CEOs from Patriarch Partners, Verizon Wireless, and Royal Caribbean to Speak at Conference Board's Annual "Customer Loyalty" Conference

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board (www.conference-board.org), a global, independent business membership and research association, today announced the speaker line-up for its Customer Loyalty Conference, to be held October 18-19 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

This annual event brings together C-level executives from the world's leading companies to share insights and effective customer service strategies. Speakers and sessions at this year's conference will focus on the theme "Customer Loyalty: Aligning Marketing Strategy and Customer Experience to Drive Significant Growth." The conference will include discussions on the changing trends in customer service, best practices and case studies on improving customer experience, and ways to build communities through the use of tools like social media.

Lynn Tilton, Founder and CEO, of Patriarch Partners, the largest female owned business in America, will serve as keynote speaker at the prestigious conference. Conference attendees will also hear from additional leading CEOs, including Dennis Strigl, former CEO of Verizon Wireless, Linda Descano, CEO of Women & Co., Citigroup, and Adam Goldstein, CEO of Royal Caribbean International, among others.

"Customer service is no longer driven by isolated, face-to-face interactions, but by how customers experience a brand or company in their daily lives and across a range of experiences and touch points – both online and offline," said Robert Reiss, conference program director of The Conference Board. "In this transformative business environment where the risk and reward is perhaps greater than ever before, executives must learn to harness the power of these customer experiences to drive growth and connect with new audiences."

The Conference Board is known for its high-level conferences and research that help member companies better understand and deal with critical issues of the day.

Additional speakers include:

• Angela Archon, Vice President, Worldwide Client Care for Systems & Technology Group, IBM
• Lior Arussy, Chief Executive Officer, Strativity
• Simon T. Bailey, Former Executive, The Disney Institute
• Paul Blanco, Managing Director, Barnum Financial, MetLife
• Simon Bradley, VP Marketing, Virgin Atlantic
• Stuart N. Brotman, Professor, Executive Education Program, Harvard Law School/Harvard Business School
• Andy Cohen, Professor, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Author, Follow The Other Hand
• Russ Findlay, Chief Marketing Officer, Major League Soccer
• Helena B. Foulkes, Executive Vice President / Chief Health Care Strategy and Marketing Officer, CVS Caremark
• Luis Gallardo, Global Managing Director, Brand and Marketing, Deloitte
• Adele Gulfo, President, U.S. Primary Care, Pfizer
• Clare Hart, Chief Executive Officer, Infogroup
• Jim Hart, Chief Executive Officer, Senn Delaney
• Jack Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer, The Mitchell Family of Stores
• Dr. Gina Pingitore, Chief Research Officer, J.D. Power & Associates
• Todd Simon, Senior Vice-President and Family Owner, Omaha Steaks International, Inc.
• Dr. Betty Spence, President, NAFE (National Association for Female Executives)
• Bart van Ark, Chief Economist, The Conference Board

To register or learn more about the conference, please visit The Conference Board's website at www.conference-board.org.

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the world's leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States.

SOURCE The Conference Board