TEST: Meet the Panelists

Chad Latz

Chief Innovation Officer

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As BCW’s Chief Innovation Officer, Chad Latz is everyone’s go-to guy for trendspotting technology innovations that fuse the digital and physical world and inspire the creation of new opportunities for engagement between consumers and brands. Under his leadership, the agency has digital specialists entrenched within every practice, providing clients with tighter integration of digital and social media concepts into their engagement strategies.

In 2010, Chad was named to PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 list, acknowledging outstanding achievement and his role as a leading voice in the Public Relations industry. In 2016, he was recognized as one of the industry's 25 Most Innovative Professionals by The Holmes Report and, in 2017, he was named among the top 50 most powerful and influential communications professionals globally in the PRWeek Power Book 50.

Potter, woodworker, avid cook and technology guru, Chad is truly a Renaissance man for the Digital Age. Having launched his career with a BFA degree in Visual Design, Chad has transitioned into the world of integrated marketing and communications by allowing his creative pursuits outside of the office to inform his actions at work.

Brooke Hovey | Global President, Asia-Pacific & Europe & Africa

BCW Global, Asia Pacific

LinkedIn
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To work alongside Brooke Hovey is to know what it means to effectively balance the delivery of excellence in real time and for the long term. In her role as Global President, Brooke leads initiatives to accelerate agency growth, drive innovation of BCW’s Earned-Plus offering and ensure clients receive exceptional service and access to the full resources of the agency.

Among the most tenured members of our leadership team, Brooke previously held the roles of Global Chief Client Officer and Head of the Digital Innovation Group for the Americas. In these roles, she worked with clients across industries – including retail/CPG, technology, hospitality, food/beverage, energy, travel and consumer health. She’s masterful at understanding clients’ business challenges, assembling integrated global teams, and mobilizing those teams to deliver impactful work. Whether the challenge du jour is to shape a sustainability story, launch a new company, raise funds for education or sell more hot dogs, Brooke jumps in with genuine curiosity to understand what moves people, and what will move the clients’ business forward.

In 2021, Brooke was named to PRWeek’s “Hall of Femme,” an exclusive list of the top female talent within the industry, and, in 2009, PRWeek named Brooke to its annual “40 Under 40” list. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in corporate communications with minors in business and Spanish.

Chris Kief

Chief Technology Officer

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With nearly 20 years of hands-on engineering experience, Chris Kief is a solutions-oriented business and creative professional, with experience that covers the retail, automotive, health, media, CPG, QSR and financial sectors. Chris thrives on tackling tough business challenges through innovative design + engineering solutions utilizing proven software development methodologies. From mobile applications to enterprise platforms, he has used his full-stack knowledge covering a wide spectrum of technologies, processes and platforms to create some of the most successful and engaging digital experiences for small startups to global leaders.

Chris landed in the world of advertising and technology as a co-founder of Mindflood, a boutique interactive agency he started in the early 2000s with a pair of college friends. Over the course of his career, he’s been fortunate to partner with many of the world’s leading brands including American Express, Absolut, Apple, British Airways, Best Buy, Burger King, Chase, Coca-Cola, Domino’s, General Mills, Google, Intuit, McDonald’s, Michelin, MINI, Modelez, Nestle, Nike, P&G, Red Bull, Samsung, Taco Bell, Toyota, Vonage and Walmart. Chris’s accolades include Cannes Lions, One Show, SXSW, Webby Awards, Communication Arts and Fast Company, to name a few.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with an emphasis in management information systems. When not in New York City, he can be found in the great outdoors on either a mountain bike or pair of skis.