FICP | 2025 Annual Conference Breakout Session Speakers

Breakout Speakers

Kelly Mendel

Panelist – Unreasonable Hospitality

Kelly Mendel is a Team Leader at Edward Jones, where she leads the logistics team responsible for the firm's recognition conferences and executive travel experiences. With over 15 years in the hospitality industry, Kelly brings deep expertise in creating seamless, high-impact events that celebrate people and elevate brand experiences. At this year's conference, Kelly will join a panel discussion on Unreasonable Hospitality, sharing insights on how her team brings this philosophy to life through intentional design, thoughtful details and a people-first mindset. Outside of work, Kelly is an avid reader who has finished over 100 books this year and also laces up her skates to play roller derby.

Victoria Matey, Event Psychology Advisor and Co-founder, Matey Events

Planning With Intention: Behavioral Event Design That Drives Real Results and Capital Gains

Victoria Matey helps event pros use psychology to design smarter, more human experiences.
She’s an Event Psychology Advisor and the author of the first-ever Event Psychology Lab course, the book 10 Principles of Strategic Event Planning, and the ‘Event Psychology Strategist’ certification course with MPI. With a background in event management and cognitive linguistics, Victoria turns science into practical strategies for real-world events - whether it’s making events more brain-friendly, driving decisions through research-backed event marketing, designing spaces that guide behavior, or helping industry partners apply psychology in ways that stick. Victoria delivers keynotes and insight-driven sessions worldwide; past appearances include events like SITE ISA, IMEX, Skift Meetings, theEvent. She regularly appears on podcasts, contributes to leading industry publications, and shares thought leadership content with the events community. She also runs the Event Psychology community and resource hub and serves as VP of Events & Outreach at Bescy, a behavioral science nonprofit.

Denise A. Robinson, JD, Founding Principal, The Still Center LLC

Cultivating Psychological Safety and Managing Stress When the Client Is Always Right

Denise A. Robinson (she/her) is the Founding Principal of The Still Center LLC, a consultancy that fosters belonging across differences and collective well-being in professional services and other industries. After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, Denise practiced labor & employment law in her home state of Ohio. She later moved to the Washington, DC area and transitioned her career to promoting belonging in the workplace, including past roles as global Director of Diversity & Inclusion for O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Diversity Officer for the International Monetary Fund. A sought-after thought leader on corporate wellness, Denise is the host of PLI’s Mindfulness for Lawyers series (part of The Well-Rounded Lawyer video anthology), co-author of the Law360 article “Making the Case for Rest in the Legal Profession” (March 2025), and a co-keynote speaker for the Institute for Well-Being in Law’s 2025 Annual Conference. She is also the author of the eBook Restoring Power: Recharging Strategies for the Everyday Change Agent (2025), which explores rest as a tool for reclaiming agency and sustainability for mission-driven professionals. Her approach to organizational well-being is grounded in 15 years of experience teaching yoga and other contemplative practices, as well as her background as a distance runner and certified running coach. Denise also serves her community as a volunteer parent advocate with a nonprofit supporting autistic students in Montgomery County, Maryland

Chantal Sturk Nadeau, CDME, Vice President, Innovation and Insights, PCMA

Work Smarter, Not Harder: How You Can Revolutionize Business Events Through AI

Chantal Sturk-Nadeau is a visionary leader in the global business events and tourism industry, currently serving as Vice President of Innovation & Insights at PCMA. With over 25 years of experience in tourism leadership roles at Destination Canada and Tourism Winnipeg, Chantal has consistently demonstrated her ability to develop innovative strategies and drive exponential growth for organizations worldwide. She has pioneered data-driven strategies that revolutionized destination marketing, implementing cutting-edge research platforms for evidence-based decision making. Her curiosity for developing efficient operations has led to innovative solutions leveraging technology and AI. Now leading Spark, the only AI-generative tool developed for and by event professionals, Chantal combines her extensive destination sales and marketing expertise with her passion for technology to spearhead the Future of Work with AI in the business event sector. Her career exemplifies the power of strategic thinking, collaborative leadership, and a commitment to excellence in the ever-evolving landscape of global business events and tourism. Her insights and experiences promise to inspire and inform audiences seeking to navigate the complexities of today's business environment.

Dr. Claus te Wildt, Capital Market Strategist

The Economics of the Financial Services and Insurance Industry

Dr. Claus te Wildt is a distinguished and experienced financial services executive and a highly respected thought leader in the asset management industry. He has earned a reputation of being able to break down the complex and sometimes confusing global investment landscape for advisors and their clients. As a noted speaker at major industry events, Dr. te Wildt ensures that financial advisors benefit from actionable portfolio implementation ideas and greater confidence in articulating those ideas and strategies to their clients. Previously, Dr. te Wildt headed the Capital Markets Strategy Group of Fidelity Investments for 18 years. In that role, he formulated and communicated Fidelity’s capital market view to Fidelity Institutional clients in the intermediary channel. Dr. te Wildt was also a regular speaker at the national and regional conferences of most major broker-dealer firms, including events organized by Merrill Lynch, UBS, and Wells Fargo. His commentary was published on Fidelity.com, he created Fidelity’s Investment Themes market outlook series and co-hosted its “Thinking Outside the Portfolio” podcast. Prior to joining Fidelity, Dr. te Wildt co-founded teMac Investments, an advisor firm that operated similar to a hedge fund. He also held a variety of senior and executive positions at GT Global and Dresdner RCM and worked as a consultant at Bain & Company. Dr. te Wildt earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in finance from the University of Colorado and a Doctor of Political Science (PhD) in finance from the University of Kiel in Germany. In addition to speaking engagements, Dr. te Wildt is now working as an independent consultant where he advises clients on portfolio construction, client communication, crisis management, support of client acquisition and retention, and executive coaching. Dr. te Wildt lives with his wife outside of Boston where they raised two children. In his spare time, he golfs, cheers for his hometown club Borussia Dortmund, and supports various Cancer Foundations.