Joanna Popper was most recently the Chief Metaverse Officer at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Based in Los Angeles, Popper led emerging technology and metaverse initiatives for the agency and its clients. Popper joined CAA in 2022 from HP, where she led its XR initiatives for Go-To-Market, overseeing the launch of award-winning technology, such as the HP Reverb G2 VR headset (winner of Red Dot Design Award, CES Innovation Award, IF Design Award) and HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition (winner of VR Hardware of the Year, Entertainment Technology Lumiere Award, Red Dot Best of the Best, CES Innovation Award, IF Design Award). While leading HP’s VR go-to-market, the business grew 10x to a multi-million dollar business. Previously, she was Executive Vice President of Media & Marketing at Singularity University, a NASA-based, Google-backed organization founded by Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis to train leaders on the future of technology including artificial intelligence, VR/AR, robotics, blockchain, and digital biology. She was also the Vice President of Marketing at NBCUniversal, where she worked across properties, including television, film, digital, and parks, and launched top-rated hits in primetime, music award shows, sports, news, daytime, and more for Telemundo. She started her career as an investment banker in New York and Brazil and then a consultant at McKinsey & Company. She served as Executive Producer on BREONNA’S GARDEN, FINDING PANDORA X, and FIGHT BACK, the award-winning immersive content, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and SXSW. FINDING PANDORA X won Venice’s Golden Lion for Best Immersive Experience and SXSW’s best Virtual Cinema Award. BREONNA’s GARDEN received awards and recognition for social impact from PGA Innovation, Unity, Auggie, Filmgate, and Aurea. FIGHT BACK won an audience award at Venice. She was selected as “50 Women Can Change the World in Media and Entertainment,” ”25 Pioneers in the Metaverse,” “Top 50 Original Thinkers in VR,” “Top Women in Media: Game Changers,” “Top Women in Media: Industry Leaders,” “Digital It List,” and “101 Women Leading the VR Industry.” She has sat on numerous boards and in advisory roles including as Metaphysic Board Observer, the Coalition for the Women in XR Fund, Unity Charitable Fund Advisory Board, Vidcon Industry Advisory Board, AIXR Steering Committee and CES Consumer Technology Association AR/VR Working Committee. Popper graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s degree, and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA. 

Natalia Dávila, Head of Strategy, US, GUT: Throughout her 10+ year career, Natalia has led thinking on award-winning creative campaigns, brand positioning, and product innovation across the U.S., LatAm, and Europe for top-tier brands, including Apple, Toyota, Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW Group, NAACP Atlanta, Bacardí, Molson Coors, Diageo, Lavazza, Embraer, Vonage, letgo, Varo Bank, MetLife, and Ryder, among others. She cut her teeth in strategy and media at Crispin Porter + Bogusky where she spent five years before going on to found the strategy department at experiential agency TEAM Enterprises. In 2018, Natalia launched her own consultancy focused on brand strategy and creative advertising working with a range of clients from start-ups to blue chip brands, including: Apple, Toyota, and Bacardí. In 2022 Natalia joined independent agency 22Squared where she helped launch the inclusion consultancy, before moving on to Apple a year later. While at Apple, she acted as brand strategist for Latin American and U.S. Hispanic, where she helped launch their Latino inclusion initiative for the U.S. A Miami native, Natalia studied art and chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she decided to forgo more sensible med school ambitions when she fell in love with her first advertising internship. Natalia's diverse background has shaped her approach to marketing, blending analytical and creative thinking to build results-driven communications grounded in human truths. She has a passion for building and nurturing teams and believes that as marketers, we have the power (and responsibility) to shape how people see themselves and the world around them.

Jessica Berger leads global innovation and strategy at Publicis Media by harnessing the power of emerging technologies and forecasting insights. With an industry reputation for her unwavering enthusiasm and profound understanding of cutting-edge tech, such as web3, AI, and AR/VR, Berger has become a sought-after speaker, judge, and host at industry events. Her expertise lies in deciphering the future of media and brand experiences, enabling her clients to capitalize on the potential of breakthrough innovations. Moreover, her dedication to mentorship and advocacy for diverse voices in organizations like the Adweek Executive Mentorship program and Girls In Tech exemplifies her commitment to empowering the next generation of marketers and thinkers. Prior to joining Publicis, Berger worked at agency powerhouses Weber Shandwick and Publicis’ MSL where she strategized and implemented campaigns and digital innovation efforts for clients in the luxury goods, CPG and tech sectors. Her over a decade-long experience is informed by working for agencies and companies across Germany, Japan, and North America – giving her a unique global edge valued by many clients and industry peers

Andrew Solmssen is Executive Director for CourtAvenue, ADWEEK's #1 fastest growing agency and #58 on the Inc. 5000. He leads the firm's LA office with a focus on telecom, media, technology and automotive. Based in Los Angeles, Andrew has been leading and scaling digital transformation, marketing, and customer experience businesses for over two decades, with success at every level from start-ups to large public companies. He has worked across nearly every industry with a focus on digital marketing strategy, sales, operations, and delivery. In the process, he has led many of the most successful engagements across sites, apps, social, and campaigns. These include the first full episodes of TV on digital platforms for ABC, the first live and on-demand Olympics experience for NBC (both of which won Emmys), Comcast's Xfinity TV product, Sony's Playstation 4, and countless other campaigns and solutions across mobile, desktop, TV, experiential, outdoor, and every conceivable digital medium. After building some of the web's foundational digital properties, Andrew co-founded Schematic, and built it into the world's premier customer experience agency (CX) agency. He grew it from a 3-person unfunded startup into a global leader with over 200 staff before selling the company to WPP. Once he joined WPP, he helped create POSSIBLE, the first global digital agency network, where he led the user experience practice and ran the Los Angeles market. In the growth of POSSIBLE, he was a key part of acquiring and merging 14 different companies around the world into a single, thriving entity. As WPP continued to consolidate, Andrew was instrumental in the creation of Wunderman Thompson (now VML), the largest merger in the advertising industry. He had full P&L and operations responsibility for 5 offices and 300+ staff and reported to the global CEO. In addition, he led selected engagements for automotive, media & entertainment, healthcare, and technology clients focusing on CX, data, business transformation, and campaigns. Andrew’s work has received numerous awards, including Emmy, Cannes Lion, Peabody, Pencil, Webby, and JD Power.



Gregor Hofer, Chief Executive Officer at Speech Graphics: Gregor Hofer has held various roles throughout their career. Gregor started as a Research Associate at the Ludwig Boltzman Institute for Urban Ethology in 2002 and worked there until 2003. Gregor then joined the University of Edinburgh as a Researcher from 2009 to 2011. In 2011, they had multiple positions, including Senior Researcher at the Telecommunications Research Center Vienna and Supervisory Board Member at System Industrie Electronic Holding, AG. In the same year, they became the Chief Executive Officer of Speech Graphics and held the position until an unspecified date. In 2020, Gregor Hofer founded another company called Rapport and is currently serving as its Chief Executive Officer. Gregor Hofer has a strong education background. In 1998, they started their undergraduate studies at Rochester Institute of Technology in the field of Psychology and Computer Science. Gregor successfully completed their Bachelor of Science degree in 2002. Following this, Gregor proceeded to pursue their higher education at The University of Edinburgh. From 2004 to 2009, they focused on obtaining their PhD in Speech Technology. Overall, Gregor's education history showcases their dedication and expertise in the fields of Psychology, Computer Science, and Speech Technology.