“Winning over Women in Financial Services”

Audrey is insatiably curious about the human experience, which she uses to inspire growth within teams and clients. An energetic and dynamic researcher and strategist, Audrey brings insight to life through compelling stories that drive meaningful change. Audrey leads the Kantar TNS North America Qualitative Team and partners with Fortune 500 clients on initiatives spanning brand strategy, marketing and communications, corporate reputation, and new product development. She is passionate about global research and has worked across markets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Audrey is a thought leader, having authored and presented conference papers, webinars, and magazine articles on the roles of socio-cultural influences and emotion in marketing. She trains clients on best practices in qualitative research and in marketing principles for impactful communications and exceptional retail experiences. Prior to Kantar TNS, Audrey has significant experience in brand and communications research, having led the Qualitative Research team at BBDO Atlanta, where she uncovered rich, tangible findings that became the foundations of advertising campaigns. Audrey has an MA in English from Wake Forest University and a BA in English (summa cum laude) from the University of Florida.

Brie Williams is a Vice President of State Street Global Advisors and Head of Practice Management for the Global SPDR Business. She manages a team dedicated to the evolving needs of wealth management firms and financial advisors; developing business-specific insights to facilitate growth and efficiency beyond asset management. Her award-winning team of practice management strategists is responsible for thought leadership, educational programs, and practice management tools and resources to help practitioners achieve their business vision and deliver exceptional client experience. Brie is a highly regarded speaker at industry conferences and is the author of several articles related to wealth management practices. She recently was awarded the Rising Stars in Finance award from Gramercy Institute. Prior to joining SSGA, Brie was a Senior Vice President at Putnam Investments where she was responsible for brand strategy and retail mutual fund product marketing. She was a member of the senior global marketing team and served as a strategic partner to global distribution divisions, including investment product and portfolio management teams. Brie’s professional background includes a career in advertising and research, where she managed accounts in the retail, packaged goods and health care industries for valued brands that we all know and love, including Frito-Lay, McDonald’s, and Target. Her work on Vonage earned her a Bronze Effie for marketing effectiveness. Brie holds a BA from Southern Methodist University and an MA Emerson College. She has also earned the FINRA series 7 and 63 licenses. Brie serves on the global governance committee for Women in ETFs as marketing and communications co-chair.

Sonia Spirling is an Alternative Investment Strategist for Natixis Investment Managers. She has extensive experience developing and researching quantitative investment strategies as well as providing expertise in the area of Alternative Investments. Her role at Natixis Investment Managers involves ongoing communication around liquid alternative funds, particularly around the area of internal and external education, implementation, and expectation setting for liquid alternative products. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Spirling was vice president of investments and was part of the research and development team for alternative products at F-Squared Investments. Before F-Squared Investments, Ms. Spirling was a consultant for S&P Capital IQ, where she consulted with investment managers on financial modeling and product deployments for quantitative strategies. Prior to S&P Capital IQ, Ms. Spirling was a quantitative analyst and trader at Braver Wealth Management, where she was on the Investment Committee and responsible for the International sleeve of the Asset Allocation strategy. Ms. Spirling holds a BS in Neuroscience from University of Rochester and an MS in Computational Science from the State University of New York Brockport. She is an active member of the Boston Security Analyst Society (BSAS) and has run multiple seminars and half-day events on topics such as machine learning, text analytics, options trading, and others. Ms. Spirling also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst as well as the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designations.

Janet Bodnar is editor-at-large of Kiplinger's Personal Finance, a position she assumed after retiring as editor of the magazine after eight years at the helm. While editor, Bodnar was honored by Folio as one of its Top Women in Media. She is a nationally recognized expert in the field of children's and family finances, financial literacy and women and money. She is the author of two books, Money Smart Women and Raising Money Smart Kids. As editor-at-large, she will continue to write her "Money Smart Women" column for Kiplinger's. She is also a regular contributor to WTOP, the major all-news radio station in Washington, D.C. Bodnar is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and is a member of its Board of Trustees. She received her master's degree from Columbia University, where she was also a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economics Journalism.

Monica Dugan is a Vice President, Branch Manager for Fidelity Investments. Throughout her 17 years in the industry, Monica has been a champion for coaching, training and supervising client facing associates and advancing women in the financial services industry. As the leader of Fidelity's Shrewsbury, MA Investor Center, Monica and her team of 22 associates help their customers live their best lives and plan for what's most important to them in this generation and for the ones to follow.  Prior to Fidelity, Monica managed TD Ameritrade branches in Boston and Burlington. Monica is a Certified Financial Planner ™, holds her series 7, 66, 9, 10 and 24 licenses as well as a Life, Health and Variable Annuities license. She holds a BS in Hospitality Management from Cornell University. On a personal note, Monica is a proud mother of three children, and alongside her family, is very active in fundraising for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.