The 2026 Judges

LinkedIn

Brian Hatch is an influencer marketing professional with experience building and scaling creator programs for global consumer brands. He currently leads creator partnerships and affiliate strategy for Wayfair Canada, overseeing influencer acquisition, campaign execution, performance optimization, and cross-functional initiatives that drive measurable business growth. His work spans creator relationship management, social commerce, affiliate marketing, and data-driven strategy, with a focus on turning creator partnerships into sustainable revenue channels. Prior to Wayfair, Brian worked at a leading marketing agency, where he developed influencer marketing campaigns for entertainment and consumer brands, including HBO Max and Amazon Prime. That agency experience gave him a strong foundation in client strategy, creator partnerships, and cross-functional collaboration across a diverse portfolio of brands. Known for combining analytical thinking with creative problem-solving, Brian is passionate about the evolving creator economy and aspires to become a recognized thought leader in influencer marketing, helping shape the future of creator partnerships through strategic, scalable, and performance-driven programs.

LinkedIn

Brook has been involved in the performance marketing space since 2000. He is co-founder of two companies, Schaaf-PartnerCentric (founded 2006, sold 2017) and FMTC.co (founded 2007). He is an active member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization in Austin. His book “The Affiliate Hypothesis: Universal Link Monetization to Save the Open Web” will be published in November, 2026.

LinkedIn

Daan has over a decade of experience in affiliate marketing. He has worked on all sides of the board. Network, publisher and advertisers. Currently working for a European stockbroker. He loves connecting with people and hearing what everyone is up to. Always happy to assist where he can. Father of two and living in the Netherlands. Work motto: Growth with a human touch.

LinkedIn

With more than a decade of experience in affiliate marketing and media strategy, Ga-Young has successfully built and scaled high-performing programs for brands such as HelloFresh. Her expertise encompasses media campaigns, content commerce, and influencer & content partnerships. During her three years at Walmart, she has led large-scale campaigns and affiliate strategy initiatives, driving innovation, cultivating strategic partnerships, and accelerating business growth through impactful, results-driven solutions.

LinkedIn

Jade is an experienced marketer trusted by best-in-class digital marketing agencies, start-ups, and direct-to-consumer brands. With over 12 years in the space, Jade has a breadth of experience across direct response, paid media, social commerce and specializes in affiliate & performance partnerships. Currently, Jade sits on the Executive Board of Directors of the Performance Marketing Association (the PMA), serving as the President, and is the Head of Affiliate & Performance Partnerships, North America, at Dentsu, overseeing an award-winning team across an agency network that includes Carat, iProspect, Dentsu X, Merkle, and Dentsu Creative.

LinkedIn

With 17 years of experience driving growth across e-commerce and affiliate marketing, Jen specializes in scaling businesses, building high-performing teams, and forging impactful partnerships that deliver results. I’ve had the privilege of working across all levels of organizations, from mentoring entry-level talent to collaborating directly with the C-suite. Throughout her career, she has helped transform and grow some of the industry’s most recognized players, including being part of two successful exits: the acquisition of Coupons.com (Quotient) and the $4B sale of Honey to PayPal. As Co-Founder of Hi Energy AI, we help publishers scale faster by unlocking direct affiliate partnerships and optimizing monetization across every major network. We act as an outsourced affiliate sales and ops team, handling everything from program applications and merchant pitches to declined advertiser follow-up and strategic growth support.

LinkedIn

Jesper Kauth is Managing Partner and Co-founder of Lodestar Marketing Services, a specialist affiliate and performance marketing agency. Lodestar Marketing specialises in the APAC region with native-speaking partner managers embedded across 14 APAC markets, delivering the kind of local expertise required to fully optimize performance marketing in the region.

LinkedIn

John Daskalis is the CEO and co-founder of Couponology.com, a premier digital coupon and promotional platform. With over 15 years of dedicated experience in the affiliate marketing industry, John has established himself as a forward-thinking leader expert in driving brand growth and optimizing performance channels. He began his professional journey in the highly analytical sectors of Private Banking and Finance, a background that continues to shape his data-driven and strategic approach to marketing. Today, his deep understanding of consumer behavior, industry trends, and strategic partnerships has positioned him as a respected authority in the performance marketing landscape. John is honored to bring his extensive expertise to the judging panel of the Global Performance Marketing Awards 2026.

LinkedIn

Lissette Alvarez is a leader in affiliate marketing, partnerships, performance marketing, and growth initiatives. She has driven revenue growth by building strategic partnerships and leading high-performing teams across e-commerce, fintech, SaaS, retail, and media. She’s has worked for Google, Rakuten Marketing, Capital One, and Fox Sports

LinkedIn

Luca Kim is a global performance marketing leader specializing in affiliate marketing, creator and influencer marketing, and strategic partnerships. She has led high-impact growth initiatives for globally recognized brands, building scalable partnership programs and driving measurable business results across North America, EMEA, APAC, and AUNZ. With a strategic, data-driven approach, Luca brings extensive experience in partner development, commercial strategy, and performance optimization within today’s evolving digital commerce landscape. She is passionate about elevating the performance marketing industry through innovation, collaboration, and sustainable growth.

LinkedIn

Luke Stanford is an award-winning Search leader and Future 100 Media Leader with over 10 years’ experience shaping search strategy across paid, organic and retail media. As Global Head of Search at Performics @ Zenith, he leads the development of best practice, innovation and performance frameworks across the search portfolio. Luke is focused on helping brands navigate the evolving search landscape, from AI-enabled optimisation and automation to integrated paid and organic search, product visibility and feed-led growth. He leads hybrid teams across the UK and India, building scalable approaches to testing, measurement and platform partnership. A recognised voice in the search marketing community, Luke contributes to industry discussion through judging, speaking and published commentary, with a particular focus on the future of search, commerce and performance media.

LinkedIn

Mazen Mroueh is Head of Retail Media & Partnerships at Publicis Media Middle East, based in Dubai, where he leads the build-out and scaling of Retail Media Networks across the MENA region. He shapes Publicis’ retail media vision, partnerships, and operating model at the intersection of retailers, brands, data, and technology, having launched and expanded multiple RMNs across the region under his “Orchestration over Monetization” philosophy. Under his leadership, Publicis has built strategic partnerships with leading retailers, telcos, and technology platforms, including Majid Al Futtaim/Carrefour, ADNOC, Tradeling, LiveRamp, and Gowit, integrating first-party data, clean-room environments, and omnichannel activation to deliver closed-loop measurement and sales uplift for advertisers. He is a frequent industry speaker, awards juror, and recognized voice in retail media, named to the PMW International Powerlist (2025, 2026) and RETHINK Retail’s Top Retail Expert 2026. An endurance athlete and Guinness World Record holder, Mazen has run marathons on all seven continents.

LinkedIn

Michelle Kalinowski is a seasoned digital marketing leader with 20+ years of experience driving performance and growth across the online landscape. With deep expertise in affiliate and search marketing, she has built and scaled high-impact programs for global brands, with a large focus across the Americas and APAC. Michelle is known for her strategic vision, operational excellence, and strong track record of leading cross-functional teams to deliver measurable results in complex, fast-evolving environments. As Senior Director of Affiliate at NYMO & Co., Michelle oversees affiliate strategy and execution, guiding partnerships that fuel sustainable revenue growth and long-term brand value. She brings a thoughtful, data-driven approach to performance marketing and a passion for fostering meaningful partnerships that create mutual success.

LinkedIn

Sofia Toebak Bravo, is an international growth strategist whose portfolio spans luxury fashion, apparel and accessories, beauty, consumer goods, B2B SaaS, and premium DTC brands. She has led multi-market growth programs across North America and Europe for the better part of a decade, managing channels that generate seven-figure annual revenue through affiliate and partnerships ecosystems. She is best known for designing scalable acquisition frameworks for net-new programs and aligning cross-channel measurement to reduce wasted spend. She has worked with PartnerCentric, a New York-based agency recognized for supporting affiliate expansion for leading brands globally.

LinkedIn

Takahito Nakamura is the Global Lead of the eBay Partner Network, eBay’s affiliate marketing channel, where he oversees strategy and growth across a global ecosystem of partners. With more than 13 years of experience in the affiliate marketing industry, he has held a range of leadership and operational roles spanning partner development, performance marketing, and platform strategy. Takahito is deeply passionate about cultivating strong, trusted relationships with partners and believes sustainable business growth is driven by the thoughtful application of innovation, technology, and creativity. He brings a data-driven mindset and a long-term perspective to building scalable programs that create value for both partners and the broader marketplace.

LinkedIn

Teresa is an experienced digital marketing professional with over 25 years in the field. She leads the Affiliate Marketing + Performance PR team. She entered the affiliate marketing space in 2006 and has been enmeshed in it ever since, leading affiliate marketing programs for clients such as Nordstrom, Kohl’s, Peter Millar, Dillard’s, Bissell and more. She sits on the Board for the Performance Marketing Association where she is a regular contributor to white papers and webinar panelist.

LinkedIn

Digital performance media expert with over 17 years of experience driving business growth and digital transformation across global and local markets. A data-driven leader with a proven track record of exceeding targets and delivering measurable ROI through strategic multi-channel execution and a deep understanding of the client-brand dynamic. Adept at building high-performing, innovative teams, technical proficiency spans advanced MarTech, data strategy, and operations, alongside deep expertise across performance channels including Paid Search, SEO, Social Media, Programmatic, Influencer Marketing, Video, and Affiliates. Experienced in navigating complex cultural landscapes to deliver impactful, scalable campaigns.