Lara Cherem

Founder/CMO, Porto Collective

(formerly VP Growth, Custom Ink) | Washington, D.C.

A former Dell award-winner turned global growth marketer, Lara has led marketing across North and Latin America, launching e-commerce platforms, delivering 5x ROI, and driving billion-dollar turnarounds. Born in Brazil, fluent in three languages, and seasoned by experience in 40+ countries, she brings a global view and a spicy-sweet leadership style—equal parts strategic and candid. A former engineer, Lara obsesses over what makes people buy and how AI can unlock smarter, more human growth.

With her "sharp strategy and spicy candor", and his "calm clarity and deep insight", she looks forward to co-creating a space that's smart, supportive, and real.

Michael Bair

Founder, Bair Consulting

(formerly SVP, Customer Experience, FIGS) | Pennsylvania

Michael Bair is a customer experience executive and founder of Bair Consulting, where he helps e-commerce and SaaS founders build CX strategies their teams are proud of and customers love. With leadership roles across startups and Fortune 50 companies—including three exits and a 2021 IPO—he’s led functions spanning customer success, sales, support, and retention. Known for building teams from the ground up and leading with a customer-first mindset, Michael brings calm clarity and deep operational insight.

He’s excited to co-lead with Lara, as they're connected personally and compliment each other by spanning multiple GTM functions.

What We Have Upcoming...

August 8 @ 1 p.m. EST | Driving Revenue and Loyalty Through Social & Influencer Strategies

In today’s digital landscape, every interaction—whether a swipe, click, or support interaction—has the potential to drive both revenue and loyalty. But that potential is only unlocked when acquisition and retention efforts are deeply aligned.

Join us for a candid conversation on how brands are transforming touchpoints into growth engines, from influencer marketing to personalized post-purchase journeys.

We’ll hear from Rohit Nathany, Chief Digital Officer at Mejuri, along with Jen-Ai Notman, VP of Marketing at Popflex, as they share how their brands have scaled in digital presence through strategic use of social, influencer partnerships, and omnichannel thinking. We'll explore how teams approach customer acquisition, storytelling, and scaling successful experiments.

Prepare to unpack:

• How social and influencer content shape not only discovery but also customer expectations and brand trust

• The role of segmentation and personalization in acquisition and strengthening post-purchase retention

• Where brands are bridging the gap between marketing, experience, and performance

• How AI and owned-channel insights are helping teams act faster, smarter, and with more relevance

• Proving incremental lift & payback – simple attribution frameworks, cohort math, and contract levers that keep influencer budgets green-lit.

Expect actionable ideas, peer sharing, and fresh perspectives from experienced leaders across a diverse range of industries.

What We've Been Up To...

If you haven't already, fill out the interest form to be considered for the cohort, and get invited to future programming.

May 29 @ 1 p.m. EST | Cohort Kickoff (Virtual)

Cohort Kickoffs are meant to introduce the concept and goals of the group, gather fellow members who have been selected to participate, and determine the ultimate foundation, as discussed and chosen by its members. From the cadence and commitment level to the topics, the co-leads will consider all input to provide the most value.

Topics the group shared interests in:

• Channel Prioritization: Finding the Right Mix of Owned, Paid, and Influencer
  
• Scaling Efficiently Without Sacrificing Brand
• The Role of First-Party Data in Driving Performance
• Lifecycle Marketing, Loyalty, LTV, and the Post-Cookie Playbook
• Tools We're Using — and Replacing (AI & Otherwise)
• In-House vs. Outsource Best Practices: Performance, Content, CX
• Attribution & Incrementality
  

June 27 @ 1 p.m. EST | Channel Check-in: What's Actually Working for Growth & Loyalty

The group had a roundtable to share various successes, challenges and general experiences on what’s driving (or stalling) consumer growth and loyalty across different businesses, as well as what they're excited to test.

What We Covered:

• Channel Breakthroughs: Brian (Uncommon Goods) has had success with mobile game ads via AppLovin and podcasts; plans to test Agentio on YouTube next.
• Retention: Michael (Bair Consulting) highlighted improving subscription comms and self-serve account tools to boost retention.
• Email/SMS Tools + Trends: Members compared Iterable, Klaviyo, Braze, and Listrak. + ROI from SMS and concierge-style services.
• Customer Behavior Insights: Subscriber data and purchase patterns are fueling smarter personalization strategies.