As executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Chris Capossela runs worldwide marketing across both the consumer and commercial businesses, which includes product marketing, business planning, brand, advertising, events, media buying, communications and market research for Microsoft products and services. Capossela also runs digital direct sales, and retail partner sales, for all Microsoft products.

Capossela joined Microsoft in 1991 as a marketing manager for the Windows Seminar Team. In his more than 30 years at Microsoft, Capossela has held a variety of leadership positions and oversaw the creation of new business opportunities and customer experiences, including the transition of Microsoft Office on-premises products to Office 365. Prior to taking on his role as CMO and EVP, he served as the worldwide leader of the Consumer Channels Group, responsible for sales and marketing activities with OEM, operator and retail partners.

Capossela holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics from Harvard University. Originally from Boston, his interest in technology began when, as a boy, he wrote a reservation system for his family’s small Italian restaurant using dBase for DOS on an early IBM PC.

Capossela lives in Seattle with his wife and two daughters. He currently serves on the board for Worldreader , a nonprofit dedicated to improving lives by bringing digital books to underserved children and families across the globe. From July 2019 to July 2020, he and his wife also served as the annual campaign co-chairs for the United Way of King County, raising money to support critical anti-poverty efforts in the greater Seattle area. He can be followed on LinkedIn and Twitter (@chriscapossela).

Stephan Roche is a strategic advisor to family offices and their leadership. He has served as CEO of Walton Enterprises (owners of Walmart and Sam’s Club), the family office for the Walton family, and as COO for BMGI (now called Cascade Asset Management), the private investment office for Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation. Earlier in his career, Roche held executive leadership positions in several FinTech startup ventures and spent seven years in San Francisco at Bain & Company, the strategy consulting firm. Roche currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Sequoia Consulting Group. He graduated from Princeton University and earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Catherine, live in downtown Seattle.

Mark Moses is author of the international bestselling book, Make Big Happen, and the follow up book, Making BIG Happen. He is also the Founding Partner of CEO Coaching International, which has coached more than 1000 of the world’s top high-growth entrepreneurs and CEOs in over 75 countries. CEO Coaching International coaches CEOs on how to dramatically grow their revenues and profits; implement the most effective strategies; become better leaders; grow their people; build accountability systems and elevate their own performance. Clients working with CEO Coaching International for two years or more have achieved an average EBITDA CAGR of 53.5%, nearly four times the U.S. average, and an average revenue CAGR of 26.2%, more than twice the U.S. average, according to data published in January 2023 by The NYU Stern School of Business. Mark has won Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Blue Chip Enterprise award for overcoming adversity. His last company ranked as the #1 Fastest-Growing Company in Los Angeles, and #10 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S. CEO Coaching International has appeared in the Inc. 5000 list for the last nine consecutive years.

Mark has completed 12 full distance lronman Triathlons, including the Hawaii lronman World Championship five times. He also won the U.S. National Squash Championship in 1992. Mark competed in the London Marathon in April 2019, qualifying him for the Boston Marathon. In May 2019 at the CEO Coaching International Summit, Mark had the honor of sitting down for an hour on stage with President George W. Bush to discuss entrepreneurship and life as President. Mark served on the Board of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County for several years. He grew up in Canada and currently lives in Miami Beach with his wife Ivette.

Mark is also a longtime active member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and has served as president of both organizations. He is also an active member CEO (Chief Executives Organization).

Richard (“Rich”) Balot founded ABC Phones of North Carolina, Inc.(dba: Victra) in October of 1996 as a freshman in college. Under his guidance, the company has grown from a single store location to more than 1,500 store locations across 49 states. Victra has become Verizon’s largest exclusive premium retailer and Rich is considered a thought leader within the industry and among his peers. Rich is an active member in Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and board member at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C. He also volunteers with numerouslocal charities, participating with his family to give back. Rich holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from East Carolina University.

Rich is married and has four children. He enjoys spending time with his family and watching his children play sports.

Scott and Ally Svenson are the co-founders of MOD Pizza, the original super fast pizza concept known for its individual artisan-style pizzas and salads, and people-first culture. Founded in Seattle in 2008, MOD has been named the fastest growing restaurant chain in the US (Technomic) for the last two years and was recently named “the most loved brand” by Foodable.

At its heart, MOD is a platform for doing good, and is rooted in the idea that if they take care of their employees (the MOD Squad), they’ll take care of the customers, and the business will take care of itself. They call it Spreading MODness – and its ripple effect has taken hold in MOD’s more than 345 stores system-wide across 28 states and the UK, and with their more than 7,000 MOD Squaders. Today, Scott serves as CEO and Ally as Chief Purpose Officer, and they remain inspired and motived by the opportunity to build a business that makes a positive social impact. Scott and Ally are both graduates of Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Washington – Scott continued on to Harvard, and Ally to Wellesley College. Since moving home from the UK, they have been deeply involved in the Seattle and Bellevue communities, contributing efforts and resource to many non-profits and to their local schools. Scott is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the University of Washington Foster School of Business and a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the World Presidents’ Organization (WPO). Ally is on the board of the Tateuchi Performing Arts Center, and together they are board members and advisors to Evergreens, a Seattle based salad concept.

Kris Engskov is Co-Founder & CEO of Rippl, a venture-backed start-up redefining the next generation of mental and behavioral health for seniors. Leveraging a value-based approach, disruptive technology, and a relentless focus on empowering its clinicians, Rippl is pioneering a new care model to dramatically expand access to high quality, wrap-around mental and behavioral healthcare for seniors, their families, and caregivers.

Rippl was founded in 2021 and is backed by investors including Arch Ventures, General Catatlyst, Google Ventures and Mass General Brigham.

Most recently, Kris served as President of Aegis Living, one of the nation’s leading innovators in providing assisted living, memory care and wellness services to seniors. Prior to jumping into senior health, Kris spent over 16 years at Starbucks Coffee Company where he held multiple senior leadership roles including President of the company’s flagship U.S. Retail division and earlier as President of Starbucks Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). While at Starbucks, Kris developed deep consumer experience leading the development and execution of a number of new product and digital innovations globally, establishing significant new growth partnerships both in the US and Europe and scaling several successful new store concepts and formats. Previously Kris worked for Madrona Venture Group, LLC, a Seattle based venture- capital fund. Early in his career, he was in public service. From 1993 to 2000, Kris held a number of positions in the Clinton White House, including Assistant Press Secretary and Personal Aide to the President.

He received his B.A. in Public Administration from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Admiral McRaven is a retired U.S. Navy four star admiral and the former chancellor if the University of Texas System. He is a recognized national authority on US Foreign Policy, having advised Presidents and US leaders of defense issues, including development of the plan and leading the Osama Bin Laden mission in 2011. He has received multiple accolades for his leadership, including the Judge William H Webster Distinguished Service Award and the Intrepid Freedom Award. Drawing on his lifetime of service, he educates audiences on the value of team work, personal accountability, resilience and leadership.

Kenny Aronoff is one of the world’s most influential and in demand drummers and percussionists. Rolling Stone Magazine named him as one of the “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time” and the readers of Modern Drummer Magazine named him the #1 Pop/Rock Drummer and #1 Studio Drummer. The list of artists he’s worked with on the road and/or in the studio is a who’s who of the music industry’s top talent. Names like: Elton John, Bob Dylan, Celine Dion, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Avril Levine, Lady Gaga, Smashing Pumpkins and MANY more. With a style of playing that combines power and finesse, his unique and versatile sound has been instrumental on over 60 GRAMMY-nominated or awarded recordings representing over 300 million in sales, with more than 1,300 that were RIAA certified Gold, Platinum or Diamond. He is the drummer on four Billboard #1 Hits, and dozens of Top Ten hits. Kenny’s winning approach to drumming, teamwork, leadership, and life has given him the ability to sustain a successful career for over four decades. He has an extraordinary gift and ability to manipulate sound using drums, cymbals and a variety of percussion instruments, the combination of which create a rare and custom accompaniment for each artist for whom he sets the pace – and raises the bar. Known as the Hardest Hitting Man in Show Business, Kenny has created some of the most iconic drum parts in rock history, including perhaps his most famous moment on John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane”.

Jordan Babineaux transitioned from playing in the NFL to becoming a sports broadcaster, business consultant, and international bestselling author.

Jordan holds a B. A. in Mass Communication from Southern Arkansas University and a Leadership Executive MBA from Seattle University. After receiving his MBA, Jordan joined the Albers School of Business & Economics as an Adjunct Professor. 

In 2021, Jordan wrote and published his book, Pivot to Win: Make the Big Plays in Life, Sports & Business.

Signed to the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2004, Babineaux started as a defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans, appearing in over 140 career games, including Super Bowl 40.

Today, Jordan is a financial representative at Pacific Advisors, and helps achievers elevate beyond their current success through consulting and coaching services.

David Nilssen is the CEO of DOXA Talent which helps businesses to build and scale-up high-performing, borderless teams leveraging talent from across the world. He has over 600 team members and ZERO office space. David has a unique perspective about the future of work and challenges and why business leaders must adapt faster than ever before. Prior to DOXA, David cofound Guidant Financial which has helped 25,000 entrepreneurs to secure $6B to start or buy a business in each of the 50 US states.

In 2007, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) named him the National Young Entrepreneur of the Year and his business has been included on the Inc 500. As an investor, David has helped to launch and advise companies in neuropharma, online travel, personal financial management, healthcare tech, digital administration & more.

He serves on the Global Board of Directors of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) DOXA Talent, and Guidant Financial.

In 2002 Carol Bowser founded Conflict Management Strategies, a company emphasizing training, mediation, and consulting on conflict resolution in schools and workplace. Conflict Management Strategies Inc. addresses workplace conflict, trains employees in conflict resolution skills, evaluates internal conflict resolution processes, and facilitates tangible change within the working environment. Carol is a workplace conflict expert, a professional trainer, a mediator, an attorney, and a professor.

A native north-westerner, Dan became interested in finance early in his thirty-plus year career when he started selling financial products for a national firm shortly after college. To help demonstrate how transactions would affect the client financially, Dan started designing explanatory spreadsheets. As he moved farther in the finance field, he continued to develop that early version into The Business Ferret.

Prior to starting his own firm, Dan worked for Moss Adams Advisory Services as a senior manager, consulting with businesses on diverse areas of finance. During his time with Moss Adams, Dan also traveled extensively to speak to brokerage firms about mergers and acquisitions and valuation. He continues to give seminars and workshops to his clients’ companies and to the public. Since 2005, through The Business Ferret, Dan has continued to work with businesses using his comprehensive, detailed analysis tool, to provide insight and guidance toward higher cash flow and reduced risk. When he is not working, Dan enjoys spending time with his extended family, reading, building models, and talking about cars with his son.