Culture is the new brand currency

A renowned brand-builder with rich creative and strategic expertise, Ana is passionate about connecting brands and business through culture. Most recently, Ana was the Chief Brand Officer at Esprit and Banana Republic, where she led the rebrand resulting in 24% comparable year on year sales growth. She is also the writer of the popular Substack newsletter the Sociology of Business, author of Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture and The Business of Aspiration. Ana has been named one of Forbes' most entrepreneurial CMOs, and holds PhD in Sociology.

Barr Balamuth is a brand strategist and founder of Parallel Play, a consulting firm that drives growth through cultural intelligence for consumer brands. He was the first hire at Ruby, where he helped transform the cult-favorite CPG brand into a breakout success through partnerships with the likes of Erewhon and Square. At Parallel Play, Barr leads work in brand architecture, go-to-market strategy, and partnerships, with highlights including collaborations with Hinge, A24, and Bode. His focus is connecting brands with culture to accelerate audience and revenue growth.

Hugo Timm is a Brazilian-British designer and creative director working on the intersection of brand, technology, and culture. Since 2024, he leads the internal studio at Frontify shaping the brand’s visual identity and its growing presence in the creative scene. Before joining Frontify, Hugo spent three years at WeTransfer shaping its brand evolution with cultural impact. He played a key role in the maturity of the WeTransfer and its arts platform WePresent, guiding teams to create a much loved and unique brand with truly influential campaigns. From 2019 to 2021, Hugo was Design Director at BBC Creative in London, leading large cross-department teams in the rebranding of over 150 BBC sub-brands and overseeing national campaigns that reached millions. Earlier in his career, Hugo co-founded Julia, an award-winning London studio specializing in cultural and editorial design, where he worked with clients such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, Hayward Gallery, and Phaidon. His work has been widely featured in international publications and exhibited at venues including Triennale di Milano and Parco Gallery in Tokyo.