January 2027 Chapter Meeting

DATE: Wednesday, January 20, 2027
TIME: 1:00 PM – 6:30 PM
LOCATION:  Fox Cities Stadium | Appleton

Join us at our January Event!

Event Timeline

• 12:30 - 12:55 PM
  Event registration
  
  
• 1:00 - 2:00 PM
  Weidert Group Professional Development Presentation
  
  
• 2:00 - 2:15 PM
  Break / Networking
  
  
• 2:15 - 3:15 PM
  Grant Thornton Professional Development Presentation
  
  
• 3:15 - 3:45 PM
  Networking & Business Announcements
  
  
• 3:45 - 4:45 PM
  Michael Gregory Keynote Presentation
  
  
• 4:45 - 6:30 PM
  Social / Dinner
  
  

Location

Bridgewood Conference Center
1000 Cameron Way
Neenah, WI 54956

Keynote Presentation Time
3:45 - 4:45 PM

Keynote Topic

Economic Update

Summary 

Awaiting content from keynote speaker.

Keynote Presenter & Biography

Michael Gregory
Deputy Chief Economist and Managing Director
BMO Capital Markets

 Michael is part of the team responsible for forecasting and analyzing the North American economy and financial markets. He has spent his career working in either economics or financial markets research for firms on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Prior to his current role, Michael headed up the Financial Services Analysis team at Bank of Montreal, focusing on regulatory and industry restructuring issues, before shifting to BMO Capital Markets Economics in 2004. He moved to Chicago in 2013, providing research support for the U.S. and Canadian fixed income business, before returning to Toronto in 2016. Michael is a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal and Western University in London, Ontario. He did doctoral studies at Fordham University in New York City, and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst  designation.

Weidert Group Professional Development Presentation
Topic: The Growth Engine Framework:
From Campaign Chaos to Revenue Engine
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Presented By:         

Summary & Learning Objectives

Most B2B marketing programs are built around disconnected initiatives – a campaign, a website refresh, a content push – rather than a system. Each may perform well in isolation, but momentum fades and Finance can't trace a straight line from spend to revenue. This session lays out an integrated approach that aligns marketing, sales, and service around shared priorities, so growth compounds instead of resetting with every budget cycle. You'll leave with a framework for focusing investment on what actually drives the pipeline, even as AI search and self-directed buying reshape how buyers reach you.

Key takeaways are as follows:

• Why Isolated Campaigns Stall Growth. See why disconnected initiatives can't produce revenue that's predictable or defensible.
  
  
• The Core Elements of an Integrated Revenue System. Learn the components that turn marketing from a set of activities into a scalable revenue program.
  
  
• Where to Focus as Buyer Behavior Shifts. Get a framework for prioritizing spend on what drives the pipeline as AI search and self-directed buying reshape the landscape.
  
  

Presenter & Biography

Frank Isca
Director of Business Development | Weidert Group

Frank Isca is Director of Business Development at Weidert Group, where he helps B2B organizations build integrated marketing and sales programs that drive measurable, sustainable growth. He plays a key role in applying the Weidert Group Revenue Growth Engine — a systems-based framework designed to align strategy, content, technology, and team enablement around what actually drives the pipeline. Known for his thoughtful approach, collaborative mindset, and HubSpot expertise, Frank bridges the gap between strategic vision and practical execution. He brings both curiosity and consistency to every conversation — and he’s genuinely one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet!

Grant Thornton Professional Development Presentation
Topic: Driving Finance Transformation: Modernizing Processes, Insights, & Operating Models for CFO Organizations
Time: 2:15 - 3:15 PM

Presented By:

Summary & Learning Objectives

This session is designed for finance leaders navigating digital transformation, focusing on how to align technology investments with finance priorities such as cost optimization, real-time insights, and risk management. Attendees will learn practical approaches to modernizing finance processes, enhancing decision support, and leading change across the finance function.

• Identify how finance leaders can align technology strategy with core CFO priorities, including cost efficiency, risk management, and data-driven decision-making.

• Identify how finance leaders can align technology strategy with core CFO priorities, including cost efficiency, risk management, and data-driven decision-making
  
  
• Evaluate modernization opportunities across finance processes (e.g., close, forecasting, reporting) to improve speed, accuracy, and business insight.
  
  
• Apply change management and operating model strategies to successfully implement finance transformation initiatives and drive adoption across stakeholders.

Presenters & Biographies

Arnab Ray
Partner, Technology Strategy | Grant Thornton

Arnab Ray is a Partner in Grant Thornton’s Technology Consulting–Strategy practice, helping organizations transform their technology environments through cloud, data, AI, enterprise applications, and digital modernization initiatives. He advises clients across private equity, manufacturing, retail, financial services, and technology sectors on complex transformations, including AI-enabled operating model redesigns, ERP and CRM implementations, technology modernization, carve-outs, integrations, and value creation strategies. With extensive experience leading large technology consulting portfolios and partnering with C-suite executives, Arnab specializes in aligning technology strategy with business outcomes through enterprise architecture, platform selection, cloud adoption, data modernization, and AI-enabled innovation. His focus is on building resilient, data-driven technology ecosystems that improve operational performance, accelerate growth, and position organizations to leverage AI as a core enterprise capability.

Kendra Wright-Spector
Director, Customer Transformation | Grant Thornton

Kendra Wright-Spector is a Director in Grant Thornton’s Customer Transformation practice, where she advises organizations through complex strategic and operational change. With more than a decade of experience, she partners with executive leaders to identify growth opportunities, optimize investments, improve customer and stakeholder experience, and align transformation efforts to measurable business outcomes. Her experience spans healthcare, technology, financial services, manufacturing, and not-for-profit organizations, with a focus on helping leadership teams turn strategy into practical, actionable roadmaps. Kendra brings a pragmatic, finance-oriented lens to transformation, helping organizations prioritize initiatives, build business cases, and translate modernization opportunities into measurable value. She has led and advised on operating model assessments, process optimization, digital transformation, portfolio management, and change adoption efforts that help organizations improve performance while managing complexity.

CPE Credit

Weidert Group Presentation from 1:00 - 2:00 PM = 1 credit
Grant Thornton Presentation from 2:15 - 3:15 PM = 1 credit
Keynote Presentation from 3:45 - 4:45 PM = 1 credit

Registrations, Cancellations, or Questions?

Michelle Weiss
920.750.9110
michelle@mwcommunications.org
Register and send cancellations by noon on 1/13/27.