Bret Sanford is a globally renowned builder of brands who employs the unique experience of having practiced marketing from every perspective—as Agency Creative Director, Chief Marketing Officer, Global Agency Leader and Educator. Bret is currently VP, Executive Partner at Forrester Research, where she partners with CMOs, CDOs and CEOs to accomplish large–scale corporate transformation. Prior to that, she was a Founding Partner at CreativePutty, Inc., a branding and marketing consultancy, and ran the multi–national, multi–agency team handling HSBC that created the renowned “Values” work now in the permanent collection of MoMA. While heading marketing for Smith Barney, she relaunched the brand as a vital, modern financial services player. She is a sought–after speaker both in North America and around the globe. A founding faculty member of the Masters in Branding Program at New York’s School of Visual Arts, Bret also teaches at Columbia University’s Strategic Communications Master’s Degree program, and sits on the Entrepreneurial Sounding Board at Columbia Business School. She serves on the board of Just Food, a non–profit that helps underserved communities in the 5 boroughs create food sovereignty, thereby promoting racial equity. Bret graduated from NYU with a Masters in English Literature, and from The School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Media Arts. She is a 200–hour certified yoga teacher, ran her first marathon at the age of 52 and shares her life with her husband, 2 children, the dog, cats, and her surfboard.