MIAMI | OCTOBER 1ST -3RD
Growth + Profitability Summit Miami 2024
Ready to elevate your revenue, growth, and profitability to new heights? Discover how to Ascend to Prosperity amid today’s economic challenges.
We look forward to seeing you in Miami!
Ascend to Prosperity
Elevate Your Business to New Heights. The economic landscape has become as unpredictable as the weather. Successful organizations need to not only navigate but also rise above challenges – and agility is key.
Navigating the path requires more than resilience – it demands a strategic ascent. You need clarity, confidence, and agility. Every business decision can either propel you forward or hold you back. The stakes are high, not only for our businesses, but for the world at large.
Join us for this year’s Growth and Profitability Summit where theory meets action. We don’t just envision higher growth, revenue, profitability, and margins— we create the steps, strategies, and tactics to get there together. We’ll master the elements of sales, pricing, rebates, AI, and data… and we won’t rest until we’ve reached the highest peaks.
Why Attend
Speakers
KEYNOTE
Sarah Baldeo is an experienced neuroscientist, technologist, corporate strategist and entrepreneur, closing on 20 years of leadership experience. Her expertise lies in futures, innovation, technology, and digital and cloud transformation. Sarah is a TEDx and Keynote speaker who has spoken internationally on the future of tech and she has helped countless individuals and organizations achieve their personal and business goals.
Vendavo Team at the Conference
Here are the faces you’ll meet that are geaking out about all things pricing at the forum this year.
Viplav Sinho
Head of Financial Systems, Chewy
Viplav leads financial systems at Chewy, a Fortune 500 company with over $11B in annual revenue. He is responsible for a team of business product owners who manage and support core systems for the CFO organization. These include Vendavo’s RCM product as well as key accounting, treasury, expense, and leasing tools. He has a passion for leveraging technology to improve end to end business processes and insights. Prior to Chewy, Viplav held roles at Fortune 500 companies and large consulting firms where he led global finance technology transformation initiatives.
Maureen Swanson
VP, Pricing, Cencora
Maureen Swanson is the Vice President of Pricing at Cencora, a Fortune 11 company with over $250B in annual revenue. With more than 15 years’ worth of pricing experience, Maureen has played a significant role in the development of Cencora’s current generic drug go-to-market pricing strategy and led the implementation of their GRx Pricing & Analytics Platform.
In her current role, Maureen is responsible for Generic Drug Pricing strategy and execution as well as Customer Compliance. Her team manages pricing at both the product and customer level and plays a crucial role in maintaining market competitiveness, providing a best-in-class customer experience through execution excellence, and maintains a keen focus on deal metrics and overall profitability for the organization. Maureen and her team are highly motivated to develop new and creative ways to leverage their Pricing Data to continue to identify pricing opportunities and increase margin for the organization.
Scott Madison
VP – Pricing, SRS/Heritage Distribution
Scott Madison serves as the Vice President of Pricing at SRS/Heritage Distribution. Over the past 15 years, he has developed, implemented, and led strategic pricing and data science programs for multi-billion-dollar organizations in the B2B distribution sector. He specializes in bridging the gaps between commercial, analytical, and technical leaders. Scott is motivated by the belief that there’s always a better solution achieved through advancements in analytics, processes, and technology. He lives in The Woodlands, Texas with his wife, son, and daughter where he coaches youth sports and leads a local Boy Scout group. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Economics and Masters in Business Administration.
Adam Koetter
Senior VP, Commercial Initiatives, Veritext
Adam is responsible for working across teams to better understand market dynamics and drive revenue growth through optimized product, pricing, and technology strategies.
Adam joined Veritext in 2015 through the acquisition of an Atlanta based Court Reporting firm. In his roles with Veritext, Adam has been integral in the growth of the Southeast market as well as many of our national initiatives. In his most recent role as Regional Vice President, Adam focused on the growth, optimization, and overall client experience for the Southeast region, constantly looking to ensure an impeccable client experience through process, people, and innovation.
Prior to joining the Court Reporting industry, Adam held numerous operations and technology roles across various industries. Adam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management with Certificates in Marketing, Finance and Operations from Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Mercer University.
Mike Smith
Director Pricing, Zimmer Biomet
Mike Smith is a pricing advocate for business leaders, pricing teams, and sales organizations who pursue the noble journey to grow sales profitably.
Mike’s 30 years in finance and pricing have made him a trusted advisor, and sought-after opinion leader within his organization. He has implemented pricing software with multiple pricing vendors and across multiple selling organizations. His diverse business experience coupled with his passion for data and analytics has helped his organization develop pricing analytics tools and expertise.
Mike received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame, and his MBA from Southern Methodist University. Mike is a certified pricing professional and has also been selected by Valparaiso University to be an advisory board member for their Customer Experience Program. Currently Mike supports global pricing technologies at Zimmer Biomet, a global medical technology leader.
Kimball Crockett
Manager, Business Analyst, Merit Medical
Kimball combines principled thinking, venture capital experience, and analytics expertise to enhance pricing strategies. His background in software implementation, including Vendavo and CRM systems, has driven the growth of businesses and teams. Beyond the corporate sphere, Kimball has significantly impacted the social sector by raising and deploying funds for social impact start-ups globally. His distinctive understanding of business dynamics and software implementation has been instrumental in navigating challenges during the implementation of the Vendavo software suite.
At University Impact, Kimball helped establish critical assumptions and co-founded UI Ventures, raising tens of millions for various funds and facilitating the deployment and donation of over $10 million. He initiated and scaled software, internal business processes, sales channels, and Donor-Advisor engagement efforts, with the fund now managing hundreds of millions of dollars.
Kimball enjoys pottery, guitar, mountain biking, traveling, meeting new people, and speaks Japanese.
Sam DeAlba
Senior Business Systems Analyst, GAF
Sam’s journey into the pricing world is a unique one. After spending 8 years as a Forensic Meteorologist & Manager of Data Services, he joined GAF’s Master Data Management (MDM) team as a Data Analyst. Sam transitioned from MDM to Supervisor of Pricing Systems, and is now a Senior Systems Analyst on the Sales Operations Technology team.
During Sam’s time with GAF, he has overseen the current pricing system, and played an integral part in the Vendavo Deal Guide update & cloud migration. Most recently, Sam led the implementation of Vendavo Price Point & CPQ for pricing at GAF and also played a role in GAF’s implementation of RCM and upgrade of DPO. Over the coming years, Sam will continue to be a core influencer of new pricing strategies in these systems, and will be involved with the implementation of other new platforms & enhancements during GAF’s ongoing pricing evolution.
Drew Gilchrist
Director, Sales Support Applications and Enablement, GAF
Drew’s career at GAF began in 2014 when he joined as a Senior IT Project Manager, bringing with him over a decade of experience from Allied Building Products (now Beacon Roofing Supply). At Allied, Drew had a proven track record in implementing key systems such as pricing, credit, and ERP solutions. At GAF, one of his earliest and most impactful projects was the successful deployment of Vendavo EPS, which included the implementation of Deal Guide to streamline the company’s commercial quoting process.
Drew’s contributions continued with the successful rollout of CPQ for GAF’s Design Services Team and the enhancement of the company’s EPS capabilities through the introduction of optimized pricing with DPO. Now serving as the Director of Sales Operations Technology and Enablement, Drew leads a team that oversees GAF’s technology platforms supporting the sales teams, including Vendavo and Salesforce. Under his leadership, the team recently completed the rollout of Vendavo’s Rebate and Channel Manager for the Residential Business and is currently configuring Vendavo CPQ to integrate with a Salesforce-driven sales process, marking significant advancements in sales and pricing operations for one of GAF’s product lines.
Colin Carroll
Partner, Pricing, PwC
Colin Carroll is a Partner in PwC’s Pricing and Sales Practice, specializing in go-to-market transformation, pricing, sales force effectiveness, and channel management. He focuses on B2B clients and implements price management and optimization software as part of broader pricing transformation initiatives.
Some of Colin’s recent client work includes improving pricing and margins for a global chemicals company, leading to a ~5 pp EBIT improvement within one year; leading margin improvement for a process automation solutions provider, focusing on value-based pricing and cost management; enhancing sales processes for a building materials distributor, integrating data-driven actions and coordination between sales roles; redesigning GTM architecture and sales resource deployment for a global medical device manufacturer, launching strategic account planning; developing channel pricing architecture for a provider of toilets and fixtures, including customer segmentation and new sales programs; and leading pricing software evaluation for a building materials provider.
Colin is based in PwC’s Chicago Office. He previously worked at McKinsey & Co. and Vendavo.
Orges Llupa
General Manager, Tribe AI
Orges Llupa leads GTM efforts at Tribe AI, the leading AI services firm. Tribe has built hundreds of enterprise AI products and has the highest concentration of top AI engineers outside of Big Tech. Prior to joining Tribe AI Orges managed General Account assets for the world’s largest insurers at Deutsche Bank before scaling Bloomberg LP’s Portfolio and Risk Management product into a category leader.
Christopher Sorrow
Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partners
With over 25 years of line management and consulting experience, Chris is recognized for his pricing expertise in a broad range of industries and is a sought-after thought leader in the field of margin analytics. Chris has more than two decades of experience at global strategy consulting firms, including McKinsey & Company and Corporate Executive Board.
Chris holds a BBA in Economics from the University of Georgia and a JD from Yale Law School. He currently resides in Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale.
Eric Carrasquilla
Chief Executive Officer, Vendavo
Eric Carrasquilla brings product management expertise, deep product strategy, and a proven track record of success in the technology industry to his role as CEO of Vendavo.
Eric is a revenue management veteran with deep roots in technology, product strategy, and product management. He joins Vendavo from customer engagement, revenue management, and payment solutions provider CSG, where he served as Executive Vice President and Division President. Eric is passionate about building, selling, and delivering great software that creates awesome customer experiences. He holds an MBA from Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business as well as a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from San Jose State University.
Alex Hoff
Chief Evangelist, Vendavo
Alex Hoff has been with Vendavo since 2008 and has served in roles across pre-sales, professional services, marketing, and product management. In his current role as head of product management, Alex manages a talented team that brings innovative software solutions to market that enable B2B corporations to operationalize their commercial excellence strategies. Since 2018, Alex has led the transformation of Vendavo’s product portfolio from a first-generation on-premises software platform, to a portfolio of integrated cloud-native SaaS products.
Prior to working for Vendavo, Alex worked in various marketing and pricing roles for Fortune 500 companies in business services, retail/consumer goods, and freight transportation.
Alex earned his MBA with a Concentration in Marketing from the MJ Neeley School of Business at TCU where he also holds a B.S. in Psychology. Alex was also among the early participants in the Certified Pricing Professional program from the Professional Pricing Society in 2008.
Zara Tariq
Sr. Client Success Manager, Vendavo
Sr. Client Success Manager, Vendavo
Darius Fekete
Director, Value Acceleration, Vendavo
Darius leads the Value Acceleration practice at Vendavo. He has 15+ years of professional experience in pricing and digital transformations across various industries including B2B manufacturing, distribution, and financial services. He is an advocate for elevating commercial excellence to strategic levels in organizations and is an expert in scaling pricing & negotiation capabilities. Before joining Vendavo Darius advised customers at other consultancies including Simon-Kucher & Partners focusing on top-line growth initiatives.
Dave Swaney
VP, Services Sales, Vendavo
Dave leads the Services Sales and Renewals teams at Vendavo. He has over 20 years of professional experience in both operating and advisory roles at leading technology, media, and entertainment companies. He has particular expertise in managing recurring revenue customer relationships and driving operational excellence. Before joining Vendavo he worked in Customer Success at Salesforce and in the Strategy & Operations practice at Deloitte.
David Anderson
VP, Business Consulting, Vendavo
David Anderson is the Boston-based leader of the Americas Business Consulting team at Vendavo. Since 2001 he has worked inside companies to advance their strategic pricing agendas. Dave is a manufacturing engineer by training (BS, MSE from Kettering, Purdue), has an MBA from Harvard Business School, and he has had the great privilege of working in the field of strategic pricing with many fantastic pricing experts over the course of his career
Jesus Salcedo Jr
Director, User Experience, Vendavo
Jesus is a Design leader specializing in enterprise product design. He has over 25 years of design experience. In his role at Vendavo, he aims to bring product development closer to everyday users. When we can close that gap with users, we can then identify opportunities & collectively build solutions that genuinely add value for Vendavo.
Paul Sansom
Business Consultant, Vendavo
Paul Sansom is a Denver-based Business Consultant focused on understanding market challenges, building business cases, and driving business value and outcomes for Vendavo customers. Paul has a wide range of expertise in business development, forensic market analysis, CRM management, marketing communications, field engineering, and corporate business strategy. Prior to joining Vendavo, Paul led the Business Intelligence group at TRC Companies. He has also worked for KBR, EMS, and Kiewit in various market analyst and business development roles. Paul received his Bachelors in Management with an emphasis in Marketing from Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.
Principal Product Manager, Vendavo
Principal Product Manager, Vendavo
Kamal Sabnani is a Principal Product Manager with a background in data science and 15 years of experience applying pricing analytics and deploying enterprise pricing solutions in the B2B and B2C space. In his current capacity, Kamal leads the product vision and strategy of the optimization suite of Intelligent Cloud. Prior to Vendavo, Kamal was responsible to build AI capabilities in the CPG and financial services sector. Kamal Sabnani holds a MS degree in Operations Research from the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Elvin McLaughlin
VP, Professional Services, Vendavo
Elvin McLaughlin has over 20 years of professional services, software deployment and Customer adoption experience. As the Sr. Director NA Implementations, Elvin is responsible for the delivery of the Vendavo product suite in the Americas. His teams work with our customers to drive best practices in their respective industries and catapult our customer business KPI’s while deploying the software to enable.
Prior to Vendavo he performed as a Procurement and Strategic Sourcing expert at Accenture and BearingPoint. Elvin earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida Tech, a M.B.A. from University of St. Francis and currently resides in the Chicagoland area.
Summit Agenda
October 1
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Come for early registration, networking drinks, and snacks! This is a great opportunity to break the ice and meet up with friends and industry peers!
October 2
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Growth and Profitability Summit’s Master of Ceremonies, Zara Tariq, welcomes to the event.
9:00 AM – 9:10 AM
Growth and Profitability Summit’s Master of Ceremonies, Zara Tariq, welcomes to the event.
9:10 AM – 9:25 AM
Introduction and welcome by Eric Carrasquilla, the new CEO of Vendavo.
9:25 AM – 10:10 AM
Alex Hoff breaks down an exciting future for Vendavo’s products and customers. This session will give you a firsthand look at how our latest innovations and use of AI are designed to solve real-world challenges our customers are facing day in and day out. Get the insights and clarity you need to make confident business decisions that help you scale.
Speaker: Alex Hoff, Chief Evangelist, Vendavo
10:10 AM – 10:30 AM
A journey that started with a pricing tool didn’t end there. With the right focus and a multi-year transformation across functions, Maureen Swanson, VP of Pricing, catapulted the success of the Pricing team throughout Cencora. Follow her lead as she shares how to successfully establish a pricing organization, its value, and organizational benefit.
Speaker: Maureen Swanson, VP, Pricing, Cencora
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
11:35 AM – 12:20 PM
Getting pricing strategy consensus can feel like a roller coaster. Learn how to create a cohesive pricing strategy that aligns your team internally and resonates with the market externally. Get insights from seasoned leaders on building agreement within your organization and effectively communicating your pricing strategy to stakeholders.
- Build internal consensus to enhance your company’s pricing approach without alienating customers
- Clearly communicate the value of strategic changes to internal teams and external stakeholders
- Eliminate silos to ensure a unified approach to pricing that maximizes business impact
Moderator: Dave Swaney, VP, Services Sales, Vendavo
Panelists:
- Scott Madison, VP – Pricing, SRS/Heritage Distribution
- Adam Koetter, Senior VP Commercial Initiatives, Veritext
- Christopher Sorrow, Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partner
12:20 PM – 1:25 PM
1:25 PM – 1:30 PM
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Don’t fall for implementation pitfalls that countless others have already experienced. Colin Carroll, of PwC and a veteran of pricing software projects, has seen it all and is sharing the best of leading practices, what not to do, and lessons learned. Colin will walk through both successful and unsuccessful examples and anecdotes from every phase of the pricing transformation lifecycle.
Speaker: Colin Carroll, Partner, Pricing, PwC
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries. But it’s hard to spot the difference between hype and realistic. Learn the practical applications of AI in commercial excellence strategies. Explore how it can streamline operations and enhance decision-making within organizations. Gain insights into integrating AI effectively, understanding your internal needs, and strategically innovating to leverage AI for optimal results.
- Understand how to assess and integrate AI into your pricing strategies to meet internal requirements.
- Explore practical examples of AI in action within commercial solutions, including successes and lessons learned.
- Discuss the future of AI in pricing, including tools, applications, and technologies that can scale operations and enhance efficiency.
Moderator: Paul Sansom, Business Consultant, Vendavo
Panelists:
- Kamal Sabnani, Principal Product Manager, Vendavo
- Orges Llupa, General Manager, Tribe AI
- Alex Hoff, Chief Evangelist, Vendavo
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM
3:15 PM – 3:35 PM
Vendor rebates was key to improving organizational success at Chewy, but it wasn’t a straight line to victory. Viplav Sinho, Head of Financial Systems, shares Chewy’s journey through RCM – sharing how Chewy uses the platform, what’s important, what to watch out for, and tips to help you get ahead of your rebate journey.
Speaker: Viplav Sinho, Associate Director, Chewy
3:35 PM – 4:35 PM
AI is transforming our world. From ChatGPT to AI-generated media, these tools are reshaping companies and industries worldwide. Sarah Baldeo, a neuroscientist and seasoned technology strategist, will demystify AI and the complex lexicon for anyone, whether you have a tech background or not. This session explores how artificial intelligence like neural networks, machine learning, generative AI, neuromorphic engineering, and the emerging field of quantum computing actually work and how pivotal they are for innovation and efficiency in business. Learn how these technologies can be harnessed to revolutionize operations, enhance customer experiences, and liberate human time.
• Better understand the past, present, and future of AI
• Learn about various AI technologies and their practical applications
• What’s new in AI – emotional AI, metacognitive intelligence, sentient AI
• How humans can embrace AI and liberate our time
Speaker: Sarah Baldeo, an experienced neuroscientist, technologist, corporate strategist and entrepreneur, closing on 20 years of leadership experience.
4:35 PM – 4:45 PM
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Dinner will take place at Briza on the Bay.
October 3
8:15 AM – 9:00 AM
Breakfast and networking.
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
Even with the most precise project plan, something unexpected will happen. How do you manage challenges? Don’t stumble blindly. Kimball Crockett, Pricing Analyst Manager, has first-hand experience leading his team and the organization back on track to achieve success. Don’t let roadblocks stop progress, learn principles and frameworks to create organized success from chaos.
Speaker: Kimball Crockett, Manager, Business Analyst, Merit Medical
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
Improving any commercial process is not for the faint of heart. These initiatives demand sharp focus, dedication, and collaboration. As seasoned leaders, you’ve battled challenges and surprises head-on. Join this breakout to hear prescriptive methods for getting your projects approved and trending positively. Plus, hear from industry peers as they highlight their successes and failures.
Speaker: Elvin McLaughlin, VP, Professional Services, Vendavo
9:45 AM – 10:15 AM
Improving any commercial process is not for the faint of heart. These initiatives demand sharp focus, dedication, and collaboration. As seasoned leaders, you’ve battled challenges and surprises head-on. Join this breakout to hear prescriptive methods for getting your projects approved and trending positively. Plus, hear from industry peers as they highlight their successes and failures.
Speaker: Elvin McLaughlin, VP, Professional Services, Vendavo
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Embarking on a major business transformation is like setting sail on uncharted waters—filled with challenges, surprises, and opportunities for growth. Join us as we explore the thrilling voyage of GAF’s pricing transformation. Uncover the roadblocks they encountered, the creative solutions they devised, and the triumphant milestones they achieved. This is more than just a case study; it’s an inspiring adventure packed with insights that can propel your own transformation journey to new heights!
Speakers:
- Drew Gilchrist, Director, Sales Support Applications and Enablement, GAF
- Sam DeAlba, Senior Business Systems Analyst, GAF
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Embrace the lessons hidden in setbacks. Connect with other industry leaders to explore how adversity and challenges can pave the way for future successes. This roundtable offers a candid conversation on the realities of what works, what doesn’t, and the valuable insights gained from both. This will be a lively conversation that promises practical takeaways and a deeper understanding of best practices through the lens of experience.
Moderator: David Anderson, VP, Business Consulting, Vendavo
11:10 AM – 11:55 AM
If your future self could warn you about any upcoming challenges or pitfalls of a project you’re starting, would you take your advice? Learn from someone who’s already been through it all. Mike Smith, Pricing Senior Director, will share how to lead successful global pricing transformations so you don’t have to make the same mistakes. Don’t start your journey from zero – find out what leaders should be asking, how to select the right system integrators, how to best run a project, and what it takes to overcome challenges that provide long-term value.
Speaker: Mike Smith, Director, Pricing, Zimmer Biomet
11:10 AM – 11:55 AM
Artificial Intelligence is transforming nearly every field with significant impacts on User Experience. Join our UX team for a candid roundtable discussion. You will have the opportunity to share your experiences, learn from peers, and hear from experts at Vendavo.
Moderator: Jesus Salcedo Jr, Director, User Experience, Vendavo
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Standing networking lunch.
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