Our People

Our people

We are mathematicians and statisticians, but also anthropologists, creatives, strategists, sector experts and, ultimately, data storytellers. We bring our diverse experiences and teams together to help our clients make smarter decisions. Get to know us.

Laura Jones, Chief Strategy Officer
×
Laura Jones
Chief Strategy Officer

Laura is Chief Strategy Officer for BAV Group, VMLY&R’s brand analytics practice and the leading authority on data-driven branding. Her mission is to fuel creativity with data using the world’s largest and longest-running study on brands. She’s proud to have inspired many successful and award-winning creative campaigns across nearly every major industry category, with relevant experience in FMCG and retail. 

As a member of the Initiative for Real Growth, a cross-WPP thought leadership council, Laura contributed to the development of an industry-leading growth framework to deliver sustained, humanized, business growth. To learn more visit https://instituteforrealgrowth.com. She was also part of the development of HerGenZ world, a global study of Gen Z girls.

A passionate advocate of advancing inclusion and diversity in the workplace, Laura has been a featured speaker at SXSW, the 3% Conference, The Girls’ Lounge, Cannes Lions School, and The One Club. She holds a B.S. in business administration from the Villanova School of Business.

Luis Fernando Dugand Junior LATAM BAV
×
Luis Fernando
LATAM CSO, Colombia

Luis Fernando Dugand is Chief Strategy Officer at VMLY&R LATAM and Head of BAV in the region. He works with Latin American and global clients, helping them make business decisions using BAV.

As an economist at the University of Rosario in Colombia, Luis learned to portray society using research, data, and econometric models. Over the years, he has integrated the business and storytelling, taking advantage of several years working in the stock and investment market, with more than 15 years of experience in BAV. This gives Luis an opportunity to understand how powerful businesses are when they are powered by powerful brand stories within the culture.

John Keaveney,  Global Managing Director, Analytics & Insight
×
John Keaveney
WPP Advisor | VMLY&R Global Managing Director, Analytics and Insights

John is a Global Managing Director of Analytics & Insights for VML but also serves as a Global Advisor to WPP on all topics related to BAV and the Best Countries report.

He is a highly analytical thought leader with over 20 years of consultancy. Not only has he worked on projects for some of the world’s most recognized brands, he has also given advice to a number of politicians and trade ambassadors over the years. This has led him to speak at various political venues, including the UK’s House of Commons, The Leading Brands of Spain Forum, City Hall, The Foreign, commonwealth and Development office, and the US Embassy.

However, these days his main work interest today is around innovation; from devising new types of metrics and methodologies, to new types of analyses and products (especially in the areas of CX and Social).

Prior to joining VML, John worked at several smaller creative agencies for a short time, including Bartle Bogle Hegarty, although his very first job after graduating was in media.

John has a BSc in Engineering with Business from King’s College London as well as a Masters Degree in Applied Statistics. He has also been on the WPP Mini-MBA program that covered such topics as strategy, leadership etc.

José Antonio Veras LATAM BAV
×
José Antonio Veras
LATAM Planning Director & Regional BAV Director

Jose Antonio joined our team in 2013. He has worked in strategic planning and brand management for more than 18 years in Latin America. His work includes major brand engagements in retail, CPG, telecom, automotive and financial services industries.

José Antonio manages the implementation & consulting practice of BAV in various countries across the region including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico & Perú.

Based in Santiago, he is the planning VP at VMLY&R Santiago, the most awarded Effie and Cannes agency in Chile. In 2018 he was recognized with the MKTG BEST award as the best Strategy director in Chile.

Jose Antonio holds a MA in Consumer Behavior from Universidad Adolfo Ibañez and MA in Media Studies from The New School University.

Ketzirah Lesser, Executive Director | Chief of Staff
×
Ketzirah Lesser
Executive Director, Chief of Staff

Ketzirah Lesser is an Executive Director with VMLY&R and Chief of Staff with BAV Group. She brings experience in brand, digital strategy, customer experience, direct marketing, integrated communications and loyalty marketing.

Over the course of her career, she has worked with B2C and B2B brands in every category imaginable including clients ranging from AARP to Zytiga. Her focus has always been aligning customer needs with achieve client goals and  reinforce the brand value at every touchpoint.

From 2016-2021, she served as Director of Campaign Strategy for the highly awarded 2020 Census Integrated Communications Campaign, one of the most complex communications campaigns in American history.

Ketzirah is a writer and presenting on topics ranging from data-driven branding, loyalty marketing, generational theory, social media ethics in healthcare marketing (SXSW), marketing strategy, and healthcare marketing regulations.

Brian Owens, Managing Director
×
Brian Owens
Managing Director, Strategy & Insights

Brian comes to BAV Group with over 15 years of extensive work experience in CPG market research, creative advertising, management consulting, brand management, and direct selling to retailers. His expertise includes global commerce though leadership, selling with 1st party retailer data, and advisory support surrounding global retail health commerce activations. Specialty retail intelligence expertise includes deep relationships and experiences launching new brands at Walmart, Amazon, Target, Grocery, Club, CVS, Walgreens, Dollar General, 7-11 as well as specialty beauty retailers, such as Ulta and Sephora.

In addition, Brian is a frequent speaker in topics related to commerce & brand awareness, retail go to market strategy, DEI commerce transformation, shopper marketing customer experiences, the consumerization of healthcare and building diverse inclusive cross-functional empathetic teams.

Prior to BAV Group, he was at Kantar Consulting, Proctor & Gamble, and Reckitt Benckiser, where he transformed syndicated retail insights , managed retail CPG sales teams and lead a management consulting commerce practice for some of the world's largest and most successful brands.

Jenna Rounds, Managing Director BAV Group
×
Jenna Rounds
Managing Director, Strategy & Insights

With over 15 years in advertising, Jenna has crafted meaningful brand strategies, architected unique multi-channel campaigns and explored innovative new ways of bringing ideas to life. She has led planning for some of the world’s most renowned brands, including Proctor and Gamble, Dell, Campbell’s, Pfizer and Gillette. She’s adept at finding the intersection between the brand’s strategic goals and the audiences’ specific needs. She has a passion for understanding human behavior and is a strong believer in the power of brands.

She has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BS from Lehigh University. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two children.

Vanessa Fuss
×
Vanessa Fuss
Managing Director, Strategy & Insights

With more than a decade of brand strategy experience, Vanessa is an exceptional storyteller who spearheads award-winning ideas that make an impact in culture. A star-shaped thinker with a roll up your sleeves attitude, Vanesa prides herself on being a complexity buster and decisive problem-solver who has been fortunate to work on some of the world’s biggest brands, including Kraft Heinz, Ford, Chevrolet, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s and Walgreens. Outside of work, you’ll find Vanessa cycling, reading memoirs and exploring street art with her family.

Sungjin Headshot
×
Sungjin Hong
Group Director, Data & Process Innovation

As a seasoned data scientist, psychometrician, and business analytics leader, Sungjin brings 20 years of experience in Financial Services and CPG industries and academia. He is well versed in machine learning techniques as well as more traditional statistical approaches and promotes a balanced data practice to maximize business outcome and ensure data integrity.

Before joining BAV in 2021, he worked for Prudential Financial, PepsiCo, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Through the experience he encountered various kinds of “messy” data and has a passion to create something new from such.

Sungjin was born and raised in Seoul, Korea, and lived in Ontario, Illinois, and Connecticut before settling in New Jersey. He enjoys hiking and camping with his family and likes playing Go online.

img
×
Aylin Yasa
Director, Strategy and Insights

Aylin Yasa, who joined BAV Group in 2015, is a Director who interacts with clients on a daily basis to meet their short-term and long-term needs. She has worked with a variety of globally leading brands ranging from the CPG category to technology and to finance, and has been helping clients to better understand their current brand positioning through data both within the US and globally, shedding light on future brand positioning as well as assessing brand fit for partnership opportunities.

Aylin has graduated from Bucknell University School of Management in 2015, where she double-majored in markets, innovation and design and French, and holds both a BS in business administration and a BA.

Natalia Restrepo, Director Insights and Strategy
×
Natalia Restrepo
Director, Strategy and Insights

Natalia Restrepo has been working with BAV Group since 2013 in LATAM and North America. She has vast experience in assisting local, regional, and global clients by using data to solve their marketing challenges and answer business questions. Natalia has collaborated with brands like Pepsi, Bimbo, Abbott, Visa, Walmart, Ticketmaster, Target, and Telefonica to identify insights and opportunities in each market, which further guide both global and local marketing strategies.

Her passion for understanding people’s behaviors and interactions with brands has led her to work on strategy teams in various businesses, including advertising agencies, market research agencies, and consultants.

When Natalia is not working, she enjoys cooking, trying out new restaurants, and playing volleyball.

Sandrine Martin BAV Group
×
Sandrine Martin
Associate Director, Strategy & Insights

Sandrine is a Manager, Strategy & Insights at BAV Group. She joined the team after finishing a master’s degree in social and consumer psychology at New York University. She is a detailed-oriented thinker who loves exploring the hidden meaning in data to uncover why consumers behave as they do.

Originally from Canada, Sandrine holds a trilingual bachelor of commerce degree in marketing from HEC Montreal and has worked for three years as an account manager at lg2, a leading Canadian advertising agency. While there, she gained experience in an array of industries, including food and beverage, retail, and tourism.

In her spare time, Sandrine enjoys cooking as well as sharing a good meal with family and friends. She also loves art galleries, Chef’s Table, and maple syrup—as the true Canadian she is!

Joy Ruffins, Operations Manager BAV Group
×
Joy Ruffins
Operations Manager

Joy Ruffins joined BAV Group in 2022 as an Operations Manager. Prior to this role she worked at VMLY&R on the Census 2020 campaign as Chief of Staff to the Executive Director. Building efficient systems, facilitating, and supporting the team around her is Joy’s superpower. She is excited to bring those skills to BAV Group and help the team grow and become even more successful.

Joy graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA with a degree in Advertising Account Management. She started her advertising career in New York as media planner and buyer primarily across Digital/Social channels. She pivoted to gain a broader focus across advertising when she came to VMLY&R, exploring multiple departments. She has experience across a variety of client categories including CPG, Beauty, Government and Pharma.

Daniella Rodriguez BAV Group
×
Daniella Rodriguez
Manager, Strategy & Insights

Daniella  joined BAV Group in 2020, working to help clients leverage BAV Group's services. Prior to joining BAV group Daniella had worked in content strategy and consumer insights for the television and film industry. Daniella has a strong ambition to leverage data creatively so to develop innovative storytelling that enhances brand strategy. She recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A in Sociology specializing in psycho-sociology. For her thesis she conducted research on the role and effects of gender in pharmaceutical marketing. Daniella is fluent in Spanish and amateur oil painter.

Tanay Sharma BAV Group
×
Tanay Sharma
Manager, Strategy & Insights

Tanay is a Brand Strategist who joined BAV Group in 2020. He is fascinated by the role brands play in shaping businesses, consumer behavior, and culture at large, and works with clients to help them leverage quantitative and qualitative insights to craft purposeful brand strategies. Prior to joining BAV, Tanay worked in advertising and strategy roles at Snapchat and Ogilvy, where he helped brands establish relevance and tell compelling stories.

Tanay recently graduated from New York University with B.A in Economics and a minor in the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. In his spare time, he loves to travel and explore different experiences and cultures.

Kathy Shen, BAV Group
×
Kathy Shen
Sr. Brand Strategist

Kathy joined BAV Group in April 2021 as an Analytical Brand Strategist. Prior to joining BAV Group, Kathy attended Northwestern University, where she graduated with a MS degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and specialized in brand strategy and consumer insight analysis. During her studies, Kathy also worked as a student consultant for Walgreens, leading a project to map out growth strategies for the company to increase brand love and loyalty during the pandemic. Kathy has recently become a cat mom and has been spending most of her free time playing with her two ragdoll babies while trying to lower her previously high personal hygiene standards.

Dor Katz, BAV Group
×
Dor Katz
Analytical Brand Strategist

Dor is an Analytical Brand Strategist who joined BAV Group in August of 2022. Prior to joining BAV Group, Dor attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed her Masters of Behavioral and Decision Sciences.

Dor is driven by research and data in creating insightful branding strategies that help clients shape their business and purpose. She is passionate about psychology, consumer decision-making, and the gripping art of storytelling – and has leveraged her position to develop and strengthen her ability to curate and tell brand stories.

Dor is originally from Israel and grew up in Prague, Czech Republic. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar and hosting dinners with gluten-free goods.

Richard Farhart, Analyst || Data Analytics
×
Richard Farhat
Analyst, Data Analytics

Richard Farhat joined BAV in 2021 to contribute to the analytics practice. As a member of the Analytics team, Richard leverages his background in Engineering and Psychology to understand human behavior in a scientific way. With an eye for innovation, Richard also leads automation efforts.

Richard has graduated from the American University of Beirut in 2017 with a BE in Mechanical Engineering and from New York University in 2021 with a MA in Research and Experimental Psychology.

Belle Frank
×
Belle Frank
Strategic Advisor, Emeritus

Belle has vast marketing communications and insights experience across nearly every category. She oversees strategy for VMLY&R's health & wellness practice and is responsible for insight work for a number of major global companies and brands. Belle is recognized in the industry as having great expertise with most types of communications research and brand positioning.

In her 30+ years at Y&R, Belle has had a range of different types of experience. Beginning in 1993, she was part of the small team assigned that developed the BAV® model. She now combines BAV with her planning skill to drive compelling strategies that help build brands and business for global clients such as Pfizer and Merck as well as PhRMA.

Belle has a BA in French from Tufts and holds a Master's from the Harvard School of Education. A life-long New Yorker with a passion for education, she teaches the research track classes at the CCNY Branding & Integrated Communications program where she was recently asked to serve as a 
Distinguished Lecturer. Belle is an active member of the Advertising Research and Advertising Educational Foundations and has spoken at the South by Southwest conference on workshop techniques as well as at Cannes Lions Health.

Belle published a book, The Advertising On-Ramp, that speaks to the new generation of marketing communications talent. She co-authored several pieces published in Admap including, “Reinventing Qualitative Research” and “Brand Strategies for an Economic Downturn”. Belle and her husband (who writes about golf) have two married children. The family follows each other on social media.