Martin Roll

David Aaker, hailed the “Father of Modern Branding,” serves as Vice-Chair at Prophet. He's a recognized authority on branding, has developed several recognizable concepts including the Aaker brand vision model and has received numerous awards for his contributions to the science of marketing. In 2015, David Aaker was inducted into the American Marketing Association Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievements in marketing. In 2020, he was the recipient of the Sheth Foundation Medal for Exceptional Contribution to Marketing Scholarship and Practice.

Aaker has authored and published hundreds of articles and 17 books, including Owning Game-Changing Subcategories: Uncommon Growth in the Digital Age, Aaker on Branding: 20 Principles That Drive Success, Brand Relevance, Spanning Silos, Brand Portfolio Strategy, Building Strong Brands, and From Fargo to the World of Brands. His books have been translated in 18 languages and sold over 1 million copies. His words and teaching have offered guidance and inspiration to marketing leadership at many of the world's leading brands:

"David Aaker has truly given the business world a gift: A highly concise and wonderfully cogent and insightful tutorial on the principles of brand stewardship and leadership." ---Joseph V. Tripodi, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, Coca-Cola

David is an active branding consultant, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley and revered speaker and thought leader. He shares insights at conferences and meetings globally, as a LinkedIn Influencer and on his blog at davidaaker.com

Dr. Erich Joachimsthaler is Founder and CEO, Vivaldi Partners Group, a leading strategy group with a global reputation for developing opportunities, strategies for innovation and building strong sustainable brands in international markets.

After a career of 15 years in academics and extensive professional work experience in several large multinational companies, Dr Joachimsthaler founded Vivaldi Partners Group, a strategic consulting firm that includes a digital and technology agency. Dr Erich Joachimsthaler is one of the world's leading authorities on brand strategy and marketing. He is actively engaged in many consulting projects for the top companies and brands.

Dr Joachimsthaler is a published thought leader and his book Brand Leadership, co-written with David A. Aaker, is widely recognised as one of the leading books on the subject and has been translated in 14 languages. The book was considered a ground-breaking discussion that led the emergence and growing importance of brand strategy as a management discipline in the 1990s and early 2000s. His book, Hidden in Plain Sight, focuses on the role of brands in creating economic value and growth for firms. Dr Joachimsthaler has also published articles and case studies in leading academic and business journals, including Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, California Management Review and Business Week. Dr Joachimsthaler is also quoted regularly in the media, including USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Advertising Age.

In 2010, Vivaldi Partners Group pioneered the concept of Social Currency, the degree to which customers share a brand or information about a brand with others. Dr Joachimsthaler has done extensive research on the topic of how brands and businesses can build Social Currency for growth, releasing a follow-up report in 2012 and flash updates in 2013. He studies how consumers and customers benefit from participating in social platforms and using social technologies, and how companies can use that as a source of competitive growth.

Dr Joachimsthaler holds degrees in economics, statistics and business administration from both German and U.S. universities, having received a Master of Science degree in quantitative methods and marketing and a Ph.D. in Business Administration. Subsequently, he completed a Post-doctoral Fellowship at the Harvard Business School. He has also held academic faculty positions in the US and Europe and taught in various executive programs in Latin America, Asia and Africa. A sought-after speaker, he also conducts executive-level conferences and workshops around the world in English, German, and Spanish.