Will Pearson is the President of iHeartPodcasts where he oversees the company’s operations in NYC, Atlanta and Los Angeles, as well as the growth strategy of iHeartPodcast content. The iHeartPodcast Network amasses more than 368 million downloads a month, making iHeart the No. 1 podcast publisher globally. In Pearson’s time at iHeart, the podcast division has launched the Big Money Players slate with Will Ferrell, a Shondaland Audio slate with Shonda Rhimes, and co-production slates with Pushkin Industries, the NFL, NBA and Bloomberg. With a focus on bringing greater diversity into podcasting, in 2020 iHeart launched The Black Effect Network, the world’s largest podcast network dedicated to black voices, and later My Cultura, the fastest growing podcast network dedicated to Latinx voices. Pearson joined iHeartMedia in 2018 when the company acquired Stuff Media. At Stuff Media, he served on the leadership team responsible for growing the podcast division, secured an investment from the Raine Group and led the integration of the division into iHeartMedia. Prior to joining HowStuffWorks, Pearson was the Co-Founder and President of Mental Floss, a media company he launched in 2001 with co-founder Mangesh Hattikudur. Over his 16-year leadership at Mental Floss, Pearson oversaw the launch of Mental Floss Magazine, the publication of several bestselling books, the creation of a children’s education series called SmartyPants and the growth of a digital audience of more than 20 million regular readers and viewers. In 2011, Pearson and Hattikudur sold Mental Floss to Dennis Publishing. In his spare time, Pearson and his wife Georgia work together to support organizations in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, including Magic Moments, a wish-granting organization where he served as board chairman, The Nature Conservancy and Glenwood, which provides services to those in the autism community.

Lizzie Widhelm, SiriusXM Media’s SVP of Ad Innovation and B2B Marketing, has always excelled at delivering on what’s best for advertisers while keeping sacred the importance of the listener experience. An inductee of the Advertising Hall of Achievement, Lizzie was Pandora’s first salesperson in 2006 and has grown to become an industry leader in audio advertising innovation. Lizzie was a leading force behind the recent launch of SiriusXM Media, the combined sales organization encompassing the SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher brands, which together represent an audience of over 150M listeners - the largest digital audio advertising marketplace in the U.S. From the rise of connected home listening to the skyrocketing growth of podcasting, Lizzie continues to push the boundaries of digital advertising by focusing on the future. She is responsible for leading SXM Media’s robust podcasting strategy, bringing scale to podcast advertising while maintaining an intimate listener experience. She oversaw the creation of Studio Resonate, SiriusXM Media’s in-house creative consultancy, which helps connect brands with an unrivaled array of ad technology solutions, exclusive programming, proprietary research, bespoke creative and production solutions. In 2019, Billboard featured Lizzie in its prestigious “Women In Music” issue for her leadership and trailblazing efforts in the industry. She was also featured on Campaign’s “40 Over 40” list of exceptional leaders who are transforming the modern ad world. Lizzie is based in Los Angeles, California.

Tony Marlow is the Chief Marketing Officer for LG Ad Solutions, where he uses data-driven insights to lead all aspects of marketing and communications. Previously, Tony was CMO at Integral Ad Science (IAS), where he helped transform the brand into a recognized and trusted partner, and took the company public through an IPO in 2021. Before IAS, he was the CMO at Data Axle, Global Head and Vice President of B2B Marketing at Yahoo, and consulted on a range of media and technology-related projects at Nielsen Online (APAC). He is also the co-founder of a mobile app development company called Appy Dragon (creators of RacerTracer).

DJ Perera is Chief Media Officer at the Ad Council, the national nonprofit organization that mobilizes the energy and talents of the communications industry to make a measurable impact on the most critical social issues of today. As Chief Media Officer, DJ Perera oversees the Ad Council’s Media team and the department’s four Centers of Excellence: Media Strategy and Engagement, Digital Media and Operations, Emerging Media and Technology, and Digital Products. She will continue to evolve the Ad Council’s media model and develop strategic partnerships across the media ecosystem, strategically using both pro bono and paid media elements to enhance the organization’s impact on social issues. This will include identifying engagement strategies in website development, leading the exploration of trends in consumer engagement and driving innovation in emerging media and technology. Prior to joining the Ad Council, DJ led Boehringer Ingelheim’s U.S. Media Center of Excellence, managing all aspects of direct-to-consumer and health care professionals paid media for the company’s pharmaceutical and OTC brands. DJ also led Beiersdorf’s US Integrated Media Center of Excellence where she oversaw paid, owned and earned media for Nivea, Aquaphor, Eucerin and Coppertone. DJ is a digital native who started her career in the late 1990s during the dot-com boom, leading digital initiatives at iXL, Proxicom and Qwest Communications. She then worked at a marketing agency for 10 years where she built and led its digital practice. DJ is a graduate of NYU currently lives in Connecticut.

Paul Suchman, Chief Marketing Officer, Audacy: Paul Suchman is the Chief Marketing Officer of Audacy. Audacy is a scaled, multi-platform audio content and entertainment company with a leadership position in virtually every segment of the dynamic and growing audio business—including broadcasting, podcasting, digital, network, live events, music, sports and news. Audacy is also the #1 creator of original, premium audio content, engaging 200 million consumers each month. Suchman joined Audacy (then Entercom) in September 2019. In his role, he oversees all aspects of Audacy’s marketing and communications discipline, stewarding the company’s brand and perspectives to every audience Audacy serves. He is responsible for building the company’s reputation and knowledge of Audacy’s capabilities with clients and agency partners, and bringing its growing portfolio of innovative audio products to market. Working closely with sales leadership, Suchman is also responsible for delivering best- in-class solutions to brands and advertisers. Prior to joining Audacy, Suchman served as Global Chief Marketing Officer for CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm and a leading Fortune 500 company. In that role, he oversaw global brand strategy, advertising, digital marketing, social media, content and research marketing and business development marketing. Suchman also previously served as Executive Vice President and Worldwide Director for BBDO Worldwide, where he directed a portfolio of global brands and helped buildthe agency’s global brand consultancy practice. His agency and leadership experience also include tenures at WPP’s Ogilvy New York and Los Angeles offices, Agency.com and Lippincott. Suchman serves as chairman of University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business’ board of directors, as a member of University of Oregon’ School of Journalism and Communications board of directors and as advisor of Oceana. Suchman is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.

Peg Jackson, Managing Director, Mooreland Partners: Peg is a Managing Director in Mooreland Partner’s Greenwich office. She brings more than 20 years of investment banking, venture capital and operating management experience within the media technology sector. At Mooreland, she focuses on the digital media, marketing software and e-commerce industries. Prior to joining Mooreland Partners, she was a Managing Director at Gridley & Co, where she worked on transactions within the digital media sector. Prior to joining Gridley, Peg worked in venture capital as a Managing Director at NeoCarta Ventures investing in media technology companies such as Silverpop and Myrio (acquired by Siemens). Prior to working at NeoCarta, Peg held corporate development and operational roles at NBC and Reuters. Peg holds a BA in Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from New York University.