Aimia - Knowledge - Meet Our Experts

Brian Sinclair , , , President, Coalition, U.S.

Brian Sinclair is President, Coalition U.S., where he leverages his 20 years of experiences in building businesses and developing successful loyalty programs. Brian also worked on the acquisition of Carlson Marketing and its integration.

Before joining the Aimia team, as part of the 2007 acquisition of Loyalty Management Group Limited, Brian worked for Loyalty Management Group Limited in a variety of roles including serving as Managing Director of Nectar, the UK’s largest loyalty program. Brian was a founding member of the Nectar Program. In this role, he worked with Nectar Sponsors to develop and execute their loyalty and database marketing strategies. He also served as Business Development Director, where he led the company's efforts in developing new commercial relationships.

Before joining Loyalty Management Group Limited, Brian was a consultant for Bain & Company, an international management consulting firm and was part of the start-up team for the Air Miles program in Canada.

An American by birth, Brian graduated with his MBA summa cum laude from the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario. He also holds an Honour Bachelor of Commerce from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

Dave Battiston , , , Managing Director, International Development

Dave Battiston is Managing Director of International Development for Aimia. In this role, Dave is responsible for exploring new business opportunities with retailers in strategically important markets, in line with Aimia’s international expansion plans. He also manages contract negotiations during the establishment of new programs and oversees launch plans. In addition to these internationally-focused responsibilities, Dave is part of the European senior management team which operates out of the company’s London office.

Dave Battiston has a wealth of experience in the loyalty sector that spans numerous industries and regions. Dave is also a frequent speaker and participant in industry conferences. Prior to his current role, Dave served as Chief Executive Officer of Air Miles Middle East, of which Aimia owns 60 per cent. Under Dave’s leadership, Air Miles Middle East has grown to over two million members in seven countries and in excess of 150 participating companies.

Before joining Air Miles Dave held the position of Senior Business Development Manager for Loyalty New Zealand Limited’ ‘Fly Buys’, New Zealand’s largest and most successful multi-participant loyalty program. During his time at the company, Dave led the business development team in growing the business via partnerships with New Zealand’s market leading petrol, supermarket, banking and other retail companies.

Fay Beauchine , , , President, U.S. Business Loyalty

Fay Beauchine leads Aimia’s U.S. Business Loyalty team that helps corporations gain and retain enthusiastic employees, committed and aligned business partners and loyal customers. Her team plans positive experiences by using intelligent data, insightful strategies, and relevant, creative communications that influence, inspire and change behaviors.

Prior to joining Carlson Marketing in 2007, Fay was Senior Vice President, Enterprise Strategic Account Management for Carlson, where she was responsible for cross-enterprise strategies focused on driving profitable revenue growth. Before Carlson, Fay served as Vice President of Sales and Customer Care and Vice President of Reservations for Northwest Airlines. Fay directed Northwest and KLM Royal Dutch Airline’s North American passenger sales strategies targeted to corporations, the U.S. government, travel management companies, meeting and event companies, cruise lines, global tour operators, incentive companies and associations. She also was instrumental in developing Sky Team’s passenger alliance strategies within North America and was an active proponent of global alliance network value for business travelers.

Fay is a founding member of the USTravel MEI Coalition and served as past president and founder of the Site International Foundation. She is past president of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives and of the National Business Travel Association Foundation (now GBTA), and former chair of the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association.

Fay will be inducted into the Convention Industry Council’s Hall of Leaders in 2011 as one of the most outstanding leaders and innovators in the industry, identified as a top Industry Leader by Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal in 2008, recognized three times by Business Travel News as one of the business travel industry’s top 25 most influential executives, received Hong Kong and London’s travel and tourism honors, and called one of Minnesota’s Leading Business Women by Corporate Report. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota

Hamish Rumbold , , , Vice President and General Manager, South America

Hamish Rumbold is the Vice President and General Manager for Aimia’s South American operations, where he is responsible for driving overall commercial development for Aimia in South America, as well as overseeing operations in Aimia’s South American headquarters in Santiago, Chile, which he founded in 2008.

Hamish brings over 13 years in loyalty and data marketing experience to his role, with critical industry experience in retail, retail banking, fuel retailing, telecommunications and airlines. He also brings a wealth of data analytics experience to the table, has founded three programs worldwide, and has extensive international experience in South America, Europe, India and Australasia.

Prior to joining Aimia, Hamish was an international development director for Loyalty Management Group Limited, where he focused on business development, marketing, loyalty and CRM. Hamish joined LMG in 2003 from Woolworths supermarket group. Hamish currently lives with his family in Santiago.

Jan-Pieter Lips , , , Managing Director, Nectar

Jan-Pieter Lips is Managing Director of Nectar and is responsible for the management and continued expansion of Nectar, the UK’s biggest loyalty program, which has been embraced by more than 18 million UK consumers. Jan-Pieter is a leading loyalty industry figure and is often sought out by media to discuss current events that affect the industry.

Since joining Nectar, Jan-Pieter has held a series of important roles with the company. Prior to being appointed Managing Director, he was Director of Client Development, where he was responsible for the company's efforts in developing relationships with leading UK companies to participate as Nectar partners. He was also responsible for developing and launching Nectar for Business, the extension of the Nectar program into the business-to-business market.

From 2000 to 2002 Jan-Pieter was International Business Development Director at Loyalty Management International B.V. (LMI). Jan-Pieter's responsibilities included the development of opportunities to launch multi-company loyalty program in markets worldwide. Prior to joining LMI, Jan-Pieter worked at Loyalty Management Netherlands BV, the company that operates the Dutch Air Miles program. Jan-Pieter started his career at the leading Dutch retail conglomerate Vendex.

Jan-Pieter was born and educated in The Netherlands. He holds a degree in Business Economics from the University of Amsterdam.

Jonathan Harman , , , Chief Development Officer, EMEA

As Chief Development Officer of the EMEA region, Jonathan Harman oversees Aimia’s Business Development, Corporate Development, Marketing and Proprietary Services teams. He was appointed to this role in 2011.

Jonathan joined Carlson Marketing in 2006, serving on its global executive committee initially as head of the UK business and from 2007 as President, EMEA. In that time he led the business to new client wins including Coca–Cola, Royal Bank of Scotland, Best Buy, Qtel and MasterCard.

Jonathan has worked in data-driven marketing for more than 20 years, and has led professional services firms for ten. His previous roles include Chief Executive of WPP’s RMG Connect and Managing Director of Omnicom’s Claydon Heeley.

Jonathan has a strong track record of leading teams who win industry awards for marketing effectiveness and creativity, and for attracting and hiring some of the industry’s best talent. Jonathan also contributes thought leadership pieces to industry publications.

Jonathan received a CIM Diploma from the London Guildhall University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Gloucestershire.

Karl Schuster , , , President, Proprietary Loyalty, Asia Pacific

Karl Schuster, President for the Asia Pacific region, is responsible for building Aimia’s proprietary loyalty business across the region. Karl is based in Singapore, and is responsible for an expanding network of offices that span the region, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

Karl brings a truly international perspective to Aimia, having worked across three continents over the course of his career. He has significant experience in integrated communications - advertising, direct and loyalty marketing - as well as agency turnaround and business strategy.

Before joining Carlson Marketing, Karl served as Director of Rapier, an independent London based integrated communications agency. During his 18 months at Rapier, Schuster was responsible for client services and a client portfolio that included Axa Direct, Schroeders and Halifax. Prior to that appointment, Karl spent ten years with WPP-owned OgilvyOne in both the UK and as Managing Director of OgilvyOne in Cape Town, South Africa. In the Nineties, Schuster was managing director of Bates Communications.

Karl received his Bachelor of Commerce degree in business studies and Diploma in Marketing from University College Dublin, Ireland.

Kevin O’Brien , , , Chief Commercial Officer, Aeroplan Canada

As Chief Commercial Officer at Aeroplan Canada, Kevin O’Brien leads all commercial aspects of Aeroplan’s business, with a mandate to drive growth by continuing to foster strong levels of member engagement through new and innovative products and programs. He is also responsible for developing strong partner relationships and delivering value that enables Aeroplan’s partners’ success.

Kevin joined Aimia in 2009 as Vice-President, Strategy and Business Innovation for the Canadian region and VP Strategy and Planning for Aeroplan, where he played an integral role in the development and implementation of strategic and business planning initiatives for the Canadian business. He played a key leadership role in creating Aeroplan's successful corporate strategy.

Kevin joined Aimia after more than 16 years in strategy consulting - most recently as a Managing Partner of the Montreal and Toronto Corporate Consulting offices at SECOR Consulting, Canada’s largest independent strategy consulting company. Kevin co-founded Diesel Think Tank, a Canadian consulting company focused on closer integration between primary customer research and business strategy.

Kevin holds a bachelor degree from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario, and is a member of its Advisory Board. Kevin currently lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife and their three sons.

Michael O'Sullivan , , , President, Proprietary Loyalty Services, Canada

Michael O’Sullivan was appointed President, Proprietary Loyalty Services by Aimia in Canada in August 2011. In this role Michael is responsible for all aspects of the business, with a focus on growth through partnering with clients to create, market, and deliver new loyalty models that enhance customer relationships and generate incremental revenue. Michael is an exemplary leader who is passionate about creating high performance teams that achieve remarkable results.

Michael joined Carlson Marketing in 2004 and held several executive roles from 2004 through 2011 in Asia and the USA. As General Manager of Australia (from 2004 to 2006) and Senior Vice President Asia Pacific (from 2006 to 2010), his leadership helped transform Carlson Marketing's Australian business into one of the most successful operations in its global network.

Before joining Carlson Marketing, Michael’s career encompassed mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, marketing and management consulting across the travel, technology, automotive and banking sectors. Outside of Aimia, Michael is a Non Executive Director of a UK based hospital risk management company that helps prevent death and injury to patients in hospitals.

Michael holds an Economics Degree and a Masters in Applied Finance. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). An Australian native, Michael lives in Toronto with his wife and three children.

Peter DeNunzio , , , President, U.S. Customer Loyalty

Peter DeNunzio was named President of Aimia's U.S. Customer Loyalty business in April, 2011 and has management responsibility for the design and delivery of all U.S. loyalty programs directed toward consumer audiences. His team focuses on industry vertical markets such as Travel/Transportation, Hospitality, Finance/Insurance, Auto, Retail, Consumer Packaged Goods, and High Tech. Peter also is responsible for Carlson Marketing practices providing Strategy and Customer Planning; Decision Sciences; Creative, Interactive, Media & Mobile; and Award Services.

Peter has managed through several marketing transformations during his career. When the Interpublic Group merged Draft and Foote, Cone & Belding to create a new business model, Peter was named President of Draftfcb New York. He added depth in CRM, data and digital strategy while adding new clients in financial services, healthcare and government. Earlier, Peter spent 14 years at in various leadership roles within The Ogilvy Group. He was part of the team that led the IBM brand journey during the 1990s. He also served as Managing director at Ogilvy Paris, responsible for all branding, direct and digital communications in 22 countries throughout Europe/Middle East and Africa. He later became General Manager of OgilvyOne during a period of great growth for Ogilvy's direct and interactive marketing arm.

He is an active board member of the Advertising Educational Foundation and The Columbia Business School Center for Global Marketing. Peter received his A.B. degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Peter Gleason , , , President, Intelligent Shopper Solutions

As President, Intelligent Shopper Solutions, Peter Gleason is responsible for driving the overall development of Aimia’s Loyalty Analytics products and services for retailers and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) suppliers globally. Prior to assuming his new role with Aimia, Peter was the Managing Director of the LMG Insight & Communication (I&C) business, which he helped build from scratch beginning in August 2007. In this role, Peter led the development of I&C’s groundbreaking Self Serve retail analytical tool, which helps Aimia’s retail clients including Sainsbury’s, CVS, Sobeys, Coles and Migros as well as over 150 CPG’s, derive actionable insight from shopper data to make better strategic business decisions. Under Peter’s direction, Aimia’s Intelligent Shopper Solutions business now boasts over 200 employees operating in eight countries.

Prior to joining Aimia, Peter was Managing Director of Retail Media at dunnhumby, the customer-marketing consultancy owned by Tesco PLC. Peter held several other roles at dunnhumby, including Head of CPG and Commercial Director.

Peter’s industry expertise is unrivalled, with additional experience working with Catalina Marketing UK Ltd, and well-known brands Kimberly Clark, Mars and Gillette. Peter has thorough knowledge of retail and the CPG industry, with 20 years experience providing consulting services around Category Management, Marketing, CRM, Retail Media, Supply Chain, Market Research and Loyalty Systems.

Rick Ferguson , , , Vice President, Knowledge Development

As Vice President, Knowledge Development for Aimia, Rick has overall responsibility for the development and dissemination of loyalty-marketing thought leadership, research and best practices for a global audience of loyalty marketers.

An acknowledged expert in the theory and practice of loyalty marketing, Rick has published numerous articles and white papers describing the characteristics of marketing programs which seek to change customer behavior. He has consulted for Fortune 500 clients including American Express, Procter and Gamble and Visa Inc.

Rick is frequently called on by the media to comment or contribute to stories on the current state of and outlook for the loyalty industry. He has been quoted as a loyalty expert in various prominent publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, MSNBC, the Globe and Mail, the UK Guardian, Fast Company, and Advertising Age. He has also served as a contributor to The Journal of Consumer Marketing and has written monthly columns for NACS magazine and Chief Marketer.

Rick has been a keynote or featured speaker at many industry conferences, including Card Forum, the DMA Annual, Eye for Travel, FTMA, Loyalty World, and NACS. He’s also delivered educational workshops and webinars on the principles, practices and technologies of loyalty marketing in Canada, China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Rick currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and son.

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Meet Our Experts