2026 WIRexec Leadership Summit US

Anese Cavanaugh is the CEO of Active Choices, Inc., founder of the IEP Method® (Intentional Energetic Presence®), and creator of the Positive Energy Workplace Initiative®. She is the author of the books CONTAGIOUS CULTURE: Show Up, Set the Tone, and Intentionally Create an Organization That Thrives (McGraw-Hill, 2015), CONTAGIOUS YOU: Unlock Your Power to Influence, Lead, and Create the Impact You Want (McGraw-Hill, 2019), and THE LEADER YOU WILL BE: An Invitation (a leadership storybook). For more than two decades, she has worked with CEOs, senior executives, and high-performing teams to develop more effective, energized, and sustainable leadership. As a business leader, strategic advisor, and keynote speaker, she is devoted to helping leaders show up with greater intention, presence, and accountability — and, through them, creating positively contagious workplace cultures where people can do their best work.

Irene Gustaitis is a global insights and strategy executive with over 20 years of experience turning consumer understanding into high-impact business decisions. As Head of Global Consumer Insights at Amazon Prime Video & MGM Studios, she built the market research function from the ground up into a global, multi-disciplinary organization. Today, her work informs and shapes content greenlights, renewals, and multi-million-dollar investment strategies worldwide. Irene pioneered proprietary insights infrastructure at Amazon and ethical, predictive models that connect human behavior to performance outcomes.

Prior to Amazon, Irene held senior leadership roles at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Ipsos, and Nielsen, where she led global research teams, launched new business verticals, advised C-suite leaders, and helped define modern standards for audience measurement, content testing, and advertising effectiveness. She has presented thought leadership at major industry forums including NAB, ARF, MRA, and ESOMAR, and is widely respected for her ability to bridge data science, storytelling, and executive decision-making.

Irene holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a BA from UCLA. She has served on multiple industry boards, is currently a WIRe Mentor, and is an advocate for developing the next generation of insights leaders.

Outside of her professional work, Irene enjoys sailing with her husband and two teenage sons. She is actively involved with the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, and serves as a docent for the National Wildlife Federation.

James Pickles is a Speaker, Coach and facilitator that helps high performers stay that way, sustainably. Since 2020, he has have delivered over 50 talks and workshops to a combined audience of over 3500 people from various sectors and industries, including M&S, Mintel, GSK, Watch Me Think, and Smart Pensions. He also provide personal coaching and mentoring to private clients who want to improve their performance, communication, and resilience. His sessions are candid, impactful, and have tangible, practical application. His clients often report immediate personal and financial benefits, such as averted resignations, increased retention, and better collaboration.

With over 20 years of high performance, high expectation sales and management experience in market research, he knows the challenges and pressures of working in relentless results-driven environments. He's walked many miles in your shoes, leaned the hard way, and now helps others tread an easier path.