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Mastering Business Relationships (August 6)
with Barb Reilly, Debra Williams, Cliff Stevens and Lauren Kimball

This class is an intimate panel-format with marketing leaders discussing their experience in building and fixing relationships and the importance of this skill to their success. Attendees will workshop relationship challenges and walk away with real life strategies and confidence in navigating rough patches and problems.

About the Instructors

  • Barb Reilly

    President & CEO of The Ad Club

  • Debra Williams

    SVP of Brand & Advertising at Citizens Bank

  • Cliff Stevens

    SVP, Head of Internal Creative Agency, Sedgwick

  • Lauren Kimball

    EVP, Managing Director, CTP

Barb Reilly
Barb has worked in the marketing industry for many years- in media and creative agencies and on the client side. She’s worked on large Fortune 100 businesses, mid-sized companies and start ups - bringing a unique perspective to all aspects of a business relationship. Barb has been called a “relationship whisperer” by a former CEO at one of the companies she worked at. She is currently a Fractional CMO, and heading up The Ad Club as Fractional President. She is also a former guest instructor at Babson College.

Debra Williams
As Senior Vice President of Brand & Advertising at Citizens, Debra leads all paid advertising efforts, focusing on building a modern brand identity through a unified strategy and integrated creative campaigns. Her work is designed to drive measurable business results while aligning cross-functional teams and agency partners around a cohesive brand vision.
Before joining Citizens, Debra spent more than a decade on the agency side at Arnold, with experience spanning financial services, CPG, travel, education, and more. Debra brings a unique ability to translate strategic clarity into creative ambition—ensuring brands stay relevant and resonant in even the most crowded categories. Her dual perspective from both agency and brand-side leadership roles fuels her belief that breakthrough work starts with insight but succeeds through partnership.

Cliff Stevens
For the past 21+ years, Cliff has held influential B2B and B2C marketing and advertising positions at brands and agencies across the country and across a range of verticals including automotive, financial services, pharmaceuticals, CPG, technology, cybersecurity, and QSR/retail. He has been a thought leader supporting Fortune 500 companies through brand and digital transformations, change management initiatives, innovation and new product offerings, and organizational infrastructure enhancements. At Sedgwick, the world’s leading risk and claims administration partner with 33,000 employees in 80 countries, Cliff oversees all creative for marketing team and is leading their AI transformation across marketing.

Lauren Kimball
Lauren is the Managing Director at CTP, where she leads operations and oversees several disciplines across the agency. She grew up in the agency world in various account management roles, building her career on strong relationships, smart strategy, and a deep understanding of clients’ businesses. As her role has evolved, so has her impact - guiding teams, shaping culture, and helping move the agency forward with clarity and focus. Lauren brings a calm, practical voice to complex challenges and is driven by the belief that great work starts with great people.