Turning Your Passive Data Lake into an Active Revenue Stream

Heather Holst-Knudsen is a distinguished figure and expert in the events, media, marketing and technology sectors. Using her extensive experience, she guides clients in adapting to structural economic and market changes, seizing the chance to innovate and evolve. She specializes in digital and data disruption and opportunity, exploring how these overarching factors can impact revenue growth,customer-centricity, operational efficiency, profit margins, and the overall valuation of companies in both public and private markets. Her journey began at her family business, Thomas Publishing Company, where she honed her skills. She further expanded her expertise by holding positions at early industry giants Miller Freeman, Reed Elsevier, and IDG. Returning to Thomas Publishing, Heather founded and spearheaded Manufacturing Enterprise Communications, an integrated media portfolio connecting buyers and sellers in the manufacturing and technology sectors. Starting in 2015 and spanning the next seven years, she leveraged her expertise as a revenue and business leader in various SaaS businesses, including Feathr, Gleanin, Brella and Edflex. Heather is deeply passionate about digital innovation, data monetization, and AI and how these strategies fuel revenue growth, profitability, and company valuation. To serve and create value for clients in these areas, she launched H2K Labs, dedicated to generating and leveraging value through data for media, business information, events, and adjacent technology and service markets.

Max Gabriel is the Co-Founder and CEO of Augmented AI, a company dedicated to helping events and media businesses seamlessly embed AI agents into their workflows.

Previously, Max served as President of IIRIS and Chief Transformation Officer at Informa Markets, where he led the company’s digital transformation agenda through the pandemic. He joined Informa in 2015 as Group Digital Director, later becoming Chief Digital Officer at Taylor & Francis, where he spearheaded the Growth Acceleration Plan—driving significant eBook revenue growth through the launch of T&F’s proprietary platform.

Before Informa, Max held the role of Chief Technology Officer at Pearson Plc, where he launched the company’s first tablet-based learning products in India and South Africa. His earlier career includes senior global technology leadership roles at Diageo, Pfizer, and J.P. Morgan Chase.

Max began his career as a software engineer in the financial services industry. Today, he is also an active angel investor and advisor, supporting early-stage tech startups focused on media and AI.