic as well as driven. Her new area of focus has been the ethical use of AI in marketing and understanding the LLM space.
Emina shares what she learns as a speaker and a regular contributor to industry publications. She co-host the SEOs Getting Coffee podcast and is an avid guest of other industry shows such as Search with Candour and SEO Office Hours. As a passionate and active member of several digital marketing communities such as Women in Technical SEO, Traffic Think Tank and SEO for Journalism
Emina is an advocate for wider and kinder industry collaboration.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Phil Di Lello, an Unbounce conversion expert, has set up thousands of A/B testing experiments, and is the go-to architect for implementing Unbounce's AI-backed digital marketing products. His recommendations for landing page improvements and CRO strategies have helped boost conversion rates for 15,000+ marketers and agencies around the world.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Eric Enge has been speaking about digital marketing for more than two decades. He has keynoted many conferences including Pubcon Las Vegas, State of Search in Dallas, and Next10x. Eric is lead co-author of The Art of SEO, and also provides content to sites such as Search Engine Land, and Moz. Eric is particularly well known for the research that he publishes on key aspects of search. Eric was named 2018 Search Personality of the Year at the Drum Search Awards, 2016 Search Marketer of the Year (Male) at the Landys, and 2016 Search Personality of the Year at the US Search Awards, and Stone Temple Consulting was also named Best Large SEO Agency of the Year at the US Search Awards.
Eric is President of Pilot Holding, and was the Founder and CEO of Stone Temple Consulting (STC), a 70+ person digital marketing agency based in Massachusetts. Stone Temple was acquired by Perficient in 2018 where Eric worked for three years, and with which Eric continues to work with on many projects.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Melissa Fach is the Lead SEO Content Manager for Kelley Blue Book & Autotrader. She has been in the SEO field for 19 years. While owning her own consultancy, she worked for several industry companies focusing on optimizing content and ensuring articles about SEO were factual. Melissa has worked as an SEO editor for Semrush, Moz, SEJ, and AuthorityLabs. She also worked at Pubcon for 5 years as their Community Manager.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Julie Friedman Bacchini is the president of Neptune Moon, LLC. In the PPC game since literally the beginning, she has truly seen it all. She and her blog appear regularly on many top influencer lists, including the PPC Hero Top 25 Most Influential PPC Experts. She has presented on PPC topics locally and at industry events such as Hero Conference and SMX East. Julie is often a sought-after source for PPC commentary. A frequent industry webinar and podcast guest, Julie is also the host and Managing Director of PPC Chat – a very active industry hashtag, weekly chat dedicated to paid search topics and community - on Twitter.
When she’s not working or tweeting, she is hanging out with her husband, daughter and crazy dog and probably enjoying some wine.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Brad Geddes has been involved in PPC since 1998. He is a co-founder of AdAlysis, a PPC recommendation engine. Brad is the author of Advanced Google AdWords, the most advanced book ever written about Google's advertising program. Brad has worked with many of the world's leading companies in managing and perfecting their PPC management and workflows. One of his trademarks has been demystifying the complicated aspects of SEM. Not one to hold secrets, Brad prefers to educate marketers on the various aspects of crafting successful marketing campaigns to ensure the success for all parties involved.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Danny Goodwin is the Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & SMX. In addition to writing daily about SEO, PPC, and more for Search Engine Land, Goodwin also manages Search Engine Land’s roster of subject-matter experts. He also helps program our conference series, SMX – Search Marketing Expo. Goodwin has been covering search industry news and trends since 2007. He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Will brings a decade of marketing expertise, specializing in a holistic approach to SEO that integrates the entire customer journey. His data-driven strategies ensure that every aspect of the marketing plan not only meets but also exceeds quality standards and aligns with client objectives. With a focus on continuous improvement and client satisfaction, Will has delivered exceptional results across various industries, including B2B SaaS, Healthcare, FinTech, and Education.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Eric Hatzenbuhler manages the strategy and execution of MNTN's full funnel paid media program. Prior to joining MNTN, Eric worked for multiple advertising agencies overseeing paid media efforts for clients ranging from SMB to Fortune 500 organizations and spanning numerous industries from B2B to CPG.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Dr. Marie Haynes is the founder and CEO of Marie Haynes Consulting Inc. (MHC). Formerly a veterinarian, Marie has been obsessed with understanding the inner workings of Google Search since 2008. She is known for her teachings on Google’s search algorithms, E-E-A-T, and more recently, how Google's use of AI has changed how Google ranks results. Marie's podcast and newsletters keep the industry informed on SEO topics.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Amy Hebdon is the founder of Google Premier Partner agency Paid Search Magic. She is a top Google Ads conversion expert & paid search coach with over 20 years of hands-on experience, and has been named one of the Top PPC Experts by PPC Hero and Marketing O'Clock. Her PPC marketing experience and insights make her a welcomed contributor to Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, PPC Hero, CXL, Copyhackers, Supermetrics and Unbounce. She co-hosts the free Facebook group Google Ads for Savvy Digital Marketers.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
A veteran of the digital marketing industry and "Top 25 PPC Expert", Navah Hopkins began as an SEO in 2008, transitioning to PPC in 2012. She manages the strategy and execution of paid media campaigns, as well as helping brands build relationships with profitable partners and customers.
Throughout her career, Navah makes a point to give back and loves sharing lessons learned on the international speaking circuit as well as local universities. She is a frequent contributor to SEJ, SEL, SEMrush, and WordStream blogs/webinars.
In 2019, she became a founding member of the Paid Search Association, a group dedicated to empowering the next generation of PPC practitioners, as well as serving as a resource for all practitioners to learn from and share with the community.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Michael Johnson is a 12 year veteran in the link building industry, over that time he's helped design content and link building strategies for businesses ranging from SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Michael is the Founder of Resolve a boutique SEO agency that specializes in content & link building campaigns designed to drive organic search traffic relevant to their clients' buyer's journeys.
When Michael isn't helping his team build great links, he's wrangling his 4 crazy kids and supporting his perpetually mediocre sports teams.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Holly Kelly is a PPC specialist who currently leads the Paid Media team at Anicca Digital. As part of her role she collaborates with the technical strategists across paid and organic to deliver integrated digital marketing campaigns.
Holly has been in PPC for 10 years and has a host of experience across different channels including Google Ads, Meta Ads and LinkedIn Ads.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Rémi Kerhoas is a co-founder at Quantads, a leading EU-based data marketing agency servicing international enterprise clients as well as pure players / start-ups. There, he leads a large growing team of passionate data marketers in delivering impactful ad campaigns using Quantads' proprietary tech stack and advanced methodologies.
Before that, Rémi spent 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars in SEA / Social Ads, working on large PPC accounts such as Uber, Salomon, Asana, Solidworks, etc.
Rémi regularly contributes to the digital marketing community, as a contributing author to Search Engine Land, speaker at SMX Next and teacher at Institut Leonard de Vinci.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Ameet Khabra is a PPC powerhouse with over 16 years of experience, global accolades, and a passion for sharing her knowledge. A former Google Partners Ambassador and Rising Star, she's spoken at top marketing conferences and leads a thriving online marketing agency, Hop Skip Media. When not optimizing campaigns, you'll find her cheering on the Dallas Cowboys, spoiling her dogs, or mentoring future marketing talent. Ameet's teaching style is fueled by her desire to leave a lasting impact on her students and inspire diversity in the digital marketing field.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
An artist and a technologist, all rolled into one, Michael King recently founded boutique digital marketing agency, iPullRank. Mike consults with companies all over the world, including brands ranging from SAP, American Express, HSBC, SanDisk, General Mills, and FTD, to a laundry list of promising startups and small businesses. Mike has held previous roles as Marketing Director, Developer, and tactical SEO at multi-national agencies such as Publicis Modem and Razorfish. Effortlessly leaning on his background as an independent hiphop musician, Mike King is a dynamic speaker who is called upon to contribute to conferences and blogs all over the world.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Greg Kohler is a Digital Marketing Manager with a focus on lead generation. He is passionate about helping businesses efficiently grow their businesses using various online advertising tactics. His team was named the 2023 In House Team of the Year via Search Engine Land awards. He was named one of Marketing O'Clocks top 50 most influential PPCers in 2022. Greg graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Advertising. You can find him on twitter at @PPCGreg.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Ashley Liddell is the Co-founder and Creative Strategy Director at Deviation, the creator-led search agency. Ashley is a content marketer with a focus on putting “search” at the heart of holistic marketing strategies.
Ashley’s work has focused on the development of a ‘search everywhere’ proposition, combining the skills developed over the last 5 years of working with global brands, across multiple industries, on their search and digital PR approaches. In 2024, Ashley launched Deviation, an agency that tasks itself with building organic visibility, growing share-of-search and building communities for brands.
Ashley's views on 'Search Everywhere' and the role of the expanding search universe within SEO strategy offer brands unique and valuable insights which quickly translate into proven activations.
This is being achieved all whilst seeking to create an environment which builds a passionate and positive business culture within Deviation.
Ash has previously spoken at numerous events, and continues to seek speaking opportunities. Events include Brighton SEO, Power Hour in Hull, and various podcast appearances. Ashley has also created blogs which have appeared in the Content Marketing Association and is also a regular contributor to Search Engine Land, where has provided blog post articles since early 2023.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Chris Long is the VP of Marketing at Go Fish Digital. Chris works with unique problems and advanced search situations to help his clients improve organic traffic through a deep understanding of Google’s algorithm and Web technology. Chris is a contributor for Moz, Search Engine Land and The Next Web. He is also a speaker at industry conferences such as MozCon, SMX, Digital Summit, BrightonSEO and more.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Melissa Mackey is Director of Paid Search for Compound Growth Marketing. A veteran PPC marketer, she helps clients achieve maximum ROI from paid search. Mackey contributes regularly to several industry publications, including Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, MediaPost, and AdWeek, writing on PPC strategy. Mackey has spoken at industry conferences such as SMX Advanced, SMX Next and HeroConf.
Throughout her career, her achievements include overseeing strategy development and implementation of paid search and paid social campaigns for all types of advertisers, as well as execution and analysis of ad copy and landing page strategy.
Mackey holds a Dual BA from Michigan State University, and a Masters of Management from Aquinas College. She lives in East Lansing, Michigan with her husband and the empty bedrooms of her two grown-and-flown children.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Todd Malicoat is the Program Manager in Growth Marketing at SEMrush. He is creating a content team with exceptional experience for Program 3 in Owned Media. Working with growth managers, and marketers to manage a portfolio of digital assets owned by the Semrush brand.
Responsible for strategy and growth of program 3, working with seo strategists, content creators, and marketing experts to develop guides for growth and education for SaSS subscribing marketers.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Julia McCoy is a pioneering voice in AI content strategy and the founder of First Movers, an innovative hybrid consulting/tech AI company. With over a decade of experience in content marketing and having built multiple successful businesses, Julia brings unique insights into the intersection of AI and content strategy. She's helped thousands of marketers adapt to the AI revolution through her consulting work, books, and speaking engagements. Julia's approach combines deep technical knowledge with practical business application, making her the ideal guide for navigating the future of content in the AI age
SMX 2024 Speaker:
James Murray is a passionate product marketer and evangelist with ten years of experience working with disruptive technology, search, big data and online analytics. He is an exceptional communicator with a strong storytelling focus and the ability to simplify complex concepts. James is a marketer, strategist, analyst and public speaker with proven ability in both creative and technical markets.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
As a C-level executive and transformational business leader, Ahmed Naiem brings a record of success and expertise in building world-class capabilities and driving rapid revenue growth at the highest levels of global business. He excels at developing innovative products and services, establishing and scaling large international business teams, and serving as a trusted advisor to the world’s largest organizations on AI applications, global trade, ecommerce technology, payments, logistics, and marketing. Combining diverse cross-functional expertise with standout communication skills – He energizes stakeholders around a shared vision for change to consistently redefine what is possible at every stage of growth, from startups who have scaled to over $1B to the Fortune 100.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Results driven digital marketing strategist and campaign manager with 7+ years of experience working with retail, B2B, real estate, and travel clients. Experienced in end to end management of Search, Display, Shopping, YouTube, and Marketplace (Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, and Criteo) advertising campaigns.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Garrick Robinson is a marketing professional with deep experience in digital analytics and advertising sales. In his role at Microsoft, Garrick has been instrumental in driving revenue for renowned brands such as L'Oreal, Etsy, Saks, and Adidas. He has demonstrated his analytical expertise by developing strategies and leveraging data to deliver successful outcomes in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and apparel verticals. Before joining Microsoft, Garrick spent six years in the advertising industry, where he gained valuable experience and knowledge. He started his career as a Digital Ad Sales representative for NBC, where he developed skills in sales and client management. He then transitioned to a Client Lead role at IRI, a company specializing in market research and analytics. Finally, he worked as a Senior Analyst for Retail Media at Home Depot, where he honed his analytical skills in the retail industry.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
As a Senior Sales Engineer at Lily AI, Waqas leads technical discussions with enterprise and mid-market clients, ensuring solutions meet client needs. Waqas develops integration strategies with Ecommerce platforms and tools like Shopify, Algolia, Google Merchant Center, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud. He has built internal web-based tools to support Sales, Customer Success, and Data Analytics teams, improving efficiency across the board. He often creates custom Python scripts to handle and manipulate data from clients various sources such as CSV, JSON, XML, REST APIs, and SQL databases. Through these efforts, he ensures that Lily AI's technical solutions not only meet but exceed client expectations, driving successful outcomes and long-term partnerships.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Jyll Saskin Gales is a Google Ads coach, teacher and consultant. She advises everyone from startups and small business owners to marketing agencies and Fortune 100 companies, helping them get the most profitable return on investment from their marketing efforts. Jyll currently teaches at Google for Startups, Camp Tech, Jelly Academy, boutique agencies, Fortune 100 companies and her own “Inside Google Ads” and “Google Ads for Beginners” courses. She hosts the Inside Google Ads podcast, and is TikTok’s resident @the_google_pro with 63,000 followers. Jyll worked at Google for 6 years and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Barry Schwartz is the CEO of RustyBrick, a New York Web service firm specializing in customized online technology that helps companies decrease costs and increase sales. RustyBrick sells custom web software including advanced e-commerce, custom content management systems, social networking sites, CRM applications, custom web-based business software, iPhone applications and much more.
Barry Schwartz is the founder of the Search Engine Roundtable and has covered search for over 20 years. Barry is also the News Editor at Search Engine Land. Barry hosts the Search Marketing Expo in Israel and is a speaker, moderator and coordinator at many search marketing conferences, including Search Marketing Expo, Search Engine Strategies, La Red Innova Madrid, Spain, PubCon and many other marketing and technology events.
Barry is always at the forefront of the latest news and trends in search. He was also the former News Editor at Search Engine Watch and is a moderator at several search marketing forums. Barry has and currently provided an advisory role for Google, Yahoo! Search, Microsoft's Bing, and several other Internet companies and many startups. In 2019, Barry was awarded the Outstanding Community Services Award from Search Engine Land and in 2018 he was awarded the US Search Awards the "US Search Personality Of The Year," you can learn more over here. Please also see my writer disclosures and disclaimers page. Barry graduated from the City University of New York (Baruch College) in 2002, with Summa Cum Laude honors. Schwartz received several honors while in university, including Beta Gamma Sigma and the Golden Key International Honor Society.
He, his wife and children live in the New York area. Barry is often quoted and interviewed in publications such as Forbes, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, USA Today BusinessWeek, News.com, Publish and many more. He has appeared on primetime TV, specifically NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams to talk about Google Instant and on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood in regards to mobile apps. Barry has also made multiple appearances on the TWiT network shows This Week in Google and Tech News Today. He has over a decade of hands-on experience in web strategy, marketing and business optimization.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Marc Sirkin serves as Third Door Media's EVP of Product & Technology. He is a twenty+ year digital marketer with a proven track record of revenue & digital fundraising growth. He's led high-growth change at a wide range of organizations, helping companies ranging from startups to large enterprises.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Jack Stampfl is the Chief Client Officer at Blackbird PPC, a digital marketing agency known for its focus on driving results for B2B companies.
With over 10 years of experience managing enterprise-scale accounts, Jack has a proven track record in developing and executing successful PPC strategies. Since joining Blackbird in 2017, he has been instrumental in delivering exceptional client service and driving measurable outcomes for businesses of all sizes.
Jack’s passion lies in the intersection of data-driven marketing and creative problem-solving, making him a sought-after expert in the B2B digital marketing space. Outside of work, he enjoys swimming, reading, and experimenting in the kitchen.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
A 17-year digital marketing veteran and founder of Blackbird, Jay Stampfl originally started working in digital advertising in 2007. Jay has managed media across multiple disciplines including paid search, paid social, and programmatic display. He has spoken at SMX search conferences on the topics of bidding methodology, advanced remarketing strategies, and comparative shopping. Additionally, Jay has been a guest lecturer at Wharton’s Venture Initiation MBA program on digital marketing best practices for early-stage startups. He was one of three national winners of iMedia’s Rising Star Award, nominated for his “demonstrated track record of defining, recommending, selling through, and delivering transformative marketing programs that drive extraordinary results.”
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Amber is a Senior Account Executive at MNTN, where she works directly with brands and agencies to successfully launch their Connected TV campaigns using MNTN’s performance TV platform. Over the past 6+ years, Amber has worked with hundreds of brands across diverse verticals and sizes— helping them drive new customer acquisition and overall digital growth.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Jo Juliana Turnbull is a Growth Marketer and SEO consultant with over 21 years’ experience in sales and marketing with over 5 working in-house at SaaS brands and over 6 working in finance and fintech. She runs a remote, digital marketing agency called Turn Global where she helps clients with their SEO and international marketing. Her company specialises in working with finance, fintech and SaaS brands.
Outside of work she organizes a networking group called Search London which runs in-person events in Barcelona and London as well as online events. Search London is for those working in SEO, PPC and social media and is a safe and judgment free space, allowing members to keep up to date with news in the search industry. The events promote first time speakers and from diverse backgrounds. Jo has been running Search London since January 2011 and Search Barcelona since June 2023. In November 2023, she started co-hosting SEO Office Hours with Mike Chidzey from Good Signals.
Jo is a Chartered Marketer and also has a BA(Hons) in International Management of Business Administration (IMBA) with French from the University of Reading. The degree course included one year at the Paris Dauphine business school. She speaks fluent French and Spanish.
In 2024, Jo won Search Marketer of the Year on Search Engine Land after being nominated by Mike Chidzey.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Frederick Vallaeys co-founded Optmyzr in 2013 to give search marketers the tools they needed to make managing pay-per-click (PPC) accounts quick and simple. A former Google executive and one of the tech giant’s first 500 employees, Fred spent close to 10 years managing and evangelizing for the AdWords (now Google Ads) product, and is best remembered for his work on Quality Score.
Fred is also an accomplished author and speaker on PPC account management, automation, and scripts — having spoken at high-profile events like SMX Advanced and Hero Conf and having published “Unlevel the Playing Field: The Biggest Mindshift in PPC History” in 2022 and "Digital Marketing in an AI World: Futureproofing Your PPC Agency" in 2019.
He is also the host of Optmyzr’s PPC Town Hall, a live video podcast that empowers paid search professionals with the latest insight about the search channels and marketing tools. He was recognized as 2018’s SEM Contributor of the Year by Search Engine Land, top 10 on PPC Hero’s definitive industry ranking of the most influential PPC experts of 2021, and Search Marketer of the Year for 2021 by Search Engine Land.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
I am a Media Director with over a decade of experience driving measurable results in the digital marketing industry. Throughout my career, I’ve specialized in performance marketing, search marketing, and leveraging advanced technologies to transform how businesses grow in today’s digital age. Leading high-profile accounts such as National Bank of Canada, Reitmans, Cirque du Soleil, Air Canada, CAA-Québec, Sail Outdoor, and many more, I have consistently brought innovation and strategic thinking to solve complex digital challenges, resulting in sustained growth and optimized performance for my clients.
I am honored to have been recognized as a Finalist for the Search Engine Land Awards in the 'Search Marketer of the Year' category for the past three years, a testament to my commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in search marketing. My expertise in AI technologies, machine learning, and advanced value-based bidding strategies has allowed me to lead award-winning campaigns, including the campaign for Sail Plein Air, which was also shortlisted for the Google Agency Excellence Awards in Search Transformation and Media Unification and won in two categories at this year's Search Engine Land Awards.
In my current role at Adviso, I’ve been instrumental in scaling the agency’s growth and securing our position as a Google Marketing Platform Sales Partner, consistently driving higher ROI for our clients.
Beyond campaign execution, my contributions to the industry extend to thought leadership. I am an active voice in the discussions around AI, privacy laws, and the deprecation of third-party cookies, contributing insights through webinars, industry conferences, and published articles. I am also dedicated to nurturing talent, having coached and mentored rising digital marketers, and led initiatives such as the Google Online Marketing Academic Challenge, helping to equip the next generation of leaders.
As a forward-thinking digital marketing leader, my goal is to drive innovation, optimize performance, and create data-driven strategies that deliver measurable business impact. Whether it’s through value-based bidding, automation, or pioneering AI-driven solutions, I remain committed to shaping the future of digital marketing and delivering exceptional results for the brands I work with.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Kirk Williams is the founder and owner of ZATO, his micro-agency focused solely on Google and Microsoft Advertising, and has been knee-deep in advertising since 2009 when he needed a job (any job!) to get him through his dense post-grad work. In 2024 he was recognized as the 4th most influential PPC expert in the world by PPC Survey, and is known for his TEDx Talk on Redefining Business Success (success is more than just money).
Kirk is respected for his pondering PPC articles across various industry publications including Shopify, Microsoft, Moz, and MarketingLand. He is also an international conference speaker presenting on all things Paid Search (especially Shopping Ads), and has spoken in London, Dublin, Milan, Sydney, as well as many US cities. He has written three books on PPC marketing and agency ownership and loves to teach PPC whenever and wherever he has the opportunity.
Kirk currently resides in Billings, MT with his wife, 6 children (yup 6), Trek bikes, Taylor acoustic guitars, books, and probably not as much sleep as he should be getting.
SMX 2024 Speaker:
Christine Zirnheld (AKA Shep) is a Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Cypress North, specializing in B2B advertising. Christine also hosts Marketing O'Clock, a weekly digital marketing news podcast, where she covers the latest PPC news and updates with plenty of rants, sass, and eye rolls.