Wendy Baker has been a member of the Bert Davis senior executive team for over 15 years. She is currently the Senior Vice President for the Magazine Division where she continues to be instrumental in developing her area of specialization in the placement of middle to senior level consumer magazine, trade publication and newspaper professionals. Wendy conducts searches in the areas of circulation, advertising sales management, advertising marketing and promotion, as well as research.
Prior to joining Bert Davis, Wendy had a successful career in advertising with DDB Needham, as well as magazine and newspaper publishing including positions as Advertising Manager at The New Yorker and at The New York Times, covering the categories of Finance, Beauty, Home Furnishing, Travel, Luxury and Fashion Accessories.
Wendy graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Sociology from Queens College.

Debbie Blinder joined Bert Davis Executive Search in 2007 and is Director of Market Research and a Recruiter. At Bert Davis, she works closely with the President and specializes in new account communications, client outreach, and candidate research and analysis.

 A Princeton University graduate, Debbie gained valuable experience working in the University’s manuscripts library, where she helped to create an online database and preserve fragile collections of political, economic, and historical records. As a psychology major, her focus in the area of judgment and decision-making resulted in a senior thesis about ambiguity aversion. She presented independent research on perceptions of randomness in an American Psychological Association regional conference symposium, and she has authored work on this topic that has since gone on to publication in the Journal of Behavioral Decision-Making (in press).

Conference Director

A leading authority on global money laundering issues is seeking an experienced Conference Director to manage its high-profile conferences. We are seeking a professional who is experienced in increasing revenue through strategic editorial conference development, driving timely marketing and sales programs aimed at financial institutions, broker-dealers, insurance companies, government agencies, and compliance professionals throughout the world.

Responsibilities:

• Create and implement conference objectives, including additional programs to leverage membership and create new avenues for revenue.
• P&L responsibilities for conference business.
• Oversee editorial staff and work with association partners and industry leaders to develop conference content, themes, and materials.
• Work closely with senior executives to assess event strengths and maximize potential of conference program.
• Work with marketing and sales departments to meet revenue goals, growth plans, and key objectives.
• Domestic and international travel.
• Constantly evaluate competitive landscape and, when necessary, travel to outside events to assess and ascertain value proposition of own business.
• Manage on-site logistics and supervise event staff of three direct reports.
• Build audience development programs.
• Maintain and grow an active and up-to-date database of delegates and sponsors.
• Introduce state-of-the-art content delivery methods to keep pace with the marketplace.
• Uncover, create, and execute new models, methods, and processes for best practices.

Requirements:

• B.A. or B.S. degree, minimum 5 years’ conference development experience.
• Strong editorial track record.
• Bottom-line orientation.
• Knowledge of financial or legal markets highly preferred.
• Experience managing events staff.
• Strategic thinker with strong verbal and analytic skills.
• Good communicator who can convey important business objectives.
• Understanding of how to market and sell conferences via the internet and through mail.
• Good negotiating skills.
• Creative and innovative.
• Manager with sense of humor.
• Spanish language speaking a plus.

Interested candidates should email Wendy Baker, wbaker@bertdavis.com, or Debbie Blinder, dblinder@bertdavis.com.