Keynote Speakers
The MCPG conference has lined up these speakers:
Major League Soccer CMO J.R. Findlay
Chobani CEO H. Ulukaya
HBS' J. Deighton
J. Russell Findlay
Major League Soccer, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
J. Russell Findlay is Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Major League Soccer and Soccer United Marketing (SUM), MLS’ commercial subsidiary. In his position, Findlay is responsible for all marketing, branding, advertising and consumer insights initiatives.
Findlay is a 20-year marketing veteran of PepsiCo and Unilever. With eight years spent in various high-ranking positions in marketing and brand management for PepsiCo, Findlay served as director of marketing for all soft drink innovation. Prior to that, Findlay was director of marketing on brand Pepsi and was responsible for launching Diet Pepsi Max. Before brand Pepsi, Findlay was vice president of field marketing for Pepsi Bottling Group, where he helped restructure and re-launch the department.
Prior to his role at Pepsi Bottling Group, Findlay, 45, helped launch and subsequently ran the $1 billion Sierra Mist brand. He had integral involvement in notable Sierra Mist marketing elements including brand positioning, sports sponsorship strategy and advertising and media strategy. Findlay started with PepsiCo in innovation prior to moving to PepsiCo acquisition South Beach Beverages (SoBe) to launch and run Mr. Green, SoBe’s first soft drink. While working on advertising and media for the various brands he managed, Findlay oversaw numerous Super Bowl advertising campaigns, two of which won EFFIE awards for effective advertising.
Prior to PepsiCo, Findlay began his career at Unilever as a territory sales representative. He progressed through various sales, innovation and marketing roles of increasing responsibility during his 10 plus years with Unilever. By the end of his tenure at Unilever, Findlay's experiences had included sales management, category management, innovation, digital media, consumer promotion, trade marketing and brand marketing.
Findlay holds an M.B.A. from Xavier University and a B.S. in marketing from the State University of New York at Oswego. He is a frequent guest lecturer on marketing topics. He is also a US Soccer Referee.
Hamdi Ulukaya, Morning Keynote
Chobani, CEO, President and Founder
Agro Farma’s leader, Hamdi Ulukaya, was born and raised in Turkey where his family, who has cheese and yogurt operations spanning throughout Turkey, has an extensive history of dairy farming and manufacturing.
Ulukaya’s personal journey in the dairy industry started in the US, where he moved to pursue a MBA at SUNY Albany after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in Turkey. It was during his time in New York that he first realized the opportunity to make high-quality yogurt and feta cheese accessible to consumers in the US.
His vision came to life with the 2002 launch of Euphrates, a wholesale producer of authentic feta cheese located in a state of the art facility in Johnstown, NY. The company takes its name from the Euphrates River that flows nearby Ulukaya's home in the eastern mountains of Turkey.
After reaching quick success with Euphrates, Hamdi started Agro Farma in 2005 and spent almost two years perfecting the recipe for the company’s first product offering--a Greek yogurt line called Chobani. The first cup of Chobani hit shelves in September 2007 and has since become America’s #1 yogurt brand, growing more than 200% over the past year alone.
Chobani, or “chopani,” means shepherd in Mediterranean languages and is a word that holds much meaning for Ulukaya as it’s a symbol of giving yet asking nothing in return.
This notion of generosity shines true to the brand, as it donates 10% of its annual profits, through their Shepherd’s Gift Foundation, to individuals working for positive, long lasting change.
Hamdi resides in Norwich, NY. His passions include traveling, writing, horseback riding, and sailing. Hamdi is also an avid supporter of independent films and funds several festivals throughout the year.
John A. Deighton, Opening Remarks
Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration, HBS
Professor John Deighton is the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is an authority on consumer behavior and marketing, with a focus on online and direct marketing. He is the immediate past editor of the Journal of Consumer Research, a leading outlet for scholarly research on consumer behavior, and was the founding co-editor of the Journal of Interactive Marketing, which reports academic research on marketing and the Internet. He initiated and leads the HBS executive education program titled Taking Marketing Digital. He has served as course head of the first year MBA course in Marketing, and has taught elective MBA courses in Business Marketing, Consumer Marketing, Interactive Marketing. and Digital Marketing Strategy.
For More information on Professor Deighton, please go here