AI in Marketing: Real Talk from the Front Lines

Panel Discussion

AI is transforming marketing, offering new ways to boost creativity, productivity and impact—but many teams are stuck between excitement and fear. Join us for a candid panel discussion where senior  leaders (creative, marketing and strategy) share how they’re integrating AI strategically while managing internal resistance from people and process.

Key Takeaways

1. Real-world examples of how companies are implementing AI as a strategic business tool rather than a technological novelty.
2. Tips for bringing legal and compliance along for the ride.
3. Practical approaches to gain organizational buy-in and gradually build comfort with AI adoption, even in regulated industries like financial services.

Agenda

4 p.m. – Doors open, networking begins
4:30 p.m. – Panel begins
5:45 p.m. – Q&A

Our Speakers

Kate Lybarger | panelist
Director, Head of Payment Innovation | Discover Global Network

Kate Lybarger is the force behind Payments Innovation at Discover Global Network, where she scouts the latest trends, shakes things up with experimental value propositions, and turns emerging opportunities into actionable wins for the company. As a key player on Discover’s Invention Evaluation Council, she helps evaluate and approve the filing of patent applications for nominated game-changing ideas.

With over 15 years of experience spanning industry heavyweights like JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and PNC, Kate has launched cutting-edge digital products, built growth strategies from scratch, and pioneered predictive analytics systems. Most recently, she was the Executive Director of Consumer Bank Operations Innovation at Chase, leading initiatives in gamification, fraud cost avoidance, and dispute resolution.

A graduate of Lindenwood University in St. Louis, Missouri, Kate also mentors startups through Ohio State’s Buckeye Venture Mentor Services. She calls Columbus, Ohio, home, sharing it with her two Shih Tzus, Bear and Emmy.

Kate’s LinkedIn

Susan Westwater | panelist
CEO/President | Pragmatic Digital, LLC

Susan Westwater is the founder and CEO of Pragmatic Digital, where she helps businesses of all sizes strategically implement AI and conversational technology to enhance customer engagement and drive growth. With experience at Leo Burnett and Ricoh USA, she has led global product launches and customer experience innovations. Susan co-authored two books on conversational AI, including the AMAF Berry Book Award finalist Voice Marketing: Harnessing the Power of Conversational AI to Drive Customer Engagement (with a foreword by Philip Kotler). 

She was named one of the Top 100 Women Leaders in Conversational AI and co-founded AI in CHI, a community advancing practical AI use in business. Susan also contributes to the Open Voice Trustmark, a Linux Foundation project establishing trust in Conversational AI. Susan specializes in translating complex AI concepts into practical, ROI-driven strategies that deliver tangible business results.

Susan’s LinkedIn

Joe Grigsby | panelist
Global Client and AI Lead, VML

Joe brings 25 years of experience in digital advertising at the intersection of brand and performance marketing. He has a successful track record of collaborating with brands and partners to deliver breakthrough programs and strong business outcomes for clients such as PepsiCo, Colgate-Palmolive, MillerCoors, Bridgestone and more. As part of the WPP Open X leadership team, Joe delivers brave and boundless creative commerce work.

Joe’s LinkedIn

Ann Hoeger | panel moderator
Chief Strategy Officer | The Golden Phoenix Group

Ann Hoeger is a marketing strategist with extensive experience in brand management, innovation consulting and growth strategy. As a fractional and interim marketing executive and founder of SWIM (Savvy Women In Marketing), a networking community for executive women marketers in Chicago, she has demonstrated her commitment to fostering marketing excellence and innovation. Ann’s diverse background positions her uniquely to moderate discussions on the integration of AI in marketing. 

Ann’s LinkedIn

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