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Meet the
Speakers
Discover our amazing speakers and their discussion topics.
EMPLOYER BRANDING EXP
FALL CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
JIM STROUD (Emcee)
Jim Stroud is a veteran of the recruiting industry, known for blending innovation with insight to help organizations find, and keep top talent. With a career spanning companies like Microsoft, Google, and Randstad, Jim has led global sourcing strategies, published widely-read content, and spoken on stages around the world. You might recognize him as the Editor of SourceCon - the premiere conference for all things sourcing. He’s also the creative force behind The Recruiting Life newsletter and The Jim Stroud Show, where he tackles the future of work with wit, wisdom, and the occasional mic drop.
Today, he’s not just your host—he’s your partner in curiosity. Get ready to be challenged, inspired, and maybe even entertained.
ALLISON KRUSE (Keynote)
Allison Kruse leads a global talent attraction, employer brand and recruitment marketing for the world's best medtech company: Baxter. She has 18 years of experience in talent acquisition, branding, and marketing has culminated in a profession where she get a lot of joy and meaning from.
For over 10 years, Allison has managed geo-dispersed teams. One of her greatest professional joys is helping build supportive, inclusive team cultures where every person can belong and thrive.
BRYAN CHANEY
Bryan Chaney is a global talent branding and attraction strategist. He’s worked at IBM, Twilio, Indeed, Workrise, and currently leads Internal Communications and Talent Brand at Crunchyroll, a Sony Pictures company. As a co-founder of the Talent Brand Alliance, Bryan has worked in recruitment, technology, and marketing, providing him insights into the marketing of hiring, the importance of technology and the buying process that candidates make when applying for jobs.
He’s an international keynote speaker and trainer on the topic of recruitment and talent branding and loves to experience different cultures. The Huffington Post once named him one of the Top 100 Most Social HR Experts on Twitter. That and FiveBucks will get him a delicious cuppa coffee.
AUDRA KNIGHT
Audra Knight is a dynamic leader in employer branding and serves as the Associate Director of Employer Brand at Foundation Medicine, where she has the privilege of sharing the stories of colleagues transforming cancer care. With a passion for storytelling and innovation, Audra specializes in leveraging cutting-edge marketing strategies to attract top talent and elevate employer brands. Her expertise has made her a sought-after emcee and speaker at industry events, including RecFest USA, Talent Acquisition Week, ERE, recruitDC, and the Universum Employer Branding Conference. She has also been published in ERE Media, Workology, and Undercover Recruiter.
CHERIE BOUSHELL
With over 15 years of experience in marketing communications, content creation, storytelling, social media, and branding, Cherie specializes in defining and managing global employer brands. Collaborating with various stakeholders to identify opportunities and solutions, she supports recruiting, retention, and employee engagement goals.
As an Employer Brand Manager, Cherie implements and manages integrated internal and external marketing initiatives and touchpoints throughout the employee journey. Leveraging her experience and personal branding from her background as an influencer in the early 2010s, she creates compelling and creative content and campaigns that showcase the company's culture, values, and impact.
KERRY NOONE
Kerry Noone is a recruitment marketing and employer branding professional with over 25 years of experience in traditional marketing and communications. Transitioning into internal communications and employer branding more than 18 years ago, she has established herself as one of the earliest pioneers in the field, shaping the industry through innovative, data-driven strategies.
Kerry currently serves as Director, Global Employment Brand at Ford Motor Company, where she is driving a transformation of Ford’s employer brand and talent attraction strategy to support the company’s evolution as a purpose-led, global automaker. She leads a team focused on redefining the candidate experience, building a next-gen career site, launching an enterprise-wide referral program, scaling employee advocacy, and elevating Ford’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP) across paid, owned, and earned channels.
Before joining Ford in May 2025, Kerry was part of the Employer Brand team at EY, where she led the launch of a new early-careers brand in the U.S., centered on freedom, growth, and purpose. The campaign introduced a 360-degree, skills-first experience for early talent and helped EY evolve how it speaks to the next generation of professionals.
Previously, as Director of Employer Branding at CVS Health, Kerry developed the company’s EVP and led recruitment marketing efforts that attracted over 5 million applicants annually, supporting more than 150,000 hires.
Earlier in her career, Kerry held employer brand and digital communications roles at Amtrak, CSC, and Sodexo, where she launched some of the earliest social-first recruitment strategies in the industry. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband and dog, Coco, and is very proud of her three grown children.
JEN LEON
Long before employer brand became a buzzword, Jen Leon was helping organizations define and express their value to candidates. With 20+ years of experience and a career rooted in employer brand and EVP strategy, she has led Fortune 500 companies in reimagining how they communicate across digital, social, and in-person touchpoints. From launching scalable marketing solutions to reconfiguring recruitment technology, Jen delivers candidate experiences that are authentic, efficient, and deeply engaging.
Fueled by a background in business marketing and a passion for authentic storytelling, Jen thrives at the intersection of brand, tech, process, and talent – elevating the candidate journey every step of the way.
VICKI SAUNDERS
Vicki Saunders is the founder of The EVP Consultancy and a leading strategic advisor on Employee Value Proposition and Employer Brand. With senior in-house experience at Boots, BAE Systems, and Currys, she now helps organisations develop and activate people propositions that actually work — credible, evidence-based, and built for real-world impact. Known for her clarity, warmth, and sharp thinking, Vicki brings a behavioural science lens to EVP and a strong belief that your promise to people should be as powerful as your promise to customers.
BRIAN SYKES
Brian Sykes spent 23 years leading a micro-branding and marketing agency before pivoting in 2022 to become one of the creative industry’s most relentless AI explorers. Since that leap, he’s authored six books on generative AI, delivered keynotes from Autodesk to TechSmith, guested on top-tier podcasts, and built courses and workshops that turn AI curiosity into competitive advantage. A former decade-long Adobe Certified Instructor, Brian blends deep technical chops with a storyteller’s instinct—skills honed while earning a Communications degree with an emphasis on Commercial Art. When he’s not writing, teaching, consulting or onstage, you’ll find him painting, building custom furniture, or planning a three-year, cross-country digital-nomad adventure with his wife.
THEA NEAL
Thea Neal knows brands. As the founder of TMN Branding, with more than 15 years of marketing experience, Thea has led marketing teams at Coinbase, Royal Caribbean Group and Hallmark. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 in marketing and advertising, and is still pushing herself to live up to the title (despite being now over 30). When she isn't creating strategies for Fortune 500 companies, you can find her snuggling her rescue dogs or taking a coloring book way too seriously.
LUCAS BOSCO
Lucas is an advertising professional and graphic designer with extensive experience in internal communication at large companies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He discovered that Employer Brand Management offers a way to reinvent his professional trajectory and strategically contribute to company performance.
In addition, he is passionate about writing and believes that the true power of communication comes from a well-constructed speech.
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