Braze Forge 2026 l Customer Engagement Event

Jimmy O. Yang

Stand-up comedian, actor, and writer

JIMMY O. YANG is a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer whose work spans film, television, books, and sold-out arenas across the globe. Jimmy is currently shooting the upcoming Netflix series The Roman opposite Oscar Isaac, Betty Gilpin and Alec Baldwin from producer Martin Scorsese. He previously starred in the Hulu series Interior Chinatown, directed by Academy Award winner Taika Waititi. He is widely recognized for his breakout role in HBO’s Emmy-winning comedy Silicon Valley and his scene-stealing performance in the blockbuster hit Crazy Rich Asians.

Kyle Cooke

Closing party DJ

Kyle Cooke is a DJ, entrepreneur, and reality TV personality best known for his breakout role on Bravo’s hit series “Summer House,” “Winter House,” and “Traitors.” He is also the founder and driving force behind Loverboy, a popular premium beverage brand known for its vibrant flavors and modern approach to social drinking. Kyle’s work-hard-play-hard mentality and love for music have always been a constant throughout his life.

Matthew Luhn

American storyboard artist, animator, and writer

Matthew Luhn’s highly entertaining talks have earned glowing reviews, lauding his talent as a teacher and passion for providing any audience with the tools to immediately activate storytelling skills for business success. As the president of one host company wrote, “Matthew Luhn has an incredible ability to captivate an audience through the art of storytelling. Unveiling some of the most insightful techniques used in Pixar films, he can effortlessly simplify complex ideas into concise messages—a valued skill in business. Matthew highlighted actionable tactics that sharpened my own team’s storytelling skills right away.”

Astha Malik

Chief Business Officer

Astha Malik is the Chief Business Officer of Braze. She has more than 20 years of experience building brands, driving innovation, and accelerating revenue growth. She joined Braze in June 2022 as Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to Braze, she served as Chief Operating Officer of VTEX. Throughout her career, she has also held leadership positions across a number of leading technology companies including Zendesk, Citrix, Sumo Logic, and PagerDuty. She enjoys taking impromptu family weekend trips within California and international trips to new destinations. She loves fashion, hiking, meditation, and all things Bollywood.

Bill Magnuson

CEO and Cofounder

Bill Magnuson has served as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2017 and as a member of our board of directors since August 2014. He previously served as our Chief Technology Officer from July 2011 to December 2016. Bill is a cycling commuter and loves adventure. Born and raised in Minnesota, but more recently a New Yorker for 10+ years, Bill is equally at home in the city and the tundra.

Fernando Machado

Chief Brand Officer, Chipotle Mexican Grill

Fernando Machado is the Chief Brand Officer for Chipotle Mexican Grill. He is responsible for leading the company's global marketing strategy, brand positioning, and customer engagement efforts. Mr. Machado, Ad Age's 2020 CMO of the Year and a Forbes Top 3 Most Influential CMO globally, has a proven track record with numerous accolades for his breakthrough and innovative marketing campaigns.Mr. Machado spent over seven years as the Chief Marketing Officer at Restaurant Brands International (RBI) across brands like Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons, where he received global recognition for his industry-leading campaigns. He also spent 18 years at Unilever in a series of executive leadership roles across its consumer brand portfolio. In addition, Mr. Machado was Chief Marketing Officer at Activision Blizzard, where he spearheaded marketing strategy across its portfolio of major gaming franchises.He currently serves as an Operating Partner at Garnett Station Partners, a private equity firm focused on franchise, multi-unit and services businesses and serves as a member of the board of directors of Braze, Inc. Machado holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) and an MBA from INSEAD Business School.

Jon Hyman

Cofounder and CTO

Jon is a co-founder of Braze, where he oversees all the platform’s technical systems, infrastructure, technical operations, security, and engineering teams. Prior to Braze, he served as lead engineer at Bridgewater Associates. In a past life Jon played guitar in a heavy metal band, and now enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He holds a Computer Science A.B. from Harvard University.

Seth Matlins

Host of "Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing"

Host of Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing Seth Matlins is broadly recognized as one of marketing’s top thought-leaders. Seth’s career has spanned client and agency side roles—including CAA, Endeavor, Live Nation, and Forbes—offering him unrivaled insight into the challenges facing the biggest brands, companies, and the people who lead them, globally.

José Andrés

Chef, Restaurateur, Humanitarian

Twice named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People" and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, José Andrés is a renowned chef, Emmy Award-winning television personality, New York Times bestselling author, educator, and internationally recognized humanitarian. He is the owner of José Andrés Group, which operates 40 restaurants in the US and beyond, including the 2 Michelin-starred minibar by José Andrés. In 2010, Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. He is also the founder of the Global Food Institute at George Washington University, which educates and inspires current and future food systems leaders toward the goal of "changing the world through the power of food." Andrés's work has earned distinctions including the National Humanities Medal, the Princess of Asturias Foundation's Concordia Prize, and the James Beard Foundation's "Outstanding Chef" award.

Speakers

Speakers