David Banks is a seasoned consumer behavior and insights expert with over 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. He is known to his family as Willy Wonka, and in his world, the consumer is the Golden Ticket. His passion for food and beverage has led him to work with numerous Fortune 500 companies and over 100 major brands, solving complex problems around product sourcing, manufacturing, and go-to-market strategy. With an MBA in Marketing and International Business from the University of Dayton, David has had a successful career as a Marketing Director at Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Vice President, Global Food & Beverage at Aimpoint Research, Director Of Market Research and Consumer Insights at Kerry Group, Director - Consumer Insights & Innovation at MANE, Strategic Category Marketing Manager at Givaudan, Trade Marketing Manager at MeadWestvaco, Marketing Manager at Sara Lee, Account Manager at Empower MediaMarketing, Regional Account Executive at The Integer Group (Coors Brewing Company), and Project Coordinator & Brand Ambassador at Momentum Worldwide. David is a popular culture anthropologist and a storyteller, blending data using technology and market research methods to build fact-based platforms that help businesses grow. He has led teams and initiatives on ideation, innovation, consumer insights & analytics, brand & product management, sensory analysis, sales strategy development & execution, predictive analytics (AI), and market & competitive intelligence. The majority of these platforms have led to product and service concepts exceeding $100M in sales and are still on the shelves and in place today, delivering over 200 million smiles to date.